บททั้งหมดของ Reckless Royals of Nocturne Prep: บทที่ 61 - บทที่ 70

KIERANI watched Luca hold my mate and felt my fangs try to claw its way out of my mouth. The jealousy was acid in my throat, burning and bitter. Rae fit against him like she belonged there, her face pressed into his shirt while he whispered things I could hear clear as night.The rational part of my brain knew she was grieving. Knew she needed comfort after seeing what happened to Annalise. But the mate bond didn't care about rational thought. It cared about the fact that another male… another of her mate was touching what was mine.I forced myself to stay where I was at the edge of the crowd. Forced my hands to remain unclenched at my sides instead of ripping Luca away from her. The scent of his contentment drifted toward me on the wind, and I had to bite down on my tongue, drawing blood to keep from snarling.When Luca finally stepped back from Rae, I moved. I couldn't help it. My feet carried me through the cluster of students before my brain could tell them to stop.Rae's face wa

MIYORI The knock on my door came just as I was settling back into my chair, trying to process everything that had happened today. Two dead students in less than a week. My job hanging by a thread. The school board breathing down my neck."Come in," I called, not bothering to hide my exhaustion.Professor Morrigan entered, but she wasn't alone. A sentinel followed behind her, his dark uniform making him look like a shadow against the lighter walls of my office. He was young, maybe mid-twenties, with the kind of rigid posture that came from military training."Headmistress," Morrigan said, closing the door behind them. "We have a situation."I gestured for them to sit, but the sentinel remained standing. "What kind of situation?""We've been watching Marcus Whitmore, as discussed," the sentinel said. His voice was clipped, professional. "About an hour ago, we observed him retrieving something from the old groundskeeper's shed. Small package, looked suspicious."I leaned forward. "Did y

RAEThe room was cold. Stone walls pressed in around me, and the only light came from a single candle flickering on a wooden table. The flame danced and jumped, casting strange shadows that moved like living things across the gray stone.I tried to move but found myself sitting on a hard wooden chair. My hands were bound behind my back with rough rope that bit into my wrists. The dress I wore was heavy and long, made of dark fabric that scratched against my skin. It wasn't mine. I'd never owned anything like it."You are a sick child," a woman's voice echoed from somewhere beyond the heavy wooden door. "Speaking to the dead. Claiming to see spirits. The devil has taken hold of your mind."My throat felt raw, like I'd been screaming. Words tumbled out of my mouth without my permission."I'm not sick! Mother comes to visit me. She tells me she's sorry for leaving. She says she didn't want to die.""Your mother is dead, Elena. Dead and buried. What you see are demons sent to corrupt your

CASSIANI had to see her. I had to know for sure."That's a bad idea," Miyori said, but I was already heading for the door."I don't care."The walk to the female dormitory felt like it took forever. My mind kept circling back to what Miyori had told me. Something powerful enough to hurt a fox spirit through dream walking. Something that wasn't demonic. Something guarding Rae's mind like a supernatural watchdog.If Elena had made a pact to return to me, what had she promised in exchange? And what the hell was living inside Rae's head?I climbed the stairs to the floor of the female dormitory, my medical kit still in one hand. The hallways were quiet except for the soft hum of the heating system. Most students would be asleep by now, recovering from the shock of learning about Annalise's death.I found Rae's room and knocked softly on the door.Footsteps approached from inside, and the door opened.Kieran Duskmoor stood there in wrinkled clothes, his dark hair messy like he'd been runn

RAEThe words hung in the air between us like a blade waiting to fall. I could see the confusion flicker across Cassian's face, then something darker. Disappointment, maybe. Or hurt."I do not think I want a soul tie, Cassian."His hands went still on mine, and I felt the warmth start to drain from his touch. The silence stretched until I thought I might suffocate under the weight of it."Why?" The word came out flat, but I could hear the underlying tension. "Is it the risk? Because I can protect you better this way. I can make sure nothing happens to you again."I pulled my hands free and wrapped my arms around myself. The office suddenly felt too small, too intimate. I needed space to think, to figure out how to explain something I didn't even fully understand myself."It's not about the risk," I said, though that was only partially true. The thought of tying my life force to someone else's, of dying if they died, was terrifying. But that wasn't the real reason I'd said no.The real