جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 100

"Move.”I didn’t wait for her to respond. I grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the Ritual Hall before anyone could stop us. Voices rose behind us but I didn’t turn back. I couldn’t.“Cassian—wait—what just happened?” she stumbled beside me, nearly tripping as I pulled her down the corridor.“Not here,” I snapped, tightening my grip when she tried to slow down.“You’re hurting me.”“Good. Then keep up.”She yanked once, hard. “Stop—!”I shoved open a side corridor door and pushed her inside. The door slammed shut behind us, cutting off the noise. For a second, neither of us spoke. My chest was rising too fast. My wolf wouldn’t shut up.Her scent was everywhere.Damn it.She stepped back, rubbing her wrist, eyes wide. “What was that back there? The ritual—why did it react like that?”I turned away, running a hand through my hair. “It didn’t matter.”“It does matter,” she shot back, voice shaking. “Everyone saw it. That wasn’t normal.”“Nothing about you is normal.”Silence dropped

The board kept growing.I stood in front of it, fists tight at my sides, eyes locked on the names carved into black stone. Marcus Fell. Petra Wynn. Now another fresh mark.Missing.Again.“You’re early.”Soren’s voice came from behind me, calm as always. I didn’t turn.“Couldn’t sleep,” I said.“That makes two of us.”I let out a short breath. “Another one.”“Yes.” He stepped up beside me, hands folded behind his back. “Patterns are forming. That’s rarely a good sign.”I nodded once, jaw tight.Silence stretched for a moment before he spoke again, quieter this time. “Are you ready to do what it takes to protect what’s yours?”The question hit harder than it should have.“Yes,” I said.No hesitation.Because in my head, there was only one answer.One person.Soren didn’t respond immediately. I felt his gaze shift to me, heavy, knowing. Like he could see straight through the word and into what I meant.“You’re certain?” he asked.“I don’t have the luxury of being uncertain.”“Hm.”I tur

The doors opened with a low metallic groan.Cold air hit me first.Then the smell.Burned fur. Chemicals. Something sharp that stung the back of my throat.I stopped for half a second.“Move,” the enforcer said behind us.I stepped forward.Cassian came in right after me. I felt it more than saw it—the way he shifted closer without thinking, just enough that our shoulders almost brushed.The bond reacted instantly.A low, tight pull.I ignored it.The lab stretched wide, nothing like the classrooms above. Metal tables lined the walls, each one marked with carved runes that pulsed faintly under dim light. Chains hung from the ceiling in neat rows. Glass containers sat on shelves—some empty, some… not.I looked away from those.“Ah.”The voice slid across the room, calm and pleased.Professor Cain stepped out from behind one of the tables, sleeves rolled, gloves already on. He smiled like we’d just arrived for a scheduled lesson.“Right on time,” he said. “I was hoping they’d bring you

The first thing I felt was him. Not the bed beneath me. Not the ache in my body.Him. His warm fingers wrapped tightly around mine, strong and steady.My eyes opened slowly. White ceiling. Infirmary lights. The sharp scent of herbs and antiseptic.Then Cassian.He sat beside the bed, leaning forward slightly, his hand locked around mine like he’d decided something while I was unconscious and never planned to take it back.His head lifted the second I moved.“You’re awake.”His voice was rough.I swallowed. “You sound terrible.”“You passed out.”“So dramatic.”Something in his expression shifted. Not amusement. Relief, maybe. The kind that held so much hope. But I didn't want to read too much into it.I tried to sit up. Pain immediately stabbed through my ribs. I wheezed like my breath got knocked out of me.“Don’t,” he said quickly, pressing a hand against my shoulder. “Practitioner Voss said your system overloaded.”“Great.” I winced. “Love that for me.”“You scared the hell out of

I shoved the rooftop door open so hard it slammed against the wall. I flinched as cold night air hit my face all of a sudden.But then I turned my face towards the chill. I needed something sharp enough to cut through the panic clawing up my throat.I walked straight to the edge of the roof, gripping the stone railing hard enough to hurt. My lungs dragged in breath after breath, too fast, too uneven.Mate.The word kept echoing.I hated it.Behind me, the rooftop door opened again. I didn’t turn around.I felt him before I heard him anyway.The bond stretched tight between us the second he stepped closer. A wire pulled too hard.“Val—”“Don’t.”My voice cracked.Silence followed.Then slow footsteps stopped several feet behind me. Not too close, but not too far either.Cassian finally understood distance.I laughed once under my breath. It sounded awful. He wasn't as untouchable as he thought he was “Why did you tell me?”He didn’t answer immediately.I spun around before he could. “