Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

The gate loomed above us like the jaw of some ancient beast.Black iron, twisted into the shapes of wolves mid-howl, their metal mouths frozen open in eternal silence. Beyond it, a driveway stretched into darkness, lined with trees that seemed to lean inward, watching.Lukas had already stepped off the bus. He didn't look back at me. Didn't need to. His warning still buzzed in my ears like poison.You should be afraid.I grabbed my suitcase and followed.The building emerged from the fog like a ghost taking shape.Gothic. Massive. The kind of architecture that belonged in old European paintings—spires that pierced the clouds, arched windows glowing with amber light, stone walls covered in climbing ivy that looked centuries old. A clock tower rose from the center, its face illuminated by the moon, the hands frozen at midnight.Silvermoon Academy.The name was carved into a stone arch above the main entrance, the letters filled with what looked like real silver.I stopped walking. My su

The combat training arena was a nightmare.A massive circular pit sunk into the ground, lined with stone bleachers that rose toward the ceiling like the tiers of an ancient colosseum. The floor was packed dirt, stained dark in places I didn't want to think about. Weapons hung on the walls—swords, daggers, staffs, things I couldn't name—all of them gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights.And standing in the center of it all was Instructor Morwen.She was tall. Broad-shouldered. Her gray hair cropped short, her face a roadmap of old scars. When she smiled, it looked like she was imagining all the ways she could kill you."Welcome," she said, her voice carrying through the arena without a microphone, "to your first combat trial."The students around me shifted nervously. There were maybe forty of us, standing in loose clusters on the arena floor. Most of them were already in athletic gear—tight leggings, tank tops, bare feet. I was still in my uniform, because no one had told me to

I should have run.Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to turn around, to flee, to put as much distance between Lukas and myself as possible. But my legs wouldn't move. My feet were rooted to the floor, my hand frozen on the door handle, my eyes locked on his.Mate with me.The words echoed in my skull, bouncing off the walls of my brain like bullets in a chamber."No," I said.Lukas's smile didn't waver. "No?""That's what I said." I forced my legs to move, turned the handle, pulled the door open. "I'm not mating with anyone. I'm not a prize to be won. I'm not a weapon to be used.""Ela—""I said no."I stepped into the hallway.And Lukas followed.He caught up to me in three strides.His hand closed around my arm—not gentle this time. Firm. Demanding. He pulled me back toward his door, his fingers digging into my skin hard enough to bruise."Let go of me.""Not until you hear me out.""I heard you. I said no.""Ela, please." His voice cracked on the word. For a moment, the m

The note burned a hole in my pocket all day.I couldn't focus in classes. Couldn't eat at meals. Couldn't look anyone in the eye without wondering if they were the one who'd written it—if they were the one watching me from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.They're watching you.The walls have eyes. The shadows have teeth.Run.I didn't know who sent it. Didn't know if it was a threat or a warning. Didn't know if I should trust it or tear it up and pretend I'd never seen it.But as the sun set and the academy grew dark, I made my decision.I was leaving.Packing took five minutes.I didn't have much—just the clothes I'd brought from Istanbul, the photograph of my mother, and the black stone that had been left on my pillow. I shoved everything into my purple suitcase, zipped it shut, and stood by the window.The forest stretched out below me, dark and endless.Somewhere out there was a road. Somewhere out there was a town. Somewhere out there was a life that made sens

His hands were on my face.My hands were on his chest.His lips were inches from mine—so close I could feel his breath, warm and uneven, washing over my skin. So close that if I leaned forward just a fraction of an inch, if I closed my eyes just for a moment, if I let myself fall—"Make me yours."The words hung in the air between us, heavy and electric, charged with something I couldn't name. Something that made my blood hum and my skin tingle and my heart pound like a fist against my ribs.Nikolai's eyes—those impossible ice-blue eyes—darkened.His thumbs traced my cheekbones, slow and deliberate, like he was memorizing the shape of my face. His breath came faster. His chest rose and fell against my hands, and I could feel his heartbeat—strong, steady, wild—echoing through his ribcage like a second drum."Ela," he whispered."Kiss me.""If I do—""I know." I pressed my palms flat against his chest, feeling the heat of him through the thin fabric of his sweater. "You won't be able to