All Chapters of Twice Rejected, Twice Fated: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Wren's POVI left before sunrise.I'd barely slept, and I hadn't expected to. The excitement about leaving made sleeping hard. By morning, I had a bus to catch."Last chance to turn back," Astra said, as I tiptoed down the stairs with my bag over my shoulder."Do you want to turn back?" I asked. "I'd rather bite my own tail.""Then shut up and walk."She laughed, and so did I, quietly, and for the first time in my life I stepped out of my father's house without feeling like I was being swallowed by it.There was one stop I had to make first.The graveyard was silent as always, the grass wet with dew, and my mother's headstone was exactly where I'd left it. I knelt in front of it and brushed the dead leaves away from the base, the way I'd done every morning for nine years."I'm going, Mom," I whispered. "I got a scholarship. I did it all by myself."The wind stirred the trees."I'll come back to see you," I promised. "I don't know when but I will. And when I do, I want to be somebod

Wren's POV He was taller than I remembered. I had to tip my head back to meet his eyes, and I did it, because I refused to look away first. Up close, they were even brighter. A. deep, clear green, with tiny flecks of something gold near the pupil."Wrenley. Am I correct?" he said. His voice was low and warm even up close, and when it wrapped around my name, my entire spine tingled. "That's a beautiful name."Wren. He'd said it the same way in the cabin. Slowly, like it was something he'd tasted in his sleep.But his voice. It was deeper than I remembered. There was something different in it but I couldn't put my finger on it, and I didn't have the strength to try."It's Wren," I said stiffly."Wren." His mouth curved. "Even better.""Mr. Starling is one of our most distinguished students," the Dean said happily, from somewhere very far away. "He is a member of the student pillar body. If you ever need anything, Miss Ashbourne, he's an excellent person to ask."Starling.

Cassius's POVI didn't move.I stood rooted to the ground long after the sound of her footsteps had faded, with one hand still half-raised in the air, as if she were somewhere in front of me and I could still reach her.Reject her.The words circled my head like vultures."What," Thorne said slowly, in the stunned voice of a wolf who had just been hit by a truck, "just happened?""I don't know.""She said… she thinks we want to reject her.""I heard.""Who told her that?" His voice rose into a growl. "Who would dare…""I don't know, Thorne.""Because we certainly didn't plan to."I dragged both hands through my hair and walked in a circle more than once because standing still felt impossible. I couldn't catch my breath. My palm was still burning. It had burned since the moment our skin touched, so bright it lit me up from the inside out, and I could still feel it, pulsing with my heartbeat, like she'd left a piece of herself behind.I had walked into the Dean's office tonight

Wren's POVA long, awful silence followed. I heard the rustle of her bathrobe, and the creak of her bed, and then the pad of her slippers across the floor. I felt her hovering at the edge of my bed, like she wanted to touch my shoulder but was afraid to."I'm going to go and get us something," she said at last, very softly. "Okay? I'll be back in a minute. Just… take your time."The door clicked shut behind her.I lay there, with my face in the pillow and the tears soaking into the cotton, and for a long time I didn't move."Wren," Astra said quietly."Don't.""I wasn't going to say anything.""Yes, you were.""I was going to say that she smells like cinnamon. And that I don't think she meant it.""I know she didn't mean it.""So why are you crying?""Because…" I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hand. My voice cracked. "Because it's true. Isn't it? I came here to start over. I came here to be somebody and on the very first day, I got my heart broken by a Valemont boy.""Technic

Wren's POVThe name rolled through the hall like a bell. A ripple of applause, louder this time, and a stir among the freshman girls, who sat up straighter and began to whisper. Behind me, someone squealed.He stepped up to the podium without a flicker of expression. And when he lifted his eyes, and scanned the hall, they were dark.My brows furrowed; I could have sworn they were green. Was it the lighting in this hall? "Welcome, freshmen," Cyrus said, in a low voice and the hair stood up along my arms. "I will be brief. Valemont is an institution built on discipline. You will be expected to attend your classes, to conduct yourselves with honour, and to uphold the standards of this university. Those who do will thrive."His gaze swept over the hall again. It passed over the rows, across the aisle, and slid past me as though I wasn't there.“Ouch.” Astra muttered. "Those who do not," he said calmly, "will find that Valemont is very large, and very easily left."A faint laugh starte