Violet

“Somebody please kill me!” I groaned, burying my head in my pillow. Classes hadn’t even officially started yet—and I was already exhausted.

How was I even supposed to focus after everything that happened last week?

Many had said finding your mate would be magical, like something out of a fairytale. Your mate was supposed to be your soulmate—but mine? Mine was a mate from the lowest pit of hell.

He was disgusting, scum—cold-hearted.

First, he kissed me, then told me to stay away, and then he followed me back to my dorm. None of it made any sense.

Each time I closed my eyes, all I could see were flashes of Kylan’s lip on mine and I hated it.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, all the girls could talk about was how he had been sleeping with Chrystal, and that the two would be getting back together.

I didn’t mind. Couldn’t give two shits actually—but Lumia was heartbroken.

I hated him with every bone in my body, and when I saw him in the hall, I could see it in his eyes. He felt the same.

Being the good person I was, I wanted to reject him right then and there to make it easier for the both of us—but before I could even get the words out, he had vanished.

Kylan was going to reject me at some point. That was a well-known fact. I only wanted to do it before he had the chance.

I heard three knocks on my door before it opened. “Come on—grab your bag, and let’s go!” I recognized Trinity’s voice. “You don’t want to smudge your pillow with any makeup.”

I lifted my head to glare at her. “I’m not wearing any.”

“Oh?” she frowned. “Drool then. Come on, let’s go.”

With a groan, I pushed myself out of bed. I grabbed my bag and then followed behind her.

“What’s the point in sharing a dorm when it’s mostly just the two of us?” Trinity scoffed as we walked. She was referring to Chrystal and Amy, our roommates, who were rarely around.

I shrugged. “I don’t mind it.”

Over the week, it had become clear to me that I wouldn’t bond with the two Lycan girls anyway. Not like I did with Trinity. She was nice, funny, easygoing and it felt like we had been friends for ages. Our connection felt natural.

“Maybe we’ll bump into my mate, and I can finally introduce you to him!” Trinity’s eyes lit up.

I forced a smile. “Yes, maybe.”

Trinity had found her mate at the Starlight Festival, and hadn’t stopped talking about him ever since. This whole week I had to hear about how tall, handsome, and kind he was—yet she refused to back up these claims by showing me a picture. She said he was someone I’d have to meet in person.

I wad happy for her, really. She deserved the world and so much more, but thinking about how things had turned out so differently for her made me feel a bit bitter.

My experience had been so humiliating, I hadn’t even told her about finding mine.

Trinity bumped my shoulder. “Don’t feel bad about not finding your mate yet. Maybe he isn’t at this school.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, glancing away. “Maybe.”

A while later, we had reached the crowded academic hall. Trinity pulled me into a tight hug.

“I have to go that way,” she pointed to a different wing of the building. “But have a good first day! And if we’re fighting someone, text me!”

I cracked a laugh, watching her leave. “I will!”

Unfortunately, we didn’t have any classes together today. I knew I couldn’t rely on her for four years, and had to do things on my own—but it wouldn’t be too far stretched to say I was already missing her.

As I walked down the hall, I looked for my classroom. When I finally found it, I took a deep breath, forcing myself to push all thoughts of Kylan out of my mind. What’s done was done, and now it was time for me to focus.

My first class of the day was the basic of healing.

I stepped inside the classroom, already seeing Esther, our RD, standing at the front. She shot me a warm smile which I returned.

Scanning the room, I searched for an empty seat, but then I heard it.

That familiar, annoying laugh.

I glanced over to where the sound was coming from and saw Chrystal sitting on a table, surrounded by her minions, including Amy. They were laughing and whispering, but their eyes were on me.

Whether they were laughing at me or with me, I didn’t know—and honestly, I didn’t care.

All I knew was that I needed to find a seat as far away from them as possible, so I did. I didn’t want to get into it with Chrystal, not when I already had enough trouble with Kylan. One noble Lycan was more than enough.

“Good morning, everyone!” Esther greeted as soon as I sat down. “Before we start, I want to do a quick introduction round. Name, age, where you’re from—”

Everyone groaned, but Esther continued, clearly not taking no for an answer. Luckily I was first, but as everyone was forced to introduce themselves my mind drifted elsewhere.

“Today we’ll be doing a simple healing exercise. Don’t worry, this is just to see where everyone is at, so no pressure.”

She explained the task in detail, but my mind was drifting again.

“Each of you will have a tank with thirty small fish,” Esther spoke. “The goal is to strengthen at least one of the weakened fish using your healing abilities. Good luck!”

I missed half of her instructions, but I didn’t care. The fish exercise was a basic I had learned from a young age. It was a standard among the healers of the Bloodrose pack—and we were all trained under the strongest pack’s healer, an old respected woman who had also tutored my Mom.

I looked at the tank which was placed in front of me. Swirling my finger, I healed one fish as I wanted to keep a low profile. I didn’t want to stand out or get labeled as the nerd or the show-off in class.

It used to be like that back home, and I didn’t want a repeat of that.

When I heard people talking and clapping in admiration, I turned my head toward Chrystal’s table.

“Fifteen fish,” Esther nodded her head, fixing the glasses on her nose. “Good job, Chrystal. Since you’ve already taken this class last year, I’m sure you can lead the other girls.”

Chrystal smirked, brushing her red locks behind her ear.

She really thought she was something. I hated her with a passion, but it wasn’t because of her—it was because of him.

‘She’s can’t lead us. We’ve done this many times before.’ Lumia crawled inside my mind. ‘Show her!’

I clenched my fists, staring down at the fish in my tank as anger took over my body.

‘First she stole our mate, and now she’s stealing our spotlight. She is not the best healer in this class.’

It was hard not to focus on Lumia’s voice as she pushed me closer to the edge. There was no reason for Kylan to dislike me the way he did, not while he surrounded himself with that.

It wasn’t fair.

‘End that bitch, Violet.’

“No—“

Before I could stop it, Lumia had won. The water in the tank splashed wildly, all thirty fish swimming around.

Gasps followed the room as everyone stood up to gather around my tank. My cheeks felt hot, I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. I hated attention, and because of that jealous wolf, I now had a room full of it.

Violet

“Amazing,” Esther said, making me look up to meet her eyes. “This is a junior-level skill. We don’t expect freshmen to heal more than ten.”

Unsure of how to answer, I managed to give her an appreciative smile. From the corner of my eye, I caught Chrystal’s eyes shooting daggers in my direction.

If it wasn’t for Esther urging everyone to take a seat again, I had no idea what she might’ve done to me.

“Violet,” the woman spoke as everyone sat back down. “Please come visit me after class. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

The rest of the class was mostly theory, and after an hour the bell rang. Students began to gather their things, but I waited, just as Esther had told me to.

Chrystal who had been glaring at me for well over an hour, now stood at my table with her minions. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to stop whatever she had planned for me, I looked up to meet her gaze.

“Yes?” I asked.

Chrystal chuckled, rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t even talking to her,” she said to the other girls. “But I guess some people just need to be the center of attention—don’t they?”

I knew better than to respond. Speaking back would only invite trouble, so I diverted my gaze, keeping my mouth shut, and waited patiently until she left the classroom.

Once everyone was gone, I made my way over to Esther’s desk.

“Sit,” she said warmly, gesturing to the chair, and I sat down.

Esther studied me for a moment, tucking her gray hair behind her ear. Her gaze was observing and sharp as if she was trying to read me.

“Your mom was…Claire Hastings from the Bloodrose Pack, correct?” she asked after a moment of silence.

I nodded, unsure where this was going.

“She was one of my best students,” Esther acknowledged. “I also knew your dad, Greg. He was such a strong fighter, they were always together, always eager to learn. Your Dad Fergus too, of course…or Uncle?”

“Dad is alright,” I corrected her, a smile tugging at my lips.

Back home people rarely spoke about my parents, they treated them like literal ghosts. It was nice to hear about them for once.

“She was so good,” Esther continued, “And I’m going to give you the same opportunity I gave to her.”

I blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Have you heard of the Elite Team?”

I furrowed my brow, the name familiar. “Yes, my cousin—” I hesitated, correcting myself, “my brother, Dylan, is on that team.”

Esther nodded. “Indeed, he is, and so were your parents.”

The Elite Team was a special group within the academy, made up of the best students from all years. They were the face of the school, the protectors of the school and followed a separate program.

“I want you to take trial classes with the Elite Team,” Esther said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

My heart skipped a beat. “W-Why?” I stuttered.

“Because,” she sighed, “a freshman who can heal thirty fish in one go has a bright future ahead of her.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I knew I had a talent, but no one ever told me I had a bright future. Not the teachers back home, not even the healer, no one.

I was used to being told what I needed to work on, or what I wasn’t doing good enough. Those were the things that made me push myself harder.

I wasn’t used to compliments, and hearing that I was good enough for something meant more to me than she could have ever imagined.

“The Elite Team is not something out of the ordinary for a Bloodrose,” Esther added, noticing my lack of reaction.

I hesitated, suddenly feeling the pressure that came with it. Protector of the school?

What I lacked in many other things, I made up for in healing—but I wasn’t some extraordinary student.

“I don’t know…”

Esther’s expression softened. “You’re strong, Violet—too strong. You need to challenge yourself before you get bored.”

I breathed, “This was only the first class—“

“And I only need a few seconds to see whether someone is good enough for the Elite Team,” Esther finished.

Her eyes were full of determination—she trusted me, believed in me—and I didn’t want to let her down. Maybe there really was something. Who knew?

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Esther smiled, relieved. “I’ll send you an email with the details.”

As I got up to leave, it suddenly occurred to me that something was bothering me—something only she could help with. “By the way,” I said. “When we first met, you called me Adelaide?”

The smile faded from Esther’s face. “Did I?” she cleared her throat.

“Yes, you did,” I reminded her. “I saw a picture of Mom…with that girl, Adelaide, in the hall?”

“They were close friends,” Esther replied quickly.

“Close friends or best friends?” I wondered.

“Best friends. I meant to call you Claire. I got it all mixed up. My bad.”

“I see,” I chuckled, finally making sense of the situation. “Do you maybe have her number or anything, so I can get in contact with her and—”

“No, she passed away many years ago.”

“She passed away?” I raised a brow.

“Yes… the things depression can do to a person.”

“Was she depressed?”

Esther didn’t answer, and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from her desk. “I’ll write you a note. You should head to your next class.”

Other students were already beginning to fill the room for the next period. Esther scribbled something onto a piece of paper and handed it to me. “Here you go.”

The same woman who had been so warm just seconds ago was now cold and distant. By her tone, I could tell the conversation was over, but there were so many questions I still wanted to ask.

About Adelaide, and the bond she shared with Mom. Maybe it wasn’t important, but there was something about the way they hugged in that picture that pulled me in. I felt drawn to Adelaide, and I wanted to know more about her.

I took the note, deciding to let it drop before heading to my next class.

~

After two more classes, history and emotional healing—it was time for my lunch break.

With my tray in my hand, I looked across the crowded cafeteria. It was an unorganized mess. Everywhere I looked, students were talking, laughing, eating…kissing. I felt out of place, as usual.

I spotted Nate, sitting with a group of his friends at a table near the center. Kylan wasn’t there. Nate caught my eye and waved at me to come over.

I quickly turned my head, pretending I hadn’t seen him. I knew he meant well, but I had no business sitting at a table full of Lycans.

We might go to school together, have classes together—but we were not the same.

They disliked us, and we disliked them. It had always been like that.

I settled for a table all the way in the corner, hoping nobody would bother me, then my thoughts drifted back to the Elite Team.

How was I going to be part of a team when I could barely count to ten in public? I was socially awkward, not good at making friends—and now Esther expected me to be part of a team?

Was I really ready for something like that?

I pulled out my phone, hesitating a moment before dialing Dad, thinking telling him the good news would cheer me up. Maybe he would be proud of me for once or at least acknowledge what I had accomplished on my first day.

As always, the call went straight to voicemail, but I decided not to let it get to me. He was the Alpha—perhaps he was just busy.

I left him a voicemail instead. “Hey Dad, it’s me, Violet. I haven’t heard from you in a while, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m still alive. I…I miss you, and I love you. Bye.”

The voicemail ended with a beep. The love I had for him was one-sided. That man had never been warm, affectionate or caring for a single day in his life—but I still loved him. He had taken me in, took care of me when he didn’t have to. Regardless of everything, I was still grateful.

I sighed, playing around with the food on my tray.

Dad didn’t care.

My mate didn’t care.

My brother didn’t care.

None of those students cared.

Final conclusion? My life sucked and so did Starlight Academy. The only one keeping me sane was Trinity who was not here at the moment.

Suddenly, a loud tray slammed onto the table, making me flinch. My eyes widened as I looked straight ahead, coming face to face with someone familiar.

"Since you were ignoring me, I figured I’d invite myself over."

It was Nate.