“Or something,” he replies, a half-smile playing on his lips. His hazel eyes catch the light, glinting with quiet amusement. And I could swear I saw a glow.
“But around here, we say lycans.”
He passes me the solace to my torment, and the moment the burnt herbs touch my lips, a wave of calm rolls over me. Muting the buzzing in my head until it’s nothing more than background noise.
For a heartbeat, I feel weightless, drifting on a cloud of almost-truths and fleeting reassurances. Letting myself believe, just for now, that maybe everything really will be okay.
“But yeah, you shouldn’t be outside on a full moon, especially when you’re fresh blood.” At those last words, his eyes flare up; this time, the truth lingers.
I choke, coughing as the air gets caught in my throat, message received. Scrambling to catch air, I pass the blunt back to him, my movements a little slower than intended. “So you were serious?”
"Serious as a heart attack, darling," he replies, voice smooth with a flicker of mischief. "And trust me, around here, that’s saying something. Welcome to the wonderful world of Elgar." His wink adds an almost tangible lightness to the air, like I’m supposed to feel reassured.
I chuckle, shaking my head, “And what do I call you?”
"Ah, the age-old question," he quips, eyes twinkling with that same playful energy. "You can call me Wyll, though ‘Master of disaster’ has a nice ring to it. Don’t you think?" Wyll punctuates his words with another wink.
“I’m Avilyna.”
“Oh, I know,” he responds with amusement. “You’re the girl who dared to throw a bucket of dirty water at Kai.” His smile stretches, showcasing his abnormally long canines. “I’m definitely keeping you around, you’re fun.” I can’t help but share his smile as I inhale another drag.
The same sharp canines as Kai.
Lycans.
“So, what happens during the full moon? You all transform and become monsters?” I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me. Wyll’s hazel eyes darken as he takes another pull from the joint, his voice dropping into something lower.
“Some of us are already monsters. The moon’s just an excuse for what’s always there. But yeah, you could say we all have the potential to become beasts. On those nights, our wolf instincts, our predator needs... It’s hard not to give in, especially when you smell thisgood.” His eyes skim over me, the air around him shifting again, more charged, more deliberate.
In fact, it seems to do the opposite.
Itgroundsme.
For once, I’m not anticipating the worst. My mind doesn’t have anything to latch onto, no dark thoughts to spiral into despair. I feel oddly safe, unburdened by the usual noise. Wyll’s nostrils flare as he looks me up and down, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
“Mmm, interesting…” he murmurs, surrounding me in a cloud of smoke. “Stay in your room, keep your doorwarded. Don’t want any uninvited guests.” His words are cryptic, beforehe strides past me, heading down a path near the trees that I hadn’t noticed before.
“Why does everyone keep telling me that? You don’t have security here?”
“We do,” he says with a dry smile, not slowing down. “But this is a war academy. Enemies won’t show you mercy, so why should we? Better start getting used to it.” Wyll calls over his shoulder, before disappearing into the shadows without a second glance.
I stand frozen. His words crash over me like winter’s wind. This place is riddled with secrets, and I fear this world has already swallowed me whole.
13
Avilyna
SOUNDS LIKE JUSTICE
Back in my room,which, of course, took me way too long to find, because apparently spatial awareness just isn't one of my many skills. I finally shut the door behind me with the satisfying click of the lock. Double-checked it, too. Some habits die hard, and with all the fuss I received, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I don’t waste any time before heading straight to the shower. Scorching hot water, steam curling around me like a protective barrier from the chaos outside. For a moment, it’s just me, the heat, and silence. By the time I step out, wrapped in the kind of calm you can only get from near-scalding water, I actually feel… human again, sort of.
Too exhausted to battle with my hair, because let’s face it, that’s always a losing fight, I just let it be its wild, unruly self. I throw on an oversized black t-shirt that swallows me enough to be comfy and call it good. Sleep is the goal now, peace and quiet; a few hours to myself.
Except, apparently, that was wishful thinking.
I swear I hadn’t been asleep for more than an hour, maybe two, if the universe was feeling generous, before the knocking started. Not knocking—banging. The kind that sounds like someone’s trying to settle a grudge with the door itself.
