Together, the three of us walked toward the auditorium gates. The stone arches loomed high above us, etched with old runes that glimmered faintly under the morning light. Students streamed inside in colorful robes, laughter and chatter echoing through the grand entrance.
And just as we reached the steps, a familiar voice stopped me.
"Hey."
I turned. Kayden stood there, effortlessly charming, his golden-brown hair catching the sunlight. He looked like he belonged on a stage even off it.
"You made it," he said with a grin that was both casual and practiced.
Mireille raised a brow, already smirking. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Male Lead himself."
Kayden chuckled, then shifted his gaze back to me. "Mind if I sit with you… Miss Universe?"
I blinked, caught completely off guard. "Miss what?"
"Miss Universe, obviously," he said smoothly, lowering his voice just enough to sound conspiratorial. "No one else could be as dangerously distracting as you."
My face heated instantly, but Mireille's reaction was even faster. She clutched her chest dramatically and whispered loudly, "Oh my god. He rizzes better than, you know who."
Kayden didn't wait for me to answer. He slipped right into the seat beside me, leaning back casually as if he owned the space. The heat of his shoulder brushed against mine, and I stiffened, trying not to notice.
Mireille, of course, noticed everything. She leaned in from my other side, whispering just loud enough to make sure Kayden could hear, "Yep. Confirmed. His rizz beats Al—"
"Don't," I hissed through gritted teeth, elbowing her. My cheeks were on fire.
Kayden tilted his head slightly, smirk tugging at his lips. "Al… who?" he asked, voice smooth but laced with playful curiosity.
"Nothing," I said quickly, too quickly.
Leo, of course, didn't miss the beat. He chuckled low, shaking his head. "I leave for two weeks and this is what I come back to? Lyra's got half the world lining up."
I rolled my eyes, shoving a stray strand of hair behind my ear, praying my blush wasn't as obvious as it felt. Kayden, unfazed, slipped in beside me as though it had been decided long before. His shoulder brushed mine lightly when we walked in, and I tried not to notice.
The four of us found seats in the middle rows. The air inside was thick with anticipation; banners of every society hung from the ceiling, enchanted so their colors shimmered like they breathed. One by one, names of clubs were being called to the stage, each greeted with polite claps or wild cheers depending on their fame.
Kayden leaned closer, his voice dropping. "You know, if you ever decide to model for me, I'll make sure the sculpture wins first prize. Maybe even build you a crown! ,perfect for Miss Universe."
I bit my lip, refusing to look at him, because Mireille had already gasped theatrically, fanning herself as if he'd just proposed marriage. Leo only smirked, stretching his long legs out, watching the exchange like it was his entertainment for the evening.
Mireille was still nudging me every three seconds, and Leo had leaned back like he was front-row at a play. Their voices mixed into a hum of laughter and teasing, and I could feel my face heating.
"Shush," I hissed finally, tugging my blazer tighter around me. "The ceremony's starting."
Mireille raised her brows, pretending to zip her lips, but her grin betrayed her.
Kayden only leaned closer, his voice a dramatic whisper, "Even shushing me looks good on you." I elbowed him sharply under the desk.
A swirl of silver mist descended over the stage, and when it cleared, the Headmistress was there. No one had seen her enter—she simply was. Her robes shimmered as if stitched from starlight, and her voice rang across the hall, magically amplified, soft yet commanding.
"Welcome, scholars of Arcanemere. Tonight, as every year, we honor the societies that keep this school alive. Each name you hear is more than a title—it is a vow. May those who lead, lead with strength. May those who follow, follow with passion."
The first sigil flared above the stage—ALCHEMY SOCIETY. At once, the air filled with the scent of herbs and the sparkle of potion-bubbles drifting upward like soap spheres, glowing faintly blue. Their president, a tall boy with silver embroidery on his cuffs, strode across the stage. When he raised a hand, the floating potion spheres exploded into showers of glitter, vanishing just before they touched anyone. The audience clapped, some gasping in delight.
"Show-off," Leo muttered beside me, brushing stray glitter from his hair.
Next, DUELISTS' GUILD. The chandeliers flickered into twin bursts of fire, forming a glowing sword above the stage. Their president, clad in dark leather and carrying an ornate blade, lifted it high, and sparks cascaded like shooting stars. Cheers erupted, some students even stomping their feet in rhythm.
Mireille leaned close to me. "I still say last year's president was hotter."
I snorted, covering my mouth quickly as Kayden shot me an amused look.
One by one, societies came forth, each with its own spectacle. Enchanters flooded the room with illusions—rainbows twisting into butterflies that dissolved into sparks. The Scholars' Circle conjured books that opened themselves, pages glowing with floating words that reshaped into a constellation. The Theater Society's president simply snapped his fingers, and a shadow-play unfolded on the wall behind him, telling a whole story in moments.
Every announcement pulled murmurs, cheers, and sparks of wonder. It was overwhelming, but in a dazzling way—like being caught inside a storm of color and sound.
Leo shifted beside me. His usual grin was gone, replaced by a faint frown. He stood suddenly, brushing down his jacket. "All these tricks are making me sick. I think I need to go to the bathroom," he said lightly, too lightly.
But when his eyes met mine, I froze. His words were nothing but a mask. I could feel it. There was no sickness in him, no nausea. His gaze flickered—warning, secret, maybe even fear. And then he slipped into the crowd before I could speak.
"Drama Society!" the Headmistress announced next, her voice ringing as the stage flared into a ripple of violet curtains and flickering lights.
Kayden shot up immediately, raising both hands like he owned the place. "Your favorite star has arrived!" he declared, earning both laughter and groans from the audience. He waved like royalty, smug and radiant, basking in the attention.
Mireille buried her face in her hands, laughing. "I can't believe he's serious."
I rolled my eyes but found myself smiling anyway, Kayden's ridiculous confidence almost infectious.
Then the mist shifted again. The sigil of the Arts Society unfurled above the stage, glowing in swirling colors that shifted like brushstrokes on a living canvas. The Headmistress raised her hand, voice carrying like a spell.
"The president of the Arts Society."
The hall hushed. The lights dimmed, waiting.
But no one came forward.
The sigil pulsed, growing brighter, impatient, as if the magic itself expected the arrival. Whispers rippled through the benches.
"Where are they?""Is this part of their act?""She should've been here…"
I leaned forward, pulse quickening. Something was wrong. The air had changed—thick, tense, almost heavy.
And then—
A shriek.
A piercing cry tore across the hall. Every flame in the chandeliers guttered out at once, plunging the room into a shivering half-darkness. The enchanted banners writhed like smoke, dissolving before our eyes.
Around me, the crowd rose in broken waves. People turned, craning to see the source of the scream. A few whispered names—some in fear, some in disbelief. I caught flashes of pale faces, wide eyes, trembling hands.
My heart was hammering, loud, too loud.
"Mireille?" I turned, but her seat was empty. "Leo?" My breath caught—his chair was still abandoned. He hadn't come back.
Mireille's seat was abandoned, probably pushed away in panic, but Leo—he'd left just before the shriek. He knew something. I was sure of it.
I tried to rise, to follow, but the floor seemed to tilt beneath me. My knees buckled, and I sank back down, clutching the edge of the bench.
The shriek hadn't only rattled the hall. It was rattling me.
Heat flared through my veins—no, not heat, something sharper, stranger. I gasped as a pale glow flickered across my skin, those patterns I didn't recognize unfurling like living veins along my hands and arms.
"No, no, no…" I whispered under my breath, my jaw trembling.
The pain intensified. My nails elongated into curved, unnatural claws that caught the dim light with a sickening sheen. My jaw clenched so tightly it felt as if my teeth were stretching, sharpening against my will. A savage hunger stirred inside me, an urge, primal and terrifying.
Someone was beside me. A girl, too close. I could hear her pulse, smell her warmth. My chest rose and fell rapidly as the desire clawed at me—bite her. bite her. bite her.
"No!" My voice cracked. I crouched low, trying to hide the monstrous shift. My shoulders shook, sweat dripping down my temples.
And in one desperate, brutal act, I sank my own teeth into my hand.
The pain exploded white-hot. My jaw pressed harder, harder, until I thought the bones in my hand would snap. Metallic tang filled my mouth—blood, sharp and bitter.
But it worked.
My nails shrank. My teeth dulled back into their human form. My body trembled, weak, but slowly… terrifyingly… normal.
I pulled my hand from my mouth, slick with blood, and shoved it under my sleeve, hiding it in the folds of my black sleeve. My chest heaved as I swallowed the copper taste on my tongue.
"Breathe," I told myself. "Just breathe."
Thank the stars I'd worn black. No one would see the stains.
My legs trembled beneath me, refusing to hold my weight. I clutched the back of the seat in front of me, desperate to steady myself, but the hall was erupting into chaos. Students screamed and scrambled toward the sound of the shriek, their robes swishing as panic drowned the headmistress's attempts to command order. Her voice—sharp, authoritative—was swallowed by the sea of bodies pushing and shoving in every direction.
I wanted to leave, to breathe, to escape this suffocating hall. Somehow, through the blur of fear, I found the stairs. My vision swam, my steps faltered, and just as I stumbled forward, strong hands caught me.
Kayden.
He pulled me against him, steadying me before I could fall flat onto the cold marble. This time, though we were so close I could feel his heartbeat thundering through his chest, nothing stirred in me. Not the wild pulse that screamed to kiss him, nor the darker whisper that wanted to sink teeth into his skin. All I felt was an overwhelming urge to get away.
"Are you okay?" His voice was taut with worry, his hazel eyes searching my pale face. "Why are you so pale?"
"I—I'm claustrophobic," I managed to whisper, clutching my stomach as if the word itself explained everything. "All this noise… this crowd… it's giving me nausea. I need to go to my room."
Kayden frowned, and then, with a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes, said, "Okay then… let me do the honors."
"What—?"
Before I could protest, his arms swept under me, lifting me effortlessly off the ground. The sudden motion stole the breath from my lungs. He held me as if I weighed nothing, as if carrying me was the most natural thing in the world.
But my thoughts clashed violently in my head. No. No, this isn't right. I don't want this. I don't want him. My heart wasn't racing for Kayden. It was aching for Alaric—aching because I hadn't seen him all day, aching because somehow, this felt like Kayden was stepping into a role that didn't belong to him.
"Kayden… put me down," I murmured, struggling faintly in his grip. "I can walk."
He shook his head, stubborn. "Not a chance. You will faint before you reach that door."
And then came a group of girls, sharp-eyed and smirking, swooped down on us like vultures sensing prey. They were the type everyone whispered about—the pick-me girls who lived for attention, claws hidden beneath layers of sweetness until they saw something they wanted.
One of them stepped forward, her gaze flicking between me and Kayden with venomous delight. "Well, no surprise. The little vixen's bewitched my Kayden." Her voice dripped poison. "How dare you touch him?"
Kayden's jaw tightened, his arms instinctively holding me closer as if shielding me from her words. "Your Kayden?" he repeated, his voice low and dangerous. "I don't remember belonging to you."
The girl's smile faltered, but she tossed her hair, eyes narrowing at me. "Don't act like she hasn't wrapped you around her finger. Everyone can see it. She's nothing but trouble—"
"Say another word about her," Kayden cut in, his tone sharp enough to slice through the chaos around us, "and you'll regret it."
For a heartbeat, the girl froze, caught in the intensity of his glare. Then her lips curled into a mocking smirk, refusing to back down.
Before Kayden could answer further, her hand shot out, yanking me from his arms with such force that I stumbled, my balance breaking.
"Let go of her!" Kayden's voice thundered, but she was quicker, shoving me back toward the stairs.
My heel slipped against the polished stone. The world spun as I tumbled down a few steps, my shoulder crashing hard against the banister before my forehead struck the edge. A sharp pain split across my skull, hot and blinding, and warm liquid trickled down — blood.
Gasps erupted around us, a mix of horror and whispers spreading through the crowd. My vision blurred, the shrill ringing in my ears drowning the chaos.
I felt arms scoop me up again — Kayden's, strong and steady despite the panic etched across his face. "Lyra—!" His voice cracked, raw with fear.
The girl sneered, her face pale but her words venomous. "See? She's faking it. All for attention. Pathetic—"
"Shut up!" Kayden roared, his voice echoing through the hall. His grip tightened around me, protective and furious. "Can't you see she's bleeding? That too because of you!"
His anger silenced many around us, but the girl only scoffed, stepping closer as if unwilling to yield. "Bleeding or not, she's a curse. And you're too blind to see it."
Kayden shifted, standing with me in his arms, his glare burning into her. "Say one more word, and—"
"STOP. Right there."
The command split through the madness, firm and ringing with authority. The crowd fell silent. Heads turned.