Chapter 7
1088 Words
Kaelani POV
It’s been a few weeks since I found the altar.
I’ve mastered a few spells and gained control over most of my abilities, but as my birthday gets closer, a deep sense of dread settles into my chest. I keep trying to push it out of my mind, but it lingers, heavy and persistent.
Today has been strange from the moment it started.
When I walk into first period, Kieran is sitting in our usual seats in the back. The second he sees me, he stiffens—and then practically runs to the front of the classroom.
Weird.
At lunch, he nearly growls at Liam for putting an arm around me.
Weirder.
By the time I make it to Combat—the last class of the day—my nerves are already shot. Kieran is standing directly in front of the girls’ locker room doors, rigid, like he’s fighting himself.
“Hey, Kieran,” I say carefully, approaching him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he snaps. “What the hell do you want?”
“You’re standing in front of the locker room door,” I say, pointing.
He doesn’t move.
“Um… Kieran, I need to get in there.”
“I can’t move, Kae.”
My head snaps up.
“Kae?” I repeat softly.
“Kieran, what is going on with you?” I demand. “You’ve been cold to me all day, and now you’re blocking me from getting to Combat.”
“It’s not me,” he grits out. “It’s Atlas.”
“You’re sweating badly,” I say, reaching for his arm.
Bad idea.
Thank the Goddess for my dad’s training.
He lunges for me, trying to slam me into the wall. I pivot out of his reach and punch him square in the face, just hard enough to knock him back from the doorway.
“I don’t know what the f**k is going on with you,” I snap, “but whatever it is, leave me the hell out of it. I already get it—you chased me just to see if you could get me to like you, only to turn around and be the same asshole you’ve always been.”
I shove past him and into the locker room.
Kaia is waiting inside.
“What took you so long?” she asks.
“Not here,” I mutter, glancing around.
Combat goes by in a blur. My mind keeps replaying the look on Kieran’s face—trapped, furious, afraid.
Why now?
Who would use dark magic on him?
The real question, Nyra says quietly, is who would benefit from him hating you.
The thought freezes me in place.
“No,” I whisper. “She wouldn’t. How would she even get her hands on a dark spell?”
Not sure, Nyra replies. But it’s something to think about.
She retreats, leaving the idea behind like a splinter.
Later that night, I’m back in the altar with Kaia and Liam, books spread around us as we search for answers.
“So what happened outside the locker room?” Kaia asks.
“I’m not totally sure,” I admit. “It’s like he knows something is wrong, but he can’t fight it. He wouldn’t move, like he wanted to say something to me but physically couldn’t. He was sweating and shaking. Every time he tried to talk, it hurt him.”
I swallow. “When I touched him, he tried to slam me into the wall. So I punched him.”
“What the hell is going on?” Kaia asks.
“Are you okay?” Liam asks, worry etched across his face.
“I’m fine,” I say. “I’m more worried about him.”
“I know Kieran is your friend, Kae,” Liam says gently, “but it’s not up to you to save him.”
“It is,” I snap. “I have magic. I can break the spell once I know what it is—and who cast it. He called me Kae.”
I take a breath. “He’s still in there. Fighting. Atlas too. I’m not giving up on him.”
Kaia flips through another page. “Everything here says dark spells always have consequences. They always take something. So whoever did this will eventually start showing signs, right?”
“Yeah,” I say slowly. “I guess you’re right.”
I start putting the books back.
“We’ve been here for hours,” I say. “Let’s call it a night.”
As we step out of the altar, my grandmother’s voice brushes my mind.
Trust your instincts, child. Trust your wolf.
Then, barely a whisper—
Veil of Severance.
“Tomorrow,” I murmur, sealing the tree shut.
Aliza POV
The last few weeks have been perfect.
Kieran is finally focused on me—not on her.
She’s my sister, and I love her… but not more than I want to be Luna.
He was always meant to be ours, Seris says.
“Right,” I whisper. “Always.”
I spot Kieran near the training grounds after school and walk up behind him.
I feel nothing.
No excitement. No warmth. No joy.
“Hey, Kieran,” I say.
He doesn’t react.
“What are you talking about, Atlas? I’m fine,” he mutters to his wolf.
I touch his arm.
Cold.
Not warm like it should be.
He spins around quickly. “Aliza—sorry. I didn’t hear you walk up.”
“It’s okay,” I say smoothly. “Are you ready to go?”
“Go where?”
“You said you’d drive me home.”
“Oh,” he says. “Yeah. I forgot. I’m ready.”
He kisses me softly.
I feel nothing.
At the border gate, he stops the car.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” he says. “I’m happy we’ve been spending time together again. I forgot how much I enjoy your company.”
He leans in and kisses me.
Deep. Passionate.
Still nothing.
When we reach the packhouse, I head straight upstairs. In the shower, I notice a bruise forming on my shoulder—right where the witch took my blood.
“What is this?” I ask Seris.
It’s from the blood draw, she says calmly. It will heal. Don’t worry.
That night, I lie in bed staring at the ceiling.
I won.
He’s mine.
And she will never have him.
- Writer
