CHAPTER 20
1451 Words
ADINNA’S POV
It’s strange how quickly things change when pain fades.
The ache in my body dulls each day as the wolfsbane finally leaves my system and for the first time in weeks, I feel almost human again. I still have the nightmares where Jace’s voice curls around my name like smoke, but at least now I can wake up without gasping for air.
Dean’s been there with me quietly and constantly through all of it.
He doesn’t hover, but I always seem to find him nearby. Sometimes he’s standing in the doorway, sometimes he’s leaning against the wall during meals, and sometimes he’s pretending not to look when I catch his eyes across the dining hall. I used to think his calmness was a trick and that he was just another one of Jace’s puppets playing the long game. But the more time we spend together, the less sure I am of anything.
“You heal fast,” he says one morning, his voice low as he leans against my desk.
“I’m a wolf,” I remind him dryly. “It’s kind of our thing.”
He smirks and the corner of his mouth twitches upward. “Still impressive. Most people wouldn’t be standing after what you went through.”
“Most people don’t get poisoned by their classmates on a weekly basis,” I mutter.
He laughs, and the sound warms something small and hidden inside me. It’s not loud or mocking like Jace’s laughter. It’s softer, deeper and sounds almost real that it scares the hell out of me.
By the next week, I’m strong enough to return to classes. Riley cheers like it’s a victory parade when I finally step into the hallway, even though every stare I catch feels like a spotlight. Whispers trail after me as usual but the tone has changed. They’re less gleeful and more curious.
“She’s back?”
“I thought she was done for.”
“Did you see Dean walk her to class?”
I try to ignore them and focus on keeping my shoulders straight. The floor still feels unsteady beneath me, but I’ll be damned if I show it.
When I get to the classroom, the teacher pauses mid-lecture, brows knitting together. “You’ve missed three days of class, Miss Malakai. Detention after school for you.”
My mouth falls open. “What? But I was sick!”
He barely glances at me. “Rules are rules.”
I want to scream. To explain that sick in this place means half-dead from poison, but what’s the point? It’s not like he cares.
Dean’s sitting in the back row, and when our eyes meet, he just gives a small, knowing smile like he expected this. I roll my eyes and take my seat, trying to ignore the smug warmth blooming in my chest at the fact that he’s watching.
Detention turns out to be cleaning the old training hall. I drag a mop across the dusty floor while Riley stacks books on a shelf nearby.
“You know,” she says, “he’s been following you around like a lost puppy lately.”
I don’t look up. “Dean?”
She nods, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips. “He’s always where you are. I’m starting to think he’s your bodyguard or maybe your crush.”
“Riley.”
“What? I’m just saying”
“Don’t.” I throw the mop into the bucket a little too hard, splashing water across the floor. “He’s not like that. He’s just curious.”
“About you?”
“About why I haven’t died yet.”
That shuts her up, but only for a moment. Then she leans closer, whispering, “You know Jace hates it, right? I heard some of the guys talking about how he looks ready to rip Dean’s throat out whenever he sees you two together.”
I freeze. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
I shake my head, forcing a laugh. “It’s just another one of his stupid games. He’ll get bored and move on.”
But even as I say it, I can’t shake the image of Jace’s eyes the last time I saw him and the sharp glint that looked a lot like jealousy.
Over the next few days, the whispers multiply. People move aside when I walk into the cafeteria. Hunter, who used to trip me every time I passed, actually avoids eye contact with me. The cruel laughter, the pranks and the whispered insults all start to fade like mist in the sun.
For the first time since I arrived at this cursed academy, peace doesn’t feel like a fantasy.
But I don’t trust it.
Peace here isn’t real. It’s just the silence before another storm.
Dean sits across from me during lunch, his long fingers absently tracing the rim of his cup. We talk about random things like training schedules, the teachers and how Riley somehow managed to charm her way out of a detention. But every time he laughs, I catch something else behind his eyes. A shadow. A thought he doesn’t say aloud.
“You know,” I say, tilting my head, “you’re a terrible liar.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You keep pretending you’re fine, that everything’s normal. But I can tell something’s bothering you.”
He leans back, lips curving in that slow, lazy smile. “You think you can read me now?”
“Maybe.”
“Then you should already know,” he murmurs, his tone suddenly serious, “that some truths aren’t worth knowing.”
The words send a chill down my spine, though his gaze never leaves mine.
I decide to change the subject before I start shaking.
“Fine. Be mysterious. But you could at least tell me what your next plan for me is,” I tease, stabbing my fork into my food. “Is there a weekly torture schedule I should know about?”
Dean’s jaw tightens slightly as his amusement fades. He looks at me for a long moment before answering quietly, “Don’t trust anyone here, Adinna. Not even me.”
The silence that follows is deafening.
For a second, I think he’s joking but there’s no hint of humor in his eyes. Only warning.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask slowly.
He doesn’t reply. He just stands, pushes his chair back and leaves before I can stop him.
That night, I can’t sleep. His words replay in my head like a mantra.
Not even me.
Why would he say that?
He’s been nothing but kind, steady, patient, and protective lately. But the way he said it, the way his voice dipped like he was scared. Not for himself but for me.
Riley’s already asleep and her soft snores fill the room. I stare at the ceiling, my thoughts spiraling faster with each breath.
I want to believe Dean is different. That at least one person in this nightmare isn’t out to break me. But every time I close my eyes, I remember the look on his face. The flicker of guilt when I joked about being their next target.
He knows something.
Something he can’t or won’t say.
And suddenly, all the quiet and calm feels like a setup.
The next morning, when I step out of my dorm, Dean is there again, waiting by the railing like he’s been standing there for hours. His eyes meet mine, unreadable.
“You ignored me last night,” I say softly.
“I was giving you time to think.”
“About what?”
“Whether you’ll listen.”
He steps closer, lowering his voice. “There are things happening here that you don’t understand, Adinna. Jace isn’t the only monster.”
My chest tightens. “And you are?”
His expression twists with a mix of pain, regret and something darker. “I told you not to trust me.”
“Then why are you helping me?”
He looks at me for a long, aching second. Then, in a whisper that barely reaches me, he says, “Because I owe you a truth. Just not yet.”
And with that, he turns and walks away leaving me standing there, more confused than ever.
The rest of the day feels wrong. The halls are too quiet and even Jace’s absence feels deliberate.
I keep replaying Dean’s warning in my mind, every word heavy with meaning I can’t unravel.
I don’t know who to fear more between the boy who wants to destroy me and the one who swears he’s trying not to.
- Writer
