Icebound hearts

Episode1

Belladonna’s POV

The first thing I learned about Ravenwood Academy was that obsession could be exhausting.

The second thing I learned was that it could also be embarrassing.

I crouched behind the bleachers, pretending to work on an assignment while secretly watching hockey practice. Again.

At this point, even I was starting to question my life choices. Ryder Kane, the new jockey team captain skated across the ice, effortlessly weaving around defenders before sending the puck flying into the net. The entire rink erupted into cheers. I wasn’t the only one watching.

Unfortunately, unlike the other girls surrounding the rink, I at least had enough dignity not to scream every time he touched the puck. Barely.

A month ago, I had arrived at Ravenwood Academy as the scholarship girl with no wolf, no magic, and no place among the elite supernatural students. Now I was the scholarship girl with no wolf, no magic, and an unhealthy crush on the new hockey captain. Progress.

“Pathetic,” I muttered under my breath. The truth was that I should have been studying. Or practicing for my music evaluation.

Or figuring out why there was a mysterious letter carved into my shoulder. Or why I sometimes dreamed about a child calling for me. Instead, I was here. Watching Ryder Kane skate again.

The practice dragged on longer than usual. By the time I finally looked at the clock mounted above the rink, my stomach dropped. “Oh no.” The arena was nearly empty.

Students were already leaving. The sun had disappeared. Snow fell heavily outside the glass walls. I quickly stuffed my books into my bag and hurried out.

The academy gates were closed by the time I got there. Without my id, I’d have to take the forest route back to the dormitories. And everyone knew the forest route wasn’t safe after dark.

“f**k,” I hissed, leaning against the wall.

I could see the boys walking out of the court. They weren’t leaving anytime soon. It was obvious.

The cold hit me immediately. Snow crunched beneath my boots as I hurried down the path leading away from the campus. After covering a few meters away from the tall campus buildings, I heard voices. Not student voices. Adult voices.

I slowed. A group of men stood near the old maintenance building. They wore dark coats with hoods pulled over their faces. One of them held something metallic in his hand.

Another carried a strange glowing crystal. My instincts screamed at me to keep walking. Unfortunately, one of them turned. And saw me.

Our eyes locked. The man’s expression changed instantly. Shock. Then panic.

Then something much worse. “She saw us.” He said.

My blood ran cold. Another man looked up.

“Get her.”, the second man ordered.

I didn’t wait. I ran. The sound of boots pounding against snow exploded behind me.

Branches whipped against my face as I sprinted through the trees. My lungs burned. My heart hammered painfully against my ribs. I didn’t know who they were.

I didn’t know what I’d seen. But I knew they wanted me. And that was enough.

“Stop running!” He yelled.

I ignored the shout. A burst of blue light slammed into a tree beside me. The trunk exploded, the force almost throwing me off. I screamed but kept running.

The men were gaining on me. Too fast. Way too fast. Tears blurred my vision. I couldn’t outrun them. I couldn’t fight them. I didn’t even have powers. The academy lights seemed impossibly far away. A hand almost brushed my backpack. I gasped. This was it.

This was how I died.

Then headlights appeared. Bright. Blinding. A car shot around the corner. Straight toward me. My panic multiplied.

I stumbled into the road. The driver slammed the brakes. Tires screamed against the ice. The vehicle stopped inches away from me. I stood frozen. Breathing hard. Terrified.

The driver’s door opened. “Get in!”

I thought only for a second before recognizing who was sitting behind the wheel. Kael Draven. The suspended hockey captain. The academy’s favorite bad boy. The same Kael Draven everyone whispered about.

The one nobody had seen around campus in weeks after his suspension. His icy blue eyes swept over me once more.

“Do you want to live?” Kael asked.

I blinked, snapping out of my head. I jolted into the car and he drove off before I could close the door. The force pulled the door in, and I held onto it until he had driven past the forest.

It took long minutes of silence, my heavy panting and reflection on what just happened before Kael spoke.

“Didn’t anyone tell you it’s dangerous to walk by this route at night?”

I didn’t answer.

What was I supposed to say?

Yes, they told me?

Or…or maybe…I could say…

Oh…I was watching Ryder Kane, the captain who was put in your place. I was watching him play all night and lost track of time, and by the time I got to the gate, it was locked, and I forgot my id, so I had to follow the easiest but dangerous route.

I sighed, palming my forehead.

“My dorm is by the left,” I muttered under my breath.

He was about to make a turn when his phone buzzed.

A message flashed across the screen before he could lock it.

I only caught a glimpse. But it was enough.

“Did you find her?”

My heart skipped. Find her? Find who?

Before I could ask, another message appeared. But I only saw a few words before he locked it.

“bring her back to the academy…”

This one made the color drain from Kael’s face. Instead of making the turn to the left, he swerved to the right.

“Where are we going?” I asked, panic setting in.

“Somewhere safe,”

But there’s no way I could believe him after what I’d seen on his phone. The moment he turned completely, I opened the door and jumped out of the car.

“Bella!” Kael yelled.

I was reeling through much pain to pay attention to whatever he had to say. I gathered myself from the floor, picked up my bag and sprinted off.

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