LUNARIS ACADEMY: BOUND TO THE ROYALS

CHAPTER 4

SELAH

I slammed the door shut, locked it, and pressed my back to it like that could keep two R-rank wolves out if they wanted in.

“What the actual f**k,” I whispered into the silence. My heart thundered in my ears. “They’re… they’re arch enemies. Everyone knows they’re arch enemies. So why the hell are they in my dorm? What twisted joke is this?”

My voice cracked on the last word, and I slid down the door, burying my face in my knees.

Sleep didn’t come that night. My brain replayed their voices, their stares, the lethal silence stretching between them. By morning, my eyes burned, my body buzzing with panic.

I can’t do this. Nope. Absolutely not. Survival first, pride later.

I threw my books and essentials into a small bag. My plan was simple: sneak out before breakfast, beg the warden for a reassignment, swear I’d sleep in the broom closet if necessary. Anything but sharing walls with Kael Dravenhart and Lucian Veyreth.

I slipped out into the courtyard, hoodie up, bag slung across my shoulder. I muttered to myself, “Lay low, Selah. Beg. Cry if you have to. Just get the hell out—”

“Going somewhere?”

The smooth, cold voice cut straight down my spine.

I froze.

Lucian Veyreth stepped into my path, the early sun hitting his white hair like it was spun from frost. His uniform was immaculate, his eyes like shards of ice locked on me. The corner of his mouth tilted in a smile that was nothing like kindness.

“Lucian…” My voice cracked. “I—uh—I was just…”

“You think you can disrespect me in front of the entire school and walk away?” His tone was soft, but it carried the weight of a blade pressed against my throat.

“I didn’t—” I swallowed. “I wasn’t disrespecting you. I didn’t know.”

Lucian’s smile widened a fraction. “Excuses bore me.” He lifted his leather bag and let it drop at my feet. “Carry it.”

My jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

His pale eyes glittered. “You heard me. Carry my bag, Selah.”

“How do you know—”

“Do you want to live comfortably here?” His words sliced clean through my protest.

I stood frozen, heart pounding, until movement behind me made me whip around.

Kael Dravenhart leaned lazily against a tree, the sun catching in his dark hair, his black uniform unbuttoned just enough to show the edge of ink crawling across his chest. His eyes burned with shadows, dangerous and mocking.

“She’ll carry mine too.”

My stomach plummeted. “Oh, come on!”

Kael smirked. “Fair’s fair.”

“Fair?” I snapped. “How is any of this fair? I didn’t even know—”

He pushed off the tree, stepping closer until his heat pressed against my back. “Doesn’t matter. You’re here now.”

Between Lucian’s frost and Kael’s fire, I felt cornered, trapped, crushed.

Lucian tilted his head. “Pick them up.”

“No.” My voice came out shaky but firm. “I’m not your servant.”

Kael leaned down, his breath grazing my ear. “Then think of it as penance. You get to live another day.”

I bit my lip, weighing humiliation against survival. My body chose survival. With trembling hands, I grabbed their bags.

Laughter rippled around me. Only then did I realize students were watching—everyone was watching. Whispers flew like arrows.

“Is she insane?”

“Who even is she?”

“She didn’t stand for them last night. Now she’s carrying their bags.”

“Dead girl walking.”

Heat rushed to my face. My arms ached already, both bags heavier than they had any right to be.

Lucian and Kael fell into step on either side of me, their shoulders stiff, their glares locked on each other like they were one second from tearing out each other’s throats.

Every step vibrated with their hatred. The tension was suffocating, my lungs tight between them.

Finally, the words tumbled out before I could stop myself. “If you hate each other so much, why are you even walking together?”

The whispers around us silenced like the world held its breath.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

Both men turned their heads, their eyes snapping to me at the same time.

I shrank back, clutching the bags tighter. “Did I… say that out loud?”

Kael’s smirk was pure devilry. “You did.”

Lucian’s voice was ice. “Be careful with your tongue, Selah. One day, it might cost you.”

Before I could dig myself any deeper, a melodic voice cut through the tension.

“Lucian!”

I glanced up to see a girl gliding across the courtyard, her beauty sharp and dangerous. Long golden hair spilled over her shoulders, her uniform fitted like it was made for her alone. She wrapped her arms around Lucian, hugging him with the kind of intimacy that screamed mine.

Then her eyes landed on me.

Her smile dropped.

“Who the f**k is she?”