Chapter 2 Lumina
1057 Words
The murmur of voices pulls me back first, drifting through the haze along with the faint crackle of flames overhead.
My body feels impossibly heavy, like something is pinning me into the bed from the inside out.
Whatever they gave me is still in my system.
“She’s a Pyrena. But this one…” a male voice says carefully. “She doesn’t have a mate mark. And her Ruin is peaking.”
“Unmarked?”
My stomach twists at the second voice.
Him.
The one who carried me.
“How is that possible?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” the healer admits. “Unless her revealing is delayed.”
I almost snort.
It isn’t delayed.
My mate mark never came, and there’s only one reason for that—I don’t have mates. No bond. No trio. None of the things Pyrena Hellhounds are supposed to have to stabilize their Ruin.
“She’s under right now,” the healer continues, “but until we know what happened out there, we can’t allow her into Ignis Academy.”
Panic slices through me instantly.
No.
I can’t go back out there. Not while Ryker is still alive.
The thought of him finding me again makes my stomach churn violently.
Then—
“She stays.”
Everything in me goes still at those two words.
“What?” Eevek says in disbelief.
“I’m putting her in my Faction,” the male says calmly. “She’ll stay in Pyrena housing under Ashborne protection. I’ll take responsibility for her.”
“But Axel, she’s unstable.”
That word lands harder than I expect.
Because it isn’t entirely wrong.
I’ve felt my Ruin slipping before. Small moments where the pressure built too high beneath my skin. And if it keeps getting worse…
“Your job,” Axel says sharply, “is to heal her. Don’t question me.”
“…Of course.” Eevek doesn't sound happy about it.
So Axel Ignaris is important here. Maybe dangerously important.
And for some reason, the way he said 'nothing would happen to me here' settles something deep inside my chest far easier than it should.
I wait until the door shuts before cracking my eyes open.
The healer stands nearby flipping through papers. He’s dressed too casually to be a healer, but when he glances up and notices me watching him, my thoughts stall.
His eyes are strange.
Not white. Not silver.
More like creamy pearl with light moving beneath them.
I realize I’m staring.
“Yes,” he says dryly, “they’re healer eyes. Imagine my shock when I turned out good at healing.”
I decided not to ask whatever question he was expecting. Instead, what comes out of my mouth is a name. “Axel—” The name slips out accidentally.
Wonderful.
His brow lifts in question.
“I mean—what’s your name?”
A quiet laugh leaves him. “Eevek.”
He studies me for a second before speaking again. “I assume you heard the conversation.”
“Yeah.”
“Axel Ignaris is the Faction Leader of Ashborne. He personally placed you under his Faction.”
My lips press together. Nobody exactly asked what I wanted.
Eevek continues, “You’ll remain in the infirmary until your placement is finalized. Eventually, you’ll be assigned a roommate in Pyrena housing.”
Then he steps toward me. My entire body locks up instantly. Flashes of glowing eyes. Blood. Screams. The memories crash down on me.
No. I yank my knees to my chest before I can stop myself. It's a weak potion, I know, but I can't help it.
Eevek freezes immediately and doesn’t move closer again.
“What’s your name?” he asks quietly.
“Lumina Ashkena.” I say in a shaky voice that doesn't sound like myself.
“Ashkena,” he repeats. “It's your Pack name as well?”
“Yes.”
“And your father?”
“Soren Ashkena.”
Saying his name feels like ripping open something raw. Eevek slowly kneels instead of approaching further. “What happened out there, Lumina?”
I swallow hard. “Rogue attack.” The words scrape out of me. Because if I say more—if I explain what happened to my pack—I might actually fall apart. Hot tears slide down my face anyway, but anger burns hotter beneath them.
How are Hellhounds trained here to become future Lords while Rogues slaughter entire packs unchecked?
My father fought until the bitter end. I saw him trying to hold Ryker back while the rest of our pack screamed around us.
But we were small. Close-knit. And I loved it that way.
Eevek offers me a tissue. I wipe my face myself instead with the back of my hand.
“Can you remember what the Rogue looked like?” he asks carefully.
Oh, I remember.
His pack was massive. Mangy Hellhounds with glowing eyes and patchy fur, all of them looking half-feral like Cinder Madness had already claimed them. But Ryker had this awful Ruin energy that felt invasive. His eyes were dark, like looking into a void.
“Ryker,” I say bitterly. “One of his pack shouted it.”
Eevek writes it down. “Last name?”
I stare at him flatly. “Right,” I deadpan. “I should’ve stopped to ask while he was kicking the s**t out of me.”
He immediately looks embarrassed. “Fair point.”
At least he has sense.
“I’ll report the name to the Academy,” he says, standing again.
Then he heads for the door. And suddenly the thought of being alone makes panic claw through my chest so hard I can barely breathe.
I hate it.
I hate that part of me wants to grab onto someone and scream until my throat gives out. Grief. Rage. Hate. They tear through me until the itch beneath my skin burns hotter.
One Ruin flare.
That’s all it would take.
But destroying part of Ignis Academy on my first day here feels like a horrible decision.
So I force myself to breathe. For my family.
For my pack.
Ryker will regret letting me survive. One day, when I’m stronger, he’ll wish he killed me with the rest of them. Because I’m going to become his nightmare.
- Writer
