Jaxon's POV
The obsidian doors loomed like judges that had already reached their verdict.
I stood frozen, staring at the empty space where Lumira had vanished, the air still humming with the residue of her power. Ozone burned my lungs, my pride laid in pieces at my feet.
"You may keep your consolation prize."
The words replayed, over and over, each repetition driving deeper. The mate bond - once a steady, grounding presence - flared violently, a white-hot scream ripping through my chest.
It felt like something vital had been torn out, leaving only a hollow ache and a furious pulse where my heart should be.
That wasn't Lumira.
The Lumira I knew had been soft, needy, and clinging. She waited for scraps of affection like they were treasures. She had followed me, loved me too much, and forgiven too easily.
But this Lumira was none of that.
She was cold steel and moonlight, razor-edged and regal.
And when she looked at me, there had been no grief, no longing... only contempt.
I was still brooding when a hand closed around my arm.
"Jaxon," Selene murmured, voice silk-smooth, tightening like a leash. "Don't let her get to you."
I looked down at her wide green eyes and trembling lips. Her perfume curled into my senses, sweet and floral - and for the first time, it felt suffocating.
"She's unstable," Selene whispered. "You saw it. The theatrics and the aggression."
"Unstable?" My jaw clenched. "She is the High Arcanist of the Moon Seal, she reclaimed Nespresso alone, and faced the Ten Council Members without flinching. That wasn't instability."
"She's obsessed," Selene cut in softly. "Think about it. Why Nespresso? Of all places. She chose the one memory that would hurt you most. She's baiting you."
"Everything today was a performance." She leaned into me, trembling just enough. "The threats, the confidence, she wants you off balance. I bet she wants the Provost and the other Scions to see you as the aggressor so they'll favor her."
My wounded pride latched onto the explanation like a lifeline.
Obsession.
Yes, that made sense. It was easier than admitting she'd outgrown me. Easier than accepting she no longer needed - or loved - me.
"She's not powerful," Selene continued gently. "She's desperate, heartbroken, and dangerous only to us."
I exhaled slowly. My shoulders eased a fraction.
'She wants me back?' The thought settled, bitter and metallic, but reassuring as I straightened my shoulders.
"Then I'll be careful not to fall into her trap."
-----
Meanwhile,
Rina's POV
The corridor stretched ahead like a conquered battlefield.
I walked through it untouched, head high, power humming beneath my skin. Eyes followed me - not with pity, nor with disdain - but with fear, respect, and curiosity.
The old rumors were dying with every step every step I took.
"You were magnificent," Princess Thalassa said brightly, gliding beside me. "That line about the consolation prize? Brutal!"
"Efficient," Dahila added, eyes sharp. "Your legal precision was flawless, but your magical control during the dagger retrieval... that was what truly swayed the room. We no longer trust the rumors of your instability. You command true power, Lumira."
"And that Saintess Selene!" Princess Elara, let out a sharp jagged breath. "I swear, her sweetness makes me gag. Thank the Ancients for that sneer you gave her; it was medicinal."
"You possess patience." Lady Zephina offered a rare dark compliment. "You waited until the stage was set before delivering the final blow. I approve."
I accepted the praise with a small, graceful inclination of my head.
"I find directness to be the most efficient use of energy," I said, my voice a blade of steel. "And frankly, Alpha Jaxon is no longer worth the emotional investment."
As we reached the edge of the sprawling hall entrance, a streak of frantic golden hair burst through the crowd like a wildfire.
Seraphina's face was etched with anxiety as she reached us.
"Lumira! I saw the guards running! Are you alright?" She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as she took in the four high-ranking scions standing behind me.
My expression softened instantly. I reached out and took her hand, pulling her into the center of our circle.
"Everyone," I announced, "meet Angel Seraphina. She is my best friend, and she is the only person here whose judgment I actually trust."
The Princesses and the Nobles assessed her. It was a silent dissection. They saw the shy, magically potent chubby angel, and they exchanged quick approving looks.
My choice of companionship spoke volumes - I wasn't looking for lackeys; I was looking for true friends.
"A pleasure, Angel Seraphina," Lady Dahila said formally.
"We were just discussing how Lumira dismantled Alpha Jaxon," Elara added brightly, immediately weaving Sera into the conversation.
We continued our walk toward the main doors, but the world wasn't finished testing me.
The entrance to the Grand Hall was a bottleneck, and a familiar group detached themselves from the flow.
It was Selene's social guard made of Rhysandra, Ivy Thornfield, Amira, Terrica, and Clawdia.
Rhysandra led them, her sapphire eyes narrowed into slits of pure malice.
"Well, look who found some temporary shoulders to cry on," she sneered. "Found some new friends to hide behind, Lumira?"
"Face it, you're the past," Ivy hissed. I could smell the poison magic clinging to her breath. "A dead-end bloodline, and a mistake Alpha Jaxon is finally erasing."
"You only returned to cause trouble." Princess Amira, crossed her powerful arms over her chest. "Stay in your lane, Duskbane."
I stopped, I placed a calming hand on Thalassa's arm as she began to bristle. I stepped forward, leaving my defenders behind me.
I didn't need a wall; I AM the wall.
I fixed Rhysandra with a stare so cold it felt like a physical weight on her chest.
"I suggest you choose your words with extreme care, Lady Nychus," I said, my voice had the terrifying calm of absolute authority. "My patience is not what it once was."
I swept my gaze over the five of them, letting it linger on Amira. My lip curled then with a contempt so sharp it could draw blood.
"As for my status, you need not worry. Unlike some," I paused, my eyes raking over them with clinical disdain, "I don't need a man to validate my power. I simply am whom I am. But what are you?"
The silence that followed was absolute as they recoiled. They had come expecting hysterics of a weeping broken girl they could kick.
Instead, they found a queen who didn't even recognize their right to stand in her presence. They had nothing left to say but I didn't wait for a response. I turned, signaled my allies, and resumed my path.
As we reached the heavy doors, Jaxon and Selene appeared from the administrative wing. He looked grim; she was clinging to him like a parasite. But I didn't spare them a single glance, as I pushed the door open, my silver hair catching the light as I swept into the heart of the Aetherion Academy.
The Grand Hall was a cathedral carved from crystallized ancient Aether. Floating lanterns the size of moons shimmered in the vaulted space, cycling from sapphire to molten gold. Banners rippled with magical currents. Beneath the floorboards, I could feel the low, constant thrum of protective wards - a reminder that this was a cage for the powerful.
The first-year students were corralled on the main floor. Above us, in the elevated tiers, sat the older students - the seasoned sorcerers and ancient heirs. They watched the freshmen with the keen predatory interest of wolves watching lambs.
I sat with my entourage, but the room seemed obsessed with me. I could hear it in the ricochet of gossip:
"She's a revenant... power fueled by the grave."
"I heard she got some of the Demon King's powers as she sealed him!."
"Did you see the way Alpha Jaxon looked at her? I heard his wedding was during her funeral..."
I let the noise wash over me. I scanned the room, my gaze drawn almost involuntarily to the elite section.
And then I saw Kaelion Draven.
He was perched slightly apart from the others, a silhouette of lethal languid grace.
He should not be this beautiful, I thought, a cold awareness stealing over me.
As if he'd felt the microscopic shift in the magical current caused by my thought, his molten red eyes lifted. They moved with the devastating deliberate speed of a striking viper. They sliced across the vast hall and found mine in an instant.
Goosebumps erupted across my skin - a wildfire racing up my neck. This wasn't the dull ache of a severed bond. This was primal... a dizzying, magnetic pull that felt ancient and utterly undeniable.
In the depths of his eyes, there was awareness. Like recognizing a kindred soul... Or perhaps a worthy rival.
It lasted only a flicker, but it left me momentarily breathless. The silent intensity was a physical pressure on my chest. I was forced to look away, my perfect composure only cracking for a second.
A loud deliberate cough drew all eyes to the dais.
The President of the Board of Governors - a witch whose gray hair was woven with strands of pure silver Aether - stepped forward. She raised a hand, and the murmurs died into a tense silence.
She spoke of "new beginnings," her voice booming and unnervingly calm. But as she reached her crescendo, her sharp knowing gaze swept across the sea of freshmen and paused, long and significantly, on me.
It was an uneasy glance like she was silently saying: I see you, and you are the greatest disruption this academy has faced in centuries.
The atmosphere was saturated with palpable hostility and challenge.
I leaned back, my eyes catching the light, ready for the semester to come.