WILLA
I hated going to school alone.
It shouldn't have been a big deal. The past few days I had done exactly that whenever Verah left before me.
But it was a big deal.
It wasn't just the students — their fake smiles, the whispers that followed me like shadows that wouldn't let go. It was the academy itself.
Something deep in my bones twisted every time I stepped beyond Valerius House. And right now, that wrongness was heavier than ever.
Nyra flickered inside me, a brief brush of warmth against my ribs, then disappeared like smoke.
"You know," I muttered, tightening the strap of my backpack until it dug into my shoulder, "I think it's about time you started acting like my actual wolf. My guide."
The parking lot stretched out ahead, eerily quiet under the noon sun. No chatter. No groups lounging on car hoods. No one skipped History like usual. Just rows of silent, ridiculously costly cars gleaming coldly.
I stopped, scanning the area.
Where is everyone?
