Later that morning, Nerissa sat at her desk, eyes distant. The first bell rang, but she barely heard it. Students trickled in, chatting, laughing, their voices fading as a new figure entered the room.
The teacher smiled. "Everyone, meet our new student—Nia Valentino. She'll be joining your class from today."
Every sound in the room seemed to fade. Nerissa's grip on her pen tightened, her heart pounding. Nia's eyes found her immediately—sweet, fake surprise painting her face.
"Nerissa!" she gasped, walking toward her.
The teacher blinked. "You two know each other?"
"Of course," Nia said brightly, "we're best friends!"
Gasps rose around the class. Nia reached to hold Nerissa's hand, but Nerissa coldly pulled it back, her voice ringing sharp and clear,
"I don't have a best friend named Nia. My best friend's name is Vanessa."
Vanessa, who'd been fuming from across the room, smirked in approval.
Nia's smile faltered, eyes glistening with perfectly timed tears. "I'm sorry, Neris… I didn't know you were still angry."
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"She's so cold…"
"Typical. She thinks she's better than everyone."
"Didn't she already enchant the Alphas?"
Then Mirabel, the one girl Nerissa had once humiliated in a duel, sneered aloud.
"No wonder. She bewitched the Alpha trio with who-knows-what. If not, they'd see what she really is."
Vanessa rose halfway from her seat, ready to snap back, but the teacher's sharp tone sliced through the tension.
"Enough! Nia, take your seat. The rest of you, quiet down. This isn't the time for drama."
But the damage was done. Nerissa could feel every eye burning into her. She didn't flinch. She simply turned her gaze toward the window, jaw tight, her heart aching in ways she refused to show.
Meanwhile, in the senior class.
Lucien sat at his desk, expression unreadable as always. But the silence around him wasn't peaceful—it was suffocating.
Riven slammed his hands on the table. "Where were you last night?"
Lucien didn't meet his gaze. "Caught up in something."
Kael's voice was calm, but edged. "Caught up… with that two-faced liar?"
Lucien's eyes flicked up, cold as steel. "Don't start."
Riven's fury flared. "Don't start? She woke up crying in pain, Lucien! You think we don't know what that means?"
Kael added sharply, "You of all people know how mate bonds work. Whatever you did, it hurt her."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "Ours is different. She won't feel anything."
That was the last straw. Riven grabbed him by the collar and shoved him back against the desk.
"Different? She woke up sobbing, you bastard!"
Lucien didn't push him off. He simply said, low and flat, "She'll get better."
Then he turned to leave but...
Kael's fist connected with his jaw. The crack echoed through the classroom.
Lucien staggered, eyes flashing silver, and the next moment, he struck back. Desks flew. The class broke into chaos as students scrambled aside, murmuring, gasping.
Riven forced himself between them, shoving them apart. "Enough!"
Kael, chest heaving, shouted after him,
"She cares more about you than that faker ever will!"
Lucien froze. His expression wavered—just for a second—then he walked out without another word.
By lunch break, everyone in Mooncrest Academy knew.
The story spread like wildfire: the Alpha trio fought over Nerissa Flair
Humans knew it as: Nerissa Flair was Lucien Blackburn girlfriend and he's cheating on her with the new girl Nia Valentino, while Riven Fireborn and Kael Silverstone are Nerissa Flair fans and decided to stand up for her.
Supernatural knew it as: Nerissa Flair was mated to Lucien Blackburn and he's going out with the new girl Nia Valentino and her other mates Riven Fireborn and Kael Silverstone stood up for her.
Some said it was jealousy. Some said it was betrayal. But every whisper carried her name, twisted by envy.
Nia, sitting prettily in her new seat, smiled faintly as she overheard it all. Jealousy simmered beneath the mask, but triumph gleamed in her eyes. Let them think what they wanted—as long as Lucien was hers.
Meanwhile, Nerissa sat frozen in her chair, the echo of laughter and gossip pressing against her skull. Her hands trembled under the desk, the pain in her chest returning—sharper this time.
She stood abruptly. "Excuse me," she said to the teacher, and left before anyone could stop her.
The corridors were empty, but she could still hear it—the faint, guilty whisper of Lucien's voice through their bond.
Forgive me.
Her steps faltered. Tears welled up, but she bit them back, forcing herself to breathe.
She pressed a hand to her chest. "Why, Lucien…?"
Then she straightened, wiping her tears away. The pain didn't fade—but her eyes hardened with something stronger.
"If this is how fate wants to play…" she whispered, her voice cold, determined.
"Then I'll fight it."
Vanessa sat cross-legged on her bed, watching Nerissa pace the dorm room like a storm trapped in a bottle. Her best friend's usually calm face was tight with frustration, her eyes glowing faintly green from the strain of holding everything in.
"Okay, Neri," Vanessa said finally, breaking the silence. "Talk. What's all this noise about the Alphas, Nia, and you? The school's practically buzzing."
Nerissa stopped pacing and took a slow breath. "It's not rumors anymore, Van. It's real. I'm mated to the three Alphas — Riven, Kael, and…"
Her voice faltered. "Lucien."
Vanessa's brows shot up. " All three? Including the Lucien? The brooding werewolf who acts allergic to everyone?"
Nerissa gave a humorless laugh. "Yeah. Him. But that's not even the worst part."
She turned toward the window, her voice softening. "Nia—she was Lucien's mate in his past life. She came back for him."
Vanessa froze. The name dropped like a stone into the room's silence.
"Wait. Nia? My cousin?"
Nerissa blinked at her. "Who else?"
Vanessa let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "That why she's so bitchy. She was a bitter person in her past life."
Nerissa spun around, eyes wide. "Figures."
"Yeah." Vanessa stood, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "And believe me, she's not normal. That girl's horrid—totally wicked and bipolar. She can smile one minute and stab you in the back the next."
The words came out edged with both hatred and disgust.
Nerissa swallowed, her pulse racing. "That makes sense, she did the same thing to me. You know everything about her feels… off. I thought she was actually the best thing that had ever happened to me." Nerissa smiled bitterly, remembering when Nia walked up to her, with bright golden curls and a brighter smile.
"She gave Lucien a vial—a relic from her past life—and it's corroding the bond between us."
Vanessa's expression darkened. "She always loved control. Even as a kid, she'd twist people's emotions just to see them break."
She stepped closer and placed a steadying hand on Nerissa's shoulder. "But she's not getting away with this. Not again."
Nerissa exhaled shakily. "You don't understand. This isn't just a fight between girls—it's something ancient. She's playing with souls."
"Then she picked the wrong soul to mess with," Vanessa said, voice firm. "You've got me this time, Neri. Whatever curse or relic she's using, we'll find a way to break it."
For the first time that night, Nerissa smiled faintly. "You make it sound so simple."
Vanessa smirked. "It's not. But if she thinks I'll let her ruin your bond—or this lifetime—she's got another thing coming."
It was late evening when Nerissa wandered into the music hall.
The corridors were dim, bathed in soft gold from the sunset filtering through the glass walls. She just wanted a moment of peace—a place to breathe, training were going on so this place was meant to be deserted.
But when she pushed the door open, her breath caught.
Lucien was there.
And beside him was Nia.
The Fae girl was sitting dangerously close, her hand brushing Lucien's wrist. Her voice was gentle, sweetly melodic.
"You're exhausted, Lucien. Let me help, just a little."
Nerissa froze in the doorway. The air seemed to go still.
Lucien's eyes flicked up, locking with hers.
Guilt. Confusion. Something that almost looked like pain.
Nia's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Oh… Neris. I didn't hear you come in."
The tension in the room snapped like a live wire.
Something invisible pulled tight between Nerissa and Lucien, a bond screaming in protest.
The lights flickered. The air distorted, shimmering like heat.
Lucien winced, clutching his chest, while Nerissa staggered, her hand pressed against her heart as a surge of burning pain tore through her.
Energy crackled through the hall, wild and alive, making the instruments on the wall tremble and hum.
"Lucien!" she gasped.
He reached for her, but the backlash sent both of them reeling.
And then—silence.
Only their ragged breaths filled the space.
Nia stood, her eyes wide in mock alarm. "Nerissa, you're misunderstanding. Lucien was feeling weak after training. I was just helping him."
Nerissa's voice came low and sharp. "If helping means poisoning his soul, then you've done enough."
For a heartbeat, Nia's innocent mask held firm. Then it cracked.
Her eyes darkened with something raw, bitter, and ancient.
"You don't deserve him," she whispered. "You never did—not then, not now."
Nerissa froze.
That one word—then—hung heavy in the air like a curse.
The bond between them thrummed with recognition. Old memories, faint and fractured, flashed behind her eyes—blood, betrayal, and a cruel smile that mirrored the one Nia now wore.
Nerissa took a step forward, her voice trembling but cold.
"You remember."