Seris POV
I refused to think about the brothers after what happened at the hall, even though my mind kept straying to them on default.
How could Vaelis even do that? Did the three of them plan that nonsense they call a test together?
I had no answers, and importantly, I still had no answer for what to do with them. Should I fight them, or avoid them totally?
At some point, I agreed to forget about them, at least until I explored other areas of searching for the truth about the Night Fang and my father's killer.
I skipped lunch that afternoon. I needed space to think and investigate, and Blackthorn Academy was a maze of secrets disguised as stone corridors and polished rules.
It took me half an hour to find the library and another half to wait for it to get empty. Blackthorn students I'd found weren't exactly enthusiastic readers.
I didn't want anyone to see me snooping around and have ideas.
Also, I wouldn't trust myself with a wolf in a place as secluded as the library. The best protection the triplets' names could get me was in the open. In a dark, lonely place, not so much.
The library sat in the oldest wing of the school, its windows arched, narrow, and tall.
The library smelled of dust, and parchment, and the faintest trace of magic, clinging to the shelves like a residue.
I moved quietly, keeping my head down, blending into the quietness.
Night Fang. The name echoed in my head as I pulled books from shelves, history tomes, society registries, sealed pack records, and student organization logs.
I flipped through page after page of notes, skimming through lines after lines. Considering the number of books I had to go through, outright reading wasn't an option.
But I got nothing. No mention of the Night Fangs. No footnote referring to them, and certainly not even an accidental reference.
I decided to search under variations. Nightfang. Noctis Fang. Fang of the Night. My fingers were busy as I unearthed books from the library and turned pages fast and mechanically. Still nothing.
It was as if the name had never existed.
That, more than anything, told me I was on the right trail. Groups that didn't exist officially were always the most dangerous.
I checked through a brittle ledger documenting disciplinary actions across decades, especially from five years ago. Whole pages had been torn out. Others had ink stains smeared so thoroughly they were unreadable. Intentional. Careful. Someone has been to the legder before me.
Whoever the Night Fang were, they didn't just hide themselves; they erased their traces.
My fingers brushed my father's diary inside my jacket. I wondered how he'd known what he knew about them before he was killed. Perhaps, searching for the truth about them was what got him killed.
The bell rang, sharp and sudden, snapping me out of my thoughts. I exhaled slowly, returning the books exactly where I'd found them.
I felt bad having learned nothing. But there was another day. I'd live through today, I could live through tomorrow as well in Blackthorn.
The sky was already bruising into evening when I reached the parking lot. Wolves clustered in groups, laughter carrying across the stone, engines roaring to life.
My scooter waited where I'd left it, small and unimpressive among sleek cars and roaring bikes.
Blackthorn Academy wasn't just a werewolf school. It was also an affluent one. Only wealthy werewolf heirs could enrol. I'd have to keep three part-time jobs and take some loans to afford the fortune-wrecking school fees.
I was jumping onto my scooter when headlights flared behind me.
A black car rolled to a smooth stop, silent and deliberate, like a predator settling in tall grass.
The window slid down.
Vaelis Ludwigvon leaned an arm against the frame, pale green eyes catching the fading light.
"Get in, human," he said casually.
My steps slowed, but didn't stop.
"I'm busy," I replied, reaching for my scooter's handle.
Lucien leaned forward from inside the car, his grin softer. Sometimes I wondered if he shared the same cruel, sinister mind as his brothers or if he was the flower in a field of thorns. He could be both. "Come on, Seris. We just want to talk."
I took a step back, nodding my head dismissively. "I am sorry, I still am busy. Have a couple of shifts to catch." I said, catching the handles of my scooter and preparing to ride.
The car door opened, blocking my path, and then Caelen stepped out.
The parking lot seemed to shrink around him. His presence wasn't loud, but somehow, it chilled the air. I felt a tremor as I could feel the evening air brushing my face.
Wolves nearby glanced over once, then deliberately looked away.
They didn't want the same trouble I just seemed to be courting with every breath I took in Blackthorn.
"You've already been seen with us," Caelen said calmly. "Refusing now won't protect you."
"That's not exactly reassuring." I made a tight smile.
"No," he agreed. "It isn't meant to be."
Vaelis tilted his head. "You can walk away," he said lightly, "But understand this—if you do, the protection you think you don't need disappears."
Lucien's voice dropped, just a fraction. "And you know Blackthorn isn't kind to humans who wander alone."
I hated how reasonable they sounded. I hated more that they were right. My jaw tightened. Slowly, I stepped forward, my shoes dragging on the stone. Every cell in me screamed for me to not enter and just run, but that wouldn't bode well for me.
Vaelis stepped out and opened the door wider, a lazy grin still playing on his lips.
I exhaled hard as I climbed in. And the door shut with a final, suffocating click.
Vaelis slid in beside me. Lucien took the other side, too close, his knee brushing mine. The warmth of him was distracting, grounding in the worst possible way.
I sensed a tingle crawl up my spine at that brief touch, but I couldn't be sure. My gaze jumped from one to the other.
My heart skipped a beat when the engine purred to life, and the car rolled forward.
Lucein read my discomfort, and he slipped me a smile, assuring me all was well. Though every indicator pointed otherwise.
I finally let my thoughts win, and I asked. "Are you guys trying to kill me, or sleep with me. Which is it, so I know how to defend myself?" I said, spite rolling out with each syllable.
"Of course not." Lucein cried aghast, "We'd never do that? Why would you even think that?"
Caelen looked to me from the rearview mirror. "If it helps, you are not my type, and I don't like blood on my car seat." Cold as always.
Vaelis brushed his thumb on his lips. "You are safe, I don't do humans, nor do I waste my time killing one."
"Don't mind them," Lucein said. "We just want to ask some questions."
"What questions?" I demanded.
Vaelis turned and rested his head on the car door, so he could stare unrestricted at me. "You investigated the library today," he said, "Third floor first. Then the restricted stacks. You even looked through the disciplinary codes ledger. You avoided the registrar's office because it has wards keyed to staff bloodlines."
He continued unbothered, unminding the flush that was beginning to stain my face despite my attempts to stop it. How the hell did he know all that?
"You returned almost all the books in the wrong order," he added. "Which tells me you were nervous. And which meant you were secretly searching for something. What is it?"
I didn't reply. I had made sure I was alone in the library. How did he… how did they know?
"It's obvious you didn't find what you wanted," he said softly. "Perhaps you were never meant to, but we would like to know what that was?"
Lucien shifted beside me, uneasy now. His breath charged up my nerves rather than easing them. "Vae—"
"It's fine," Vaelis interrupted. "She deserves to know how closely she's been observed, so she wouldn't misbehave."
Observed. They had been watching me this whole time. How did I not know? I bit down on my lips until I tasted my own blood.
The car turned, smooth and unhurried.
Caelen finally spoke again, hands relaxing on the wheels. "Why are you here, Seris Vance?"
I swallowed, ignoring the fact that he knew my name. "Because I'm a student, just like you."
"That's not an answer."
My fingers curled into my palms. "I'm not working for anyone, if that's what you want to know. I just went to the library for some research. And please, can you guys stop following me around and monitoring my damn life? It's not as interesting as it seems." I rambled, yelling at them.
Silence followed my outburst. None of the brothers said anything. They all just watched as I breathed raspily, my chest heaving, after yelling so much.
Then Caelen glanced at me in the rearview mirror, cold and calm as always. "Are you Alaric's spy?"
"No." I snapped.
"You didn't hesitate," Vaelis noted thoughtfully.
"I don't need to," I snapped again. "I don't even know him, nor do I want to. Now, can I get off?"
Caelen studied me, his gaze sharp, dissecting. "That doesn't mean he doesn't know you."
Lucien frowned. "She doesn't feel like a spy."
"That's what makes good ones effective," Caelen replied coolly.
My chest tightened, claws tightening. I could give anything to claw out his eyes.
"I came here to learn," I said, forcing the words out through teeth clenched with rage. "Not to betray anyone."
The car slowed, and we pulled to a stop beneath the shadow of the academy gates.
"This is your warning," Caelen said, turning on the driver's seat so his steel gray orbs met mine. "Being in Blackthorn means you are inside something larger than you understand. Until we're certain you're not a threat—"
"—you're contained," Vaelis finished pleasantly.
Lucien glanced at me, something apologetic flickering in his eyes.
The doors unlocked, and he stepped out for me to get off.
"You can go," Vaelis said, brushing his thumb over his lips, grinning. "For now."
I stepped out on unsteady legs, the cool evening air hitting me like a hurricane.
Before I could settle on the asphalt, the car pulled away, tearing down the asphalt with exaggerated noise.
I watched the car disappear down the asphalt. Perhaps I didn't find the Night Fangs as I thought, perhaps they found me instead.