{Elira}
~**^**~
By the ti I trudged back to the dorm, the sun was still hanging high, slanting through the windows in golden stripes.
My limbs ached from training, every muscle throbbing in protest, and all I wanted was to collapse face-first into my pillow.
But the second I opened the door, my friends looked up from their bunks and desks, their cards already in hand.
Nari bounced up imdiately, waving hers in the air. "Okay, confession circle! What color did everyone get?"
Cambria lifted her pale yellow card with a small smile. "This."
"Green," Tamryn said simply, holding hers up.
"Blue," Juniper added, spinning hers between her fingers before tucking it back into her notebook.
Then, four sets of eyes turned to .
I swallowed, pulling the crimson card from my bag. Its sharp red gleam looked even harsher under the light. "Red."
For a mont, the room went quiet.
"Red?" Cambria repeated softly.
"That’s the only one none of us dared to pull," Juniper murmured, leaning forward.
"Which ans..." Nari grinned wickedly. "...our Elira is special."
I shoved the card back into my bacpack, not sure whether to laugh or groan as I walked over to my bed. "Special or dood. Take your pick."
Nari flopped onto her bunk, still grinning. "Please. If it were , I would flaunt it. Imagine: the only bright card in the group!"
Before I could argue, Cambria tilted her head. "How was training today?"
A groan escaped before I could stop it. "Don’t even ask. Professor Zenon was the one who trained today, and he didn’t hold back at all."
I lifted my sleeve to reveal a faint bruise blooming on my arm. "See? He was brutal."
Juniper winced. "Yikes. That looks painful."
"Painful?" I dropped onto my bed dramatically. "I feel like my bones are going to file a complaint against ."
Nari, of course, only laughed. "If I were in your shoes, I would be thrilled to be beaten up by such a handso, cold wolf."
Instantly, Tamryn reached over and smacked the back of Nari’s head lightly.
"Ow!" Nari yelped, clutching her head with mock horror.
"Behave already," Tamryn said flatly.
Cambria and Juniper chorused at the sa ti, exasperated but amused: "Nari, stop dreaming."
"Nari, this isn’t a joke. If Professor Zenon didn’t hold a high position, I would have reported him," I said, rolling onto my back after dumping my backpack to the side.
"Or kiss his hand for blessing you," Nari muttered, dodging another playful swat from Tamryn.
"Enough," Cambria said, though her voice was kind. She slipped off her bunk and ca to kneel by mine, gently tugging at my arm. "Co on, sit up. We will help."
"Help?" I echoed warily.
"Massage," Juniper said matter-of-factly, already rolling her sleeves up like she was about to start a spar of her own.
Before I could protest, Tamryn’s hands were at my shoulders, firm but careful. Cambria pressed at the sore spot on my arm, and Juniper grinned like she was taking this far too seriously.
Nari sat cross-legged nearby, humming so dramatic tune as if she were orchestrating the whole thing.
I yelped when Tamryn’s thumb hit a knot in my shoulder. "Ow—gently!"
"This is gently," Tamryn replied dryly.
Cambria’s touch was softer, steady as she said, "You will be fine, Elira. Once you sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow, the pain will fade. Thankfully, you have your wolf. Your body heals faster than you realize."
Her words soothed sothing deeper than the ache. I nodded faintly, letting their laughter and chatter wash over as they fussed over my bruises.
And then it hit .
I hadn’t spoken to Selene all day.
---
By the ti my friends were satisfied with their ’massage session,’ I felt like a ragdoll—half bruised, half healed, but oddly lighter.
"There," Cambria said, dusting off her hands like she’d just finished a masterpiece. "Now, shower and rest."
"Thank you," I said before dragging myself into the bathroom.
I let the warm spray from the shower head wash away the ache clinging to my muscles.
When I stepped out, wrapped in fresh clothes and a faint scent of lavender soap, the dorm was quieter.
Nari had sprawled dramatically across her bed again, Juniper was sketching lazily, and Tamryn and Cambria were tidying their desks.
"There’s still an hour before dinner," I murmured, already climbing into my bed. "Cambria, will you wake when it’s ti to head down?"
She gave a knowing smile. "Of course."
I sank into my pillow with a sigh, tugging the blanket halfway up. But sleep didn’t co right away. Instead, my thoughts tugged inward, to the presence I had missed all day.
"Selene?"
Her voice ca warm and steady, like a current of moonlight. "Finally. I was starting to wonder if you had forgotten ."
"I didn’t forget," I whispered, turning onto my side. "Zenon nearly killed in training today. I didn’t even have the strength to think."
"That is not a curse, Elira. It’s a privilege," Selene answered. "Few could claim to be shaped by him."
I frowned at the ceiling. "You sound like you are taking his side."
"I’m not", she said gently. "I’m telling you the truth. Zenon pushes you because he sees what you could be, not what you are now."
I huffed, burying my face into the pillow. "And are you only saying that because he is our mate?"
"No." Her tone deepened, firm with conviction. "I say it because he sharpens you. And one day, you will be grateful he did."
Her certainty left restless, but before I could argue more, another thought slipped in—the red card. I rolled onto my back, staring into the underneath of Cambria’s bunk above .
"I picked red today. I don’t even know what it ans, but... I don’t like it. I have a bad feeling."
Selene’s presence seed to swell inside , a quiet strength brushing against the edge of my worry.
"Your ti has co, Elira. Whatever role the red ans, it is ant for you. Do not fear it. Everything will fall into place because the stage belongs to both of us."
I blinked, my lips parting. "Both of us?"
"Yes," Selene whispered, her tone like a secret wrapped in light. "You will understand soon."
But the answer left with more questions instead of fewer.
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm the flutter there, as silence settled again between us.
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