It felt like the walls of Juvenile Academia had eyes.
Tristan stepped into the lecture hall and immediately sensed something was off. Whispers fluttered through the air like moths in the dark, and more than a few sets of eyes subtly glanced in his direction. He tried to shake it off, but as he took his seat, the absence of Valeria hit him like a punch to the gut.
She wasn’t here.
He scanned the room one more time to be sure. No sign of her. Just vampires and werewolves trying hard to pretend they weren't always seconds away from a brawl. The seat she usually occupied remained glaringly empty, and the students sitting nearby seemed on edge, avoiding his eyes.
The lecture dragged on, but Tristan barely heard a word. His mind raced with thoughts of Valeria. Was she avoiding him because of what happened yesterday? Because of the photo? Or worse, was it because of Lucien?
The moment the class ended, he sprang to his feet and scanned the crowd for someone, anyone, who could give him answers. Then he saw her. A vampire girl with streaks of silver in her black hair, lingering by the far wall, gathering her books slowly. He remembered seeing her in the fight yesterday, she had fought fiercely, especially when Valeria was threatened.
Without wasting a second, he approached her.
“Hey,” he called out, stepping in front of her. “I’m Tristan.”
“I know who you are,” the girl replied, eyes glinting with sharp curiosity. “The werewolf prince.”
Tristan smiled faintly. “And you are?”
“Stacy.”
“Nice to meet you, Stacy,” he said, softening his tone. “You were pretty badass yesterday.”
She chuckled. “I do what I have to.”
“I was wondering,” Tristan continued carefully, “do you know anything about Valeria?”
Stacy’s smile faded, just slightly. “Yes, I do.”
Tristan lowered his voice. “Then maybe you can help me. I need to know, how can I win her over?”
There was a long pause.
“As a vampire,” he added.
Stacy’s face tightened. She stepped back a little. “That’s forbidden. You know that.”
“I do,” he said honestly. “It’s the same for my kind too. But… she’s my mate.”
Stacy looked into his eyes and saw the truth in them. “Mate?”
He nodded. “I didn’t choose it. The bond chose her. I can’t change that.”
She sighed and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “You didn’t hear this from me, but if you really want to prove something to Valeria, help her get something.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“An animal. Something she can draw blood from. Fresh.”
At the word blood, everything clicked.
“I’ll get it,” Tristan said. “Anything else?”
“Just don’t let anyone know we talked,” Stacy warned, already backing away. “Especially Lucien.”
“I won’t.”
Stacy nodded and left, disappearing into the corridor as the crowd began to thin out.
Tristan remained for a while, thinking. He was about to leave when a figure stepped into his path. At first, Tristan ignored him, assuming it was just another curious student. But then the man spoke.
“Tristan Aldric.”
The hairs on the back of Tristan’s neck stood on edge. That wasn’t just someone passing by. The voice was deep and layered with something ancient.
He turned, slowly. The man was tall, wearing a dark hoodie pulled low over his face, shadowing his features. But when their eyes met, Tristan knew.
Werewolf.
Not just any werewolf, older, experienced. Powerful.
Tristan straightened. “Who are you?”
The man stepped closer, his voice low and grave. “Stay away from Valeria. The vampire princess is not yours to claim. If you continue this path, you will not only be expelled from Juvenile Academia…”
He leaned in. “You will be doomed. A curse will be placed upon you for daring to entangle yourself with our mortal enemy.”
Tristan’s jaw clenched. “You can’t be serious—”
But before he could finish, the man brushed past him.
“Wait—”
Tristan reached out, but the man vanished, one moment there, the next swallowed by thin air, as if he’d never been there at all.