Raven
The week dragged on and I tried as much as possible to avoid Vlad despite the countless times he tried to talk to me. My crush on him grew like a weed, taking over every rational thought in my brain.
Guilt gnawed away at my heart and mind. A small, selfish part of myself wanted to play my fantasies out but I knew better. We were from two different worlds and my feelings for him were forbidden.
Ms. Alicia was my saving grace because she always kept a tight leash on him.
"Hey Romeo, I see you've been working hard on calculating your chances with Raven," Ms. Alicia whispered to him when he bullied my seatmate and sent him to the back. But let me tell you, calculus is the only equation you need to focus on right now before trying to solve the equation of love."
Vlad laughed and winked at me. His laugh was the most beautiful sound I ever heard. It was light and musical and made all other sounds seem bland by comparison.
"What can I say? She's cute."
My cheeks flushed and I looked away. I had to keep myself from thinking about him and these stupid, idiotic, dreamy fantasies no matter how badly I wanted to, else I'd be digging my own grave.
We were expecting him to get bored soon, but as the days went by, he never stopped attending the math club. On Friday, the school's soccer coach stomped into the classroom and lashed out at him.
"Vlad! What the hell do you think you're doing? Why are you in the math club?"
Ms. Alicia crossed her arms, keeping her temper in check. Vlad shrugged nonchalantly and had a smirk on his face.
"Coach, being in the math club is not affecting my extracurricular activities or my soccer, so I don't see any problem here."
The coach went beet red with rage, pacing the front of the room like a wounded tiger. He looked so fierce that cold crabbed up my legs.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You don't have time for all of this. The math club is time-consuming, as well as the soccer team, and I don't know why Ms. Alicia even took you in the first place."
Ms. Alicia raised her hands in mock surrender. It seemed as though the coach and she had an unsettled beef going on.
"It would surprise you that Vlad here has a great talent for solving complex equations, and I can't just discriminate against him. As the guidance counselor, I encourage students to pursue their interests."
"He doesn't need this," the coach exploded with vengeance. "He's the quarterback, for crying out loud."
Vlad ran a hand through his hair. He seemed to do that often. "Coach, math club, and soccer team have different schedules. I can easily balance both."
"You're wasting your time on something that's not important for your future," the coach retorted.
Ms. Alicia had a tight-lipped smile. The poor woman looked like she was about to snap, and I didn't like that the coach was frustrating her.
"Every student has the right to choose their interests, and Vlad is no exception. I won't force him to leave the math club, and if he can balance his time, I don't see the problem," Ms. Alicia said firmly.
"Ms. Alicia, I'm not asking you to force him. I'm demanding you kick him out, or I will involve the principal in this. We need him to focus on the game," the coach snapped.
"You can take this case to the principal. Now, please excuse me, I've got students to teach."
When Vlad held my gaze, he smiled while biting his lip. My breathing quickened, and the stupid longing I felt for him intensified like a thirst that couldn't be quenched.
I couldn't wait to turn eighteen to find my mate, knowing that the moon goddess would never pair me with a vampire.
He tilted his head to one side and relaxed into his seat, chuckling. I looked away, fidgeting with my pencil that had Clarissa's tech company logo on it.
That afternoon, the sun beat down on the clearing, making me sweat and glisten as I joined the compulsory Werewolf and Lycan training.
The sound of grunts and growls filled the air as we pushed ourselves to our limits, running through obstacle courses, and jumping over logs.
The trainer assigned us to partners for the next drill. My heart sank when I saw who my partner was.
Nova.
She scowled at me, her eyes full of hate. For unknown reasons, she was mad at me. This was about to get rough. The trainer blew the whistle, and the drill began.
Nova and I circled each other, sizing each other up. When she lunged at me, I dodged her attack and kept my anger in check because, after all, she was my sister and I knew her health condition.
She was delicate and sickly, having a blood mix of seventy-five percent werewolf and twenty-five lycan. Her mum, Clarissa, was a pure werewolf. She and my dad were the first Lycan and Werewolf to mate after almost fifty years of rivalry.
Because of this, Nova's immune system was weak and she was on drugs that helped with allergies.
While I dodged her, she scraped my neck with her nails. Pain shot through me as I felt a warm trickle of blood down my neck.
She sneered at me, with crystal blue eyes full of rage, taunting me to fight back. Breathing heavily, I warned her to stop, knowing she'd go crying to our dad that I beat her up. But when she did it again, I seized her hand.
"Seriously, Nova, did you have to hurt me like that?" I snapped as a light breeze rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of pine and earth.
"Oh please, stop overreacting. It's not my fault you're too weak to handle it."
"What's your problem with me? Do you hate me so much?"
She rolled her eyes. "You're not worth my time. Besides, what other reputation do you have except for sucking cocks?"
I opened my mouth to lash at her but bit my tongue instead.
"You're always so aggressive," I said with a carefully controlled tone. "I'm your sister. You should stop trying to hurt me on purpose."
"If you can't handle it, then stay out of my way and you better stay away from Vlad, else I'll tell Dad and you'll get kicked out a second time."
My jaw slacked with surprise, wondering what Vlad had to do with this, but my brain figured it out and I threw my head back in a bark of laughter, clutching my stomach while at it.
She crossed her arms, glaring at me with spite.
"You like him don't you? "
"What! " She stiffened and growled "He's a bloodsucker. Why would I like him? I'm disgusted at you for having the hots for him"
"Yeah right," I scoffed. "Since when did you care about me? You're being very unreasonable not to notice that I'm staying away from him but he keeps coming after me. So while reporting to Dad, have the decency, to tell the truth."
"Stay the hell from him," she balled her fists and narrowed her gaze, her eyes wild like a simmering pot on the stove. "Whenever you see him, run as far away as possible."
"Are you being dense right now or have you lost your hearing? How else do you expect me to stay away from him when he practically keeps invading my space? Am I supposed to disappear into thin air? "
Nova shrugged. "That would save us from seeing your ugly cuntface."
She turned around and headed to Ivy, her cousin. I sighed and wiped my face with a towel. I decided to not get bothered by her and headed back to the dorm to freshen up after training. I picked a clean hoodie and paired it with a petal skirt that stopped at my knees.
Then I headed for lunch, eagerly digging into my plate of chicken Alfredo pasta, enjoying the creamy sauce coating and tender chunks of chicken.
Completely satisfied, I headed to class to read. On my way, the matron stopped me.
"Come with me. Your mum is in my office."
"My mum?" I raised my brow in questioning, wondering what she was doing in my school.
The matron rolled her eyes highlighting her ugly face. My heart hammered in my chest as my mum was the last person I wanted to see.
What did she want from me?
I headed to the matron's house. Outside, I sighted my mum's grey Sienna. She was truly here.
I pushed open the heavy oak door, the sound of creaking echoing through the room. My eyes quickly scanned the room, searching for a familiar face. And there she was, standing with her back to me. I took in her petite frame and sighed.
She looked older and despite how she tried to upgrade her wardrobe, she looked shabby in a peplum jacket and long kilt skirt.
The only thing we shared in common was our height. I was the spitting image of my dad. She turned to face me, a forced, unnatural smile plastered on her face.
Expecting nothing more than toxicity, I stepped forward. My dad nicknamed her mouth almighty, a name she earned because of her grumpy and bad temperament.
Hesitantly, I extended my arms for a hug. The moment our bodies touched, I felt a jolt of discomfort. I pulled away quickly, feeling relieved to have the awkward embrace over.
"What are you doing here, Mother?"
"Here we go again with the mother tag," she snapped. "You just look for any way you can to annoy me. Call me Mum."
I rolled my eyes, thinking I was finally free from her constant negativity as she hadn't even bothered to care if I was dead or alive. All that mattered to her was her mate, Duncan, aka king shit which I guess filled his seven-month pregnant barrel belly.
Duncan hated me so much and he and my mum would always enter huge debts, expecting my dad to clear them.
"To what do I owe this visit?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Can't I check on my daughter? We haven't talked in months and you don't care?" she asked in a condescending tone. "How long has it been since I've seen you? Five months?"
I didn't want to argue with her and a lump formed in my throat, preventing me from speaking.
"See, this is why I don't call you anymore. You're so hostile."
I swallowed thickly, waiting for the bombshell to drop.
"Hope you don't have plans to ruin the family's reputation again? It's bad enough that you constantly remind me of your dad who left me for that snotty-nosed hag."
Well, there you have it. I should have walked away, but the matron was watching us. Instead, I clenched my teeth, furious that she had no respect for me whatsoever.
"I haven't disgraced the family name. You're the one who's always talking down to me and treating me like I'm nothing."
"Oh, that's right. You are nothing, Raven. You're just a burden I have to carry because of my stupid mistake."
A tear threatened to spill down my cheeks but I sucked it in. "Mother, I was having a good day before you came here and now you're here to blame you for all the mistakes you made? Maybe Dad chose Clarissa because he couldn't stand your nastiness."
My mum flinched and her eyes burned with hate. "How dare you! I see you're now taking lessons from that proud stepmother of yours who's feeding you with a bunch of lies. Your dad loved me until she bought him over with her ill-gotten wealth."
"Stop it, mum. I'm tired of hearing your toxic words. When I turn eighteen, I swear that I'll run far away from you where you'll never see me anymore."
"That's not how to talk to your mum," the matron snapped."You're always getting into trouble and causing problems. You need to be brought down a peg or two and thank your mum for even sticking out with you. You seduced a teacher and turned the tables around."
"I didn't do it!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "You're such a mean person, you and my mum. That man deceived me, pretending to be sick, and almost raped me yet you're blaming me? How low can you get?"
The matron scowled at me and I turned to face my mum. "Don't come looking for me anymore. If you ever do, I'll report you to Dad for harassing me."
She broke into a bitter laugh. "But Clarissa is allowed to visit? Do you think she's ever going to accept you as hers? Didn't you tell me some years back that you overheard her confessing to her best friend, wishing she didn't have a blended family? Do you know what that means? You're a damn burden."
Unable to bear my mum's nasal voice, I ran out of the office with tears blinding my eyes that I didn't notice when I fell into someone's arms and an unmistakable scent filled my nostrils.
Dear Readers This book is part of a series, although it can be read as a standalone. The first book is about Raven's parents, Jalen and Clarissa and how they found true love. The name is Bound by the Lycan's curse. Kindly check it out as well. PS; You don't have to abandon this one, but it would help to read both books to understand Raven's story better.
Vlad I stopped walking when I saw Raven sprint out of the matron's house with her hoodie pulled low over her face. She was running so fast that she stumbled and fell to her knees, scrabbling at the stones and whimpering in frustration. "Raven, what's wrong?" I asked, taking her hand. She yanked her hand away, pulling her hoodie lower, almost as though trying to disappear beneath it. "Mind your business," she snapped, wiping away her tears with a sleeve of her hoodie. "Whoa! Easy tiger. I'm just worried about you. Tell me what's going on." I held on to her hand gently, but she pulled away abruptly, her whole body stiffening. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. "I don't need your help, Dr. Phil," Raven retorted, her voice growing snarky. "I can handle my problems, thank you very much." A gust of wind blew, causing her to shiver and wrap her arms tightly around her body. I reached out again to touch her shoulder, but she stepped back out of my reach. "You can't go in look
Raven's POV The cozy common room buzzed with activity. It was Friday evening and we were happy that another school week had passed. William and I sat on the well-worn leather couch, playing chess. Some boys and girls had their arms draped around their shoulders, talking and stealing kisses. Leaning forward, I studied the chessboard intently. William adjusted his glasses and took a sip of water before making a move with a sly grin. I nibbled on a corner of my bottom lip, deep in concentration. He countered a move while I scrutinized my options, weighing each decision with care. "Checkmate!" I clapped after making my last move. William's sour face made me double over in laughter. "You're something, aren't you?" He said softly, his eyes fixed upon mine, his gaze almost reverent as he watched me. His light brown fringe was against his forehead, partially obscuring his deep blue eyes that were wide with wonder. An inner voice whispered in my head, hoping that he didn't like m
Raven The sight of my aunt's white BMW made my heart skip with excitement. My legs sprinted into a run as I dodged a delivery truck driving in with the school's stationery. Aunt Jaela, my dad's twin, rushed out of the driver's seat skipping towards me with her arms open wide and I flew into her embrace. She showered my face with kisses and the slightly sharp metallic scent of petroleum hit my nose. No matter how many times my aunt cleaned up, the scent stuck with her even when she was wearing clean clothes. "My favorite girl," she cooed. "I missed you so much." "I'm sure you did. I'm kind of a big deal around here you know." She laughed, her hearty, wholesome laughter, and my eyes caught sight of my little cousin Tommy, sitting in the back seat and bouncing up and down in excitement. "Where's Nova?" Aunt J asked, searching around and squinting to catch her from a distance. "She couldn't join us. She's preparing the yearbook. You know she's the head of the editorial team."
Vlad Seeing Raven again made my heart soar. Her steps slowed and her lids slid over mine. "Hey," I smiled at her. "How was your weekend?" She stood on the spot, staring at me and fumbling with her backpack. Her hoodie came off, and my eyes immediately drew to her hair. Deep, midnight black contrasted beautifully against her skin, and pulled up into a tight ponytail that accentuated its length and thickness. A janitor walked past us to set up trash cans while other students hustled into the school building. "It was fine," she said with a less-than-enthusiastic tone, proceeding to walk past me, but I stepped in front of her path. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked her, thinking that I had broken the ice on Friday at the rooftop. Her mouth pulled into a sour grin. "Do I not look okay?" Irritated and confused by her tone, I took a step back. "Why are you acting hostile?" "I'm not," she responded with a short monotone answer. "I know Monday is everyone's least favorite day," I said, t
Raven I was in my coding class and, for some weird reason, my school didn't offer any AP computer science courses. Fortunately, living with Clarissa exposed me a lot to tech and ICT. So, this was a waste of time for me. When the Prof, an elderly female who looked like she would rather be anywhere else but here, pulled her canvas and began downloading a Word document for over 15 minutes, we sat in silence waiting for her. Without noticing that the file had finished downloading, she was busy with her phone. Someone tried to call her attention to it, but she rudely cut him short. "Are you going to teach me about my job?" She raised her yellow-coated eyeballs and gave an exhausted sigh. "You kids think you're smarter than us, the adults." It was obvious that she didn't care if she got fired as long as the money came in. Pathetic. We sat for a few more minutes, waiting for the so-called file to d******d while she made a phone call. "Oh," she raised her head. "I'm sorry, my computer i
Raven After about an hour of pouring over the complex math problems, Vlad tossed himself into his chair, rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn. "Struggling to keep up?" William mocked. "There's no bed in the library, so if you're tired, you can head back to your dorm." Vlad tossed him the middle finger. Our eyes met and explosive currents raced through me. His scent was like a drug, lulling me to euphoria. My cheeks burned and I took deep, steadying breaths, pretending not to be affected by his presence. I stared intently at my worksheet, trying desperately to focus on the blurry equations. "Have you gotten the answer to this?" William showed me question four, and when we compared our answers, they were the same. I smiled, giving him a quiet high five while Vlad groaned, crumpling up his worksheets and stretching his arms above his head. "Vlad, you better not sleep off," I nudged him, secretly craving to run my hand over his beautiful hair. "I'm awake, I'm awake," he mumbled
Raven The sky was pitch black, except for a few twinkling stars scattered across the sky. The only sounds were from the crunching of leaves beneath my feet as I headed toward the dorm, clutching my backpack with one hand and shivering as a gust of chilly wind blew by. "I'll see you tomorrow," I said to William as I opened the gates slowly, the hinges creaking in the quiet of the night. "Are you sure we shouldn't have woken Vlad?" I asked him. "Well, perhaps he wants to read," he replied with nonchalance. Exhausted, I rubbed my eyes and felt fatigued in my body. Without warning, William hugged me, and with a smile on his face, he turned to leave. Feeling a bitter tang in my mouth while fiddling with the rope on my joggers, I groaned, wondering if I had made a mistake agreeing to be William's fake girlfriend. I crept inside, trying not to wake my sleeping dorm mates. One hugged a teddy bear tightly while another was snoring so loudly that the sound could make the floor beneath he
Raven After attending to Taylor, I lay down on my bunk, pulling up my blankets, and shutting my eyes tightly. My mind raced uncontrolled, and my heart pounded against my chest. I tossed and turned restlessly on my bunk, groaning. It was almost two AM and at five, we were expected to wake up for our morning run. I needed to sleep, but it wasn't forthcoming. William's proposal flashed in my memory. This was probably a bad idea. I was betraying my own heart, and Vlad kept appearing in my mind. Vlad… I hadn't felt such way towards any male in my life. Vlad made me feel so alive. He was so good looking and he made me feel things… things that I knew were wrong. His laugh melted me. I was completely infatuated with him, and his affections only seemed to grow. Even now as I stared up at the ceiling of my room, I could barely hold back a grin. William was trying to avoid me getting hurt. Although it hurt like hell, it was better than landing myself into trouble. I needed to focus, but