Celeste’s POV

*****

"How many more weird or disturbing things have happened in this academy that the Dean kept from me?" Mom asked once we got to my suite.

Willow was still downstairs, preparing for another class, leaving us with some alone time.

With a short sigh, I shut the door behind myself. "Depends. Did he tell you or Dad about Miss Benedicta?"

"I mean... yes." Mom sat on my bed, making herself comfortable pretty quickly. "Like two days later he did. He said he didn’t want to disturb or alarm us about it."

That took me completely by surprise. "Wait, he actually did?"

"Yes."

"And neither you nor dad decided to look into it?" I took two steps closer. "An innocent staff member of your academy was murdered and I didn’t even hear a whisper of it from you."

Mom’s frown deepened. "No... no, no, you’re taking it all wrong, Celeste." She raised a finger. "You may think you know what your father and I go through. You may think we live in nothing but peace in these times..."

She paused, head shaking. "... But you don’t see the efforts and silent battles we go through ensuring that peace remains stable. Not just in this continent but all around the world."

Now I was confused about how this had anything to do with Miss Benedicta.

I found out soon enough as she went on.

"Inter-pack conflicts still exist. Sometimes small and other times large enough to get dangerous really fast. Your father and I have intervened several times personally." A pause. "We organise meetings with the Alpha Kings and Luna Queens of other continents. We’re almost always on the move even after decades of peace."

Then she lifted her right hand, pressing her thumb and middle fingers together. "Because all it takes is one crack," Her fingers snapped. "One misunderstanding to spread into something that can shatter the peace we fought for."

The tension in my shoulders lessened.

I remembered the birthdays they missed. The school events where my seat beside me stayed empty.

Deep down there was still resentment for the attention I lacked growing up. Perhaps this was me subconsciously bringing it up again.

"When Dean Thorne informed us of the murder and his ongoing investigations on it, your father and I let him do his thing," my mother exhaled heavily. "I hand-picked that man, you know? He was a member of my home coven. Someone whom I saw potential in."

I scoffed before I could stop myself. "Potential to raze the school to the ground maybe."

My mother smiled wryly despite the tension sizzling in the room. Her hands brushed over my bed sheets, as if taking in their softness was grounding.

"I take it this means he hid more things than Miss Benedicta’s death from us..." The words came out hesitantly. When she whipped her neck to me again, she nodded. "Go on."

I didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds or more before letting it all out in one rushed breath. "Well, after that he assigned unknown people to ’watch over me’ or whatever. Explicitly directed I don’t share the mate bonds with anyone. Probably didn’t tell you about the Vein beast attack on the night of Miss Benedicta’s memorial and my link to it..."

I continued, not leaving out a single detail for once. It had finally occurred to me that if I wanted this madness to end... a little cheating wouldn’t hurt.

And that ’cheating’ involved pulling out the big guns.

Aka my parents.

"So the Montecito trip was an excuse to get you and your mates ’closer’?" My mother nearly exclaimed. "The heck? What does he see you guys as? Lab rats?"

’Momma looks like she’s holding herself back from swearing.’ my wolf chimed as I flung my arms into the air.

"You see why the boys and I suspected his ass?" I shot. "All that plus the creepy notes made us think he was intentionally testing the mate bonds. And how they affected my powers."

"And you guys never tracked the source of those notes?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

I shook my head. "No. Not even Atlas could track their source."

Mom’s forehead was still creased with frown lines. But in her violet orbs was a curiosity I knew too well.

"Do you have any of those notes with you right now?" She stretched out a hand. "I want to confirm something."

After a short pause, I walked to the drawer underneath my vanity. Then picked out the only note amongst the three I had with me.

Control.

Or at least, that’s what used to be written on the white piece of paper.

Now it was blank, just like the other two.

"Here," I handed it to her. "The first one was ’Confess’. Second was ’Chose’. Then this... all written in blood and appearing in the most mysterious ways."

All Mom did was hum in response as she studied the piece of paper. She flipped both sides, scrutinising it carefully like that was supposed to make the word reappear.

"Atlas’ deduction was correct," she murmured. "I can’t sense any magic or witchcraft on this..."

I squinted, arms folding as her eyes fluttered shut all of a sudden. No more words. Just stillness.

’What is she doing?’ I thought, too afraid of breaking her focus to ask out loud.

For a heartbeat, the wind blowing through the windows stopped. Distant noise and chattering from classes in session far away died as well.

Then all that changed in the blink of an eye.

A heavy gust of wind rushed into the room, so powerful that I was forced to inch back a few steps. I gritted my teeth, gaze pinned on my mother as her eyes opened.

Now glowing like twin violet stars.

She looked like she was struggling. It felt like an invisible magic tug of war between her and an unknown force.

"Mom?" I panicked, rushing to her side. "M–Mom, stop it. What are you—"

The light in her eyes vanished, a gasp breaking past her mouth as she squeezed the paper in her hands. The wind ceased as she swung her head to me.

"Vein energy," she blurted with so much confidence. "Whoever wrote this doesn’t use spells or magic. At least, not in the normal way... they’re touched by the Vein itself."

My mouth parted for a moment. Then, "Not ’they’, mom." I corrected. "Remember we know this person is a she now. It’s only a question of who exactly..."

"And if they’re working alone." Mom added.

For the first time since the bonds awakened, I felt like we were moving toward solving all these mysteries. Once and for all.

Which meant the real question wasn’t just ’who’. It was how long she’d been watching us.