Chapter 6 CHAPTER
CHAPTER 006
Selene's Point of View
"Someone just end me already!" I moaned, burying my face deep in my pillow. Classes hadn’t even really started yet, and I was already completely wiped out. How was I supposed to focus after everything that had happened last week?
People always talked about how finding your mate was supposed to be magical. Like some fairytale love story. Your mate is supposed to be your soulmate. But not mine. No, mine was the worst kind of nightmare.
Soren was a nightmare. The last thing I wanted to think about was him. He’d kissed me and then told me to stay away from him. After that, he followed me back to my dorm. Nothing about it made sense. It was like he was playing some messed-up game with me.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of his lips on mine, and I hated it. I hated it so much. But things only got worse when I heard all the gossip. All the girls at Silverpine Academy wouldn’t stop talking about how Soren was getting back together with Elira, like it was the greatest thing to ever happen.
I didn’t care. Honestly, I didn’t give a damn about what Soren did with her. But Noelle—she was heartbroken over it. She kept saying how she thought Soren was perfect and how he was the one for her. I hated him, every last piece of him. And when I saw him in the halls, I could tell he felt the same way. His eyes made that clear.
I wanted to reject him. I wanted to end it before he had the chance to do it to me. That was the plan. That was the only thing that made sense. But before I could even say anything, he disappeared.
Soren would reject me, that much I knew for sure. He was always going to do that. So, I just wanted to get it over with. But he had to beat me to it, didn’t he?
There was a knock on my door, followed by it creaking open. "Come on, grab your bag, and let’s go!" Noelle’s voice rang out. "You don’t want to ruin your pillow with makeup."
I lifted my head to glare at her. "I’m not wearing any."
"No makeup?" She raised an eyebrow. "Just drool, huh?"
I groaned and sat up. "Come on, let’s just go."
She rolled her eyes at me but smiled anyway. "What’s the point in having a dorm with just you and me?" She sounded a little annoyed. "Where’s Elira and Livia? Always disappearing on us."
I shrugged. "It’s fine. I don’t mind."
Over the past week, I realized I wasn’t going to bond with Elira or Livia. Not like I had with Noelle. Noelle was easy to talk to, funny, and just felt right to be around. I was starting to feel like we had been friends forever.
"Maybe we’ll bump into my mate today," Noelle said, her voice bright. "Then I can finally introduce you to him!" She sounded so excited.
I forced a smile. "Maybe."
She had found her mate at the Silverpine Festival, and ever since, she hadn’t stopped talking about him. Tall, handsome, funny, and kind—she said he was everything. But she refused to show me a picture. She said I had to meet him in person. I was genuinely happy for her, but at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling bitter. My experience had been a complete disaster, and I hadn’t even told her about finding mine.
Noelle bumped my shoulder. "Hey, don’t feel bad. Maybe your mate isn’t at Silverpine Academy. He might be somewhere else."
"Yeah," I muttered, glancing away. "Maybe."
We reached the big academic hall, and Noelle gave me a tight hug. "I have to head that way." She pointed in the opposite direction. "But hey, have a good first day! If we’re fighting anyone, just text me!"
I chuckled and waved. "I will!"
Unfortunately, we didn’t have any classes together today. And as much as I hated to admit it, I already missed her. I wasn’t going to have her with me all the time here, so I’d have to figure out how to do everything on my own.
I walked into the building, scanning for my classroom. When I finally found it, I took a deep breath. I needed to focus now. Forget about everything else.
My first class of the day was Healing Basics.
The door swung open as I entered, and I saw Esther, our RD, standing at the front. She gave me a warm smile, which I returned.
I looked around the room, hoping to find an empty seat. But before I could, I heard it.
That laugh.
I turned my head and saw Elira sitting at a table in the back, surrounded by her usual crew, including Livia. They were laughing and whispering, eyes on me. Whether they were laughing at me or with me, I didn’t care. Honestly, I was too tired to care.
What I cared about was finding a seat as far from them as possible. I didn’t need that drama today. Not when everything else was already a mess.
"Good morning, everyone!" Esther called out once the room had quieted down. "Before we get started, let’s do a quick round of introductions. Name, age, where you’re from..."
Everyone groaned, and I could tell they weren’t thrilled, but Esther wasn’t backing down. "You’re all doing it," she said firmly.
Great. I was first. Not like I was thrilled about talking, but at least it would be over quickly.
"Selene, twenty, from Edelweiss." I gave the quickest answer I could.
The introductions dragged on, and I barely listened. My mind kept drifting.
"Okay, everyone," Esther finally said, clearing her throat. "We’re going to do a quick healing exercise. Don’t stress about it. This is just to see where everyone’s at."
I nodded, barely paying attention. Healing was something I’d been trained in since I was little. My mom had been trained by one of the most respected healers in the Edelweiss Pack, and I’d spent years learning from her.
Esther explained that each of us would have a tank with thirty little fish. The goal was to heal one of the fish. It was supposed to be a simple exercise, and honestly, I wasn’t worried about it at all.
I could do this in my sleep.
I glanced down at the tank in front of me. With a flick of my finger, I healed one of the fish. I didn’t want to show off, so I kept it simple. I wasn’t here to draw attention to myself. Not again.
The room fell silent for a moment, and I looked up to see people clapping. The attention was like a weight on my shoulders. I hated it.
Then I heard Esther’s voice again. "Fifteen fish," she said, adjusting her glasses. "Good job, Elira. Since you’ve taken this class before, I’m sure you’ll be able to lead the others."
Elira flashed a self-satisfied smirk, tossing her red hair over her shoulder like she was the queen of the world.
She thought she was special. But it wasn’t her I hated. It was him.
Astrid’s voice echoed in my mind. ‘She’s not the best healer. Show her what you’re made of.’
I clenched my fists. I wanted to forget about Soren, but every time I turned around, Elira was there, smiling like she had everything.
‘She took our mate, Selene. Now she’s trying to take our spotlight. You can’t let her win,’ Astrid urged.
I tried to block her out.
"No," I whispered to myself.
But it was too late.
The water in my tank suddenly surged. The fish splashed around, swimming erratically, and before I knew it, all thirty fish were swirling in chaos.
Gasps erupted from around the room. Everyone stood up and gathered around my tank.
My cheeks burned. I could feel all their eyes on me. I hated being the center of attention.
And all of this? All of it was Astrid’s doing.
"Uh, Selene?" Esther’s voice was cautious. "Maybe… maybe try to calm the water down?"
I could barely focus. My hands were trembling. How had everything gotten so out of control so quickly?
I glanced up at Elira’s smug face. She wasn’t laughing anymore, but the way she looked at me said everything.
I wanted to leave. I wanted to get out of here.
But I had no idea how to fix this. Not yet.
Why did everything have to fall apart right when I thought I could finally breathe?
As everyone continued to whisper, the silence between my thoughts grew.
Would I ever be able to get a grip on this? Or would I continue to be the joke of the academy?