Chapter 5 Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE 

VALEN’S POV

The air in the carriage suddenly grew stifling. I stood up without a word, needing a breath of cold air, and walked out into the narrow, cramped aisle. As I went round the corner into the next carriage, a loud commotion caught my attention.

Garrick was standing over a trembling, younger Beta student, threatening to toss his heavy trunk straight off the platform while the train was still moving. 

I sneered silently, leaning my shoulder against the doorway as I watched my teammate power trip. 

Garrick was a complete idiot. He had absolutely no idea that the older sister of the very Beta he was bullying had just risen to a massive seat of power on the High Council last week. 

In probably two months, Garrick’s entire family lineage would suffer a massive political decline as a direct result of his stupid actions today.

I turned on my heel, completely bored by the display and ready to head back to my cabin, when a sharp, clear voice came.

“He is clearly struggling with the weight, so you could either help him or walk around him instead of barking orders like a rabid dog.”

I froze. The entire carriage went dead silent. No one ever dared to speak up against a hockey player in this school. Fear usually kept everyone completely glued to their seats.

Curious, I stepped out of the shadows, and the crowd of students made way to clear a path for me. I walked down the aisle until I found the source of the voice. She was sitting by the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she stared right up at Garrick.

When my eyes locked onto hers, her unique scent hit my nose like a physical blow. It was incredibly sweet, a pure wave of deep ocean salt air that immediately told me she belonged to the rare Mer clan. But beneath that marine salt, there was something else hidden in her blood. 

It was a strange trace of aura that violently clawed at my demon core, waking the monster up from its slumber. Something that only happened during my night terrors.

I stepped closer, leaning down until my face was only inches from hers. I saw the pure, fire burning in her eyes as she stared back at me without a single trace of submission. A dark, primal urge slammed into my chest, a sudden craving to completely consume that fire along with her.

“You have a very loud mouth for a stray scholarship student who barely belongs on this train,” I murmured as my eyes drifted down to her lips before snapping back up.

She shot a biting insult right back at my face, her absolute lack of fear driving my senses wild. It was so new and real. So refreshing.

I reached out, my fingers brushing the soft skin of her neck as I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, purposefully using the moment to slide my thumb into her inner coat pocket. My long fingers easily clamped around the silver student identification card hidden inside, sliding it out so smoothly she didn’t even blink.

“I am going to enjoy breaking that pride of yours once we get to the academy, kitten,” I whispered against her ear.

When I returned to my private compartment, my mind was completely filled with the memory of her furious face and the shape of her lips. 

I sat back down, trying to convince myself that I was just temporarily amused by a new toy. I pulled the silver card out of my pocket, staring at the name printed on the metal. ‘Nadia Noreen.’

I took out my phone, typing a quick text to the head housing administrator along with her identification number. ‘Delete the housing assignment for this ID immediately.’  

The moment the train ground to a halt at the station, I headed straight to the athletic wing. Before I could even unpack, the coach called me down to the indoor arena for a quick demonstration for the incoming new recruits.

As I walked across the snow-covered courtyard, I passed the Mer girl. She was frantically staring at the frozen ground, her hands ripping through her pockets in a complete panic. I let out a low chuckle as I past her, knowing exactly what she was looking for.

I spent the next three hours on the ice, showing brutal drills and slamming pucks against the boards. Mid-stride, my eyes drifted toward the barrier, and my breath hitched. She was standing there, watching me from the stands.

Suddenly, a strange, frantic pressure pushed deep inside my chest. My movements became sharper, faster, and twice as aggressive. I started playing like I was trying to impress professional league scouts, but the truth was that I just wanted to impress her.

I was completely confused by my own crazy thoughts as I skated over to the barrier where she stood.

“You look like someone who is trying to run away from something, kitten,” I mocked, leaning over.

As we exchanged sharp, bitter words, I could barely even focus on what she was saying. The suffocating sweetness of her ocean scent was completely enveloping my senses.

She snatched her card off the bench and marched away, leaving me standing on the ice with my heart hammering violently against my ribs.

Ten minutes later, a page came over the arena speakers, summoning me directly to the Principal’s office.

I strolled into my mother’s grand administrative wing, expecting a routine discussion about my health. Instead, I found the Mer girl standing right in front of the desk, her face flushed with anger that made her look incredibly cute.

I immediately started having fun, mocking her presence, until my mother delivered the absolute impossible blow.

“Nadia will occupy the secondary bedroom in your executive suite.”

My entire body locked up, a wave of raw fear crashing through my veins. 

‘Mother, what the hell are you doing?’ I tried using our private family mind-link to scream at her. But my mother’s powerful Fairy aura violently blocked my mental path, telling me her decision was absolute.

I stormed out of the office, leading the girl back to my private residential tower. The moment she stepped inside my dark suite, I grabbed her coat and violently pinned her against the door.

“Listen to me very carefully, you little parasite,” I growled, my hand clamping firmly around her jaw to force her to look at me.

But as I stared into her defiant eyes, a single, deep word suddenly echoed through my mind—a dark command rising directly from the depths of my demon core.

‘Mark her.’