Nova Nyx 🌙
I was in study hall, going over some notes for class when suddenly the chair in front of me was pulled out and a lithe body filled its empty space.
I looked up and immediately locked eyes with familiar dark ones.
Saoirse Fowl sat across from me, her composure calm, cool, and collected as her aura radiated something that immediately made me on edge.
"Why Hello New girl" she cooed at me "I don't think I had a chance to formally introduce myself. My name is..."
"Saoirse Fowl" I answered on a sigh, leaning back in my chair as I tapped my pen against the wooded table "Heir Fowl's niece and top female Pureblood in our graduating class ."
"So you've heard of me?" Her smile widened "How wonderful. This makes things so much easier on my end."
I raised an eyebrow, not really understand what she was trying to get at.
"I know you're new to our world new girl so I forgive you for not knowing how things work around here" she started "So I wanted to take some time out of my busy schedule to inform you myself. In order to avoid certain...miscommunications."
"What kind of miscommunications?"
"I need you to stay away from Phoenix" she said in a matter-of-fact tone, like if it was the most simplest and easiest task for me to follow "And while I understand that being an Heir means that you have to share a house with him and all, I need you to minimize contact with him as much as possible."
I gaped at her in open shock, my mouth literally hanging open for a few seconds.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts "You want me to stay away from a guy who I'm literally forced to live with? A guy who TA's my Shifter Lore class? A guy who I have to see and attend Heir meetings with every week?"
She nodded her head in seriousness.
"Why?"
She blinked at me "What?"
"Why would I do that?" I repeated my question "Why would I take such unnecessary steps and go out of my way to avoid my fellow Heir?"
I paused and asked "Or am I supposed to do the same thing for the other two too? How am I supposed to avoid all three roommates at once?"
"I don't care what you do or don't do for the other two" She shook her head "But I need you to stay away from Phoenix. My fiancé shouldn't have to be subjected to another female in his personal space just because she's a colleague."
"Fiancé?" My eyes widened at the word "What do you mean fiancé? You're engaged to Phoenix?"
The words tasted acidic on my tongue and the thought of that grumpy bastard with the sad blue eyes being engaged to her made me feel hollow...and murderous for some reason.
She nodded "We've been engaged to each other since we were children."
She unlocked her phone and scrolled through it for a minute before flipping it over and showing me what was on the screen.
My heart dropped at the sight of a young and stoic Phoenix standing next to a love stricken Saoirse, her eyes gazing adoringly up at him.
She looked at him like he hung the sun and stars just for her.
He couldn't have been more than nine or ten in this photo, those eyes still the same shade of blue as they were now, but held a different emotion in their depths.
Anger and fiery determination.
I wonder what must have happened in the time between then and now that made him lose that fiery look in his eyes and replace it with his current sadness.
"No" The words escaped me before I could stop them, harsher than I ever would have expected "I won't do it."
"What?"
My eyes lifted and immediately locked on that burning gaze of hers.
She...Was...Pissed.
"What did you just say?" she asked, her tone eerily calm.
"I'm not going to go out of my way to avoid Phoenix" I said, "And while I can understand your discomfort with him being in a house with another woman, I won't actively go out of my way to avoid my roommate. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest you go to the Penta yourself."
"How dare you..." she growled "Do you not have any respect for the sacred bonds of..."
I narrowed my eyes at her "I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you."
"Or what?" She leaned forward, her eyes darkening even further "What could you possible do to me? I'm practically an Heir myself."
"A technicality doesn't count" I murmured "Just because your Aunt's an Heir doesn't mean that you are."
She leaned forward, her eyes radiating pure hate "And just because your dead daddy was a Lupine doesn't mean that you'll ever live up to the name."
With those final words, she stood up and left.
Her words hitting the intended target they were meant too.
Because the little slip of doubt that was in my mind just grew a tiny bit larger.
How was I supposed to take down the people that tore me away from my family if I couldn't even gain the skills I needed to survive?
~🌙~🌙~🌙~🌙~
I stormed through the house like a woman on a mission.
While Saoirse's words hurt me in the moment, I couldn't help the anger that followed after I realized that I was letting her get to me.
I followed the rambunctious laughter coming from the kitchen, glad that all three morons were in the same place.
Good...they'll all be there to witness what I have to say at the same time.
I swung open the kitchen door so hard that it banged against the wall.
The conversation died immediately as three sets of eyes locked on my angry form.
I walked up to where Phoenix was sitting and slapped my hand on the table next to his plate, bending down so that his eyes were locked with mine.
"Oh shit..." I heard Kassian mutter "She looks beyond pissed."
"Shh..." Atlas shushed him.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?" he continued to eat his chicken like I wasn't up in his face, threatening him.
"Why didn't you tell me about your fiancé?" I growled "Do you know how hard it was me to try to defend myself against the woman basically calling me a whore just because I wouldn't actively go out of my way to avoid you?"
"What?" he choked on a bite of his chicken, reaching forward to grab at his cup of water "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Saoirse Fowl just cornered me in the library" I growled "Telling me that I had to stay away from you because she considered it disrespectful for another woman to be in the same proximity as her man. "
"What?" his eyes widened "When?"
"Right now" I shook my head "Why does it matter when it happened? The only thing that matters is that it happened and that I'm definitely on her shit list. She's going to be out for my blood now."
"What did you tell her?" Atlas asked, curiosity lacing his tone.
I glanced at him "What?"
"What did you tell her when she demanded you to stay away from Phoenix?" he asked, his head tilted to the side "Are you going to stay away from Phe?"
I pursed my lips as I felt Phoenix's eyes on the back on my head.
"I told her no" I said, standing to my full height and pointing at the grump behind me "Why would I go out of my way to avoid him if I have to live with the jackass?"
Kassian whistled low "Yeah, you're definitely on her shit list now."
I glanced back at Phoenix "So why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't tell you because I don't have a fiancé" he sighed, leaning back in his chair "I called the engagement off the moment I turned eighteen."
I reared my head back in surprise "What?"
Atlas and Kassian nodded at his friend's words "Phoenix was the one who asked the Penta to inquire about the Fowl Heir's true parentage."
Phoenix flinched "It was the only way to get me out of that awful marriage contract."
"Marriage Contract?" I parroted like idiot "What contract?"
The boys all sent each other looks.
I narrowed my eyes at them all "What aren't you three telling me?"
"You should sit down for this Nova." Atlas said, pulling out a chair for me.
"Why?"
"Because this may be a little bit of a shock to you" Kassian said slowly "But technically, all the Heirs are entered into a Marriage contract by the time they're born or until they're five years of age."
"And we can't dissolve that contract unless reasonable doubt is proven" Atlas said with a shrug "And Phoenix proved that doubt in order to get out of that archaic tradition."
"Lucky bastard." Kassian muttered.
"So all of you..." I looked at each of them "Are engaged to someone?"
"Kind of..."
"What does that mean that..." I gasped in sudden realization "Am I engaged to someone too?"
Three growls sounded out from the room, each of their postures turning rigid.
"No" Phoenix said through gritted teeth "We won't let that happen."
"But I'm an Heir too" I said "And since the Penta insists on following tradition then that means that..."
"It means nothing" Kassian snarled "You shouldn't be subjected to such an awful fate."
"And you three should?" I argued "How is that fair?"
"No one's getting engage" Atlas redirected the conversation "We're not going to let that happen to you."
Phoenix nodded in agreement "And technically, I was the only one currently engaged."
My eyes scrunched up in confusion "But I thought..."
"My younger brother fell in love with my supposed fiancé" Atlas gave me a half smile "Since her family runs one of the biggest Packs in Latin America, and didn't want her to give up her position as the new Alpha in order to marry me, they allowed an exception that fulfilled the Lobo's portion of the Heir Marriage Contract."
"Another Lucky bastard." Kassian muttered.
My gaze swung to him "What about you?"
"I'm engaged" he said miserably "And since I'm an only child, I don't have anyone to bail me out."
"Does she go here?" My gaze softened "Is someone else going to add me to their shit list too?"
"I don't think she goes here" Kassian shook his head "I don't even know where she goes."
"Kass hasn't met her yet" Atlas said softly "Unlike me and Phoenix, Kass's parents are waiting until he graduates to announce his betrothed."
"I thought Heirs were the next rulers of the Shifter community" I said, leaning back in my seat "So if that's the case than why are you being forced to marry someone against your will? Can't you say no to all of this?"
They collectively shook their heads.
"Their are two rules Heirs must implicitly follow in order to receive their rightful position as the Penta leaders" Phoenix said "The first being that the Penta chooses the partners for their Heirs based on how useful these alliances could be to their ruling region"
"And the second rule?"
"Wasn't hard to follow until now." Atlas murmured to himself, confusing me even further.
Phoenix shot his friend a scathing look before addressing my question.
"Heirs cannot fall in love with other Heirs" he said, locking eyes with me "For the power balance between the Shifter community would shift exponentially and potentially devastate other relationships between the Packs."