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~Spring's POV~

The girl introduced herself as Belle and introduced the others.

Since I was new to class and all, I still did not know the names of my classmates.

I joined her group along with Cassey and another girl, Leila. We bickered for a solid five minutes over whether pasta or rice would cook faster.

"Rice," Leila insisted.

"Pasta," Cassey, one of the boys in class countered. "Less chance of it turning into sludge."

"Pasta's boring," Chloe said.

"You're boring," Cassey shot back.

"I'm not."

"Then if you aren't, how come you want to cook rice. What kind of rice anyway? Plain white rice or…?"

Cassey had a point. And honestly, unless they were looking for disaster, I hoped they'd have provided feeding properly.

And even if they weren't paying for our meals, we could all cover it ourselves.

I raised both hands. "Guys, seriously. Just pick one before we starve."

We settled on pasta. Or rather, I started boiling water while they argued until someone caved.

Across the clearing, Storm's group had gotten their fire going quickly. He glanced over once, smirking when he saw me battling with the stove.

Remember I said it was easy?

Yeah, but turns out there were improvement in the over a hundred years ago that I lived in.

"Need help love?" Storm called.

"Nope!" I yelled back, stabbing at the match box until it finally caught. The flame roared to life, and I held my hands up triumphantly. "See? Perfect."

"Perfectly dangerous," Jace muttered under his breath and I shot him a playful glare.

"I did it anyway. I bet I can best you in starting a camp fire."

"Then it's gonna be a date, you and I," Jace stated with a triumphant smirk.

"Get to the back of the line," Storm interjected.

Half an hour later, the clearing smelled like smoke and half-burnt food. Most groups produced something edible, though not exactly appetising.

It was oddly satisfying, seeing some posh girls put their nonexistent cooking skills to use.

Our pasta ended up a bit soft and sticky, but at least it was warm, thanks to Cassey and Leila's bickering on what goes in first and when.

"Not bad," Leila said between mouthfuls.

"It's literally glue," Cassey deadpanned.

"Better than your attitude," I muttered.

The lighthearted bickering was cut short when Yvonne's voice Yvonne above the others.

"Is this seriously what you call food?" she sneered, holding her plate up like it was toxic. "I wouldn't feed this to a dog."

Her group fell into awkward silence. Storm, sitting with my mates nearby, glanced her way. "If you don't like it, don't eat. Simple."

Yvonne's lips curled. "Easy for you to say when people worship the ground you walk on." Her gaze slid toward me then, sharp as a knife. "Some of us aren't afraid to admit when something's… unworthy."

The tension snapped across the fire pit. Leila bristled. "Excuse me?"

Yvonne smirked. "Not you, sweetheart." Her eyes locked on me now. "Just her."

Jace slammed his fork down where he was seated. "Drop it, Yvonne."

"Why?" she asked innocently. "Can't handle the truth?"

Storm leaned forward on where he sat. I coyuldn't miss the danger in his tone. "Careful."

For a moment, everything felt suspended: the crackle of fire, the shifting shadows, everyone waiting to see who would push first.

I forced a laugh, breaking the silence. "Relax. If Yvonne wants to starve herself, let her. More food for us."

A few chuckles broke the tension. Yvonne's smile froze, but she said nothing else.

—

Later, after dinner cleanup, Professor Mira clapped her hands to gather us.

"Listen up. Tomorrow morning, you'll split into your assigned groups. Each group will explore a different sector of Havenmoor, logging flora and fauna. Journals will be collected at the end. No wandering outside your assigned boundaries."

Someone groaned. "How far are we walking?"

"As far as it takes," Professor Mira said simply. "Endurance is part of your assessment. Now, lights out by ten. That means quiet. Anyone caught outside after hours will lose points."

The professors dismissed us, and slowly the camp began to dim.

I hadn't spoken much to yrion since afte the bike racing. I was looking forward to chatting him up, but after the stressful weekend I had with my family, and the trip, I just wanted some nice rest.

—

My tent felt colder than expected. The thin make shift walls rustled with every breeze, the sounds of laughter fading as one by one the groups settled in.

Alone, I curled into my sleeping bag and exhaled slowly, enjoying my peace but it didn't last.

Somewhere past midnight, I woke up to a soft sound outside my tent. I didn't move, feeling a rush of nerves as I tried to listen.

I could hear leaves crunching, followed by a gentle rubbing sound against fabric.

My heart raced. I sat up, fumbling for my flashlight when the zipper slid halfway down.

I barely had time to open my mouth before a hand covered it.

"Shhhh."

The hand muffling me smelled faintly of cedarwood. My flashlight slipped from my grip and rolled against my sleeping bag.

"Shhh," came the low whisper again, this time warm against my ear.

My heart thudded so violently I was sure the entire camp could hear it.

And then my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I saw a figure crouching over me with green eyes that shimmered, looking sharp and amused even in the dim light.

Kael.

Of course.

"Relax, Moonbite," he whispered, removing his hand slowly. "It's me."

I exhaled, half in relief, half in annoyance. "You almost gave me a scare."

He smirked. "Not the worst way to keep your blood pumping."

"No, you'd have ended up woth a kick to the groin."

I shoved at his chest until he let me go, my voice shooting out in a whisper-hiss. "Are you insane? Sneaking into my tent in the middle of the night…"

"Moonbite," he cut in smoothly, lips quirking. "If I were insane, I wouldn't be clever enough to get past the professors' patrols."

"Don't call me that." I pulled my blanket tighter around myself, trying to ignore the fact that his body heat lingered near mine in the little space, the faintest static of his wolf's presence brushing against me.

Jade perked up instantly in the back of my head, feeling both sly and mischievous.

"Mmm. He smells delicious. Let him stay."

"Absolutely not," I shot back.

"You didn't answer my question," I whispered fiercely. "What are you doing here?"

Kael smirked, lowering himself onto the edge of my sleeping bag like he owned the space. His gloved fingers drummed lightly on his knee. "Maybe I came to test the structural integrity of your tent, considering the fact that you set it up alone."

"Ha. Funny."

"Maybe," he leaned closer, voice dipping, "Actually, I came because you pitched yourself at the edge of camp, all alone, practically begging for someone to sneak in."

I glared. "I wasn't begging."

"Oh, I know. You'd never beg." His smirk sharpened. "That's what makes the thought entertaining."

Jade hummed in agreement. "He's right. You'd make him work for it, and he'd love every second."

An unwanted wave of heat curled through me, but I quickly shoved it down. "A guy in a girl's tent in the middle of the night is a huge mistake. If a professor catches you here, you'll get us both in trouble."

"Correction," Kael murmured. "You'll get in trouble. I'll talk my way out of it, as always."

I rolled my eyes. "Arrogant much?"

"Confident," he countered. "There's a difference, mate."

The silence felt stretched and uncomfortable, almost like it was holding its breath.

He was close enough for me to see the shadows under his cheekbones and the glint of his expensive necklace in the dim light from my flashlight.

His scent surrounded me in a way that felt risky.

"You shouldn't be here," I said softly.

He tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle. "Maybe not. But you didn't push me out either."

I clenched my fists in my blanket. "That's because you caught me off guard."

"Or," his smirk turned slow, deliberate, "because part of you doesn't mind."

Jade purred at that, shameless. "Oh, he's good. Let's keep him. After all, you've won Storm, Jace and Tyrion's love. He's next."

"Stop it."

"You're impossible," I muttered. "Go now."

"And yet here I am." He stretched out, lounging back against the wall of my tent like it was his throne. "Tell me, Moonbite, how was your first day of camp life? Already wishing for room service?"

"Stop calling me that," I repeated.

"But it suits you." His eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. "Sharp little bite, always leaving a mark."

I ignored the heat crawling up my neck. "It was fine. Uneventful, well, until you showed up."

His grin widened. "Good. That means I accomplished my mission."

"Mission?"

"To make your night… less uneventful."

I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. "You're ridiculous."

"Ridiculously charming," Kael corrected.

Urgh, his way of charming me, basically reminded me he was just a highschool boy and nothing more.

My mind flickered back to Rael, my fiance from my past life. I shook the thought away and focused on Kael instead.

I peeked at him between my fingers. "More like ridiculously annoying."

"That too." He shrugged, utterly unbothered.