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~Spring's POV~

Things grew quiet again, but in a gentler way this time.

My heartbeat began calming down, though I was still very much aware of him. I could feel his wolf lightly connecting with mine, almost like a soft electric spark in the air.

Jade stirred eagerly. "He's testing us. Don't back down."

"I'm not playing this game."

"Liar."

Kael shifted closer, close enough now that our knees touched through the thin layers of fabric. My pulse jumped immediately.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

He arched a brow. "Sitting."

"Too close."

"Define too close."

"Kael."

"Spring." He said my name like a challenge, like a secret only he knew how to unwrap.

Jade practically fanned herself. "Oh, I like it when he says it like that. Say it again, Kael."

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop the laugh. "You're insufferable."

"And yet you're still talking to me." He leaned his chin into his hand, studying me like a chessboard. "Why is that, hm?"

"Because kicking you out would wake the entire camp," I hissed.

His smirk deepened. "So you're saying I'm staying."

I exhaled sharply, giving up. "You can sneak back out the way you came, for starters."

He gave a pout that left me speechless. "Urgh, fine. For now."

"Good answer."

Just then, I saw a flash of torchlight in the dead of the night, and we both fell silent.

After about thirty seconds, the light went off and we giggled without making any sound.

We fell into a comfortable rhythm, talking quietly in the dark, sharing soft laughs that we tried to keep quiet.

He joked about my group's cooking, saying, "Your pasta could fill holes in boats."

And I fired back about his arrogance, warning, "One day your ego is going to catch up with you."

Somehow, the conversation flowed easily. Maybe a bit risky, but easy.

Then he shifted again, this time bracing one hand beside my pillow, leaning in so close I could see the faint flecks of gold in his green eyes.

"Kael," I warned softly.

"Yes?" His smirk was pure sin.

"You're invading my personal space now."

"Am I?" His gaze flicked to my lips before snapping back to my eyes. "Funny. Feels like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."

Jade was practically howling. "Kiss him. Just once."

"We've already kissed before."

"Once more then. Solstice, he's right there."

"Absolutely not."

"Coward."

Heat spread through me anyway. I turned my head just enough that his breath stirred against my cheek instead of my mouth. "You should go."

Kael chuckled low, the sound curling around me like velvet. "If I leave now, you'll just lie awake thinking about me."

"As if."

"As exactly." He grinned, winking at me. "Tell me I'm wrong."

I opened my mouth, then shut it, because I couldn't.

And he knew it.

"Why are you really here?" I asked instead.

The smirk softened just slightly. "Because I wanted to see if you'd let me."

My chest tightened.

He leaned back then, giving me space, though the tension between us didn't fade. "Goodnight, Moonbite."

"Goodnight, Sassy Genius," I muttered before I could stop myself.

His laugh was soft, satisfied, as he slipped out the way he came. "See you tomorrow, same time, same place."

"What?" I said in surprise, but he was already gone.

The tent felt impossibly empty after he left, and now I was beginning to rethink my joy of being alone.

And Jade, ever the menace, purred smugly. "Told you we should've kissed him."

I buried my face in my pillow. "Shut up unless you want me having a school bad record and falling out just when I restored Spring's name."

—

The morning air in Havenmoor was sharper than coffee.

By the time Professor Mira barked us into lines, most of us were still yawning, tugging at jackets, and grumbling about the lack of breakfast options.

According to her, we'd do this before driving to town for a good breakfast. Then rest up while we compare our notes.

Lunch will be bought and served before we take a tour of Havenmoor centre. Then, proceed to dinner.

The forest stretched ahead like a giant maze of pines and shadows.

"Group assignments," Professor Mira announced, standing before us like a military instructor. "South trail, with me. East, with Professor Dae. West Ridge, with Professor Aurelia. Stick to your groups, log your findings. And don't wander off."

I hoisted my pack higher, trying to ignore the ache in my shoulders from sleeping on hard ground.

Leila, who ended up in my group, gave me a quick grin. "Ready to count a hundred ferns?"

"Thrilling," I deadpanned.

She snorted. "Better than listening to Yvonne whine the whole time."

Speak of the devil, Yvonne flicked her hair just ahead of us, walking like the trail existed purely to be beneath her boots. "Honestly, they expect us to wade through dirt like peasants," she muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

I rolled her eyes. "You'd think a pinecone murdered her family."

That pulled a laugh out of Leila, and I couldn't help but laugh too. "Careful, she might hear you."

"Good," I muttered. "Maybe she'll trip over her ego and fall face-first in the mud."

Leila chuckled again.

I bit my lip to hide my smile. We weren't friends yet, but at least Leila didn't treat me like I carried the plague.

Which was good progress as compared to the rest of my classmates. At least I did this on my own and did not earn a friend thanks to my mates.

Jace was trailing at the back of our group, hands behind his head, wearing a confident smirk.

I looked back and caught his eye for a moment. His amber eyes sparkled in the sunlight, full of warmth and mischief. He even winked at me.

Jade hummed immediately in my head. "Ohhh. Trouble incoming. Delicious trouble."

"Don't encourage him," I warned.

"Encourage? Darling, I'm begging."

I shook my head quickly and focused on the dirt path beneath my boots.

Professor Mira was lecturing about the importance of cataloguing lichens and mosses when a low voice drifted behind me.

"Spring."

I ignored it and focused on her voice. Just then I felt my phone vibrate in my trousers pocket. I took it out and checked the message when I saw Tyrion had left me like four messages.,

Starting with…

Tyrion: Hey.

Tyrion: How are you?

Tyrion: It's been a while.

Tyrion: Missed you.

"…and note the lichen variety," Professor Mira droned.

Me: Missed you too. Sorry about going silent on you. Let's catch up later.

With that I placed my phone in my pocket without waiting for a reply.

"Hmm, so Storm got you and now Tyrion. Where does that leave me?"

I looked up to see Jace behind me, his eyes peering over my shoulder.

"Nosy much or jealous much?"

"Both."

Shaking my head, I crouched down, pen scratching against my notebook, pretending to listen. My ears were sharper than most, so I already caught every word, but my attention kept wandering to the footsteps dragging lazily behind me.

I didn't know Professor Mira much but from the little I heard, she did not accept annoying or disrespectful behaviour.

And since I just joined the senior class, I wasn't planning on starting with a bad record.

"Careful, love," Jace murmured just loud enough for me. "If you stare at moss too long, it might fall in love with you."

I didn't look up. "Maybe it already has."

He leaned down, his breath brushing my ear. "Darling, I get jealous of pinecones when they get your attention."

Jade practically squealed in my head. "Oh, he's shameless."

I rolled my eyes, but warmth crept to my cheeks anyway. "Shouldn't you be cataloguing instead of flirting?"

"Cataloguing? Already done." He flipped his notebook open just enough for me to glimpse doodles of stick-figure wolves fighting over a crown.

I found out Jace's memory was one of the best and almost photographic. Which excused his lack of catalogue.

I stifled a laugh. "Wow. Groundbreaking research."

"You're welcome. I'm advancing the field." His grin widened.

Before I could fire back, a sharp voice sliced through the group.

"Move, peasant."

Yvonne deliberately bumped into my shoulder, knocking me off balance just as I lifted my leg over a stone. My notebook slipped from my hand and skidded across the dirt path.

I froze, fighting the instinct to snap. My pulse spiked, but I forced a slow breath.

She was aiming to smeer my image but I wasn't going to give her that chance.

Jace was already moving. In one smooth step, he caught my arm, steadying me before I stumbled or fell. His other hand shot out, snatching my notebook before it touched the mud. Thanks to the wind that blew at that moment.

"Easy there, love. We wouldn't want dirt on your notes. Might stain the brilliance."

Yvonne scoffed.

Jace straightened to his full height, his amber eyes gleaming like firelight. "Careful, Yvonne. I'm not nice."

Yvonne faltered, her lips parting as if she'd just realized she'd stepped into the wrong fight. Still, she sneered. "Well, your mate was drooling and in my way. She should…"

"Try finishing that sentence," Jace interrupted, smiling sweetly but the glare in his eyes told a different story. "Go on. Give me a reason to make this hike interesting."