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59

PANDORA

I let the silky robe slip from my shoulders with a sharp inhale as I turned back and forth in the mirror, revealing the intricate web of scars tracing my stomach, my back, and my thigh. Some were faint silver lines, while others were dark pink and purple, reminders of the torture I suffered long before I had the power to fight back. My mother’s cruelty had marked me, but I refused to be ashamed of them any longer.

My fingers traced over them with a mixture of pain and acceptance. They were part of me. They were proof that I had survived—and I’d only really survived because of Nebula.

Though, he was gone now.

Dim candlelight flickered across the floor-length mirror, casting elongated shadows onto the dark walls of my room. The heavy, velvet drapes shielded the sun, leaving only the chandelier filled with candles to illuminate the space in a soft, amber haze.

Dad had let me redecorate a few things since I’d moved back here from the dorms. It wasn’t just my room now, though. My mates stayed here with me, and we’d brought the enchanted bed with us from Hunter.

My reflection stared back at me, my red eyes burning against the pale contrast of my skin. I’d worn black lace panties with no bra because the dress Jenni had gotten me for graduation had an open-back.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts before it creaked open.

Hunter entered first, his white eyes softening as they settled on me. He moved forward until his fingertips grazed the scars on my back gently.

It sent a shiver down my spine. “I have an open-back dress, but the scars will be visible if I wear it.”

“They’re a testament to your strength, starlight,” he murmured. “Not a reminder of your pain. They’re something to be proud of.”

The others had shuffled in behind him, and they took turns stepping beside me.

Reed took my hand in his and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “You’re my dream girl,” he whispered, his violet gaze unwavering. “Scars and all. I say let them show.”

Dex’s lips curled into a knowing smile as he slid onto my other side. He turned and pulled up the hem of his own shirt, revealing jagged scars running across his back. “We match, trouble. I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

Skel leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, silver piercing on his lip catching the candlelight. “They’re hot,” he said with a smirk. “Besides, I’ve got a few myself.” He gestured to the scars that ran down each eye.

“We all do.” Bram moved in front of me and cupped my face. “They don’t just tell your story, Pandora. They make me love you more, appreciate you more. Every mark, every line—it’s proof that you’re here, that you fought, and you won .”

Their words wove around my heart, reinforcing what I already knew deep down.

My scars weren’t chains. Not anymore. They weren’t anything I should’ve been ashamed of. They were proof that I didn’t break.

Lifting my chin, I let my robe fall completely and reached for the dress draped over the nearby chair. It was black, flowing, and elegant, but the low back exposed the very scars I once wanted to hide.

Jenni had been right to choose this one.

My mates helped me into it, moving as one. Their touches were gentle. Reed moved up the zipper, Dex knelt to slip my heels onto my feet, Skel and Bram adjusted the hem as Hunter ran his hands down my arms, steadying me so I wouldn’t fall.

Strength surged through me, and love poured from all five matebonds.

“I’m ready,” I said, and I meant it.

“Let’s go then, trouble.” Dex’s shadow swirled around us, pulling us into darkness, and then we emerged just outside Reform Hall.

The sandstone building loomed ahead, bathed in the golden hues of the sweltering sun.

“I’m getting nervous,” Bram muttered.

Skel chuckled. “Dude, same. I thought I’d flunk out.”

“I thought I’d be expelled, honestly,” Dex cackled.

Reed sighed, rolling his eyes. “You three weren’t that bad.”

“No,” Hunter agreed, his hand tightening on mine. “All of you deserve graduation.”

Inside, the auditorium was bigger than I thought it’d be. Rows of dark wooden chairs lined the space, and the massive magic orb lit up the entire room overhead, reflecting off the polished stone floors. At the front, a grand stage bore the academy’s sigil, but it had been changed to include…a kitten skull on the emblem.

My heart ached at the meaning of it.

“Pandora!” A blur of pink and excitement tackled me before I had a chance to react. Jenni squeezed me in a tight hug, her infectious energy buzzing through her soul. “We did it!” she practically screamed.

Laughter bubbled up in my throat. “Yeah, we did.”

“Oh! You wore the dress!” She twirled me around. “It looks so good on you!”

“Thank you.” My face heated as I looked over her pink dress that had a slit up the leg and plunged down the front to show her cleavage off. “You look stunning in yours.”

“Doesn’t she?” Dad stood next to her, his usual composed demeanor softening as his dark eyes met mine. “I’m proud of you, Pandora,” he said, his voice carrying weight far beyond the words. “You’ve come so far.”

Warmth spread through my chest as I nodded. “Thank you for sending me here.”

His eyes sheened with tears, and he nodded once.

The ceremony began moments later, Verity standing tall as she called each graduate forward.

Jenni went first, her giddy energy lighting up the room as she accepted her diploma, waving dramatically before skipping off the stage and into the arms of my dad and Joel.

One by one, my mates followed.

Bram was calm on the outside, but his excitement thrummed through the bond; Dex grinned like he owned the world; Skel swaggered like he couldn’t care less but squeezed my hand just before he went up; and Reed turned just before stepping off the stage to smile encouragingly at me.

Then, finally, it was my turn.

“Pandora Gravesend.”

The room fell away as I walked across the stage. The weight of everything I had endured, everything I had survived, pressed against my bones—not to shatter them, but to remind me of what I’d beaten.

I wasn’t bound by my past.

I wasn’t broken or worthless.

I had fought a dark magic cult and my past, and I had won.

As I took my diploma from Verity’s hands, applause erupted around me, a symphony of love, support, and triumph.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like I truly deserved this. I just wished Nebula had been here to see it as well.