Page 4 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

Wild

T he moment I threw open the door to my room, I saw Caden standing there, his tongue halfway down Atlas’s throat.

“Well,” I muttered, just shaking my head as I stepped inside. “I see nothing’s changed between you two.”

“Wild!” Caden cried, tearing himself away and wiping his mouth quickly. “You’re back!”

“I see you are too,” I smiled, pulling him into a hug. “And as slutty as ever.” I glanced up at Atlas over Caden’s shoulder, holding my hand out to shake while Caden squeezed me. “You gotta watch out for those quiet ones, am I right?”

Atlas shook my hand, his grin wide. “Yep. I can’t tell you how many times I got tied up with vines this summer.”

I let out a gasp of surprise as I pulled Caden back by the shoulders, looking him in the eyes. “And you’re kinky now, too? Who the hell are you and what have you done with my old roommate?”

Caden’s face flushed a deep crimson, spreading down his neck and disappearing beneath his collar. “It’s not… I mean… we weren’t?—”

“Oh, you absolutely were,” I laughed, throwing my bag onto my bed. “And good for you, honestly. About time you learned to have some fun.”

Atlas wrapped an arm around Caden’s waist, pulling him back against his chest with obvious possessiveness. “He’s been full of surprises this summer.”

“I bet,” I said, studying them both with new interest. There was something different about Caden beyond just newfound confidence and his mate bond with Atlas.

His magic felt... stronger somehow. Wilder.

“So, are you going to tell me about these new abilities everyone’s whispering about, or do I have to guess? ”

Caden shifted uncomfortably, his fingers unconsciously twisting together. “It’s complicated.”

“Everything interesting is complicated,” I pointed out, settling cross-legged on my bed. “Come on, we’re roommates. Spill.”

Atlas and Caden exchanged a look, some silent communication passing between them. Finally, Caden sighed and held out his hand, palm up. With barely a whisper of intention, a small vine sprouted from his skin, unfurling delicate leaves as it grew.

“Holy shit,” I breathed, leaning forward. “That’s not minor nature magic anymore.”

“No,” Caden said quietly, letting the vine wither away. “It started when Atlas and I finished the mate bond. But when he…” Caden paused, lowering his voice. “When Atlas became my familiar, everything just sort of exploded.”

“Caden Cromwell,” I muttered, grinning mischievously. “You know familiar bonds like that are forbidden here!” I paused, giving him a wink. “I’m proud of you.”

His face turned bright red in embarrassment. “Well, it’s not just that either. It turns out I’m not a full-blooded Cromwell either.”

“What?!”

“Yep,” he nodded. “Apparently I’m half dryad.”

“After all the pureblood bullshit your father put you through, he went out and knocked up a dryad?”

“I guess so.”

“Damn,” I sighed, flopping onto my bed. “But I guess that explains why Blackwood wants you in her independent study. She wants to see what a half-breed is capable of, even if she openly despises them.”

“I think you find Professor Blackwood has turned over a new leaf,” Atlas interjected. “She’s not quite as prejudiced as she used to be.”

“Huh. I guess that’s why she asked me to be in her little study group, too. She specifically requested me for the wild magic program,” I continued, stretching out on my bed. “Which is weird as hell considering she usually acts like I’m some kind of disease she might catch.”

Caden perked up with interest. “You’re in the independent study too?!”

“Yep. You, me, and some Thorne kid I’ve never met.” I rolled onto my side, propping my head up on my elbow. “Speaking of which, what do you know about Elias Thorne?”

“Not much,” Caden admitted, settling onto his own bed with Atlas beside him. “He’s... well, he’s kind of the golden boy. Perfect grades, perfect family, perfect everything. Keeps to himself mostly. I never talked to him. I was too powerless to be on his radar.”

“Sounds boring,” I said with a yawn. “Probably another stick-up-the-ass witch who thinks everyone else is beneath him.”

Atlas frowned. “Actually, I’ve heard some concerning things about the Thorne family lately. My pack’s been tracking some anti-monster movements gaining traction, and the Thorne name keeps coming up in intelligence reports.”

That caught my attention. I sat up straighter. “What kind of movements?”

“The kind that think magical creatures should stay in their own realms,” Atlas said grimly. “There’s been talk of reinstating the old separation laws, making it illegal for fae and other non-human supernaturals to attend schools like Widdershins.”

Caden’s face paled. “But that would mean?—”

“Exactly,” Atlas nodded. “No more integrated education. No more mixed communities. Back to the old days when everyone stuck to their own kind.”

I felt a familiar anger stirring in my chest. “Let me guess, they’re using my charming roommate’s dear departed daddy as their poster boy for why witches shouldn’t associate with ‘lesser’ magical beings.”

Caden winced. “Apparently, some of his old followers have been circulating his writings again. The parts about magical purity and maintaining bloodline integrity.”

“Fucking fantastic,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “So now I get to deal with stuck-up witches AND potential hate groups. This year just keeps getting better. I should’ve stayed at the orgy.”

Atlas raised an eyebrow. “Orgy?”

“Three-day end of summer celebration in the fae realm,” I explained with a grin. “Way more fun than anything this place has to offer.”

“Wild,” Caden said, his voice taking on a worried tone, “maybe you should be careful about mentioning stuff like that. If these anti-monster groups are really gaining power...”

“Fuck them,” I said, flopping back down on my bed. “I’m not going to hide who I am because some bigoted assholes can’t handle a little chaos in their perfectly ordered world. Besides, witches have orgies all the time, they’re just invite only.”

Atlas’s expression darkened. “It’s not just about you, though. If they succeed in getting these laws passed, it affects all of us. Caden would be forced to choose between his witch heritage and his dryad side. I wouldn’t be allowed on campus at all as a shifter.”

The weight of that settled over the room like a heavy blanket.

I’d been so focused on my own irritation that I hadn’t really considered the broader implications.

The thought of losing Caden as a roommate, of this place becoming even more sterile and segregated than it already was, made my stomach twist.

“Well then,” I said, sitting up again with renewed determination, “I guess we’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“How exactly do you propose we do that?” Caden asked.

I grinned, feeling that familiar spark of mischief and rebellion ignite in my chest. “By being so fucking brilliant in this independent study that even the most prejudiced witch can’t deny our worth. By proving that wild magic, mixed heritage, and a little chaos make everything better, not worse.”

Caden looked uncertain, but Atlas nodded slowly. “It’s not a bad strategy. Show them what they’d be losing.”

“Exactly,” I said, jumping up from my bed. “Besides, I’m curious about this Elias Thorne kid now. If his family’s really involved in these movements, it’ll be interesting to see where he stands.”

“Just... be careful, Wild,” Caden said softly. “Not everyone can be won over with charm and rebellion.”

I winked at him. “Good thing I’ve got other talents then.”

Atlas snorted. “Your ‘other talents’ are exactly what’s going to get you in trouble with these purist types.”

“My other talents are what make life worth living,” I shot back, but even as I said it, I could feel the truth in his words settling uncomfortably in my chest. The freedom I’d always taken for granted suddenly felt more precious, more fragile.

Caden stood up abruptly, pacing to the window. “There’s something else,” he said quietly, his back to us. “Something I haven’t told you yet.”

Atlas and I exchanged glances. “What is it?” Atlas asked, moving to stand behind Caden.

“My father… he didn’t just die in some fight between him and Rowan Hargrove.” Caden glanced at me before turning his head away in shame. “I… I killed him myself.”

The room went dead silent. Even the ambient magical energy that usually hummed through the dormitory walls seemed to pause, as if the very academy was holding its breath.

“What?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Atlas’s hands moved to Caden’s shoulders, steadying him as his body began to tremble. “Caden…”

“He was going to kill Atlas,” Caden said, his voice hollow.

“He’d put a blood curse on me and was torturing me…

and then he found out about our bond and my newfound power.

He… He wanted me to lock Atlas up and use him as a magical battery…

or put him in the ground. And when he tried to kill us, I just… snapped .”

Caden turned back, crawling into Atlas’s lap and allowing himself to be wrapped up in those strong werewolf arms.

“He was destroyed,” Atlas said, finishing the story. “And transformed into a tree. Rowan Hargrove was taken to the Elder Council and sentenced to prison for several years for attacking the students on campus.”

I nodded, the memory still fresh in my mind.

It was Rowan Hargrove that forced me to transform into my true fae form with a spell, and then locked me in a magical paralysis that would’ve eventually killed me.

I’d been trying to forget it, but the memories still haunted my dreams now and then.

It was the most terrified I’d ever been.

And while I knew Caden was the reason I’d been saved, I never knew he had to kill his own father to do it. That part he’d kept a secret.

“Caden, I had no idea,” I said, my usual flippancy evaporating. I moved to sit beside them on the bed, placing a hand on his knee. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I couldn’t,” he whispered, his blue eyes watery. “I was afraid of what people would think. What you would think.”

“What I would think?” I squeezed his knee. “You saved my life. You saved Atlas. Your father was a monster who tortured you your entire life and then tried to kill the people you care about. I think you’re fucking brave.”

Atlas pressed a kiss to Caden’s temple. “That’s what I keep telling him.”

“And now his followers are using his death to fuel their hatred,” Caden said bitterly. “They’re saying his death was caused by magical creatures. That the Elder Council protected the shifters that killed him off and covered it all up.”

“They don’t know the truth,” I pointed out.

“And they can’t,” Atlas added firmly. “The Elder Council sealed the records. If people found out Caden killed his father, even in self-defense...”

“They’d use it against him,” I finished, understanding dawning. “Against all of us.” I paused for a moment, thinking it over. “But… they won’t even unseal it to protect themselves? It sounds like the Elder Council is getting caught in the crossfire.”

“We tried,” Atlas sighed. “Even my father reached out to them. They won’t budge.”

Caden nodded miserably. “So now I have to sit there and listen to them talk about my father like he was some kind of martyr for magical purity, when really he was just a sadistic bastard who spent years torturing his own son for something he couldn’t control.”

I flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “This is seriously fucked up.”

“Welcome to junior year,” Atlas said dryly.

“So, what are we supposed to do?” I asked, propping myself up on my elbows. “Just let these assholes spew their hate unchallenged?”

“For now, let’s just focus on the independent study,” Caden said, his voice losing its desperate edge. “We learn everything we can about wild magic. We get stronger. And maybe, if we’re really lucky, this whole thing will blow over and we can just be students again.”

“Right, because anti-monster movements have such a great track record of just blowing over ,” I muttered, but I kept my voice light. No need to push Caden when he was already dealing with so much.

Atlas shot me a warning look over Caden’s head. “Wild’s right that we can’t ignore it, but we also need to be strategic. My father says these groups are still small, but they’re vocal. And they’re finding sympathetic ears in high places.”

“Like the Thorne family, apparently,” I said, connecting the dots. “And now we’re supposed to work with their golden boy on wild magic. That’s... convenient.”

Caden frowned. “You think Elias was sent to spy on us?”

“I think it’s weird that Blackwood would put us together,” I replied, standing up and pacing the small room.

“A half-dryad witch whose father’s death is fueling anti-monster sentiment, a fae from the Seelie Court known for breaking every rule in the book, and the perfect pureblood witch from a family that might be backing hate groups? That’s not a coincidence.”

“Maybe Professor Blackwood has her own agenda,” Atlas suggested. “She’s been different since what happened with Rowan Hargrove last year. Less rigid.”

I stopped pacing, a thought occurring to me. “Or maybe she’s trying to force a confrontation. Get everything out in the open.”

“I don’t think that’s what’s going on,” Caden said softly. He looked up at me, his eyes pleading. “Can we talk about something else?” he asked. “I… I just want to be a normal student again.”

I let out a long sigh and allowed the smirk to curl back onto my face. “Fine,” I said, stepping over and flopping down on the bed next to him. “So… how big is this werewolf’s cock?”