Evaline:


    If I thought the academy had already been overwhelming, I was very... very... wrong.


    Because before I could even catch my breath, before I could properly settle into the rhythm of sses and work and everything in between, Exams arrived.


    Not slowly nor gently, but like a storm that swallowed everything in its path.


    "Tell me again why we chose this academy?" Noah groaned, his head falling dramatically onto the table in the library.


    "Because we are idiots," Ria replied tly without even looking up from her notes.


    "I object," Mallory muttered, flipping a page with far more force than necessary. "Some of us were forced into this by poor life decisions."


    Rowan snorted as he corrected her. "You mean your poor life decisions."


    Selene leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Speak for yourselves. I was promised power and prestige. Not… this." She gestured vaguely at the mountain of books in front of her.


    Their back and forth made Kyros, who had been unusually quiet, let out a sigh. "Can all of youin a little softer? Some of us are actually trying to pass."


    I couldn''t help it andughed.


    Among all the chaos and stress of exams every semester, what actually kept these few weeks fun were my friends and their never-endingints about the exams.


    Only now as I relieved these moments again after so many months did I realize how much I missed it.


    "I swear," Mallory pointed her pen at me usingly, "you are enjoying this way too much."


    "I''m not," I said, still smiling.


    "Liar."


    "Okay, maybe a little."


    Noah groaned louder. "Traitor." But even he was smiling.


    And for a moment, just a moment, everything felt simple. But of course, that simplicity didn''tst long.


    Because exams meant long nights, sleepless mornings, and an endless cycle of studying, testing, and barely surviving.


    My days blurred together - ssroom to training ground, training ground to library, library to my dorm. And then back again.


    Somewhere in between, I still managed to check with Elder Ren about the patients'' health progress, and catch up with my mates and son on group video calls because going home during exam weeks wasn''t an option.


    And just that, thest week of January and the first week of February passed in a blur.


    Two weeks were all it took, and before we even realized it, exams were actually over.


    I walked out of thest exam hall with a long, exhausted exhale, my shoulders finally rxing for the first time in what felt like forever.


    "It''s done," I whispered.


    "It''s DONE!" Noah shouted behind me, throwing his arms in the air like he had just won a war.


    "You are embarrassing," Mallory said, though she looked just as relieved.


    Kyros stretched his arms over his head. "I''m sleeping for two days straight."


    "You won''t," Ria said. "You''ll wake up in six hours out of habit."


    Selene smirked. "And then panic because there''s nothing to study."


    Rowan shook his head, but there was a small smile on his face. He draped his arm over my shoulders as we all made our way straight to the dining hall to fill our protesting stomachs.


    The rest of the February was for us to return to our homes and enjoy our lives after the pressing exams week before new term started from March 1st.


    Which meant the students and staff would be gone from the academy for two weeks straight, and that''s the only time we would get to finally take care of the Great Evil.


    And fortunately, the witches seemed to have found a lead on their end.


    - - -


    The evening before the morning we all were heading to our homes, I was summoned by Professor Aldric to assist him with some work.


    I was on my way back to the dorm afterpleting my task when a hand suddenly grabbed me, and before I even processed what was going on, I was pulled into an empty ssroom.


    The bond had long let me sense his presence, so instead of being shocked, I was chuckling as he locked the door behind us and pressed me against the cold wall.


    "Kieran-"


    The rest of my words turned into a sharp gasp as he pressed his hard body against mine, letting me feel every solid and warm inch of him even though there were severalyers of fabric between us.


    "Kieran," I breathed again, but this time it came out softer.


    His hands were already on me, one at my waist to pull me closer and the other sliding up to cup my jaw to tilt my face toward his.


    "I have been waiting all day," he murmured. His voice sounded rough, and his golden-green eyes were dark with something that made my pulse spike.


    "For what?" I whispered, even though I already knew.


    His answer came in the form of his lips crashing into mine. It wasn''t gentle or slow, it was hungry and desperate, like he had been holding back for too long.


    A soft gasp escaped me as I gripped his shirt, pulling him closer as I kissed him back just as fiercely.


    The world outside - the academy, the exams, the responsibilities - everything faded.


    There was only him. The way his lips moved against mine, the way his hand tightened at my waist, and the way his breath mixed with mine, hot and uneven.


    "Kieran…" I whispered against his lips, my fingers tangling in his hair.


    He groaned softly, pressing me further into the wall as his lips trailed from my mouth to my jaw, then lower to my neck.


    My breath hitched as my body reacted before my mind could catch up.


    "You have no idea," he murmured against my skin, his voice low, almost dangerous, "how hard it was to not drag you away sooner."


    A shiver ran through me.


    "Then why didn''t you?" I managed though my voice was barely steady.


    He pulled back just enough to look at me, and I noticed just how intense his gaze was.


    "Because," he said quietly, "you needed to finish your exams without getting distracted."


    My lips curved slightly despite everything and I asked, "And now?"


    His grip tightened as he replied, "Now you are mine to distract."


    And his lips found mine again.