Chapter 137 Cliques Collide
POV: Luna
Combat training the next morning felt wrong from the start.
Cole was distant. Professional. None of the warmth I'd come to expect.
"Pair up for sparring drills," he announced to the class.
I waited for him to partner with me like he usually did during demonstrations.
Instead, he paired me with a senior I didn't know well. Marcus something.
"Luna, you're with Marcus. Work on defensive techniques."
"Okay," I said, confused by the brush-off.
Marcus was good. Really good. He came at me hard, not pulling punches like most students did when they sparred with me.
I blocked his first strike. Then his second.
On the third, something felt off.
His movements were too precise. Too practiced. Like he'd studied my fighting style specifically.
I countered and went on the offensive.
That's when I noticed it.
Other students were watching. Not casually. Intentionally.
And they were all wearing the same subtle bracelet. Victoria's clan symbol.
My wolf instincts screamed warning.
Marcus swept my legs. I went down hard, the breath knocked from my lungs.
"Good," Cole said from across the room. "Again."
I got up, more cautious now.
Marcus attacked immediately. His strikes were calculated to exploit weaknesses in my form.
Weaknesses only Cole knew about.
Because I'd shown them to him during our private lessons. Trusted him to help me fix them.
And now he'd apparently shared them with Victoria's people.
Anger surged through me.
I shifted partially, claws extending, and fought back with everything I had.
Marcus wasn't ready for Eclipse-enhanced speed.
I pinned him in seconds.
"Yield," he gasped.
I let him go and turned to Cole.
His expression was unreadable.
"Excessive force, Luna. This is a training exercise, not a battle."
"He was using techniques specifically designed to counter mine. Techniques only you would know."
"Don't be paranoid. Marcus is just skilled."
"Right. Skilled."
Through our bond, I felt his emotions. Guilt. Determination. Conflict.
But no love. No affection.
Just cold calculation.
How long had he been playing me?
After class, I cornered him in his office.
"What's going on?" I demanded.
"Nothing's going on."
"Don't lie to me. You paired me with someone from Victoria's clan. Someone you trained to fight me specifically."
"You're being dramatic."
"Am I? Because my wolf instincts are screaming that something's wrong. That you're hiding something."
Cole's expression hardened. "Maybe your instincts are off. You've been under a lot of stress."
"My instincts are fine. It's you I'm worried about."
"Luna—"
"Show me your hand."
"What?"
"The mark. The one I saw during training. Show me."
"It's nothing."
"Then show me!"
He hesitated, then held out his hand.
The mark was still there. Faint but visible. The same symbol Victoria's clan wore on their bracelets.
"Explain that," I said quietly.
"It's a training mark. From my time in the Academy as a student."
"Don't lie to me!"
"I'm not—"
"I've been here two years. I know what training marks look like. That's not one of them."
Cole's jaw tightened. "This conversation is over."
"No, it's not. Cole, please. Just tell me the truth. Whatever's going on, we can figure it out together."
For a moment, his expression softened. Like he wanted to tell me. Wanted to confess.
Then it hardened again.
"There's nothing to figure out. You're paranoid and stressed. Get some rest, Luna. You need it."
He left before I could argue.
I stood in his office, shaking with anger and hurt.
Through our bond, I felt him moving away. Felt his determination to keep his secrets.
And I knew. Whatever he was hiding, it was bigger than I'd thought.
I found my friends in the common room.
"We have a problem," I said.
They listened as I explained what had happened in training. The suspicious pairing. Marcus's knowledge of my weaknesses. Cole's defensive reaction.
"He's definitely hiding something," Aria said.
"The question is what," Sienna added.
"And why," Nova finished.
"We need to investigate," I said. "Carefully. Without tipping him off."
"I can help with that," Liam said, appearing in the doorway. "Sorry, I was walking by and heard voices. Wasn't eavesdropping on purpose."
"Sure you weren't," Lyric said, but she was smiling.
"What did you have in mind?" I asked.
"I've been watching Victoria's clan. Tracking their movements. Trying to figure out their endgame."
"And?"
"They're planning something big. Something involving Cole and the princess."
My blood ran cold. "Involving how?"
"I don't know yet. But they've been meeting in secret. Always after dark. Always in restricted areas."
"Can you get us access to one of those meetings?" Aria asked.
"Maybe. But it's risky."
"Everything's risky right now," I said. "Do it."
That afternoon, we had Magical Theory with Professor Cael.
She'd arranged us into groups for a practical exercise. Demonstrating defensive spells against simulated attacks.
My group included Nova, a quiet girl named Melissa, and two members of Victoria's clan.
Great.
Professor Cael explained the exercise. One person would maintain a defensive shield while others tried to break through with magical attacks.
"Luna, you'll go first," Professor Cael said. "Maintain your shield for five minutes while your group attacks."
I raised my shield, a barrier of Eclipse power that shimmered silver.
The attacks started simple. Basic magical pulses that bounced off easily.
Then Victoria's clan members ramped it up.
Their magic hit harder. Sharper. Designed not just to test the shield but to break it violently.
I reinforced the barrier, drawing on more Eclipse power.
That's when I felt it.
Someone was adding external magic to the attacks. Amplifying them beyond what students should be capable of.
My shield cracked.
"Hold it, Luna," Professor Cael called.
I pushed more power into the barrier, but the attacks intensified.
The shield shattered.
Magical backlash hit me, throwing me backward into a desk.
Pain exploded through my shoulder.
"Stop!" Professor Cael rushed over. "Luna, are you okay?"
"Fine," I gasped. "Just surprised."
"Your shield collapsed prematurely. That shouldn't have happened."
"Someone enhanced the attacks," I said. "I felt external magic."
Professor Cael's expression became serious. "Who?"
I looked at Victoria's clan members. They were smirking. Satisfied.
"I don't know. But it happened."
Professor Cael dismissed the class early, keeping the clan members behind to question them.
Nova helped me to the infirmary.
"That was deliberate," she said.
"I know."
"They're trying to hurt you. Make you look weak."
"Or worse. Make it look like I can't control my power."
The nurse examined my shoulder. Bruised but not broken.
"You're lucky," she said. "Magical backlash can cause serious damage."
"I'm fine. Just need some rest."
But I wasn't fine.
I was angry. Frustrated. Scared.
Someone was orchestrating attacks against me. Using Victoria's clan. Maybe using Cole.
And I had no idea how deep the conspiracy went.
That evening, I was in my dorm studying when Cole knocked on the door.
Nova let him in, then pointedly left to give us privacy.
"I heard what happened in Magical Theory," Cole said.
"Did you?"
"Luna, I'm worried about you. These incidents—"
"These incidents are being orchestrated. By people you're apparently working with."
"I'm not working with anyone against you."
"Then explain the mark. Explain Marcus knowing my weaknesses. Explain why Victoria's clan keeps targeting me and you keep making excuses."
"I can't."
"Can't or won't?"
"Both." He ran a hand through his hair. "Luna, there are things going on that I can't explain. Not yet. But I need you to trust me."
"How can I trust you when you won't be honest with me?"
"Because I love you."
The words should have melted my anger. Should have made everything okay.
But they didn't.
Because through our bond, I felt the truth.
He did love me. But he was also lying to me.
And love without honesty was just manipulation.
"Get out," I said quietly.
"Luna—"
"Get. Out."
He left, and I collapsed on my bed, tears streaming down my face.
Nova came back in immediately and held me while I cried.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I thought he was different. Thought he was someone I could trust."
"Maybe he is. Maybe he's just caught up in something complicated."
"Or maybe I'm an idiot who fell for a liar."
"You're not an idiot. You're human. Well, wolf. But you know what I mean."
I laughed through my tears.
Later that night, I couldn't sleep.
I kept thinking about Cole. About the mark. About everything that didn't make sense.
Finally, I got up and went to the common room.
Maybe some hot tea would help.
I was making tea when I noticed something.
A small box on the shelf. It hadn't been there before.
My wolf instincts stirred. Curious. Cautious.
I picked it up.
The moment I touched it, my mark flared with heat.
The Guardian Bond pulsed. Warning.
I opened the box.
Inside was a crystal. Beautiful. Intricate. Glowing with dark magic.
And carved into its surface was Cole's name.
Along with mine. And Selene's.
This was a tracking crystal. Used to monitor people's locations and magical signatures.
Someone was tracking us. Through Cole.
My hands shook as I closed the box.
This was it. The proof I needed.
Cole wasn't just hiding something. He was actively working against us.
Against me.
The crystal pulsed violently in my hands, as if sensing my realization.
And somewhere in the castle, I felt Cole's presence through our bond.
He was coming. Fast.
He knew I'd found it.
I had seconds to decide what to do.
Hide it? Confront him? Run?
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Too late.
Cole burst into the common room, his expression frantic.
"Luna, put that down. It's not what you think."
"Really? Because it looks like you've been spying on me and the princess."
"I can explain—"
"No. I'm done with your explanations. Done with your lies."
I clutched the crystal tighter. It pulsed again, this time sending a shock through my system.
I gasped and dropped it.
Cole lunged forward and caught it before it hit the ground.
"You shouldn't have touched that," he said. "Now they know you found it."
"Who knows? Victoria? The clan?"
"It's bigger than them, Luna. Bigger than you know."
"Then tell me!"
He looked at me, conflict written all over his face.
For a moment, I thought he might actually do it. Might actually tell me the truth.
Then his expression shuttered.
"I can't. Not yet. But I will. Soon. I promise."
"Your promises mean nothing to me anymore."
I turned and left, my heart breaking with every step.
Behind me, I heard the crystal pulse one final time.
And I knew. Whatever Cole was involved in, it was about to explode.
And when it did, nothing would ever be the same.