Chapter 114: Can't touch your mate

Astrid POV

Dove’s voice was the first thing that dragged me from sleep.

“Ohhh, look at you,” she sang, her teasing tone already too much for my foggy brain. “Astrid Monroe, the girl who didn’t wake up in the alpha brothers’ bed this morning. Should I be impressed, or deeply concerned?”

I groaned, rolling over to stuff my face into my pillow. “Do you always talk this much before coffee?”

“Yes,” she shot back without hesitation, throwing a pillow at me. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you sneaking back here last night. I was this close to putting up a missing-persons notice in the hallway.”

I lifted my head, glaring half-heartedly. “You’re insufferable.”

Dove smirked triumphantly, already halfway dressed in her uniform. “And yet, you love me. Now get up, lover girl—we’ve got class.”

Her laughter trailed through the dorm as I forced myself upright, stretching the sleep from my bones. Had our baths, We dressed side by side, tossing playful jabs and complaints about morning breath and tangled hair. But when I buttoned my shirt and reached for my satchel, something made me pause.

My gaze fell to my palm.

The mark.

It hadn’t faded like I thought it would after last night. If anything, it had deepened, ink-dark against my skin, pulsing faintly as if alive. A shiver ran through me, but I quickly curled my fingers into a fist and turned away before Dove could see. Whatever it was, I didn’t want her worrying. Not yet.

“Ready?” she chirped, adjusting her tie in the mirror.

“Yeah,” I lied, forcing a smile as we left the dorm.

The morning air was crisp, buzzing faintly with the usual chaos of students rushing to class. My stomach knotted tighter with every step, though, like something unseen was watching me.

And then I saw them.

Killian and Jason waiting at the edge of the courtyard. Their presence always struck me—like gravity pulling me in—but today, when Killian brushed his hand over mine in passing, fire shot through me.

The mark on my palm burned.

I gasped and flinched back, nearly stumbling.

Dove froze mid-step, her brows knitting in concern. Killian’s eyes sharpened immediately, jaw tightening as he studied me.

Jason’s gaze flicked to my clenched fist, then to my face. “Astrid…?”

Before I could answer, Archie strolled past with his usual carefree swagger, but even he halted when he saw me flinch again, cradling my palm.

“What the hell was that?” Dove demanded, stepping closer.

Heart hammering, I forced my fist open. The mark looked darker than ever, veins of shadow curling outward faintly like roots under my skin. I swallowed hard, muttering the only word that fit.

“What…?”

Dove reached for me, panic flickering in her eyes. “Astrid, what happened?”

I hesitated, then looked at the brothers. “Touch me again.”

Jason frowned. “Astrid—”

“Just do it.”

Killian was the one who stepped forward, his expression unreadable as always. He reached out slowly, fingers brushing mine—

And the pain flared again, a searing brand that made me jerk back with a sharp hiss.

Jason’s jaw dropped. “No…”

Archie, of all people, looked the most unsettled. His usual smirk was gone, replaced by something grim, almost fearful. He shook his head. “No, this is not good. Not good at all.”

Killian didn’t move, didn’t speak—his gaze locked on me, hard and calculating, like he was unraveling a puzzle he didn’t want to solve.

“What is it?” I demanded, though my voice came out thinner than I intended.

Nobody answered right away. The silence pressed down on me until Dove finally broke it. She grabbed my arm, steady and fierce despite the fear in her eyes.

“We need to see the headmaster. Now.”

Her tone left no room for argument.

I curled my palm into a fist again, the mark still throbbing, and nodded. Whatever this was, it wasn’t just mine to bear anymore.

It was bigger. Darker. And somehow, I already knew—it was only the beginning.

Jason POV

We filed into Donovan’s office, the weight of Astrid’s burning palm dragging all of us down into unease. But whatever I was expecting on the other side of that heavy oak door—it wasn’t this.

The headmaster had Professor Sera pressed against his desk, her hands tangled in his collar as their lips moved together like the world outside didn’t exist.

Astrid froze. Dove froze. Even Killian blinked like his brain had short-circuited.

Archie, of course, was the first to speak. “Oooops,” he drawled, dragging out the word with his trademark mischief. “Sorry to interrupt your staff meeting, but we’ve got something urgent here, boss.”

Professor Sera jerked back, face flushed, while Donovan straightened like nothing had happened, smoothing his coat with a dignity that didn’t match the scene we’d just walked in on.

The atmosphere shifted fast.

“What’s wrong?” Donovan asked, his voice clipped as though kissing one of his professors in broad daylight wasn’t anything worth explaining.

Astrid stepped forward, her hand curled tight at her side. Her voice cracked with frustration as she tried to keep her composure. “Whenever Killian or Jason touches me, I feel it. This… burning pain that won’t stop. But when anyone else does—it’s nothing. Normal.”

Sera’s brows shot up. “That shouldn’t be possible,” she whispered, her eyes darting between the three of us like the answer was written in our bones.

Astrid’s breath hitched as if the words weighed her down further. And then—she just did it. She reached for Killian.

I tensed, knowing what was coming. His hand closed over hers, and instantly, her body stiffened. Her jaw clenched, shoulders trembling as the fire ran through her.

“See?” she choked out, pulling away like the contact itself was poison. “Great. I can’t even touch my mate.”

And then, in the same breath, she reached for Dove. Nothing. No pain, no burn. Just warmth.

She touched Archie’s arm next—again, nothing.

My chest tightened as her eyes slid back to us, stormy and tired, the silence in the room crushing.

Professor Sera exhaled sharply, shoulders sagging. “This isn’t good,” she murmured.

Astrid’s composure cracked. “Not good?!” Her voice lifted, edged with anger, pain, desperation. “I can’t live like this—like I have to avoid them every second, like their touch will break me! If the Vampire Lord wants to come for me, then let him! I’m tired of these games!”

Her words cut through me sharper than any blade. Because they weren’t just frustration—they were the truth of her heart, raw and breaking. And gods, it gutted me.

Killian’s jaw clenched, but his eyes softened. “Astrid…” His voice was low, like gravel scraping against stone, but full of the same sadness clawing through me.

I swallowed hard, stepping closer, even if I couldn’t risk touching her. “We understand,” I said, my voice barely steady. “You think this doesn’t kill us too? You think we want distance between us?”

Her eyes snapped to mine, shimmering with unshed tears. For a second, I thought she’d collapse entirely.

Donovan finally spoke, calm and commanding. “This will not last forever.” His words filled the room, heavy and certain. “The bond is sealed, which means the Vampire Lord knows. He’s playing his game—testing, tormenting. But soon, he’ll reveal himself. And when he does, you’ll be ready. You all will.”

Astrid shook her head, sinking down into the nearest chair, like her fury had burned out into exhaustion. She looked so small then, so breakable—and yet, she was still the strongest person in the room.

Killian crouched near her, his hand hovering just an inch from hers. His voice was steady, but I could hear the fracture in it. “We’ll endure this, Astrid. However long it takes. Even if I can’t hold you, I’ll stand at your side.”

And I couldn’t stop myself. I stepped in, crouching opposite him, letting her see every piece of me stripped bare. “Even if you forget everything,” I whispered, echoing the vow I’d made only yesterday, “I’ll make sure you remember us. Because we’re not just mates. We’re your family. And nothing—not even him—can take that away.”

The silence after was thick, suffocating.

But beneath it, I swore I could feel it—our bond straining against the curse, aching to knit us back together.

And gods, I prayed Donovan was right.

Because I didn’t know how long either of us could survive like this.