Parents

Parents
Vinorca Jona POV

I pushed myself to stand, my head lowered, heat crawling up my neck. Amanda had already apologized. It should’ve been me setting things right, not hiding behind her.

“No, Miss Jona. I’d rather hear your reason for disturbing my class on the first day.” Masen’s voice stayed calm, but the anger beneath it was impossible to miss.

I hadn’t expected this—not from the man who’d been so sweet yesterday. Just a few hours ago, he’d spoken like everything was dipped in sugar, and now he looked ready to erupt.

“What is your age, Miss Jona?”

“Eighteen, sir.” Why was he asking? I clearly remembered telling him about my birthday.

“And what is the legal age to begin manifesting? To have a wolf? To be considered legal in the pack—even if guardians are required until eighteen?”

“Fourteen, sir.” Confusion twisted in my stomach. Everyone knew that. Fourteen—the age when wolves surfaced, the age we were treated as adults even with supervision. We werewolves got our wolves sometime between fourteen and twenty. It wasn’t complicated.

Mostly, it happens at eighteen.

The drinking age was seventeen. Was he going to bring up what happened at the club yesterday? I was already legally an adult when I went there.

“Then how are you behaving like a toddler when you’re eighteen?”

His words hit hard, scraping down my throat as I swallowed.

“We already apologised, sir. Why are you dragging it?” I glanced beside me—Amanda had blurted it out before I could stop her.

She was always like this, never letting anyone talk down to me, not even a teacher. I could never be like her.

How could I? I was an orphan. She came from a rich family. I had to scrape my way through everything just to study and keep my life stable.

“Get your parents here, Miss Amanda. You too, Miss Jona. Seems like you both need a serious lesson.” Masen glared before turning back to the board.

Amanda tugged me down to sit. I stayed frozen, my thoughts tumbling after the words he’d thrown at us. Calling our parents. I’d rather die.

I couldn’t call mine back from heaven, and my guardian was Dante Scout. There was no way in hell I’d ask him to show up here.

One thing after another—whatever was happening in this class kept slipping over my head, including whatever Amanda was saying.

I didn’t even know if I wanted to face Dante after not going home yesterday, not when the head maid told me he’d waited with a cake.

Forget everything. I’d rather die than face him now. As if facing him was ever easy before yesterday… and after yesterday, it felt downright dangerous, especially in this situation.

What if Masen told him what happened at the club?

My head throbbed from the spiral of thoughts, pressure building until it felt like it might split open.

“Class is over, Vin.” Someone shook my head lightly. I snapped out of my thoughts to find Amanda watching me, worry written all over her face.

I forced myself to breathe. “I need to talk to him, Amanda. There’s no way I can call my stepbrother here.” My whole body felt on the verge of collapsing, the edges of hyperventilation closing in.

“Calm down, girl.” Amanda’s hand settled on my shoulder, steady and warm.

“I’m telling you, Amanda, it can’t happen.” I pushed up from the chair as fast as my legs allowed. “I really need to talk to him. Or apologise. Or… something.”

Amanda stood with me, her grip firm as if I might bolt. “Vin, breathe. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Maybe I didn’t. But the thought of Masen calling Dante… my stomach twisted. The classroom emptied around us, chairs scraping, footsteps echoing out the door, but everything sounded distant.

If he comes here, I’m dead.

Not literally. But my life would definitely end.

“I can’t let this reach him,” I murmured, rubbing my palms against the sides of my clothes, trying to quiet the tremor running through them.

“So go talk to Masen before he reports anything. He’s for sure still in the staff room. Go.”

My legs felt hollow, but the alternative was worse. I grabbed my bag and forced myself toward the hallway. Amanda kept pace beside me, as if she knew I’d crumble the moment she let go.

Students brushed past us, chatting, laughing, moving on with their day. Meanwhile, my pulse hammered so hard I could hear it.

“What are you going to say?” Amanda whispered.

“I don’t know.” I pushed a breath through tight lungs. “But if he mentions yesterday—if he talks about the club—I’m doomed.”

I was grateful she didn’t press. She always gave me space, always assumed I was just afraid of my stepbrother because he was family.

The staff room door came into view. My steps faltered, fear shooting straight through my chest.

You have to do this, Vinorca.

I swallowed hard and reached for the handle. “I’ll talk to him and handle this. You can go home, Amanda.”

“It’s fine. I can wait for you.” Her voice softened, steadying me, and I was grateful for it—even though she shouldn’t be dragged into my mess.

“He already called your parents too. I’m sorry, Amanda.”

Amanda shook her head. “No worries. My parents will be fine. They know their daughter.”

“Please go.” She searched my face, questions rising in her eyes, but she didn’t push.

“Okay, I’m going.” She sighed. “You better tell me everything tomorrow.”

She squeezed my arm once before stepping back, her footsteps fading down the hallway.

Suddenly, the corridor felt too quiet. Too still. My heartbeat thudded in my ears as I turned toward the door again. The metal handle was cool under my fingers, grounding me for a split second before the fear surged back.

You have to do this, Vin. You can’t let this reach Dante.

Another breath. Another swallow. My heart refused to slow.

I pushed the door open.

The staff room was quieter than I expected. Papers rustled somewhere inside, and the faint smell of coffee lingered in the air. Masen stood near his desk, checking something on his tablet, his brows pulled tight in concentration.

He looked calmer now, but that didn’t help the panic needling through my ribs.

I stepped inside, my fingers curling around the strap of my bag. “Sir… can I talk to you?”

“You didn’t knock?”

….

{To all my sweetlings, thank you for reading with all your heart! Catch all the latest on IG: KaiKitto / author_KaiKitto}