Chapter 167 Together for life?
Chapter 167 Together for life?
Zara’s POV
The ceremony ended in a blur. Families surged forward, cameras flashing, voices rising in celebration. I had barely stepped off the stage before Alex barreled into me, wrapping her arms so tightly around my waist that the breath left my lungs.
“You did it!” she cried, her braid smacking me in the cheek as she squeezed. “Mira Blackwood, the cursed hybrid who defied fate. That’s going on your résumé now.”
I laughed, muffled against her shoulder. “Not exactly résumé material.”
“Shut up, it is. You’re basically legendary.”
“Legendary pain in the ass, maybe,” Zarek muttered, sliding into our circle. His smirk softened into something else when his gaze flicked to me. “But hey—at least you didn’t trip crossing the stage. I almost placed a bet you would.”
“Wow, thanks for the faith,” I shot back, rolling my eyes.
Jace appeared then, slower, steadier, his smile quiet but warm. He held my gaze as he spoke. “You walked like you were meant to be there, Zara. That’s all that matters.”
Heat prickled up my neck, and I looked away before Alex could smirk at me.
.
Photos followed—so many photos.
Alex dragged us together in every possible combination: me with her, me with Zarek, all three of us, then all four when Jace was pulled in. Zarek complained loudly the whole time—“Do I look like a damn model to you? My jaw’s already tired from holding this smirk”—but he never stepped out of frame.
One picture caught Jace brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. Another had Alex throwing her arms wide like she was announcing the apocalypse, while Zarek leaned back looking bored, though his eyes glinted with mischief. And then there was the group shot: caps in our hands, robes half open, sunlight streaming over us as we laughed at something dumb Alex shouted right before the shutter clicked.
Looking at them, I knew—this was history. Ours.
.
Later, we spilled into the banquet hall the Academy had transformed for the graduates. Chandeliers dripped with crystal, tables lined with white cloth and centerpieces of glowing candles. The smell of roasted meat and fresh bread filled the air, and for once the food wasn’t rushed or rationed—it was celebratory.
We sat together, of course. Alex piled her plate high with roasted chicken and honeyed carrots, while Zarek ignored half the menu in favor of stacked steaks. Jace quietly cut into his fish, and I nibbled at soft rolls that melted on my tongue.
“This feels illegal,” Alex whispered, staring at the dessert table loaded with pastries, pies, and a chocolate fountain. “Like… we survived hell, and now we get cheesecake?”
Zarek grunted. “Don’t question free food.” He tore into his steak.
Jace chuckled softly, then looked at me. “What are you thinking?”
I chewed slowly, eyes drifting across the room where parents hugged their children, laughter bouncing like echoes of a future I wasn’t sure we’d get. “I’m thinking… this doesn’t feel like the end. Just a chapter.”
Zarek raised his glass—nonalcoholic sparkling cider, but he swirled it like wine. “To chapters, then. And to the cursed hybrid who managed to not burn this one down.”
Alex clinked her glass against mine, grinning. “To us. To surviving. And to whatever comes next.”
Jace’s glass touched mine last, his voice quiet, steady. “To finding out who we really are.”
We drank.
.
After the meal, we slipped out to the courtyard, the night air cool against our faces. The sky stretched wide, dotted with stars, the remnants of silver banners fluttering in the breeze.
We sat beneath the old oak tree, robes pooled around us, laughter tapering into silence.
Alex leaned back on her elbows. “You know, if Atlas hadn’t… turned, he’d have been here with us. Same with Talia.” Her voice softened, but she didn’t look away from the stars.
Zarek sighed. “Yeah. But they made their choices. We made ours.”
The silence pressed heavy, but not suffocating. It was the kind of silence that made words heavier when you broke it.
I spoke first. “Then let’s promise something. That no matter what happens next, no matter who tries to write our fate, we’ll keep choosing for ourselves. Not the prophecy. Not the whispers. Us.”
Alex nodded fiercely. “Deal.”
Zarek smirked. “Fine. But only if I get to say ‘I told you so’ when you break it.”
“Not happening,” I shot back.
Jace didn’t speak right away. He looked at each of us, his gaze lingering on me last. Then he said, simply, “I’ll hold us to it.”