Chapter Four

Stella's POV

I sat frozen in my chair, fingers twisting together, barely daring to breathe.

Everyone was waiting for Kyle's answer.

He was silent for a long time before he finally spoke.

"Don't read too much into it. Our families are close, and my parents asked me to look after her. It's not like I can just say no."

"So it was only duty."

So all those memories I'd been treasuring — to him, they were nothing but a favor his parents had asked of him.

I couldn't sit there anymore. I made an excuse about needing the bathroom and hurried out of the booth.

Cold water hit my face, and only then did I manage to push the sting out of my eyes.

Once I'd steadied myself, I pushed the door open to leave — and caught voices from the hallway nearby.

"Kyle, Victoria was into you before. But you keep trailing around after that weak-eyed Omega, and now she's barely giving you the time of day."

"You should watch where you draw the line. Yeah, she needs looking after, but you're not her personal bodyguard."

I stopped, my fingers slowly tightening.

Whatever Kyle said after that, I couldn't hear it anymore.

All I understood was that, in their eyes, I wasn't just a burden who needed taking care of. I was an obstacle standing between Kyle and Victoria.

I didn't listen any longer. I turned and headed back to the booth.

Kyle must have noticed I was gone, because he found me at the door.

"I'm heading home."

He'd been looking at his communicator, but at my words, his face darkened.

"Now?"

I nodded.

"Stella, can you not be such a downer all the time?"

I froze.

"If you leave now, I have to walk you back and then come all the way back here to them. You know how much of a hassle that is?"

He looked at me, his voice growing more and more impatient.

"I've taken care of you long enough. Can you think about me for once and let me have it easy?"

The last line hit me, and I went completely rigid.

So even a simple wish to go home was a hassle to him.

And that "can't she just stay away from me" from graduation day — it wasn't a moment of irritation.

It was his real feelings.

I swallowed my tears and nodded faintly.

"Okay, I understand. You don't have to walk me anymore."

Kyle seemed caught off guard. His brows twitched.

I didn't wait for his answer. I turned and walked toward the street.

A few days later, the trial results came out.

Both Kyle and I had done well, so our two families arranged to celebrate together over dinner.

At the table, the adults quickly got to the topic of academy applications.

Selene picked up a piece of grilled meat for me and smiled.

"Stella, didn't you two agree to go to Silvermoon Advanced Academy together? If you could stay together, Kyle could keep looking after you."

She turned to ask Kyle's opinion.

"It'd be so reassuring for us if you two were at the same academy. Kyle could keep an eye on you, and your mom and I would both feel at ease."

He gripped his utensils, hesitating.

After a long moment, he answered vaguely: "I haven't decided yet."

Selene was about to say something when my mom smoothly took over.

"Kids grow up. They have to choose their own futures. No harm in taking some time to think it over."

On the way home, my mom asked me, "Did you and Kyle have a fight?"

I was silent for a moment. I didn't deny it.

"He can't look after me forever."

A little while later, she reached over and stroked my head.

"Stella, Mom will always love you."

I nodded.

That night, I reopened the academy application page. I deleted Silvermoon Advanced Academy from my choices and selected a university far from the werewolf territories instead — Westbridge University.

Westbridge wasn't one of those elite academies within werewolf lands, where everything was ranked by bloodline and strength. It had far more human students, and no one there would look at my poor eyesight and decide I was doomed to be beneath them.

It was the first time I'd truly looked forward to leaving the place I knew.

After I'd submitted my application, I went on a trip with my mom and didn't come home until the holidays were nearly over.

I never told Kyle which school I'd ended up choosing.

He didn't reach out to me either.

And it wasn't until after I'd left that Kyle finally realized something was wrong.

He came to my house and stood at the door the way he always did, calling inside:

"Selene said Stella's already gone?" He stood at the threshold, brows knitted tight. "Where did she go?"

My mom opened the door and visibly faltered when she saw him.

"Westbridge University. Didn't she tell you?"

Kyle stood there, stunned.