Chapter 1 Leaving Home

Arabella’s POV

6:00 a.m. and I was already awake. Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. I’d been awake most of the night.

Every hour, I’d opened my eyes and checked the clock sitting on the nightstand beside my bed. At some point, I’d given up pretending sleep was going to happen and simply stared at the ceiling, waiting for morning to arrive.

Today was the day. The day my brothers and I left for Kingsveil Academy. A nervous laugh escaped me as I pushed the blankets aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.

For as long as I could remember, Kingsveil had been the goal. Every powerful heir attended the academy before stepping into adulthood. Future rulers, future leaders, heirs from every major supernatural bloodline all ended up there eventually.

I’d spent years imagining what it would be like. Now that the day had finally arrived, my stomach was all tangled in knots.

Excitement battled nerves. Anticipation wrestled with uncertainty. And somewhere beneath all of that was a small amount of fear I refused to acknowledge.

By the time I finished getting ready, I’d managed to convince myself I wasn’t completely losing my mind. The illusion lasted until I put on my uniform.

I stopped in front of the mirror and stared. Okay. I loved it. The dark navy skirt fit perfectly while the fitted blazer looked far more impressive than anything hanging in my closet. Silver embroidery decorated the cuffs and collar while the academy crest sat proudly over my heart.

I smoothed my hands down the fabric before turning once. Then again. A third turn followed immediately after. The uniform was cute. There was no point pretending otherwise. A grin spread across my face as I adjusted the blazer one final time.

Kingsveil suddenly felt real. The reality hit me all of a sudden. I’m going there. Today.

My fingers brushed the embroidered crest before I finally forced myself toward the door. The moment I stepped into the family sitting room, I regretted everything. Complete chaos greeted me.

Kieran, Dominic, and Xavier stood in the center of the room arguing loudly enough to wake the dead. Atlas and Cassian sat nearby drinking coffee while watching the disaster unfold. Neither looked remotely interested in stopping it.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorway. “What died?”

Three heads snapped toward me. Dominic immediately pointed at Kieran. “Him.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Kieran protested.

“You touched my stuff.”

“It was a charger.”

“It wasn’t your charger.”

“It looked like my charger.”

I stared at them for several seconds. The fact that they were arguing over a charger an hour before leaving for Kingsveil somehow didn’t surprise me.

Slowly, I turned toward Dominic and pushed out my bottom lip. “Aww. What’s wrong, Dom? Did Kieran kill your new dead puppy?”

Dominic looked genuinely offended. Kieran burst out laughing. Xavier nearly choked on his drink. Across the room, Atlas lowered his coffee mug while Cassian suddenly found the wall fascinating. Neither were fooling anyone though.

“You are all impossible,” Dominic muttered.

“You’re just sensitive,” I shot back.

“I am not.”

“You absolutely are.”

Before the argument could restart, another voice joined the conversation. “Now, now, Arabella. Don’t tease your brother.”

I turned immediately. My mother walked into the room carrying a mug of coffee. Elara looked beautiful as always. She was strong and always confident. The kind of woman who could command an entire kingdom without raising her voice. The kind of woman who somehow managed to keep this family functioning despite being surrounded by complete insanity.

I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around her. “Tell me again why we have to go.”

She rolled her eyes immediately. I look up at her and I rolled mine right back. Both my fathers laughed at us.

“You know exactly why,” she sighed. “Kingsveil prepares powerful heirs for their Awakening. It teaches control. It helps you understand your abilities before they fully emerge.”

“I know. I know. You can stop now.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Then stop asking.”

“I was hoping the answer changed.”

That finally earned a laugh from everyone.

I groaned dramatically. “Three months.”

“Three months,” Atlas agreed.

I glanced toward him. His expression softened slightly. The smile on his face never quite reached his eyes. Something shifted inside my chest. For the first time, it occurred to me that this wasn’t easy for them either. They were sending us away. Not forever. But things would never be the same afterward.

We weren’t children anymore. We were heirs. Future rulers. The next generation.

A strange ache settled inside my chest. Suddenly Kingsveil didn’t seem quite as exciting.

A sharp pain exploded along the back of my neck. My breath caught. The sensation disappeared almost immediately. Gone so quickly I almost convinced myself I’d imagined it.

My hand lifted toward the spot. Nothing. There was no soreness. No tenderness. Nothing unusual.

I frowned before pushing the thought aside. Today was too important to spend worrying about random aches.

Before I knew it, everyone was standing outside. The cool morning air brushed against my skin while staff members loaded luggage into the waiting vehicles.

Reality settled heavily across my shoulders. This was it. We were leaving.

Atlas stepped forward first and pulled me into a hug. “Be good princess.”

A laugh escaped me. “Dad. You say that like I’m one of them.” I pointed toward my brothers.

Cassian stepped forward next. His hug was just as tight. “Any men gives you trouble, call us.”

I smiled. “Pretty sure that’s not academy policy.”

Then my mother stepped forward. The second she wrapped her arms around me, my throat tightened. Neither of us spoke. When she finally pulled away, her eyes looked suspiciously bright.

Mine probably did too.

The boys finished saying their goodbyes with the usual teasing, threats, and laughter because apparently showing emotions was illegal in this family.

Eventually, everyone climbed into the SUV. As the vehicle pulled away, I turned in my seat and looked through the back window. The palace slowly grew smaller behind us. A strange ache settled inside my chest. For seventeen years, those halls had been my entire world. Every birthday, every family dinner, every lesson, every argument with my brothers and every memory with my parents lived within those walls.

Excitement still buzzed beneath my skin, but sadness had found a place beside it.

The future waited ahead. The life I’d always known remained behind. For the first time, I truly understood that childhood was over.

Pain slammed into the back of my neck all of a sudden. I gasped. This time it wasn’t a quick sting. Fire shot beneath my skin. My hand flew upward as the sensation burned through me before fading just as suddenly as it had arrived. But it had been stronger.

Nobody seemed to notice. My brothers were still arguing about something completely ridiculous. Music. Food. I honestly had no idea anymore.

I swallowed hard. Three months. I had three months until my eighteenth birthday. Three months until the curse was supposed to fully awaken.

Three months. So why did it feel like it had already begun?