Chapter 49-Jealous (2)

Chapter 49: 49-Jealous (2)

Across the aisle, Kayden’s faint smile suggested otherwise. Being a whiteblood came with many advantages, but being a pureblood dominant vampire came with something far more unsettling.

Kayden could force open a temporary mental connection with a weaker vampire, and as it stood, every vampire in the academy apart from Varitreya was a weaker vampire.

And Luan had felt every inch of that power in his head. It was cold and oppressive, and it made him hate Kayden even more now.

Meanwhile, Maisa’s attention had returned to Varitreya. She couldn’t help it, the princess and Kayden were different together.

Varitreya, normally rigid and intimidating, seemed almost carefree around him. Her shoulders were relaxed. Her expression was softer, and even the way she spoke lacked the sharp authority she used with everyone else, and Maisa didn’t like how close they were.

She didn’t understand why. She had no right to feel jealous. Varitreya was her mate, yes, but the bond itself was something she still struggled to understand.

They barely knew each other. They had exchanged only a handful of words, and yet something inside Maisa twisted painfully whenever Kayden leaned closer.

Her gaze hardened at the sight of their closeness. Kayden noticed her staring openly, and the corner of his mouth lifted.

’How dare a redblood give me such a dirty look?’ Hr thought, a mischievous glint entered his eyes.

Without warning, he shifted closer to Varitreya and wrapped both arms around her arm, and then he rested his head against her shoulder.

Varitreya blinked. "Kayden?" She was busy wondering why he was coming so close to her.

"Hm?"

She offered him a polite warning, "Behave."

"I’m comfortable like this," he said, not backing down or moving back.

Varitreya looked at his spacious seat and the space left at the other side after he scooted so close to her, "You have your own seat."

"This one is better."

Varitreya sighed but didn’t push him away. Instead, she lifted one hand and gently patted his white hair.

Maisa immediately looked toward the window. Her cheeks burned, and her fingers curled against her skirt.

Why am I angry? She didn’t want to care. She didn’t want to feel possessive of her a felt that she didn’t even know Varitreya well enough to have earned the right to be possessive of who she was close to but the bond didn’t care about rights.

It cared about connection, and every time Maisa looked at Varitreya, that strange empty space inside her chest seemed to tighten. It was a reminder thar Varitreya had yet to accept the bond between them.

Zolani noticed and leaned closer to her. The bond was pulling at the strings of her heart and not in a light way. It hurt. "You okay, Maisa?"

"Perfectly fine," she responded robotically.

"You don’t look perfectly fine... in fact, you dont even look slightly fine."

Maisa refused to look at her. Looking at her would only expose the feeling in her eyes and put her in an uncomfortable position.

"I’m fine," she repeated.

Zolani followed her gaze toward Varitreya and Kayden, and then a knowing little smile almost appeared, but before she could say anything, the bus engine roared to life.

She held back her words and figured they had plenty of time later to have a heart at the heart.

The enchanted mechanisms beneath the vehicle hummed, and the protective runes along the windows illuminated faintly.

One by one, the buses began leaving the courtyard. Outside, professors moved toward the final vehicles while students waved through windows and shouted goodbyes to those remaining at the academy.

Inside the council bus, however, another battle was quietly unfolding. Addessa sat several seats away, completely silent.

Her phone rested in her hand as a message from her mother remained open on the screen. She had already read it dozens of times, but she couldn’t help but read it again.

"Turn them against her," she read the first message, another message followed. "Make the redblood, Maisa Loven, a danger to the princess!"

Then, another chain followed under that one. "Make Varitreya fear what Maisa will become. The crown must believe the girl is a threat. If the princess herself turns against her, the palace will have no choice but to act. She’ll be the weapon that leads to the elimination of all redbloods!"

Addessa’s thumb hovered over the screen. Her stomach twisted as her eyes landed on the last message on the thread.

"Make me proud, my dear girl! Prove that the pure blackblood of the Challan family runs through you!"

Addessa’s heart tightened until it physically hurt. She almost couldn’t breathe. Her eyes read the messages again and again, and each time, her soul felt heavy.

Her mother had never been fond of redbloods. That was hardly a secret, but this was different. Adelaide Challan wasn’t merely asking her daughter to dislike Maisa. She wanted Addessa to be the weapon that destroys Maisa.

To manipulate the academy, to turn public opinion against her and to make the entire nation believe that Maisa was dangerous enough to deserve death and Addessa was supposed to help, how could she not?

Her eyes slowly lifted to the last message. It was like a black tie that wrapped around her neck and forced her to swallow the order. Either she ruins Maisa and proves herself to her mother, or she’ll seem unfillial.

Across the bus, Maisa sat beside Sapphire and Zolani. She looked so ordinary, so young, and nothing about her appearance suggested she was aware of the danger around her.

She was simply watching the darkness outside the window, unaware of the conversation being planned against her.

Addessa’s chest tightened. ’She’s my mate!’ The thought felt like a betrayal of everything her mother had taught her, but denying it didn’t make it disappear.

The bond was there, and she could feel Maisa even from across the bus. She could feel every small shift in her emotions, and somehow, despite everything, the connection had become impossible to ignore.

Addessa looked back down at her phone. Her mother’s final message remained on the screen, and just then, another popped up.

"Do this for our family! For me!"

Addessa swallowed. For the first time in her life, loyalty no longer felt simple. She had always known exactly where she stoo with her blood, with her family and with her mother, but now, Maisa existed between all of those things.

Her mother wanted Maisa dead, the crown had protected her, and the bond wanted her to claim her, and she herself was trapped between hatred she had inherited and feelings she had never chosen.

She locked the phone and placed it face down on her lap. Her eyes closed as a single thought whispered through her mind.

’I’m going to lose someone no matter what I choose,’ a black tear slipped out of the corner of her eyes. She wiped it before anyone could notice.

Across the bus, Maisa shifted uneasily. She didn’t know why she was restless. She only knew that the air suddenly felt heavier.

Outside, Veris Academy disappeared behind them as the convoy travelled deeper into the moonlit countryside toward Old Scaris.

And none of the five vampires sitting inside that bus understood just how much their lives were about to change once they reached the ancient town.