When soft footsteps echoed in the hallway, I instinctively crawled back toward the wall, trying to rasp out a protective spell.

  I figured vir Serpens had decided to finish what he started—quietly, without witnesses. He was a dragon, after all. If he strangled me here, in the corridor, no one in the Capital would say a word against him.

  Back when Camilla used to tell me those terrifying stories she’d heard from her mother, I would just laugh, assuring her they were nothing more than old wives’ tales.

  But I didn’t truly feel fear until that day at the Academy—when a dragoness tore into me in front of a dozen witnesses, students and teachers alike

  No one called for help. No one tried to stop her or even asked what was going on. Except for Camilla.

  Right there, in the middle of the ballroom, an unknown dragoness was free to take her revenge on a student of the Northern Academy. And no one stood in her way.

  My spell wouldn’t form. Resigned, I raised my head—and saw a pair of polished shoes standing just a few steps away.

  “Dean Brom?” I whispered, staring up in disbelief at the frightened man who kept glancing over his shoulder.

  “Quiet, Aurora. Come, I’ll take you to your room. We’ll talk on the way,” he murmured, helping me to my feet.

  “You heard everything.” I guessed what made the dean of Domestic Magic look so pale.

  He swallowed hard and nodded.

  “You’re in deep trouble, girl. You and your whole family,” the elderly man muttered once we stepped outside.

  “I think I already figured that out,” I croaked. “So… what now?” I looked up at him, hoping for answers.

  The wise dean had worked at the Academy all his life—surely, he’d seen worse.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I wish I could comfort you,” Dean Brom said softly.

  “But the dragons have grown far too bold. And you’ve crossed paths with one of the worst of them. Learn this, girl—if Ventus falls from favour or disappears, then maybe there’ll be a chance. If not… stay in the North. He won’t let you or your brother live in peace. Either he’ll destroy your entire family, or he’ll get rid of you quietly. The young heir has shown you far too much attention.

  “Serpens’s wife has just given him a younger son, and now the Fifth Advisor will never allow you to become Amatrix Terragon. Not when there’s a chance his daughter might bear the heir herself. As long as there’s any possibility you might be marked, don’t set foot in the Capital. Or you’ll vanish—like so many of our girls who were foolish enough to get involved with dragons.”

  When we reached the dormitory doors, the old man gave me a sympathetic look and, wishing me luck, turned toward the staff cottages.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Our floor was unusually crowded. I had the strange feeling the girls had been waiting for me to return.

  As I made my way to the room, I heard giggles and whispers from every direction. I pulled my coat tighter, hiding the bruises left by the Fifth Advisor’s fingers.

  Slamming the door behind me, I walked straight to the dresser. The elven ointment would erase the marks in minutes. Then I could take a shower.

  Camilla was likely staying with Sky tonight, and I couldn’t blame her. What she’d witnessed wasn’t something you saw every day—more like a childhood nightmare come to life. I’d heard her little scream when she tried to call for help. I just hoped she hadn’t been hurt.

  When a folded note slid under the door, I couldn’t hold back the tears.

  "A mink is a versatile little creature—stolen from the bride’s wardrobe, yet warming the mistress just as well."

  That’s what it said.

  As soon as I finished reading, the paper burst into flames in my hand—the sender clearly wanted to remain anonymous.

  Salty streaks ran down my chin and dripped onto the floor. And still, I kept trying to hide the dragon’s fingerprints on my neck.

  Camilla did end up coming back to sleep in our room, and for that, I was deeply grateful. I felt safer with her near.

  Before she sank quietly onto the creaky bed, I’d flinched at every little sound outside the door. I pretended to be asleep—but I was glad I wasn’t alone.

  That peace didn’t last long.

  In the morning, Camilla told me that after everything that happened, Sky had changed his plans. He was taking her with him to the Capital.

  She would be studying in his home, and if she ever wished to earn a diploma, she could take the exams at the Academy.

  But that seemed unlikely—why would an Amatrix need a diploma?

  They lived in a separate quarter, forbidden from working. Private gatherings, whispered gossip, and boutique shopping—that was the full extent of what the chosen ones were allowed. Then again, I could’ve been wrong. Only the women who ended up in the Amatri Quarter knew what truly happened there—and once inside, they never came out again.

  For the next week, Camilla was busy packing documents and clothes, while Sky rushed craftsmen and readied the house. And then... she was gone.

  Beaming with happiness, intoxicated by the dragon’s magic, Cami kissed my cheek and vanished forever in a flash of the portal. She promised to write every day—but judging by Sky’s apologetic glance, I doubted I’d be getting any letters.

  It seemed the dragon had decided to end our friendship, though he hadn’t yet told his beloved.

  Could I blame him? No. But it still hurts. It was bitter. And lonely.

  My involvement with Maximilian didn’t go unnoticed.

  The other girls on the faculty avoided me, giggling behind my back. I had a room to myself—not because I asked for it, but because no one wanted to live with “the Mink.”

  That’s what the students called me after the ballroom incident.

  The nickname spread fast—along with rumours that I’d stolen a coat and dress just to become Maximilian’s Amatrix. But then his furious fiancée showed up at the ball, and the dragon chose her, leaving me unmarked.

  Some said they’d seen him leaving my room in the mornings. Others swore we’d kissed at the ball. Still more claimed they’d spotted me sneaking into other dragons’ quarters at night, wearing that same cursed blue mink coat, begging for a mark.

  The Domestic Magic students kept their distance.

  The dragons whistled at me in the halls, making their judgment loud and clear—as if I were some fallen woman. Only the witches didn’t care. They studied in their own wing and lived in a separate building altogether.

  At times, I thought of moving in with them, just to make it through the school year. But the dean refused.

  Some days, despair hit hard, and I wanted to take my documents and walk away from the Academy forever. But that stupid blue mink coat, stained from all my spells, reminded me: if I gave up, they would win.

  I don’t know how I made it through the end of that first year—but I did.

  A month of practice at a tavern near the base of the mountains, a month at home to rest—and I was myself again.

  Or rather, I was someone new. The naive seventeen-year-old girl was gone. The dreams that once felt so close had melted away.

  After a short break, the “Wild Mink” returned to the Academy once more.