Fate Hollow Academy: Term 1, page 1
Fate Hollow Academy Term 1 © 2022 by Lyra Winters. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Editor and Proofreader: Jessica at Diamond Editing and Proofreading Services
Alpha Readers: Kelly, Sam, MJ
Beta Readers: Hayley, MaryAnn, Johanna, Raquel, Melanie, Pat, Alex, Amy
Visit my website at lyrawinters.com
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: January 2022
Author's Note
Fate Hollow Academy is a Fantasy/Paranormal Reverse Harem series based in a fantasy world of magic called Kalista. This story is a why choose romance, which means the main character will not have to choose between her love interests.
Be aware of your triggers, lovely readers. This series contains strong language, violence, torture, drama outside of the harem, discrimination based on species of supernatural, and explicit sexual content.
Reader’s discretion is advised.
Dedicated to all the women who are far too gullible for their own good. You’re still a badass. This one’s for you.
Fall into the world of Kalista!
Kalista is a fantasy world full of supernaturals where anything is possible.
Blezen: Dragons, Drakes
Apex Capital: Basilisks, Phoenixes
Demon Capital: Demons
Blue magic emblem: Fae portals
Cursinia: Warlocks/Witches, Vampires, Sirens, Werewolves
Briesia: Shifters
The Bizarre: Kelpies, Griffins, Sphinxes, Banshees/Phantoms, Harpies, Gargoyles, Centaurs, Trolls, Imp
Fate Hollow: All supernatural types
Human Territory: Humans
Welcome to Fate Hollow Academy. Here is your campus map!
Please keep in mind that the supernatural hierarchy is not in effect on campus. Rank doesn’t always determine strength. Keep the fights on the training grounds.
Discrimination will not be tolerated.
Have a magical term!
Contents
1. ONE
2. TWO
3. THREE
4. FOUR
5. FIVE
6. SIX
7. SEVEN
8. EIGHT
9. NINE
10. TEN
11. ELEVEN
12. TWELVE
13. THIRTEEN
14. FOURTEEN
15. FIFTEEN
16. SIXTEEN
17. SEVENTEEN
18. EIGHTEEN
19. NINETEEN
20. TWENTY
21. TWENTY-ONE
22. TWENTY-TWO
23. TWENTY-THREE
24. TWENTY-FOUR
25. TWENTY-FIVE
26. TWENTY-SIX
27. TWENTY-SEVEN
28. TWENTY-EIGHT
29. TWENTY-NINE
30. THIRTY
31. THIRTY-ONE
32. THIRTY-TWO
33. THIRTY-THREE
34. THIRTY-FOUR
35. THIRTY-FIVE
36. THIRTY-SIX
37. THIRTY-SEVEN
Fate Hollow Academy Term 2
Fate Hollow Academy Term2
Acknowledgments
Also By Lyra Winters
ONE
Wren
Never make a bargain with a fae.
That was the first rule I’d learned after the Arctic Wolf Village took me in at five-years-old, and Thorn was always trying to convince me to break it.
“Come on. I promise it’ll be worth it.” The teasing smile pulled at his lips as he took another step closer, snow crunching under his bare feet.
The trickster fae tried his luck at making a contract with me for the hundred-eighty-sixth time.
Not that I was counting or anything.
“I’m not stupid.” I sucked in a breath as he took another step into my personal space, and my face heated as I craned my neck back.
Thorn towered over me, and his bright blue eyes seared into mine. “I know you’re not stupid, Kit. Let me take you away from here. Form the contract with me.”
He stood so close that as an icy breeze swept through the forest, my snow white hair intertwined with his long, pale blue strands.
“Stop playing with the wind to distract me.” I reached a tentative hand up and ran it through the tangled hairs before stepping back. “And don’t use your nickname for me to distract me.”
The wind settled as he pouted his lip out. “Kit just makes sense. Your fox form looks just like a baby fox.”
“Oh, stop.” I bit back a smile. “As tempting as the contract is, and it is, I can’t just leave.”
“Why not?” He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. “Give me a good enough reason you can’t leave that village.”
Huffing out a breath, I let my gaze drop to run over his attire.
The royal clothing he wore was branded with the Ice Kingdom’s emblem. It was a fine threaded navy blue tunic and pants with a cape. I didn’t know a lot about the fae realm, but I knew there were four factions that ruled: the Ice Kingdom, Fire Kingdom, Air Kingdom, and Earth Kingdom. Those factions oversaw that nature maintained a balance in Kalista.
He was far too elegant to be around any part of Briesia, but he kept coming to meet with me on the outskirts of my village.
Meeting with Thorn gave me something to look forward to daily. Without him, I couldn’t imagine how lonely I’d be. We may have come from two different worlds, but we had formed a connection unlike any other I’d experienced.
Swallowing the thickness in my throat, I met his gaze again. “You’re going to take over the Ice Kingdom in the fae realm. I’m a shifter with no genuine talent except for using herbs for medicinal properties.”
“Your point?”
“Nobody would understand this.” I gestured between the two of us as another gust of wind chilled my cheeks. “I wouldn’t fit in with your world.”
His bright eyes turned dark as he took another step forward. “I don’t care. You’re important to me, and the way this village treats you makes me sick.”
I shook my head and fumbled with the cloth bag draped over my shoulder that Thorn had given me last solstice. The brown material was soft but durable, and it had unlimited storage thanks to the enchantment he had woven into it.
My fingertips hit the glass of the jar, and I pulled it out before holding it out to him.
“I’ll accept your offering,” he murmured, and the warmth of his hand enveloped mine as he took the jar. “Even if it’s a formality that you don’t need to do with me.”
I pulled my hand back and gave him a sheepish smile. “It’s a healing cream.”
“My court’s herbalist hijacked the last one you offered. The effectiveness astounded him.” He eyed the jar, holding it at eye level as he inspected the green paste.
“He’s too kind.” I ducked my head down and scuffed the snow with my boot.
“You’re extremely talented.” His finger lifted my chin up, and I met his gaze. “You’re worth more than you realize, Wren. Your soul is so beautiful.”
My heart slammed against my rib cage. Even with the arctic climate around us, my body temperature skyrocketed. I pressed my lips together and slapped my chilly hands over my warming cheeks.
He smirked. “You never know what to say when you get a compliment.”
“Because I was told never to thank a fae.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
He chuckled. The deep rumble of his laugh skittered down my chest, and I slid my hands over to cover my entire face.
“You know I know your name, right? That’s even worse than thanking one of us,” he mused.
I peeked through my fingers at his amused expression and scowled. “I know your name as well.”
He paused as if deep in thought before barking out another laugh. “Touché. Hey, have you met any of your mates yet?”
My hands fell from my face as I groaned. “No. In fact, I don’t think I have a mate.”
He tilted his head, leaning in. “Why do you think that?”
“I’m twenty-two. All the other shifters my age are already mated with offspring.” I frowned, trying not to let myself become bitter. “If I haven’t met my mate by now, I’m sure I won’t have one.”
“Not all matebonds are established immediately, at least for foxes. You may already know one of your mates.” His cheeks tinged pink for a moment, and he shivered before looking away.
I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you cold?”
He looked back at me and slipped his hand over mine. “I’m an ice fae. I don’t get cold. Don’t change the subject.”
Rolling my eyes, I pulled my hand back. “Fine. But I don’t think I’ve met them yet. Surely, I’d know, right?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I haven’t bonded with my mate either, and I’m older than you.”
“By a year.” I snorted as I ran my fingers through my hair. “Do you think maybe I haven’t formed a bond because my species is almost extinct
?”
Thinking about the decline of the arctic fox shifters wasn’t easy. I’ve never met nor heard of another one besides my father, and he wasn’t here anymore, thanks to human poachers.
All foxes were destined to have more than one mate, but I wasn’t sure if the Fates would grant me even one. My mom was my father’s only mate. She was an arctic wolf shifter, though. Wolf shifters only had one mate. So, maybe that was why, but I had a feeling it had to do with the decline in arctic fox shifters.
My bottom lip quivered, and Thorn closed the distance between us. His arms wound around me and I clung to his chest, trying to hold back the tears. The sweet scent of blueberries surrounded me like a blanket of comfort.
Safety flooded me, something I didn’t get to experience often.
“No, Kit,” he murmured into my hair. “I don’t think that’s the reason. I think it’s because your bonds haven’t snapped into place and they have isolated you in this village. The other shifters don’t even acknowledge you unless they need something.” Anger laced his tone, and he squeezed me tighter.
“They’re not all bad. Alice is—”
“Alice may care for you, but she doesn’t stick up for you when she should. Come away with me. I’ll take you to my realm, and you’ll never want for anything again.”
I shook my head. “Thorn... I know what you’re trying to do, and I appreciate it.”
“But?” His hold on me loosened, and I moved back.
“But that’s not something I can do.”
“Sure you can—”
“I don’t want to. Not right now,” I said. “The Alpha’s son is marked for Fate Hollow Academy, and the village is going to need all hands on deck to support the pack.”
His gaze softened. “Your heart is so big, but they don’t see you as part of their pack.”
“I know.” I shrugged as the surrounding coldness seeped deeper into my bones. “But they took me in after everything happened.”
“Alice took you in. Not the entire pack.”
I’d spent my early childhood hopping from village to village. Briesia was the shifter territory in Kalista, but unlike the other supernatural territories, the shifter species didn’t enjoy intermingling with other shifters. That’s why Briesia was divided into smaller villages to separate each shifter species.
Being an arctic fox shifter in a village full of arctic wolf shifters was nothing short of awful, but even so... I was grateful I had a stable living environment.
“What if you get a mark? Would you go away to Fate Hollow Academy? Leave the pack?”
I blinked, and my throat tightened. “I wouldn’t get a mark. It’s too late.”
“That’s not true. Today is the day before the Autumnal Equinox when students are to report to the academy. The witch at the academy marks students up to midnight the night before, and you know only supernaturals over twenty are marked.”
Shrugging, I let out a sigh. My breath was visible in the cold air. “Maybe so, but what could I offer that academy? Fate Hollow is for supernaturals with unique abilities outside of their species’ general powers. I can only do what others of my kind can. Shift into an arctic fox. Even other fox shifters are bigger in their fox form.”
He pressed his index finger in between my eyebrows. “Stop pouting. Your fox form is as adorable and petite as you are.”
I gasped, reeling back and slapping his hand away. “I am not pouting! And if my fox form is adorable, that’s more of a reason Fate Hollow would never call on me. They train supernaturals for war against humans.”
The amusement on his face vanished as he pushed a hand through his hair. “That’s true, but…”
I tilted my head as I studied his tense posture and serious expression. “What is it?”
Shaking his head, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled up. Pale skin was bared to me, and I whirled around with a yelp.
A solemn sigh escaped him, and I glanced back, keeping my gaze on his face.
“So innocent,” he muttered under his breath. “Look at my rib cage, Kit.”
Biting my lower lip, I dropped my gaze. Thorn had little to no fat on his body, and his abdominal muscles were toned. An icy blue script snagged my gaze, and it knocked the breath out of my lungs.
I turned back around and stepped closer, reaching out and trailing a finger over the mark that said, ‘Mind your thoughts.’
“You’ve been marked.” The words came out barely above a whisper, and tears filled my eyes.
Thorn’s marked, which means he’s leaving...
I didn’t know how I’d handle that. If he was leaving for Fate Hollow, I wouldn’t be able to meet with him every day. Meeting with him was the one thing I could look forward to living in the village, but now...
No. I mentally batted away the selfish thought. I was happy for him. Fate Hollow was a fantastic opportunity for any supernatural.
I forced a smile and flatted my palm against the cold mark. “That’s great. Mind your thoughts. Does that have to do with the new power?”
His hand wrapped around my wrist, and he pulled my hand to his cheek. The fabric of his shirt fell back into place. “The power manifested last year. I haven’t had the chance to tell you, because I know how much you overthink everything.”
“Tell me,” I rasped, soaking in the comfort his presence gave me.
“I can read thoughts.”
My muscles tensed, and I went to pull away, but his hold on my wrist was firm. “Oh, Fates,” I breathed. “You can read my mind?”
I couldn’t remember all the embarrassing thoughts I must’ve had in the past year. I barely had a filter with my mouth, but my thoughts were completely uncensored.
His lips quirked up in a grin that he tried to contain as he nodded. “Your mind is an interesting place, Wren.”
“Don’t judge me for my thoughts,” I grumbled, jerking my head to the side so I wasn’t looking at him. My pouting was cut short by the curiosity bubbling up inside me. “So, how does it work? Do you hear everyone’s thoughts at once?”
He shook his head with that amused smirk playing on his lips. “No, Kit. I have to be within a certain distance to read thoughts, and I have to concentrate on brain waves to be able to hear the thoughts unless the thought is screaming at me.”
“Wow,” I breathed, my breath swirling up and away. “Are there limits? Can you only hear one person’s thoughts at a time?”
“Only one person at a time.” He tapped his temple with his index finger. “If I read thoughts too frequently, I tend to get migraines.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line. “Do the salves I make you for your migraines work for the ones you get because of that?”
He nodded, and his thumb ran over my wrist. “Your salves are the only things that work for them.”
A faint voice hollered my name before I could reply. I rolled my bottom lip into my mouth and turned back toward the village. A deep feeling of dread settled in my belly.
It was Alice.
“I have to go.” I frowned, and I tried to pull my hand away but his grip tightened.
“I’m not leaving you, Kit. I can visit you through the fae portals daily.”
“You don’t know that.” My voice cracked, and his hold loosened enough for me to yank my hand back. But as I pulled away from him, anxiety burrowed into my chest.
“Please, just listen to me.”
“Not now.” I adjusted the strap of my bag and sucked in a deep breath of chilly air. “I’ll come back to meet you tonight and to say goodbye before you leave.”
He nodded, standing under the biggest juniper tree in the forest where we met, with sad eyes and a deep frown that hurt my heart to witness. “Don’t forget.”
“I won’t,” I assured him before turning back around and heading toward the village.
The snow barely sunk under my weight as I made my way back to the village. I’d gotten far enough away from Thorn that I could stop worrying about whether he could still see me, and my knees gave out.
Thick snow caught me easily, and my knees pressed into the frozen pillow. My heart squeezed inside my chest. The icy breeze slapped my hair into my face as the tears fell down my cheeks.
I didn’t want him to go. I wanted him to stay.
