Thornhill Academy. Chapter 85

**Cage**

The light hit me like a blade to the chest. At first, I thought it was some trick of the moon, a reflection, a spell gone wrong. But then I felt it. The tether twisting deep beneath my ribs, searing straight through my bone and breath. And when I looked up, when I saw where it came from, my entire body went cold. Rivers. Allison. Bloody. Rivers. The stray. The charity case that Scorched dragged in like some wounded mutt from the gutter. The one who barely scraped through lessons, who looked at magic like it might bite her, who couldn't even defend herself properly. The light settled in my chest, warm and crawling, and I wanted to rip it out with my bare hands. No. No, this couldn’t be right. Fate didn’t make mistakes, they said. The Moon’s gift never failed. But if this, if she, was my fate, then the whole damned system was broken. I could still see her from across the courtyard, the light spilling from her like a beacon, blue threads of magic connecting her to, what, four others? Evander Drayke, of course. Perfect golden boy. Then Kael bloody Pierce, the mutt. Hill, the professor? You’ve got to be joking. And then the last… that thing that just stepped out of the shadows, horns and all, calling her Queen. I nearly laughed. Of course. Of course, she’d be the centre of some ridiculous divine spectacle. The stray with five mates. Perfect.

My fists clenched until I felt the crack of bone. The air around me pulsed with heat, the magic in my veins sparking like wildfire. Everyone else was too busy staring at her to notice me slip away. Good. I shoved through the crowd, not caring who stumbled or swore in my wake. The sound of laughter and music chased me down the hall, fading into the low hum of my heartbeat. I could feel the bond tugging, like a phantom thread pulling me back toward her, and I snarled under my breath.

“No.”

I wasn’t going to play whatever cruel joke the Fates thought this was. I didn’t want her. I didn’t need her. I’d spent years working to be the best, to claw my way up from nothing, to prove that I didn’t need anyone. That I wasn’t some fragile, dependent idiot who needed saving. And now they’d tied me to her. I reached my room, slammed the door hard enough to make the frame rattle, and pressed my forehead against the cool wood. My magic flickered around me, restless and hungry. The bond thrummed again, and I could feel it faintly, her emotions bleeding through like echoes. Confusion. Fear. A tangle of guilt and wonder. I growled, low and sharp, forcing the connection down, shoving it to the deepest, darkest part of myself. She didn’t belong here. Not in my head. Not in my soul. The Fates could burn for all I cared.

I pulled out my phone and stared at it for a long time, with my jaw tight and my thumb hovering over the contact. **Father.** I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to hear his voice or the disappointment or cold pride that only ever came out when I’d done something useful. But I needed answers. If anyone knew how to… break a bond, sever it cleanly, it would be him. I pressed the call button before I could talk myself out of it. It rang once, twice. Then...

“Cage.” His tone was crisp. “I assume this is important.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, forcing the word through gritted teeth. “It’s… about the Moonlight Festival.”

There was a pause and the faint shuffle of papers. “Ah. So, the Fates have finally found it in themselves to gift you a mate. Took long enough.” The underlined dissapointment evident. “At least you’ve managed to do something right, boy.”

My hand tightened around the phone and I swallowed the retort burning in my throat. This wasn’t the time to start a fight.

“Yeah, well,” I said instead, my voice low, “you might want to hold the congratulations. It’s… complicated.”

A soft hum sounded. That was his version of curiosity. “Go on.”

“She’s…” I hesitated, the name sticking to my tongue like poison. “Allison Rivers.”

There was silence, then, a slow exhale. “The stray.”

“Yeah. And apparently she's not just mine.”

I could almost hear his brows lift through the line. “Explain.”

“She’s bonded to four others.”

The silence that followed was heavy. Then he laughed. Great, he's amused. “Well. Isn’t that fascinating?”

The sound of him settling back in his chair came through the line. “You may have stumbled onto something quite… unique, my son. Do you have any idea what this means?”

I frowned. “That the Fates are playing a joke on me?”

“That girl,” he said, ignoring the jab, “is under current observation by the council. There’s an open investigation into her origins. She appeared out of nowhere with no lineage, no record, no proper magical registration, and somehow managed to hide herself from authorities and live alone in the scrublands for all these years? Something isn't right about her.”

My pulse stuttered. “You knew about this? About her?”

“Of course,” he replied smoothly. “Nothing happens at that academy without my knowledge.”

I felt the familiar anger rise, but he continued before I could cut in.

“This could be useful, Cage. You say you don’t want this bond, and I can’t blame you. But if you play along, gain her trust and observe her, you might learn something that could help us.”

I stiffened. “Help us how?”

“She’s not normal. Something else is at work here. The council believes she may be… compromised. Dangerous, even. If that’s the case, we must know. And if you can give me that information, I can protect you from whatever fallout comes when this inevitably unravels.”

The line was quiet for a heartbeat. My heartbeat.

“You’re asking me to spy on my... mate.”

“I’m telling you to survive this,” he corrected, voice like steel wrapped in silk. “The Fates make mistakes, son. They always have. You were cursed with this one, but perhaps it can serve a purpose. Play your part and pretend. And when the time comes… We’ll use her to set things right.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“Do you understand?” he asked.

My jaw ached from how hard I clenched it. “…Yeah. I understand.”

“Good. Then we’ll be in touch soon.”

The line went dead. I stared at the phone for a long while, the words echoing in my head. *Play your part.* I tossed the phone onto the desk and dragged both hands over my face. If my father wanted a spy, he’d get one. If he wanted answers, I’d find them. If this is what must be done to separate myself from her and whatever mess she's wrapped up in, then so be it. But as much as I wanted to hate her, I couldn’t shake the lingering warmth in my chest where her magic had brushed mine. It made me fucking sick. The fates made a mistake.