Court of Aether and Shadows (Crowned Monster Trilogy #1)

37. Morning Revelations

Morning Revelations

~ S PARROW~

"Wait, wait, wait," I grabbed Nyx's arm, nearly causing her to spill her floating cup of cosmic coffee. "Are you telling me Omegas don't get periods? Like, at all?"

Nyx blinked her galaxy eyes at me, clearly confused by my sudden excitement. "No? We have heat cycles instead. Why are you looking at me like I just gave you the secret to eternal life?"

"Do you have any idea how much money I'm going to save?" I practically bounced as we walked through the academy's crystalline corridors. "No more monthly trips to the drugstore! No more hoarding pads like they're precious gems! No more?—"

"I'm sorry," Nyx cut in, her perfectly manicured hand raised in confusion. "What exactly are 'pads'?"

I stared at her for a moment before remembering she'd never experienced mundane female issues. "Right, okay. So in the human world, we have to use these things called pads or tampons during our periods. They're like... absorbent materials that catch the blood."

"That sounds... primitive," Nyx's nose wrinkled delicately. "And expensive?"

"Girl, you have no idea," I groaned, dodging a student whose court robes seemed to be actively on fire. "Unless you're rich enough to afford period panties?—"

"Period what now?"

"Special underwear that absorbs everything, but they cost like a week's worth of food," I explained. "And when you share one washing machine with a hundred guys who think showering is optional..." I shuddered at the memory.

Nyx's galaxy eyes widened in horror. "You had to share cleaning facilities with uncouth males? How barbaric! In the Void Court, we have personal cleansing chambers that use actual starlight to purify?—"

"Of course you do," I laughed, nudging her with my elbow. "Tell me more about growing up in the Void Court. Was it all cosmic baths and stellar facials?"

Her expression shifted slightly, some of her usual sparkle dimming. "Not... exactly. Being different isn't exactly celebrated in the courts. Especially when you're a female void wolf who prefers suits to traditional robes."

Before I could respond, we rounded a corner and nearly collided with three familiar figures. My pack bonds hummed with recognition even as my eyes widened at their appearance.

Liam looked like he'd gone ten rounds with a shadow beast. His arms were covered in bruises that his rolled-up sleeves did nothing to hide, and an impressive scratch decorated his left cheekbone. His shadow energy seemed agitated, curling around him more defensively than usual.

Solaris, the usually immaculate Aether wolf, sported a single bandaid across his right cheek. It would have looked almost cute if it weren't for the way his sun-bright energy kept flickering like a frustrated flame.

Between them, Cypress walked with his hands in his pockets, whistling a tune that made nearby plants sway in rhythm. He didn't have a mark on him, his elemental tattoos dancing across his skin with their usual vitality.

"Do I want to know?" I asked, looking between them.

"Training session," Liam muttered, not meeting my eyes.

"Bonding exercise," Solaris added unconvincingly.

"They tried to gang up on me," Cypress said cheerfully, still whistling. "Didn't work out so well for them."

"He cheated," both Liam and Solaris said in unison, then glared at each other for the synchronization.

Nyx's laughter echoed through the corridor like crystal wind chimes. "Oh please, using all four elements isn't cheating. You two are just mad because you thought shadow-walking and solar flares would be enough to take him down."

"He made plants grow in impossible places!" Liam protested, wincing as he shifted his bruised arm.

"And created mini tsunamis!" Solaris added indignantly, adjusting his bandaid.

"All's fair in love and pack spars," Cypress shrugged, his ocean-deep eyes twinkling with mischief. "Besides, you both needed the ego check. All that alpha posturing was getting tedious."

I looked between my wolves, feeling their different energies swirl through our pack bonds. "Should I be worried about you three killing each other before classes even start?"

"Four," Nyx corrected, straightening her impeccable suit. "Don't think I won't join these little training sessions. Someone needs to show these boys what real power looks like."

"Speaking of classes," Solaris said quickly, clearly trying to change the subject, "we should probably head to Advanced Realm Walking. Lord Helios doesn't strike me as the tardy-tolerant type."

"Oh?" Nyx's galaxy eyes sparkled dangerously. "And how would you know what type Lord Helios is, dear Solaris? Been spending extra time observing our prestigious professor?"

The Aether wolf's perfect features flushed slightly. "I simply meant?—"

"He meant we're going to be late if we don't move," Liam cut in, though I noticed his shadows curled possessively closer to me as we started walking.

As we made our way to class, our powers intertwining naturally through our pack bonds, I couldn't help but smile. They might be chaos incarnate, but they were my chaos.

"By the way," Cypress said casually as we approached the classroom, "anyone want to explain why Lord Aetheron was sneaking out of the academy at dawn?"

I nearly tripped over my own feet.

Heat flooded my cheeks as four sets of knowing eyes turned to me. "I... that's... he was just..." I stammered, suddenly finding the crystalline floor fascinating.

"Oh, she's blushing!" Nyx crowed delightedly, her galaxy eyes sparkling. "Look at our little Star Girl, all flustered over her midnight visitor."

"I mean, can you blame her?" Cypress grinned, his elemental tattoos dancing with amusement. "The Shadow Lord himself scaling academy walls just for a late-night rendezvous? That's pretty romantic."

"He didn't scale anything," I muttered, then immediately regretted speaking as their grins widened. "I mean?—"

"Of course not," Solaris said smoothly, though his sun-bright energy flickered with mischief. "He probably just materialized from the shadows like the dramatic being he is. Probably brought roses made of darkness or something equally extra."

Liam remained conspicuously silent, his shadows curling tightly around him as he walked slightly ahead of our group. The tension in his shoulders was obvious, even as he tried to appear unbothered.

Nyx, ever observant, rolled her galaxy eyes. "Oh, stop brooding, Shadow Wolf. You're practically radiating jealousy." She wrapped her arms around me possessively, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Besides, if anyone's going to steal our Star Girl away, it'll be me. I am the strongest, after all."

"Strongest and most humble," I deadpanned, though I couldn't help leaning into her embrace. Her void energy wrapped around me like a comfort blanket, soothing some of the embarrassment.

"Hey, no arguments here," Cypress raised his hands in surrender, ocean-deep eyes dancing. "I've seen what happens to people who challenge Nyx. I like my organs exactly where they are, thank you very much."

"Same," Solaris touched his bandaged cheek gingerly. "I'm still hoping this cut heals before Mother sees it. She'll have a fit if she thinks I've been 'brawling like a common wolf' again."

Nyx's galaxy eyes softened slightly. "Oh, stop whining, Sunshine. I have this amazing serum from the void markets – literally made from condensed starlight and healing crystals. It'll have you pretty as a picture again in no time."

"Really?" Solaris perked up hopefully.

"Of course! What kind of pack mate would I be if I let you walk around looking like you lost a fight with a rosebush?"

"Technically," Cypress interjected, "he lost a fight with my thorny vines. Which are much more sophisticated than mere rosebushes."

"Keep telling yourself that, Nature Boy," Nyx snorted, still holding me close. Her next words were pitched deliberately louder: "At least some people appreciate my void-touched beauty products. Unlike certain grumpy shadow wolves who think basic hygiene is optional."

Liam's shoulders tensed further, but he remained silent. The shadows around him had grown darker, more agitated. Something about his energy felt off – not just jealous but genuinely troubled.

"Liam?" I called softly, concern threading through our pack bond. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he bit out, not turning around. "Just focus on getting to class before?—"

A deep rumble cut him off, making the crystalline floor beneath our feet vibrate ominously. Several nearby students stumbled, their court robes fluttering with disturbed energy.

"That's not me," Cypress said quickly as we all looked at him. "I mean, I know earth tremors are usually my department, but this feels different."

Another rumble, stronger this time, sent ripples through the academy's magical architecture. The very air seemed to thicken with power, making it difficult to breathe.

"It's coming from below," Nyx frowned, her void energy reaching out to test the disturbance. "Deep below. Like something's trying to?—"

The floor between us suddenly cracked, dark energy seeping up through the fissure like toxic smoke. Liam spun around, his shadows immediately reaching for me, but Nyx's void energy had already created a protective barrier around our group.

"What the actual void is that?" Solaris demanded, his sun-bright power flaring defensively. The bandage on his cheek glowed slightly with residual healing energy.

"Nothing good," Cypress muttered, his elemental tattoos shifting from their usual playful patterns to something more aggressive. The plants in nearby decorative urns began to writhe, responding to his tension.

Liam finally met my eyes, and the fear I saw there made my blood run cold. "We need to move," he said urgently. "Now. Before it?—"

The crack widened suddenly, dark power erupting from it like a geyser. Students scattered, screaming, as the darkness began to take shape – something ancient and terrible, reaching for us with tendrils of pure malevolence.

"Well," Nyx said with forced cheerfulness, her void energy strengthening around us, "I guess we're going to be late to class after all."

The thing from the depths rose higher, and somewhere in the academy, alarms began to wail.

So much for a normal first day of school.