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CHAPTER 2
~Spring's POV~
Immediately, the crowd turned, some pointing fingers and whispering—whispers that weren't whispers at all.
They were all dressed in the same clothes: black blazer jackets, white inner shirts, and pleated skirts, while the males wore the same but with pairs of trousers.
Judging from her memory, I was in a school at a time different from what I knew.
"There she is!" someone sneered, pulling me from my train of thought.
"She did it!"
"Oh my god, the love letter is true!"
"Desperate much?"
"God, she is so annoying."
I blinked, confused. What letter? What were they talking about? Then it hit me—Spring's memory flickered in the back of my mind.
Rose.
When she sneaked out of Spring's room last night, Spring saw her—her glowing phone screen. But the body's owner never questioned it, thinking it was nothing.
It turned out that the snake had typed a love letter and sent it to someone.
A love letter!
Posted on the school bulletin board under Spring's name for all to see.
I didn't have time to process the humiliation before it escalated when a rough hand snatched mine. Before I could react, I was spun and slammed against the lockers.
My teeth rattled. My vision flickered. Then he was there—his face inches from mine.
Lucien Voss.
Not so handsome for his own good and too cruel to care.
His fingers dug into my jaw like I was a doll, meant to be broken. In his other hand—the letter.
My eyes quickly scanned the content.
"You thought this would work?" Lucien sneered. "That I'd read this pathetic confession and fall for you? You really are delusional."
Gasps echoed behind him and Lucien leaned closer, venom in his perfect features.
"What makes you think I, Lucien Voss, would want you? Even in your dreams, I'd never accept someone like you."
The crowd howled with laughter. Eyes lit up, phones came out, flashlights turned on, and they were already recording. But I didn't feel shame.
I felt clarity and pity because Spring didn't write this. Rose did. And the fool, Lucien, actually posted it.
A slow grin tugged at my lips. Lucien blinked, thrown by the shift.
I reached up, grabbed his wrist, peeled it off my face, and held it there between us. My voice was calm, razor-edged.
"My only mistake was thinking you were anything more than noise. Lucky me—I've been corrected."
My gaze sharpened.
"Even if the gods offered you as the last male alive, I'd still choose solitude. Or a rabid dog. At least it bites with honesty."
Silence crashed over the hallway. Lucien froze—eyes wide, mouth half-open. He didn't speak because what could he say?
The ghost he mocked just became the storm that wrecked him.
From the corner of my eye, I caught movements across the hallway, and he stepped into view. I recognized him from her memory.
Who wouldn't?
Tall, blond-haired, sharp-eyed, like a walking thunderstorm in a school uniform.
Storm Draven.
Every girl in school whispered about him. Cold. Untouchable. Dangerous.
My lips curled upwards, and I didn't hesitate.
Taking full advantage of Lucien's shock, I shoved past him and walked towards him, blocking his path.
Storm looked up, his cold eyes meeting mine. For a moment, his brows drew—but before he could open his mouth, I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him down to my level.
Then I kissed him.
Hard.
Gasps exploded behind me. Screams. Chaos. And phones captured every second. But I didn't care.
His body stiffened for a heartbeat—shock—but when I deepened the kiss, his breath caught. His fingers twitched, unsure whether to hold me or shove me off.
He did neither.
I pulled back slowly, lips barely brushing his, and let the words fall like a blade.
"I'll take responsibility, handsome," I said with a wink, turned, and walked away like I hadn't just set the entire school on fire.
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I left Spring's phone at the nurse's office and returned after picking up my spare uniform.
She was both shocked and relieved to see me. I lied about why I had left, which she bought easily.
The nurse had left again, muttering about paperwork and protein bars getting finished—but I paused at the edge of the room, drawn by the silver-rimmed mirror near the sink.
I hadn't looked at my reflection, not really until now.
One step forward—and I froze as a sharp breath sliced through my chest.
The girl staring back was no longer the thirty-two-year-old Solstice Winter that I was.
My golden blonde hair with silver streaks at the tip was gone, now replaced by a rich burgundy, deep as blood wine.
It was pulled back loosely but streaked at the front with a white chunk of hair that shimmered under the light.
And my crystal blue eyes weren't mine anymore, but luminous blue-green eyes stared back at me. It reminded me of wild spring water over moonlit stone.
I moved forward, placing my hand on the wall. I winced at the pain that shot up my hand.
My wrist still hurt from gripping Lucien's hand with force. One look at the weak girl staring at me, and I knew the nurse was right.
This body… was different from the well-trained, agile young lady that I was. She lacked the needed flesh and nutrients, making me wonder if she ate at all.
I wasn't healing like I used to because of my wolf.
Taking hold of the privacy, I quickly changed out of my uniform and wore fresh ones.
I sighed and sat, waiting for the nurse. Once she was done with me, the bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch break.
I headed to class after eating my first meal of the day—a protein bar. Chocolate was good. As unfamiliar as it was, it was very familiar.
Unlike before, when I avoided people, I walked in, ignored the stares, and sat at the far end where Spring always sat. I was grateful for the space right now.
I needed to think and fully integrate the memory of her life, and this time. Learn the ropes of things and master them if I am to live in it.
I sat through each class, silent but present, absorbing everything—voices, faces, rhythms. Spring's memory helped me navigate names, locations, what to say, and what to avoid.
People did not speak to me for most of the day, but eyes kept glancing my way, and whispers never stopped.
Every hallway I passed was filled with glances and sharp-edged smirks. The aftermath of that kiss still lingered on every lip on campus.
Spring was no longer invisible, and everyone could smell the shift. So I wasn't surprised when trouble came looking.
The day was going well, and it should have ended that way if one of those four bullies hadn't come to gloat.
Beatrice.
The girl strutted up to my desk like she owned the air, her cheap perfume invading my space before her voice did.
"Funny," she said, her lip curling, "I've been wondering why everyone's buzzing about you. Spring Kaine—of all people. But I guess smacking your head into a wall rattled something loose."
She looked me up and down with a sneer. "Must've knocked in some false confidence."
I didn't reply. I was too focused on learning how to navigate Spring's phone, but Beatrice noticed.
"What? You've grown wings, and you're ignoring me now?" she snapped. "You think I'm Lucien, and you can get away with acting bold?"
Still, I didn't look up and focused on what I was doing. That was her cue as the next second, she snatched the phone out of my hands so fast, I didn't react in time.
Beatrice held it high over my head with a smirk.
And then... crack.
She slammed it down. The sound of glass shattering ripped through the room like a whip.
Several sharp, horrified, and excited gasps followed.
Then—a low, deep growl that wasn't mine nor hers came from somewhere behind us. I didn't turn. I didn't care because right now, my eyes were glued to the broken pieces on the floor.
Spring's phone, which was my only window to the world, was now gone.
"My phone," I said quietly.
Beatrice scoffed. "What? You dare talk back to me now? You think I'm Alpha Storm or?"
I looked up, slowly. Let the silence settle between us.
"No," I said in a clear, cold voice. "You're a bigger waste of space."
Her eyes widened. She raised her hand, fast but sloppy, ready to bully me again, but I caught her wrist mid-air.
The force I used wasn't just adrenaline. It was fury wrapped in restraint, and it made her eyes go wide with disbelief.
Before she could register the shift, I shoved her back. Hard.
She stumbled and her heel slipped. Then she dropped with a loud thud right onto her ass, gasping as if the floor had betrayed her.
The class was dead silent.
I stood slowly, my posture straightened with a strange calm that didn't belong to this body, but it wore it well.
I walked up to her and crouched slightly, leaning down just enough to meet her face.
She flinched.
I reached out and gripped her chin firmly—inescapable. Her eyes widened as she realised she couldn't break free.
"Your phone," I said flatly.
Her nostrils flared. "Why, you bi—"
My gaze turned sharp—deadly. Her words died before they could reach her lips. Hung there like they were afraid to fall.
"I won't ask again," I said, my voice soft as silk—and twice as cutting.
I tightened my grip—not enough to break, but enough to press my nails into her skin and leave a mark.
She squirmed. She hated it. She feared it. I didn't blink as I glared daggers at her. In the past they could bully Spring but not when I was in this body.
"Tomorrow," I said flatly. "I expect the latest model of the phone you just destroyed."
Beatrice's mouth parted, but nothing came out.
"Or," I added coolly, "you can explain to the principal why I'll be reporting a public assault and destruction of property. With witnesses and evidence."
Her eyes darted around. Everyone was watching. No one dared move.
"Am I clear?" My hold tightened further and she winced in pain, tears already falling from the corner of her eyes.
"You'll get it," she muttered.
I smirked, released her jaw, stood up, and straightened my skirt. "Good girl." But as soon as I said that, I held her gaze with a cold glare and added. "Scram."