Gray's POV

"Is it ok if you stay here while I talk to the dean?" I asked Stella as I opened my dorm room door.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said as she looked around the room carefully, as if seeing if it had changed since the last time she was there.

There was something in her eyes that told me she had a million things going on in her mind. I wanted to ask her, but yet, deep down, I didn't want to know what she was thinking about. I had too much on my plate to care about her worries for now.

Since we had been together, I had not asked her about why she was here in Churchwell. Or why she was with my father. There was a story behind all of that, but I didn't want to ask her. Not yet. As soon as I sorted out at least some of my concerns, I would ask her these questions.

I don't know if that was selfish or self-centered, but I just needed to sort out my own thoughts before I helped her. Maybe after talking to the dean and after I got a few hours of sleep, I would be in a better mind set.

"Good. Well, I'll be back," I said as I turned to close the door behind me.

"Wait," she protested nervously.

I stopped as I stared at her. "Yes?"

"Just don't be long. Ok?"

I nodded as I gave her hand a squeeze. The last thing I wanted was to leave her here for too long. But I didn't know how long meeting with the dean would be. There was so much I wanted to talk to her about. Egrick was just the tip of the iceberg. "I won't. I promise."

With that, I closed the door, shutting her in, then left to get to the dean's office.

When I reached the door of the dean's office, a frown came to my lips. It was three in the morning, the chances of her being in the office were slim. I should have waited until the morning. Why did I leave Stella alone when I knew the dean wouldn't be here and if she was, she wouldn't want to see me? We didn't have the report for me to do this.

Just as I was about to turn around, the door opened.

"Come in, Grayson," the dean sighed from within her office.

I wasn't sure how she knew I was here, but I didn't linger on the thought for long. Instead, I turned on my heals and walked into her office.

It felt larger without all the people crowded around the space. With only us in the space, it allowed me to see that she tastefully decorated it. For a second, it felt more homey than an office.

The dean cleared her throat, making me realize I was wasting her time standing here in silence. I shook my head to clear my mind. Why was I here?

"Egrick is dead," I said.

"I know."

"How?"

She sighed as if she was tired of stupid questions. "Grayson, we are at war. I have to keep eyes on the grounds at all times."

I nodded as I thought about what I wanted to say next to her. She was a busy lady. She had things to do- like sleep, maybe. I couldn't take up any more of her time unless it was important and planned.

"He's a traitor. He knew it and got what he deserved," I bluntly stated. "Else told me not to trust him. And when I fought Else, he refused to help me."

She frowned as she looked at her desk in front of her. Suddenly the wood grains were replaced with a scene of Else fighting me in the castle. "This table can show me the past of whoever is near to it. I had my thoughts about Egrick ever since the war within the school. After that fight, he changed. I thought it was because things had changed in general, and he needed to be ready for the future wars. But Else warned me about him..." she explained as her voice dropped.

"If she warned you, why didn't you listen?" I asked, as I tried to understand her thoughts. If she trusted Else, why didn't she listen?

"Because Egrick was the only shifter on our side for so long. The Shifter community trusted him and that became even more important after most Shifters moved to the side with Graywick," she stated calmly.

Anger flared up within me like a spark. The times that I saw the black bird flying around. That was him. He had been monitoring things and reporting to my father for weeks.

Things could have been handled differently if people just listened to warnings Else gave. I should have listened better too. I was just as much at fault as the dean was.

"He was the crow that had been flying around, isn't he?"

The dean nodded silently.

"Else is dead because of him. Because you ignored her warnings. Now Egrick is dead and who knows how much information he shared with his community," I accused.

"He didn't share much information with them." Her voice remained level as she stared at me calmly. She had been calm this whole time. I wasn't sure if it was because of the lack of sleep or maybe because she had prepared for this for a while. Maybe she knew it was only time until I came to see her.

"And how do you know?"

"Because of the way he killed himself. He felt guilty about what had happened. He killed himself because that was the respectful way to go."

"But what he did can not be taken back. Else is dead. Some of his students are dead. I don't care if he thought he was guilty," I shouted as I paced the floor. "He should have..." I stopped as I realized where this conversation was going. If I opened my mouth any more, I would be just as revengeful as my father. I tried so hard not to be like him. I couldn't let this conversation be proof.

"Died a slow, painful death?" she asked.

I nodded silently.

"As much as we might like that, as much as he probably deserved that, we can only move on. Mistakes were made on both ends. But this is war, and it's complicated. The best we can do is move on and learn from the past. We will not forget, no, but we will carry on with a head held high. Else would have wanted that."

I frowned at her comment. This was war, but it didn't mean I wanted to move on. For a moment, I wanted to soak in the anger. Egrick was someone that I trusted. We all trusted him and he stabbed us in the back. It showed that maybe there were few I could trust.

"I feel like I don't know who to trust..." I whispered as I looked at her. "But Else- she trusted you. Does that mean I can too?"

She nodded. "I can assure you that I am on your side. We want the same things."

"And that is?" I asked, making sure we were on the same page.

"To stop your father and allow for things to return to normal."

But the thing was, I wasn't sure if I wanted that either. My father had already done a lot of damage in the world, but the royal family also caused damage. If things returned to normal, it wouldn't allow us to learn from the past like she mentioned. I didn't want things to return as they were. I wanted things to be better. Churchwell could be better. I expected that much.

"If you ever want to talk about Else, I am here for you."

I threw a small sympathetic smile her way. I had never had a relationship with her, but this seemed incredibly kind and personal for someone that was important as she was. "Thank you. Actually, that would be helpful. Was Else a Forest Witch?"

She frowned at me for more than a moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted to share. I saw it in her eyes. Maybe that was too deep of a question to ask in the first round.

"Look, I'm just trying to understand her a little better."

Finally, she sighed. "Yes, Else was a Forst Witch. She tried to bury the side of her. After her fall out with Graywick, she didn't want to share that with anyone."

"What made her want to switch sides?"

"She fell out of love with what Graywick was preaching."

"Do you know what exactly happened?"

"Not all of it, but I do know she lost her drive and devotion to him after a major war. She watched as so many of their supports die and how he thought nothing of it. I met Else after she ran from Graywick. It was then we became friends. But it is late. If you want to talk about this later, I would be open to it. However, I think you and I should sleep." She stood up from her chair, looming over me, then looked at the door.

I didn't want to leave, but I had to follow what she said. For now, I would shelve this conversation and hoped she would pick it up again. "Thank you for your time."

"Of course. And I am sorry for your loss. I know how much you meant to Else. She talked about you constantly and thought the world of you. I can only imagine the pain you are going through."

The mention that Else talked about me made my body go ridged in order for my emotions to not get the better of me. I often felt like I was an inconvenience to her, not that I was wanted. Never did I think she would talk about me to others in such high regard.

"Thank you," I breathed, then left without another word.

Else floated around my mind as I walked back to my room. There was so much that I wished I could share with her. There was so much I wish she had told me about. I thought about the box of her belongings in my bedroom. There more there than I knew. But I wasn't sure if I could trust the dean for help.

Else. The name caused my breathing to become hitched slightly. Else was difficult, but she was family. She thought the same about me. I just wish she shared that more. Maybe then we could have had a less stormy relationship.

My thoughts shifted though as I walked up to my room and saw my door open. Panic rose, forming a lump in my throat, as I stopped in mid walk. I was sure I closed the door when I left her. Who would want to break in? Without thinking about it farther, I ran into my room and saw that it was empty.

"Stella?" I called out into the dark room, trying to keep my voice even.

I waited for a reply, but it was silent. "Stella?" I asked again, this time louder. I flipped on the light to be bedroom and scanned the space, hoping to see her asleep on the bed but she wasn't there.

My heart raced as I ran out into the hallway, hoping to see her. But the hallway was empty. I wasn't sure if it was because of the lack of sleep or because of the amount of stress I had been in the last 24 hours, but my head started to spin. The world twisted, causing me to run into the wall and sink to the floor.

I couldn't lose her too.

I took a deep breath to clear my mind. Breathe in and out. I could still find her. She probably wasn't far from me. I just needed to get my stuff together and find her.

Finding my strength, I stood up from the floor and rushed to the only logical place. The only other person I knew I could trust.

"Birch, are you wake?" I asked as I pounded on her door.

Within a moment, she opened the door with a yawn. Her loose clothing and messy hair told me I disrupted important things.

"Well, I am now," she said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Stella is gone. I have no idea where she is. Birch, I need your help. Please."

Instantly, her sleepy eyes were awake and focused on me. "Yeah, let me get my shoes."

Soon we found ourselves walking around the grounds, hoping to see her.

"The plus side is the protection barrier should keep her here," Birch said as she ran to keep up with me.

I nodded, although I didn't quite believe her. If someone wanted her badly enough, they could break through the barrier.

We continued to look, but as the sun came up over the horizon, my panic only grew. I wasn't sure how long we had been searching for her, but it felt like too long. She couldn't have wandered off too far, could she? Or maybe she was taken back to my father's place.

"We are going to find her," Birch said as she rubbed my back.

I nodded as a shadow moved in the distance.

On the other side of the protection barrier, I saw a shadow that looked the same size as Stella.

"Stella?!" I yelled out as I ran towards the barrier.

Slowly Stella came more into view. She stopped to stared at me, but on the rising horizon, I could see something wasn't right. Stella's eyes were completely black, shining like black diamonds. She hands were blackened like my father's and as she smiled at me, it made me feel sick to my stomach.

What I saw wasn't Stella, but something completely different. That was not Stella, but yet it was her at the same time.

Before I had time to ask, Birch grabbed my hand and pulled me across the barrier.

"Stella! Wait!" I cried out as I ran after her as she walked deeper into the woods.

"Your concern is cute," Stella said as she stepped in front of me.

Her black eyes were the only thing I could stare at. They were mesmerizing, but made me feel uneasy. These eyes did not belong to Stella. They were not kind of like hers. They were full of spite and anger.

"Stella, what's going on?"

She smiled as her blackened hands lengthened to show shadowy claws. It felt as if the color was sucked out of the world as walked closer to me. There was a heaviness around her that made me gasp for air.

With one of her claws, she brought my face to meet hers. "I can see why she loves you."

"Where is Stella?" I demanded.

"She is here," it said as she rose her hands into the air.

I shook my head. "That's not true," I said as I wrapped my hands around her shoulders and shook her, hoping it would force her to come to her senses. If this was really Stella, I needed her to snap out of it.