Chapter 1

The woods were scary, but she had to be brave. It was long past her bedtime, so it was dark. She had been fast asleep in the back of the car when she woke up to the loud bang. Then she saw them.

The monsters.

The monsters standing over her father’s body.

She did what her father had taught her to do in this situation. She quietly slipped out of the car and started running.

“Hey! Someone’s seen us!”

It didn’t take long for the loud footsteps to follow her through the trees. The darkness and shadows cast by the full moon looked like predators ready to pounce on her, but she couldn’t close her eyes to make them go away. She had to survive. She tried to stay quiet as her dad had taught her. Step lightly. Change direction. Try not to leave too many tracks. But their long strides were fast and quickly catching up to her little ones.

The forest was eerily quiet. All she could hear was her thundering heartbeat, harsh breaths, and the monsters behind her. It was like everything in the forest already knew what her fate would be. But she would fight that fate. She didn’t want to disappoint her daddy.

Someone yanked her braid from behind, and she screamed in pain as she was thrown against the trunk of a tree. Her head hurt, and she felt pain in her arm as she rolled over and tried to stand.

“It’s just a kid, Mike,” she heard one of the voices say.

“She’s seen us, and now you said my fucking name,” another growled.

The one called Mike grabbed her again, pulling her painful arm. She screamed again and called out for her daddy. But she knew he would never come again now. She was all alone.

“Just do it quickly, and let’s get the hell out of here. She’s making too much noise.”

Mike shoved her to her knees, and she heard the cocking sound of a gun. With a silent cry, she looked up at the sky peeking through the tall trees and saw the clouds part to reveal the moon. Her daddy always told her that the Moon Goddess would always watch out for her even if he couldn’t. Closing her eyes, she gave a final prayer. She was not mad that this was how it ended. Her parents were waiting for her on the other side.

“I can’t do it. I can’t have the murder of an innocent child on my conscience. You do it yourself.”

She heard their quiet arguing as the moon’s rays shone on her face, filling her with calm. And then she felt it. It was a warm feeling touching every part of her, and she knew she would never be alone again. Maybe it was the Goddess’ touch. But the most terrifying growl she had ever heard filled her ears. It took her a moment to realise it had come from her.

“She’s a fucking monster! Shoot her!”

Then there were screams. And so much blood. The screams kept repeating in her ears, and the begging, the tears. But she didn’t stop.

That one scene repeated over and over again. Screams. Blood. The crunching sounds. Screams, Blood. The crunching sounds.

Ava Morgan shot up in bed, sweat drenching her pyjamas and her heart pounding. Her hand was shaking as she reached for the water bottle on her side table, and most of it ended up down her pyjama top instead of in her mouth.

It had been a while since she’d had that nightmare, but she knew what had triggered it. She threw the empty water bottle into her trashcan and then squeezed her eyes shut as if that would make the images in her head disappear. It never worked. She always heard the screams long after she’d woken up. She always saw the blood. The broken bones.

Ava lay back on her bed with a tired sigh as she tried to calm her breathing and heartbeat. The time on her clock said it was only three in the morning, but she knew she wasn’t going back to sleep again. In a few hours, she had to leave home and start a real-life nightmare that would last for four years.

Four years! She had to give up four more years of her life before she could finally be free.

The full moon’s rays filtered through her curtains and illuminated her room. She turned her head and saw her packed bags waiting by the door. Her chest squeezed painfully, and she had to train her breathing to stop the looming panic attack.

“It will be over in no time, Ava. Breathe. Just breathe,” she whispered to herself.

An hour later, she felt calm enough to get ready. She put her bedside lamp on and sighed as she pushed the covers off her body. She trod quietly, as she had learned to do her whole life, making sure she wouldn’t wake the others. Then she walked to the adjoining bathroom to take a quick shower and brush her teeth. When she finished, she walked to her wardrobe. The first thing she saw was the horrid uniform.

She had never worn a school uniform in her life, and now, as an adult, she was expected to conform. Who forced people to wear uniforms at a university? She ignored it and pulled out a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. When she was dressed, she quietly left her room to head to the kitchen.

The light was on as she approached, and the smell of fresh coffee hit her nose. She found Alpha Roland hunched over a cup, staring at it as if it would give him the answer to all of their problems.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” she asked as she kissed his cheek and walked over to the cupboards to pull a mug out.

“I don’t think I slept,” Alpha Roland grunted.

She felt a pang because she knew she was the cause of this.

“I’ll be fine, Dad,” she said gently as she took her cup to sit beside him.

She had been calling him dad since he found her in a foster home. It seemed like forever since then.

“If there is any sign of trouble, anything at all, call me, and I will come and get you.”

“I thought this was a rite of passage for every wolf,” she teased.

She didn’t want to point out that trouble would probably be all she would get. He was worried enough. Besides, she was sure they would have her out of there when they realised she was human. This was a colossal mistake, and someone would fix it.

“I’ve already taught you everything you need to know,” Alpha grumbled again. “If that stupid Council weren’t so stuck in their antiquated ways, there would be no need for all this.”

“The rules are the rules, Dad. You can’t break them, even for me.”

She had brought enough trouble to him over the years for the things she could not control—the calls from school, the hospital visits, and the way her mouth sometimes worked before she could stop it. But she could control the outcome of this. She could follow the rules, keep her head down, and let the Council come to the right decision themselves.

Alpha Roland sighed and hugged her to his side before he kissed the top of her head. He was a huge man, like most werewolves, even her peers. It was another reason she believed she was not one of them, no matter what she imagined had happened years ago.

“Make sure you keep standing up for yourself. Don’t let anyone break your spirit,” he whispered.

“I’m the ruthless Alpha Roland’s daughter. No one will ever break me,” she said with a sad smile.

She blinked back some tears as she pulled away.

“I’m going to make us all a huge breakfast so you can all celebrate kicking me out of the house for four years,” she said as she stood.

“I’m going to miss your cooking. Every time Caleb cooks, it tastes like he shit in it,” her Dad grunted.

Ava laughed as she pulled ingredients out of the fridge. She had to. She couldn’t let the man who raised her know how completely terrified she was of the journey she was about to start.

By the time she was almost finished, her brothers found their way downstairs to the kitchen one by one despite the very early hour. Caleb ruffled her hair before he went to pour himself some coffee. Nate went straight for a piece of bacon before planking himself down at the table. The twins, Alex and Nick, were the last down. She hadn’t thought she would see them until long after the sun had risen, but they came and kissed a cheek each before they went to sit at their kitchen table, too.

They all tried to keep the usual cheerful mood, but she could tell they were forcing it. Of all of them, Caleb was the oldest and had already done his four years. She had seen how much he changed every time he came home, and the sadness in his eyes every time he looked at her now made her worry the most. But he couldn’t tell her what to expect, like she couldn’t tell Nate and the twins when it was their turn.

“So, remember the rules,” Nate said after they finished eating. “No boys. No thinking about boys. No speaking to boys. No parties. Nothing.”

“No fun. Got it, Dad,” she snorted.

“This isn’t a fucking joke, Ava,” Caleb snapped. “For once in your life, do as you’re told.”

She stopped piling the plates and looked at her big brother in shock. Caleb looked away and started fiddling with his coffee mug.

“I’m sorry. It’s just very important that you follow their rules,” he said gruffly.

She couldn’t stop the anxiety that trickled through. Her father and Caleb were the most worried about her because they knew what it would be like. And if two men with Alpha blood were worried, how could she not be scared?

“Why don’t you go for a run before we drive Ava to the airport,” their dad suggested.

With the way Caleb lowered his head, she knew that had been a command. He rose quickly and then dropped a kiss on the top of her head before he used the back door to leave the house.

She sighed as she turned back to the rest of the family.

“I’ll be fine,” she said with a little smile.

“Yes, you will,” Alpha Roland replied with a smile of her own.

As she left her brothers to tidy up the kitchen, she couldn’t help the dread that settled in her stomach again and the bad feeling that told her that, no, she would not be fine.

Chapter 2

Ava tried to suppress the dread filling her as she sat in the back of the taxi, but she knew she was failing miserably. The taxi driver was some sort of supernatural, so he could probably sense everything. She knew that not because she had suddenly developed any enhanced senses overnight but because they were the only ones allowed to ferry the new students from the airport.

Phoenix Academy was in some super-secret location that humans were not allowed to enter. She almost snorted at that. If that was true, they should never have insisted on her attendance. She should have been allowed to go to a regular college like any other nineteen-year-old human who’d survive the torture of high school. But no, she had to attend this place with all sorts of supernatural species who could kill her without a second thought if it wasn’t for the fact that it was forbidden.

There were several branches of this academy all over the world to accommodate all of them, and she still didn’t know which one she had come to. A private plane had picked her and a few others from a small airport in Arizona, and then they had made several stops along the way to refuel and pick up more students. She had been travelling for a whole day and felt tired to the bone. Not knowing where she was made the entire situation worse.

They seemed to have been driving for hours but every time she looked at the time on her phone, it had barely moved. They had driven through the mountains, and then the taxi entered a dark forest that brought her nightmares back to the forefront. She could hardly see anything through her window even though it was still daylight, and even from the safety of the taxi, she could feel that this was somewhere she wouldn’t want to find herself alone. There was such a heavy feeling in the air as if the darkness could consume her the moment she exposed herself.

She looked away and found her gaze on the driver’s eyes in the mirror. He had a frown on his face as if he disapproved of her emotions—or her, in general. It was probably the latter, as everyone else. There was nothing she could do about anyone else’s opinion of her. She was who she was, and no amount of crying or hoping would change that.

She looked at her phone again and typed quick messages to her family just in case they would be the last ones. Her dad had already warned her that no matter which campus she ended up on, there would be no outside networks, and she would only be allowed to call from the school phones on weekends. This was a deprivation of liberty, no doubt about it. How anyone felt they had the right to do that to adults was beyond her.

But then again, she had been in their world for thirteen years. None of it surprised her anymore.

She almost teared up when she read her dad’s message.

‘Remember your name. Stand tall.’

She squared her shoulders and repeated what he had taught her from the moment they had realised she was not one of them. She was Ava Morgan, daughter of Alpha Roland Morgan, and she didn’t take shit from anybody. If only that were true.

Her shoulders sagged again as her mind tried to pull her back to the torturous years she had endured living among the wolves. Even the Alpha and his four sons had failed to keep her safe from that.

Her phone signal disappeared; her only link to her safe haven was gone. She blinked back tears as she switched her phone off and put it in her handbag.

As the Alpha of their small pack, no one had ever dared question her dad about his decision to take her in. But that hadn’t stopped the abuse when he or her brothers had not been around. School had always been the worst time for her, but at least she had always gone home at the end of the day and found comfort in her family. Now, she was out here all alone.

She could only hope that, as college students, everyone was too mature to do what they used to do to her in her isolated pack. Supernatural beings from all over the world attended this school; she had to hope that they weren’t all ignorant turds like the ones she had left behind in New Mexico.

They came out of the forest and into the sunlight again, and it felt like she had entered another world. Even the majestic beauty of the vast forest she had called home most of her life didn't compare to this. The grass seemed greener here, and tall trees lined up perfectly on either side of the road, with their branches forming an arch. Even the atmosphere felt different. If she had felt uneasy in the forest, it was worse here. She felt like a little lamb being driven into a den of predators.

She tried to put it down to nerves because of leaving her pack territory for the first time in her life, but she couldn't lie to herself for too long. She felt danger everywhere, and they hadn’t even arrived yet.

Tall, imposing gates loomed in the distance, and giant birds, which she assumed were phoenixes, were on the posts on either side. Her anxiety notched up again. Once this taxi drove back, there would be no way to leave this place. She would be stuck here for months before they would allow parents and guardians to visit on Parents’ Day. She wished she could turn back, but defying an order from the Council would bring the greatest shame to her dad. That was something she never wanted to do.

The gates slid open, and her jaw dropped when she saw the vast grounds. There was so much space she wondered if she’d ever have to go from one end to another for her lessons. If that were the case, she would never get there, not with her human speed. The buildings came closer, and she noticed they were all four storeys and looked like fancy mansions, complete with driveways that had expensive cars parked at the front.

She had never gone hungry a day in her life. She and her dad and brothers were not filthy rich; they were comfortable. But with the types of cars she saw here, she realised this was a whole different ball game. The taxi eventually slowed as it drove around a huge fountain and then stopped at the entrance of a big, imposing building. It looked like it had been built in a different time with its stone walls and spires as if it was the original building that had served the many generations of supernatural beings that came through here. Its rich history was something that would have fascinated Ava any other day, but today, she had too many knots in her stomach. She had received specific instructions to stop at the reception first, so she assumed this was the main building where it was.

“We’re here, Miss.”

She was startled when she heard the driver’s voice and realised she had just been sitting and staring like an idiot.

“Sorry. Thank you,” she mumbled, grabbing her handbag as she got out.

There were students everywhere in the same uniform that she wore: black pleated skirts for the ladies and black trousers for the guys, white shirts, and they all had maroon blazers. She noticed, though, that the others had different-coloured trimmings around the lower sleeves of the blazers.

The trunk slammed behind her, and she was startled again until she realised the driver had just taken her bags out of his trunk.

And her little gasp seemed to bring everyone’s attention to her. If she hadn’t known about this world already, she would have known they were all other-worldly just by looking at them. These were some damn good-looking people. And to top it all off, they were all perfectly made up. They could have stepped off a runway. They didn’t look like they had spent hours on a plane and tried to freshen up in its cramped bathroom.

She pushed her hair behind her ear and felt self-conscious as she picked up the handle of her luggage and started walking towards the entrance. She had dull red hair, ordinary blue eyes, freckles and skin that burnt easily in the sun. There was nothing sparkly, shiny or airbrushed about her—just ordinary. She had felt that in high school, but even those people wouldn’t hold a candle to anyone here.

As she walked past them, she saw several of them sniff the air. She kept her heart calm, as she had learned to do over the years, but this was when they would know what she was. And they would know that she didn’t belong here.

“Is she human?” someone asked.

She ignored the rest of the whispers as she finally stepped inside.

It was worse there. More people were standing around with their bags, and it looked like she had to stand in a queue to get further instructions. The others looked like they already knew each other, judging by how they talked in groups. Their conversations were lively, but they all stopped talking the moment she stopped in one of the lines. She kept her eyes down, knowing she could control her emotions better if she didn’t make eye contact with anyone. She didn’t even try to look around the interior of the building that had fascinated her from the outside.

“You’re in the wrong queue. The donors don’t come through this building.”

She looked at the boy who had said that and refrained from making a snarky comment. This was not the place to let her mouth get her into trouble. The boy had to be her age if he was in this queue. Like the rest, his silky blond hair and blue eyes could have made him a movie star.

“I’m not a doner. But thanks,” she answered with a tight smile.

“Wait. You’re actually enrolled here?” the man said incredulously. “Did someone prank you?”

“How?” she asked with a frown.

The invitations were always delivered to the intended person using magic; only they could read the details. The instructions had been very clear.

“I’m sorry. I just thought they couldn’t have humans enrolled here,” the boy said, and then he turned back around.

She had as well. She kept her fingers and toes crossed that they would tell her this had been a huge misunderstanding and send her back home. This was not the place for her.

Chapter 3

Zeke Michelson buttoned up his shirt and tried to tune out Claire’s voice in the background. He didn’t give a shit about whatever she was complaining about. They had only been here a few hours, so only the Moon Goddess knew how she had found so much to complain about.

He put his tie on and straightened it before he ran a hand through his still-damp hair.

“Are you even listening to me, Zeke?” Claire whined.

“No,” he answered as he turned to pick his blazer up.

He held her gaze, daring her to complain about that. But Claire lowered her eyes and kept her mouth shut. Her blonde hair fell over her face as she sat naked on her bed. For a moment, he considered rejoining her because the woman knew how to use her body to please him. But she was already too clingy; he didn’t want to give her any more ideas.

He left her room without a word, ignoring the shocked looks he got from the female residents of this dorm. But none of them would dare to report him. He was the future Alpha of the biggest pack in all of America. Once he graduated at the end of this year, his father would step down and make it official because he had already proved in many ways that he was more than capable.

Once out of the building, he found his friends leaning against his car, wolf-whistling the ladies as they walked past to settle into their dorms. Most of them would probably end up in their beds before the semester was out. Zeke shook his head as he unlocked his car and jumped into the driver’s seat.

“And how is our future Luna?”

He threw Myles a withering look before he started the car. Claire would never be his mate, and this idiot knew it. He had only stayed with her all these years for convenience. He was too busy to mess around with many girls. When he had started here, he’d already been shouldering many responsibilities for the pack.

Besides, his father had already arranged a suitable match, one that worked perfectly for his plans. He would be mated before he became the Alpha.

“Did you even talk to her this time?” Derek laughed as he jumped into the passenger seat.

He turned his withering gaze from Myles to Derek before he started driving out of the car park. Zeke had stopped at Claire’s dorm first before he had even gone to his appointed residence. Their bags were still in the trunk since they had driven down from the plane together. Being allowed to do that here was a privilege every student was allowed after surviving two years of this hellhole. By then, it was expected they knew the consequences of breaking any of the school rules.

“Check out that fresh meat,” Myles said from the back seat.

“She’s a vampire, you fucker,” Derek said.

“I didn’t say I want her to be my mate,” Myles laughed as he rolled down his window and called out his usual pick up lines.

The vampire’s fangs elongated and then she snarled as they drove past.

“You can bite me anytime, baby,” Myles called out.

Zeke shook his head. They had been raised together and trained together, so he knew Derek and Myles would be perfect for their Beta and Gamma roles when it was time. He just sometimes forgot that what was expected of him was on a different level. He could never be intimate with the other species, and that was so fucking ironic because the whole reason the Academy was founded was so they could all learn to co-exist. It was not forbidden for everyone else, but it was forbidden for him.

As he drove past the main building, he caught a scent in the air and wondered what fruity dish was being made in the kitchens. They had their own kitchen and could order food, but he didn’t think the main kitchen had ever made anything that smelled that good before. He took a long, deep breath and the scent seemed to coat all of his insides. His wolf, Shadow, unfurled and agreed with him. They had to have whatever that was. Shadow was practically salivating.

“What time is it?” he asked.

Maybe he would go for lunch in the cafeteria to taste that amazing dish before anyone else.

“About ten,” Derek answered. “You weren’t in Claire’s room too long.”

“You were there for an embarrassingly short time, actually,” Myles snickered.

He rolled his eyes as they finally drove down to his parking spot. As a future Alpha, he and his chosen Beta and Gamma also had the privilege of living in their own house in the residential areas set behind the main buildings and other dorms. There were other Alphas nearby, and future leaders from all the other species, except the vampires who preferred to nest in the dorms because of the extra space.

Before they got out of the car, he caught an unwelcome scent and looked in his rearview mirror to watch the man walking up their driveway. His wolf tried to force himself out at the nerve this traitor had to even show his face, but he forced him down. There were rules at the Academy, and he had followed them for three years. He would not fail now that he was almost out of this place.

‘Shall I get rid of him,’ Derek asked through the mind link.

‘No. I’ll deal with him.’

He got out of the car and walked to stand behind it, waiting for the man to approach. He didn’t sense any fear or guilt coming from the new arrival, and that was what rattled his wolf the most. The need to dominate this insignificant asshole had consumed him for three whole years.

“Welcome back,” the man said as he stopped a distance away.

Sensible. Any closer he would have given in to the temptation to rip his throat out.

“What do you want?” he growled.

“Aww, don’t be like that Ezekiel. We’re all friends here,” the asshole said with a grin.

He clenched his fist when he felt his claws lengthening.

“I wouldn’t be a good neighbour if I didn’t stop by and invite you to my party tonight, to kick the semester off right.”

“I’d rather chop off my balls.”

The asshole grinned and shrugged.

“Whatever, dude. Just being courteous. See you around.”

And then he turned and gave his back to him, something that reeked of disrespect because away from this place, you never turned your back on an enemy.

He felt his wolf thrashing around, ready to end the fucker on the spot. Though Jared was a future Alpha, too, his level of dominance was well below his own. Jared would never survive a real fight. He hid behind the rules of the academy that lulled everyone with a false sense of security, made them all believe that they were on the same level.

Derek and Myles came to stand on either side of him as they watched Jared whistle as he walked off their property. In a place like this, their houses and dorms were sacred and had the same rules as their territories at home. Any interlopers were always unwelcome. If anyone were not invited, it was better to keep away, because there were other ways to punish people at this school that didn’t break the rules. Jared knew that better than anyone else.

“One more year, Zeke. We’ll get him,” Derek said.

He managed to calm Shadow down and retracted his claws after Jared stepped out of his territory. He was pissed off with himself. He’d been taught control when he was a pup, long before Shadow had even emerged and tried to break him. Then a little shit like Jared rolled along and rattled him like this, throwing it all out of the window.

“We’ll get all of them,” Myles added somberly.

Zeke patted his Gamma on the back before he turned to open his trunk. Myles had just as much reason to wish Jared and all of his pack dead. They would get their revenge.

“Let’s get all this shit into the house,” he said as he pulled some of the bags out.

As future leaders, they had Omegas assigned to them to maintain the house and run around wherever they were needed. He never had much use for them; he left them alone and they didn’t get in his way. The academy took care of the laundry and food was delivered from the kitchen whenever he wanted it. He didn’t need anyone to cook for him. His Omegas were always first years and mostly just pissed him off with how terrified of him they were. At least they would have the house to themselves for a day or two before he had to deal with the stench of fear everywhere.

They walked into the spacious two-storey house, and the fresh scent indicated somebody had thoroughly cleaned before their arrival. He wrinkled his nose. It had all the usual scents, but for some reason, he wanted whatever scent he’d driven past to fill his home.

“I’m going to have lunch at the cafeteria today,” he announced as he walked to the stairway with his bags. “Whatever they’ve cooked today smelled good, and I’m starving.”

“I don’t think they do lunch early, especially on the first day,” Derek said as he followed.

“They did today. Didn’t you smell it?”

He looked back at his friends and they shrugged.

“Tell us when you’re ready, then,” Myles said as he stopped at the door to his room. Derek stopped at the opposite one and he carried on to the end of the hallway.

Shadow was still restless within him, obviously because of the visit from Jared. A run before lunch would soothe him. Tomorrow would be the first formal day of lessons; he needed to make sure he remained in control. Nothing could go wrong now when he was so close to everything he had worked hard for.

Chapter 4

When it was her turn, Ava finally lifted her head and looked towards the indicated room. She took a deep breath before grabbing the handle of her case and wheeling it behind her.

A woman was seated behind a large desk when she let herself in. She didn’t even look up when Ava closed the door and left the bags just inside. The woman was typing something on her computer, and Ava took the opportunity to study her.

Because she looked a little older than most supernaturals, Ava couldn’t tell what she was or if she was supernatural at all. She didn’t have the pale skin the vampires did, so she ruled that out. She dressed elegantly, and her greying hair was in a professional bun on top of her head. The name badge on the desk said, ‘Mrs. Benton, Student Welfare Coordinator.’

Ava stood nervously in front of the desk, unsure if she was to just sit or be polite and wait for an invitation. With nothing in her hands now, she could only wring them together while waiting for Mrs. Benton’s attention.

“Have a seat, please,” the woman said finally.

Ava gladly did as she was told. She was so tired from the trip and hiding her real emotions that sitting was welcome.

Mrs. Benton didn’t have a smile on her face as she pushed some paperwork in front of her.

“Name?” Mrs. Benton asked.

“Ava. Ava Morgan.”

A folder appeared in front of the older woman, making Ava almost jump out of her seat. Mrs. Benton stopped in the middle of opening the folder and raised her brow at her in question. She tried to calm her heartbeat as she gave an overly bright smile.

This wasn’t the first time she had seen magic being used. Even as remote as her pack was, there had been a witch or two that had passed through that she could remember. And since she’d had no social life, she had read pretty much all the books she could get her hands on about the other species. But seeing something conjured out of thin air? That was new. She realised she would see many new things here and had to get used to it, no matter how short her stay would be.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

Mrs. Benton kept her gaze on her a moment longer, and then she continued to flip through the file.

“Phone and any other electronics,” Mrs. Benton said, holding out her hand.

Ave scrambled to get her switched-off phone from her handbag. She hadn’t realised that when they said no phones, they actually took them. She didn’t know what to think as she placed her phone on the woman’s palm. And then, as the file had appeared, the phone just disappeared. Gone. She contained herself this time, but what the hell?!

“Ava Morgan. Omega. Work assignment to be determined. Here’s your dorm assignment, schedule and welcome pack. In there, you’ll find a map. Keys will be at the front desk in your dorm. Permitted electronics on your desk. There is a shopping centre not too far from here where you will be permitted to go if you get a pass,” she said as several more folders appeared on the desk. “Follow the rules or suffer the consequences. You may go.”

Ava almost had whiplash from how quickly she was being dismissed.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” she started. “My file says I’m an Omega?”

Mrs. Benton had already gone back to typing something on her computer.

“That’s what it says,” the woman answered in a bored tone without even looking at her.

“But I’m...” Her voice trailed off when she realised how loud she was being, so she dropped it to a bare whisper. “But I’m human. I’m sure there was a mistake—”

“There are no mistakes,” Mrs. Benton cut in. “Find your room and familiarise yourself with everything before lessons tomorrow.”

“Ma’am. I’m sorry, but I’ve never even shifted. I have nothing that would indicate I’ll ever shift at all,” she continued urgently.

Mrs. Benton stopped typing, her fingers poised over her keyboard, and her eyes glowed as she looked at her again. Ava shrank back into her chair at the transformation from a harmless-looking woman to a crazy bitch not afraid to kill her on the spot.

“You may go,” Mrs Benton repeated.

Ava’s heart pounded as she quickly stood from the chair and grabbed the paperwork she had been given. She didn’t even try to hide how fast her heart was beating, keeping her eyes on the ground as she rushed past her new schoolmates with her bag in tow.

This was not how it was supposed to happen. This was where she should have been told that a mistake had been made and arrangements would be made for her to return home as soon as possible. She had even been prepared to accept her mind being altered a little so she could forget the past few days and live like she had not received the invitation at all.

Magic was magic, but surely mistakes could still be made?

Her heart was still pounding as she struggled with her case down the steps at the entrance and then rushed over to the fountain.

There, she sat on the edge and looked numbly at the water as she contemplated her future. Was she really expected to live among them? To train with them as if they were of equal strength? The boy’s words from earlier played back in her mind. Was this a prank? Did she piss off someone that bad that they thought this was the perfect way to pay her back? She quickly dismissed that thought. No one in her pack had that much sway that they had any sort of relationship with the council members who decided these things.

When she looked up, she realised there were fewer people around now. She didn’t know how long she had sat there, but she took deep breaths and trained her body to calm down.

It was okay. Mrs. Benton didn’t listen to her, but someone was bound to take this matter up with whoever ran this place once she started her lessons.

With that conviction, she took a moment to look around properly. The old building in front of her did look like a minefield of history, but so did the others she could see to the side of it. Maybe she could learn a little bit more about the place before they kicked her out. And she was curious to know where the actual classrooms and lecture halls were.

And then there was the giant water feature in the middle of the fountain, a spherical shape with water sprouting from the top and cascading down the sides. When she looked closely, there seemed to be some symbols on it, and if she wasn’t mistaken, it was silver. That was odd. She’d never met supernaturals who would purposely have anything silver near them, considering it could kill them.

She shrugged as she finally looked down at the paperwork and pulled out her dorm information and a map.

“Wow,” she said to herself.

It seemed the grounds she had seen as she had entered weren’t even half of it. The map went on forever, though it had several areas marked restricted. The learning facilities were separated by speciality, like a regular college, and large areas were marked for the other training she would not be able to participate in.

And she had been right about how far she would have to walk daily to get to class. When she located her dorm and then the building where she would complete most of her academic studies, she mentally screamed. She would be drop-dead tired by the time she walked to class.

Maybe there would be some sort of transport information in her welcome pack. She looked over everything twice and then sighed. There was nothing. She would have to ask her roommates how things worked.

With a sigh, she put her paperwork in the bag on top of her suitcase, grabbed the handle, and started walking. She didn’t know exactly where they were, but it was bloody hot and not a good day for long walks.

When she found her dorm, she was too sweaty, hungry and thirsty to care that it looked nothing like the ones she had walked past. Nobody looked at her twice when she walked in, and no one was at the front desk. There were many sets of keys on the top, though, so she didn’t hesitate to find the one for her room.

Once she found it, she went straight to the little kitchenette to look in the fridge. There was nothing in there. No bottles of water, no food. With a sigh, she opened the tap and let it run a little before drinking as much as needed. Then she took a long, cooling shower and then wrapped her body in a towel without drying even her hair. She didn’t bother to dress or look around the room to see how many girls she would share with and if they had already arrived. She dropped herself on the only bed with folded bedding at the foot and closed her eyes.

Just a little nap. And then she could think straight enough to figure things out.

Chapter 7

Zeke shifted in the woods behind Jared’s house and snarled with frustration. What he wanted... What he needed was on that dick’s property. The scent was so strong here that Shadow was going crazy trying to cross the boundary.

He usually had a tighter grip on his wolf than this, so it occurred to him for a second that maybe he needed to worry. It had taken years of work to get that unstable beast under control.

But that scent... He was with Shadow on this. They had to find it.

So he jogged back to his house and entered through the back doors. Myles and Derek were in the lounge with a group of girls who were definitely not wolves. He ignored their questioning looks when he strode past them naked. He didn’t give a shit that his junk was swinging all over the place in front of strangers. Other wolves wouldn’t have cared, but he felt the girls eyeing him as if he were their next meal.

Derek found him as he was putting a shirt on.

“Are we going somewhere?” he asked.

“Just me.”

He didn’t want to elaborate. The whole situation stunk of hypocrisy, which he was well aware of. Claire had only mentioned the party, and he had been ready to rip her apart. Even now, the thought of going over to Jared’s house was grating on his nerves. Was it worth it? Did he need to enter the enemy’s territory just to find out what that scent was?

‘Yes,’ Shadow said.

Shadow hardly ever talked, not since he had taken control of him. But he didn’t have time to stop and think about that. It didn’t matter anyway since they agreed. They were going to the party.

“Don’t tell me you’re going back to Claire,” Derek said. “You know your father disapproves.”

He frowned at Derek as he put on his tie. Being questioned about his every move was something he wouldn’t miss once he became the Alpha. Somehow, his father always found a way to micro-manage things, even so far away.

“Not that it’s any of your fucking business, but no, I’m not going to see Claire.”

“So why are you getting dressed up?”

Zeke looked at his reflection in the mirror and paused as he made the final knot in his tie. Shit. What the fuck was he doing? This was Jared’s party, and he dressed like he was going on a date. He had no idea why he’d felt the need to do that. There would be no one he’d want to impress at Jared’s house; they were all members of his pack or people they had allied with. Which meant they were all his enemies.

Which meant he would be outnumbered if he went alone. But still...

He pulled the tie off and found a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

“Zeke, are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m just... I’m hungry.”

He was starving. He wanted whatever was whetting his appetite like this. He wanted to inhale it. Lick it. Bathe in it. He wanted it all over him if he could. The scent had invaded every part of him, almost like the scent of prey on a hunt. He couldn’t stop. His thoughts were all jumbled up as he finally pulled the T-shirt over his head and walked out of his room with Derek close behind.

“Then order something. You don’t need to go out now, not when the vampires—”

“I know what’s out there,” he growled as he rushed down the stairs.

He walked past the lounge entrance, where Myles was already entertaining some of the girls. The scent of lust was heavy in the air, tainting the sweet scent that seemed to have melded onto every cell in his body. The moment he stepped out into fresh air, the scent hit him again. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Fuck, that was amazing.

When he opened his eyes again and looked toward Jared’s house, he struggled to push Shadow back. Shifting there would be seen as an act of war, and the consequences would be more than he was willing to pay.

“Zeke... Your eyes, man,” Derek said quietly.

He took another deep breath before he looked at his friend. Why did he look so worried? He was known for his control over Shadow. It had been years since...

He looked away from Derek again to start walking down his driveway. All he wanted was to find where this scent was coming from. There would be no trouble tonight.

“Go back to your girls. I’m not staying out too long,” he commanded.

Maybe that made him a dick because Derek had to comply instead of following him. But he wasn’t going to let anyone stop him.

People moved out of his way as he went up Jared’s driveway. They stopped talking as he looked around, trying to find the source. But it wasn’t out here. He followed it into the house and stopped just inside the doorway. The scent was everywhere here. With a frown, he followed it in every room before he came to the kitchen.

The Omegas in the kitchen dropped what they were doing and shrank back. Knives clattered on the surfaces; trays fell to the floor. Zeke didn’t pay them any attention as he looked at the food on offer. He poked a piece of steak that looked like it was cooked to perfection. He had nothing but a few bites of his pastry at lunch, so looking at that meat should have made him want to eat it. None of it smelled like what he wanted, but he was practically drooling standing there. Starved. But not for this food.

He eyed the Omegas one by one, but all he could smell on them was fear.

“What else have you made? What’s that scent? Like vanilla and something fruity,” he demanded.

They didn’t lift their heads to answer him. He wondered if Jared had ordered his Omegas to never interact with him. Scowling at them, he walked around the kitchen island to stand beside them. Shadow was going crazy, in complete agreement with him. They would not be denied.

“Tell me what else you made,” he growled.

The Omega swallowed before she said, “This is everything, sir.”

He didn’t sense a lie. He growled in frustration as he backed off and left the kitchen.

If it wasn’t food in the kitchen, it had to be on one of the guests. He followed the scent to the wide-open back doors, where he could smell Jared and his pack. The patio was full of people being loud and obnoxious and participating in things they knew were not allowed on campus. But Jared was an arrogant asswipe who always flouted the rules. He would fail as an Alpha.

If he lived long enough to become one.

His nose pointed him to a spot somewhere at the loungers by the pool. First, he noticed Jared laughing at something.

And then he noticed her.

A little woman with a massive plate of food on her lap. He couldn’t stop his eyes from glowing as his body filled with the undeniable need to ravish her. He took another deep breath, and the scent almost knocked him off his feet. It was her.

Vanilla. A hint of orange blended so perfectly that his body started to react. And human.

He recoiled back. Human?

And then Shadow said something that didn’t make sense but still filled him with dread.

‘Mine.’

Chapter 5

Zeke looked at the offerings set out for the buffet with disappointment. Though all of it was quality food, as was expected at this academy, considering the amount of money most of them had to pay to be here, none of it smelled as amazing as whatever had been prepared earlier.

“Have you changed your mind?” Derek asked as he loaded a plate full of food.

Sighing, he picked up a plate and put something on it without paying much attention to what it was. He seemed to have lost his appetite without the delicious offering he had been looking forward to.

When he picked up a bottle of water as well, he looked over at his usual table and saw Myles already sitting there with a group of girls—Claire’s group of friends. The three girls went everywhere together and always forced their company on them, as if Claire was trying to pair up her friends with his, too. They turned up at every single place they went—like magic. The girls never ate in the cafeteria, so he could only guess that somebody had told them they were there.

With another sigh, he walked over to his table, nodding at some of his counterparts along the way. This school taught them how to be diplomatic and maintain relationships, and he thought he did that quite well. It didn’t matter that some of them rubbed him the wrong way or that he sensed a lot of fear in them; it was his job to maintain the peace.

“Hi, babe,” Claire smiled brightly.

Babe? He frowned at her as he took his usual seat at the head of the table and then opened his bottle of water without answering.

Maybe it was time he thought about ending this relationship. Even before his father arranged his mate, he had always known he and Claire wouldn’t go beyond a few tumbles in the sheets during the semesters. But Claire had become so comfortable with him that she constantly used these pet names. His father would lose his shit if he ever heard her call him that.

“Is that all you’re having?” Myles asked, nodding at his plate.

“Turns out I’m not hungry after all,” he answered.

He could sense Claire’s feelings. She hadn’t liked being ignored, but he was pretty sure it was something he did regularly. Why she still stuck around was beyond him. No, actually, it wasn’t. She wanted the honour of being called the next Luna of the Blood Moon Pack, even though he had never put that offer on the table.

She was beautiful enough for that role. She was all chest and butt, and she was strong enough, as proved by how well she did in their combat classes. Those had been, and still were, the only reasons he had picked her in the first place. But he wanted a little more in the brains department for his future mate. And he didn’t want a girl who would worry more about her wardrobe than being the mother of the pack. The woman his father had picked for that role ticked all those boxes.

“Did you hear what happened today?” Claire asked as she peeled a banana.

“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell us,” Myles said with a tight smile.

“There’s a human enrolled in the school.”

Zeke paused what he was doing to pay more attention to what she said.

“That’s impossible. No humans can find this place, and the Council doesn’t make mistakes like that,” he pointed out.

“And yet she’s here,” Claire grinned, her green eyes twinkling now that she had his attention. “You should have seen her. She looks like they picked her up from a homeless shelter. I bet she’ll be dead within a week.”

“She must be something. You know how things work. Maybe she’s a weak witch,” Derek said as he dug into his food.

“No, the stench of human was undeniable. But she’s been put in the Omega dorms, so maybe that’s true,” Claire said with a shrug. “I guess we will know for sure when the lessons start tomorrow.”

He ate a bit of the pastry on his plate as he thought about this. The Academy was no place for a human, and Claire was right; she probably wouldn’t last the week. How did an invite end up in her hands? Had she taken someone else’s place?

He decided to put those thoughts aside. It was not his place to question the Council.

“Are you going to the party?” Claire asked after a while.

Sometimes, he was sure she talked only because she liked the sound of her own voice. Otherwise, she would think first before she opened her mouth.

He pushed his half-eaten pastry away and looked at the woman beside him. For three years, Jared had thrown his obnoxiously loud parties every first night of the semester. So his parties had, for some reason unknown to him, become the only parties thrown the day they all got back.

Claire had better not be thinking what he thought she was thinking because he would end things with her right there. He felt his wolf stir as he looked at the traitor.

Claire looked down in submission, unable to hold his gaze.

“I’m sorry. I forgot,” she whispered.

“You forgot?” he asked with a calm he did not feel.

How could someone who wanted to be part of his life forget that Jared was his mortal enemy, the spawn of the bastard who had killed his mother and several members of his pack? How could she not know that every day was a battle not to rip him apart?

“I’m sorry, Ezekiel,” she whispered again.

He stood without another word. He couldn’t stand to see Claire’s face anymore. People may have sensed his mood because they kept out of his way as he left the dining hall.

Two semesters. Two semesters and he could gut that asshole like a fish. Shadow tried to push his way out, and this time he let him. Another run was probably what he needed to calm himself down. He didn’t think twice as he stripped before he had even arrived in the woods, and then it was Shadow’s giant paws thudding on the ground as he sped through the thick trees.

He didn’t know how long he ran, but when he decided to head back towards the creek behind their house, it was dark, and he was in control again. He didn’t shift back as he had a drink of water and then lay on a patch of grass to enjoy the peace.

As he dozed off, that amazing scent filled his nose again. He was on his feet in a shot as he sniffed the air. That scent... Was it dinner time already? No, that was not coming from the same direction as the kitchen. Shadow took the lead as he followed the scent. He would find it this time. He didn’t think he would get any rest until he figured out where it was coming from.

He heard loud music and remembered the asshole’s party, but even that was not enough to distract him from following the scent. It felt almost like a compulsion. Like he had to find it, or he would go crazy.

Chapter 6

Ava woke up with a start and looked around the dark room. She felt disoriented until she remembered the nightmare that had become her life.

There was a lamp on the table next to her bed, so she felt her way in the dark and put it on. When she looked around, she realised she was still alone. It looked like her dorm mates hadn’t arrived yet, which was weird. She was sure they said everyone needed to be on the premises by three in the afternoon, and it was long past that now.

There were three other beds in this room, each with a side table on one side and a desk and chair on the other. On her desk was a laptop and what looked like a tablet. Those had to be the electronics she had been told about by Mrs Benton. Then, separating each space were big wardrobes. On the other end was the kitchen area, which didn’t look like much at all. Just a counter with a microwave on it, a small fridge under it, and a small sink to the side. There was a small table and two chairs in front of it.

She would have expected more from a place like this, but as she had been placed in what was already labelled the Omega dorm, she wasn’t surprised.

She got off her bed slowly, her stomach growling. Her last meal was a sandwich on the plane, and she had only a few bites because she had been too anxious. But now it was so dark, she knew she had missed all the meal times and hadn’t even gone through the welcome pack yet.

Ava walked over to the sink and filled her stomach with water again. She had always eaten well; her family always joked that she may not be a wolf, but she had a wolf’s appetite. Going without food for so long was something she had never done. She would faint if she waited much longer, and fainting was the last thing she wanted to do in a place like this.

She walked back to her bed and dragged her suitcase onto it before grabbing something to wear. There was no time to unpack now; she would have to do it after she found something to fill her stomach. A place this big had to have somewhere other than the kitchen to provide food.

With her jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie on, she zipped up her bag and opened her wardrobe. Then she froze when she saw the assortment of uniforms hanging in it, and closer inspection revealed her name on the name tag.

“What the...”

She had thought she would have to wear the same uniform daily. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that she would have to stay, so it had seemed sufficient. But this just served as a reminder that she may be here for the foreseeable future.

“How did they even know I’d pick this bed?” she asked out loud.

She glanced at the bedding on her bed and then noticed there was none on the others. There were no laptops on the other desks either. Was she alone in this room?

“No freaking way,” she said.

That had to be a mistake. There was no way they would force her to navigate this new world alone.

Her stomach growled again, and she hunched over. There was no time to dwell on the roommate situation now. She hadn’t dried her hair after the shower, so it looked like a rat’s nest on top of her head. It would be a bitch to untangle, so she grabbed a ball cap and some sneakers and then left the room.

She seemed to have walked forever when she realised she had gone in the wrong direction. It was dark, and nothing looked familiar anyway, but this area seemed full of big fancy houses. Maybe the teachers? She should have brought her map, but it was pointless now. She was going to turn back when she heard some music. As she walked further along, past fancy house after fancy house, the music got louder. It sounded like a party. And wherever there was a party, there was food!

Ava walked quickly until she came to a house where groups of people were standing outside. She couldn’t tell what they were, but they would all know what she was the second she got close. She pushed her cap down her head and walked past them.

‘Act like you belong. Be confident.’

It was her dad’s voice in her head, but Caleb’s voice kept telling her to keep her head down and stay away.

She chose to listen to her dad. She was freaking starving!

So she walked past the well-dressed people like she knew where she was going. Though the guys were more casual, the girls had dressed up to their teeth. It was so obvious that she didn't belong there, but she ignored the looks and walked up the driveway behind a particularly loud group.

There were expensive cars parked along the driveway, cars she had never seen before, even in magazines. That alone should have made her run, but she followed the group to the wide-open entrance. The music was so loud that she wondered how their sensitive ears could handle it. The lights had been dimmed, but as she walked further into the vast lobby, she saw it tastefully decorated, as if the people there had decorators in. Not that she had ever been invited to a party before, but this looked like overkill. Who owned this house? Royalty? It was too much for a college.

There were hardly any people in the house, but the group she followed was heading out to the back. Maybe that was where everyone was, and she wouldn’t have to see too many of them after all. She would just find the kitchen and then be on her way.

It took a while to look through the rooms downstairs. The house had so many rooms that she didn’t even know what half of them were. She shared less space with her family, and all of them were huge Alphas.

Eventually, she walked up to the kitchen, where she found a group of girls preparing trays overflowing with food. They were dressed in uniforms; she couldn’t help the snicker that came out of her lips. How the other half lived—decorators, caterers, and servers.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

She looked at one of the girls and contemplated lying, but she was the newbie here, while the caterer seemed to know how things worked.

“I’m sorry. I got lost. Can I have something to eat?”

“You can’t eat here. Get out before you get all of us in trouble,” another girl snarled.

That was ridiculous. There was so much food in front of them that one serving wouldn’t be missed. She was sure most of it would even go to waste. Her mouth was watering as she looked at the meat, and the gorgeous aromas filled her nose.

“Even just a piece of fruit—”

“Get the fuck out!” the girl snapped.

“Is that any way to speak to my guest?”

The girls gasped and averted their gaze. Ava turned to see the newcomer at the door and almost gasped, too. To say he was beautiful was an understatement. His blond hair was long and tied back, and he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. And he was so big that she knew he was an Alpha.

“Sorry, sir,” one of the girls stammered.

Ava frowned when he looked back at the girls. She didn’t need wolf senses to know how terrified they were.

“Give my guest a plate,” the Alpha said. “It’s not every day Little Red walks into the wolf’s den.”

And then he smiled—a wolfish smile that left her feeling cold as she wondered if she had just put herself in danger.