Chapter 4

"Welcome to SpellMoon Academy. I'm Jessica, a member of the Full Moon Pack." A pair of deep blue eyes scrutinize us, especially me. And it is to measure the competition standing in front of her. I love the mean head girls of the other academies. It is fun to throw them from that position.

She arches her well-shaped eyebrow at me, measuring the challenge I throw at her. "I've been told to show you both the girl's dorm. Come with me." She gives me a long stare before turning her back in swift grace at us. 

We both start following and I saunter beside her. The blondie observes me through the corner of her eyes. The main hall arches above into two huge staircases that lead to the same floor. Strange. Why not keep one staircase? 

"The left staircase is for the Professors and members of the Full Moon Pack. You both are going to use this one." She says as if reading my mind. Can she read my mind? "And don't even try to use the right stair when you don't belong to the Full Moon Pack." She adds. 

No, she can't read my mind. Else the things I imagine to do with her attitude includes her black stilettos tripping down the staircase and leading to an elegant fall.

'You need to keep your sadistic imaginations in check.' Sia comments inside my head. And I hate that she is right. Who knew that a wolf can be kinder than a human? 

We reach another huge hall with a lot of cabinets and picture frames at the corner walls, half shadowed by another pair of arching staircases that lead to the next floor. It would be the third floor, I guess. 

"This is the hall of fame. All the winners and top students have their achievements placed here." The blondie speaks again, flipping her super curly hair past her shoulder. "The girls' dorm room is here." We walk with her towards the left-hand door standing below the arch of the ascending staircase. The shadow forming over the door due to the staircase makes it look kind of..uh.... what's the right word? 

'Mysterious?' Sia answers it for me. 

Jessica opens the door and walks ahead, not paying heed to our steps behind her.

"This place has a weird smell," Tessa whispers in my ear. 

"What smell? And why are you whispering?" I ask. 

"You can't smell it?" Tessa frowns at me. 

"All I can smell is Dior perfume from the blonde bitch's underarms," I say, grimacing at the thought. 

Tessa rolls her eyes at me and we focus our attention on the girl's dorm in front of us. We walk on the marble-tiled long hall with doors on each side. There's a huge window at the end of the hall, giving a spectacular view of the academy lake outside. Small ceiling LEDs light up our path as we walk through the hall towards the door which is supposedly our room as the blondie taps her heel in front of it. 

She stares at us, her nude glossy lips twisted in annoyance and arms crossed over her cleavage-revealing blacktop. 

"Here's your room. The luggage will be escorted by the staff here. The academy rulebook must be on your respective tables. Read it thoroughly to understand the system of this Academy." She feigns sheer disinterest as she walks out of the door and shoves Tessa aside to stride back to wherever she is going. 

"Hey!" Tessa shouts at her, but one signal from me stops her. 

Blonde bitch turns at us and poses like a fake model. "I'm sorry, but don't consider me your friend and don't try to talk to me in front of anyone. Doesn't fit my reputation." She twirls one strand of her curl. 

"Oh don't worry. Our friend circle doesn't include ugly bitches with no brains." I flash a sweet smile at her, watching her round nose turn a shade crimson, as her facial muscles crinkle. 

Before she can say anything, I pull Tessa inside our room and close the door. Tessa bursts out into laughter. "Remind me to never get on your bad side." She says. 

"Sure. Now…" I scan the huge room. 

The white walls illuminate under the sunlight falling through the glass windows beside two humongous beds that stand a few inches apart in the middle of the room. 

"Wow! This is something." Tessa says.

We are used to luxury but I expected Hogwarts architecture when coming to this Academy. I walk towards the seating area on the left-hand side of the room, which has a huge modern fireplace and two big couches and a centre table in front of it. 

A red book lies on the centre table, the front cover embossed with a golden crest that bears a moon and a wand drawn on it. 

The Academy emblem. 

"Found the rulebook," I say. 

"Great. But we need to talk first. About the situation." Tessa reminds me. I sigh. 

He's not here. He shouldn't be. My fate can't be that bad. Or maybe it is. 

But, if that's so, then all my efforts...

"There's nothing to talk about. He's a student here but that doesn't mean he's here right now. According to my calculation, he should be at Hemsworth mansion, shedding tears of grief and breaking bones in agony of his to-be bride who he wanted to cage for eternity. But she ran away." I say, trying to believe my own words.

I'm right. I have to be. 

"Umm, okay. But what if someone here tells him that his fiance is here?" Tessa asks the question I am trying my best to avoid.

"Tessa?" 

"Yeah?'

"Please don't scare me and read this." I pass her the rulebook and drop myself on the nearby couch. Tessa sighs in defeat and starts with her dictation when there's a knock at the door. My heart races with fear coursing through my nerves. Did he already find me? 

Tessa looks at me with the same tinge of fear. My efforts are not wasted! 

"Must be the luggage." I jump from the seat and walk towards the door. 

"Yeah, luggage." Tessa joins me. 

Deep breaths. 

He can't be outside. 

Yes, he can't be. 

On a count of three, I open the door and find…

No one? 

"I guess you were right. It's luggage." Tessa walks past me and bends down to pull the bags inside. I heave a sigh of relief and my eyes catch a golden envelope on the bushy welcome mat. I pull the envelope and flip it to find the academy emblem embossed on the back. Just like the rulebook. 

"What's that?" Tessa asks. 

I shrug and neatly pull out the card inside. 

It reads…

||Dear Miss Hemsworth 

& Miss Stone

We invite you to the Academy's five hundredth freshers welcome party. 

Venue: Academy garden

Time: 7 pm 

Student attendance is necessary.||

"Salty sugars! They throw a fresher's party for the newcomers!" Tessa jumps in excitement. 

"Shit! We have an extra problem now!" I stop Tessa from shaking her butt on the floor. 

"What?" She stares with furrowed eyebrows. 

"We don't have dresses! What are we going to wear?" 

Tessa narrows her eyes. "Dresses? There's going to be an entire bunch of students at the academy party and you are worried about the dresses?" 

I frown."What are you getting at?" 

"What if Alpha Tristian decides to join the party?" Tessa says. 

****************

"Sit!" I push Tessa on the bed. The girl keeps moving like a dolphin, escaping her makeup. 

"But can't I just wear jeans and a top?" She whines.

"Are you crazy? I worked so hard to perfect your evening gown. Wearing jeans to your first freshman party is a fashion crime!" My eyes focus on finishing the eyeliner on her left eye. After an hour or so, I finally got over with our makeup and dress. 

"Let's go!" Tessa says. 

I nod and we walk out of our room towards the hall. The corridor is empty which means everyone is already at the party.

Tessa turns towards me, her perfectly lined eyes staring at me with concern. 

"You fine, Cinn?" Her glossy pink lips form the question that I don't want to answer. 

I'm freaking inside. Not because of my first appearance at the party. But for the people who will be at the party. "Doesn't matter. Student attendance is compulsory." I remind her that there is no escape. It is more like reminding myself that I have no choice. 

I have to face today. 

"Okay." Tessa gives a small smile, her foundation-less face glowing under the ceiling light. She's a natural beauty. That is why I didn't resort to applying much makeup on her. We descend the designated staircase, the length of my blue satin evening gown sweeping across the floor. 

A few unknown glances fall at us as we step into the main hall. The students whisper among each other about the rumours they've heard about us. Most of them include how we're the rest of the bloodlines and entered the Academy on the support of our family name. Entering the academy on the spine of my family wasn't the desirable option. But I have to live with it. 

"Ladies! Oh wow!" Our favourite warlock and saviour walks past the entrance door to receive us at the entrance door. He stares at Tessa first, his eyes rounding up.

"Where's Tess? Who's this?" He arches an eyebrow. 

"Shut up! Or I'll show my super strength at the middle of the party." Tessa raises her balled fist. 

"None needed. I'm just surprised. You remember that you are a girl." Alex grins, putting his hands in front of us in defence. 

Tessa shows her tongue at him.

"And you…" he shifts his gaze at me, his eyes sparkling in admiration."You look amazing as ever." Alex smiles at me. 

"I can say the same thing about you." I wink at him and his green eyes light up. "Let's go." I snake an arm over Tessa's and one over Alex. My silver strappy heels crush the soft green grass beneath me as I sashay forward with my lovable duo. Rows of seating tables wrapped in red silk glow under the hanging copper fairy lights and lanterns. A huge crowd of students in tuxedos and gowns swarm the length of the garden with glasses of wine in their hands. That's the drink he's talking about. 

A subtle smell of roasted beef and chocolate waffles my nostrils. "The best thing. Food." Tessa says in excitement, her eyes focused on the buffet at our right. 

"I'll get drinks for you both. Wait here." Alex walks away, leaving a hungry Tessa and an anxious me in the middle of curious glances. 

But curious glances are not the real thing I'm worried about. 

What if he's here? 

What if he tries to force me? 

Will I be strong enough to fight him? 

My breath hitches at my throat. 

The air is cold around, but the tension boiling inside makes me sweaty.

"So you two dared to come with your ugly dresses." A familiar bitchy voice interrupts my thoughts. 

I turn around to face Jessica in a bright red gown, staring back at me. She looks good with her hair tied up in an updo and lips painted dark red. I notice her measuring my dressing sense and feeling the waves of competition knocking her hard on the face.

Game on, bitch.

"Got inspired from you, if we are playing the ugly dress here," I say, my lips lifting in a sarcastic smile. 

"I wasn't talking about you two." She retorts. 

"Does it look like I care, honey?" I chuckle. 

"Watch out. You're talking to the Luna of the Full Moon pack." She narrows her eyes at me. Luna? Her energy doesn't seem to be that strong. Oh, wait! I forgot. 

Strength or brain is not a requirement for a Luna. It's the kindness of heart and idiotic dedication to the pack Alpha. Though, according to the Academy's rulebook, the Luna of the Full Moon pack doesn't mean the Alpha's mate. It refers to the female head wolf of the pack. 

Just the position I'm looking for. 

"Or what? The Alpha will come at me?"I arch an eyebrow, noticing that my dear friend Tessa is nowhere around me. So I am alone to fight if the Alpha does come at me. Great! Jessica grits her teeth, trying to growl at me. But she can't. Luna never growls in front of an academy students crowd. I don't know whether to love or hate the academy rulebook. 

"I don't want to waste my precious time on you. It's a full moon. Good luck with your mate. If you find one." She snarls at me. 

"Sorry, what? Full moon? Mate?" I frown, my heartbeat pacing up with the possibilities of her statement.

"You don't seem to know. This party was organised on the basis that when the full moon shines in the sky, the werewolf students get their true mate blessed by the moon goddess herself." She says and walks away, leaving me flabbergasted. 

Before I can think of anything, my eyes fall on the full moon that's already shining just above me in the night sky. 

Oh no! 

I need to run! But where? 

I run past the crowd, in search of my long lost friends who seem to have forgotten me. I don't know where my steps take me, my mind swirling into a daze. Strands of my open hair fall on my face as I stop in front of the serene lake mirroring the moon above it. A scent of deep forest mixed with lavender invades my nose. For some reason, my wolf gets excited. 

' He's here!' Sia squeals. 

Oh no. 

The scent travels through my head, making everything seem like a dream. A sweet dream. I feel the urge to dive into this scent. It's so... beautiful. 

What's happening to me? 

Sia, stop it! 

I try controlling my wolf when the smell intensifies. 

No, no, no, no, no…

An uncontrollable urge makes me turn around to face a man in a checkered black and grey suit standing a few feet away from me. His crystal baby blue eyes glisten under the fairy lights, while they bore into me. His fingers run through his silver hair, as he takes predatory steps towards his prey.

My mouth forms out the name even before I can think about it. Because I had heard what he looks like. 

"Alpha Tristian Knight."  

I'm officially doomed. 

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