3. New Chapter Of Life

Diana's POV

Two weeks later,

“Diana,”

I was in a deep sleep when I heard Clara’s voice, the caretaker of this cottage. She was an old woman without a wolf, just like me, and I had developed a maternal bond with her.

“Wake up, Alpha Marcus called you into his office. He said now you’re recovered, so he needs to discuss some matter,” she said, drawing the curtains aside.

My throat tightened as I sat up, bracing myself for the impending conversation because I knew what he’d say.

“Don’t worry, he won’t throw you out. He’d only ask some random questions about your will. If you don’t want to leave, just tell him. He’ll listen to you.” Clara tried to calm me because I’d told her I had nowhere to go.

“Relax, everything will be fine.” She gently patted my back, her touch conveying a keen sense of reassurance.

“I know,” I nodded in agreement, and she left the room with a firm instruction to come downstairs for breakfast before heading to Alpha Marcus.

Soon after breakfast, I was in the office of Alpha Marcus in a white full-sleeve crop top and blue baggy jeans.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, putting some files aside.

“I’m fine,”

“Good, I won’t disturb you with random questions and come to the point. Clara told me you’ve nowhere to go. Is it correct?”

I thought about what to say because I didn’t want to lie.

“I’m an orphan,” I responded because it was an undeniable truth. Grandpa adopted me into his packhouse, but I wasn’t his flesh and Darren had already abandoned me, so I was left alone.

“Do you want to stay here, or do you want to leave? You have fully recovered and are free to go, but I strongly advise you to stay here for your safety. I understand that you may not want to talk about what happened to you and how you ended up in that condition in the lake, but it’s important to find you a shelter and you can trust me. You’ll be safe here.” His voice was so calm. He explained everything to me so clearly.

“It’s all I wanted to say. Rest is up to you,” he added.

“I want to stay,” I spoke almost five minutes later after considering living outside or finding shelter, but I ended up with nothing. Darren might not want me now, but he spoiled me before and never prepared me for the realities of the outside world, and now I was left with nothing in my hand.“Do you have plans?” he asked.

I gazed at him, puzzled by his question and unsure how to respond.

“I knew you’d stay here. That’s why I’m asking. Do you have plans? What will you do here?”

I shook my head.

“Alright, so this is the paper for your college admission. Fill out this form and I’ll see the rest of the formalities.” He handed me a form.

“College,” I spoke like a question.

“Yeah, you’ll join college. I don’t think you should waste your time at home.”

“But,” I wasn’t sure what to say because I completed high school last year and didn’t consider going to college as there was only one college in the south, located in the middle of a city with many packs surrounding it so students from various packs studied there. Even Darren and Charlotte also studied there. However, I wasn’t prepared to encounter so many people because of my negative experience with my pack.

“Don’t say you want to waste your time in the cottage and remain helpless for all your life. Don’t you want to be independent and strong?” Alpha Marcus commented on my reaction.

I looked at him. He raised his brow, demanding an answer from me.

“I don’t know how to face people,” I stated the fact. My life was better in high school when Darren was with me, but when he went to college, the bullies started their torture. The last three years have been a living hell for me. After that nightmare, I didn’t consider going to college because Darren graduated last year, and now there was no one to look out for me.

“This is not an excuse. Do you want to depend on others all your life? Why don’t you stand for yourself?”

I looked at him. He was right. I couldn’t depend upon others all my life, first Darren and now him. I needed to do things for myself for my survival.

“Don’t you think it’s now time to get strong?”

Yes, he was right. It was time to get strong so I could face Darren and Charlotte. She needed to be accountable for her actions, and I’d make sure she was.

So, without thinking more, I filled in the necessary information and handed him back the paper.

He looked at it and responded.

“Good, you want to study business. Go and sit in the car. I’m coming shortly.”

“Starting from today?” I questioned.

“Yes, you’re going with me from today,” he said, emphasizing the last word. I nodded and strode out of his office.

*********

More than half an hour later, we were at our destination. The entrance was empty, with only a few students present, the time already reaching 10 o’clock. The gatekeeper opened the door and Alpha Marcus drove his car inside.

“Step out of the car and wait here for me. I’ll be right back after parking the car,” he said.

I stepped out of the car, and he drove towards the drive away. I looked around.

I was outside the administrative block and could see many students moving around. Even though it wasn’t the main area of the college, there were still a lot of students.

“New admission.” I was still looking around when a cheerful voice resonated from behind. I turned and found a young girl of my age. She was a blonde with sparkling blue eyes and long eyelashes. Her eyes captivated me.

“Hey,” she waved her hand before my face to gain my attention.

“I’m sorry. Your eyes are gorgeous.” I complimented her wholeheartedly.

“Thank you, but your emerald ones are way more captivating.”

I smiled, and she asked.

“Are you a new admission or a professor’s relative? I just saw you stepping out of his car?”

However, before I could answer her, Alpha Marcus arrived.

“Let’s go, Diana,” he said without looking at the girl. However, he stopped when she said.

“Professor,”

He turned around.

“Isabella, what are you doing here?”

“Raymond, he broke the nose of Liam.”

“What? But why? I’ll talk to him after class. Go to your class now. I’m coming.”

Isabella nodded, waved her hand at me, and then left. I smiled and followed Alpha Marcus to the administrative office. There I met Miss Julia, who is in charge of the management of all classes. Alpha Marcus talked to her, and she handed me the timetable of my classes. I looked at it. There were five classes: finance, accounting, marketing, English, and physical education (Shift and combat).

Everything was fine except for the last class because I didn’t have a wolf, so I couldn’t shift and fight. However, I breathed a sigh of relief because there were only two classes each day, and this class was on Monday. This meant I had four days to think about it.

Alpha Marcus completed the remaining formalities and said.

“Let’s go,” I followed him into the college campus. The college was enormous, with various departments. He headed towards the business department, which alone was larger than my entire high school.

The crowded corridors parted for Alpha Marcus, a highly respected figure in the college and to me, he was known for his kindness and gentleness. I was impressed with his personality.

Finally, seven to eight minutes later, we arrived outside the classroom.

I followed him inside and saw boys and girls sitting together. I spotted Isabella among the students, and she smiled at me.

“Introduce yourself,” he said and moved towards the podium. I was puzzled for a moment about what to say.

“Hi, my name is Diana. I’m new here.” I said nothing more.

“I’m new here,” I heard someone’s voice. He was blatantly mimicking me, which made me feel upset. However, Isabella stepped in to save my face.

“Hi Diana, I’m Isabella. Come, sit with me.”

I glanced at Alpha Marcus. He nodded, so I moved towards Isabella and sat beside her.

“She’s a late admission, so I hope you’ll all lend her your support,” he said, and with that, the class began.

He was our English professor, and I was fortunate that my first class was with him.

We had a one-hour break after the class ended, and the second accounting class was scheduled for one o’clock, so Isabella took me with her and showed me around. Our department was beautiful and full of greenery. I enjoyed my first day until I accidentally bumped into a girl, causing her coffee to spill all over her dress.

“You bitch,” she slapped me right across my cheek. The force caught me off guard, making it much harder to handle. As a result, my lip was cut from the corner. I could have fallen if Isabella hadn’t supported me.

“How dare you, Audrey?” Isabella retorted, coming in front of me.

“Why it’s you again? Can’t you and your friends stay away from me?” Audrey seemed annoyed.

“Apologize to Diana for your misconduct.”

“Are you dreaming? She spilled coffee over me. It should be her apologizing to me for destroying my expensive dress.” She shot me a piercing look.

“You slapped her without even waiting for her apology, so now you need to say sorry.” Isabella was determined to cause trouble for herself, so I stepped in to stop her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you coming.”

“Diana,” Isabella tried to stop me, but I held her hand.

“Better watch next time,” Audrey, filled with disdain, stormed off with her companions.

“Why did you intervene? She needs to learn to respect others. Just because she’s Gamma’s daughter doesn’t give her the right to insult others.”

“Alright, leave it. Let’s go for the class.”

“I’m not talking to you,” she said, moving ahead.

Perhaps her wolf increased her speed, making me sprint to keep up with her, only to suddenly collide with a hard wall after taking a few steps. Isabella wasn’t there to lend me support this time, causing me to almost lose my balance and fall. However, the sturdy wall that I accidentally ran into saved me from falling by swiftly enveloping me with his arms around my waist.

I briefly glanced at his face and noticed his dark black orbs. His wolf was dominant. His heart started racing, and before he could utter a word, Isabella showed up.

“Diana, are you alright?”