Chapter 2: Wrong School

Bleary eyed, I squint at the twin huge boulders that hide the portal to the Realms beyond ours. This is it. I am finally going to the Academy. I would be excited if my head weren’t hurting like hell. I should not have gotten so drunk last night. I can’t even see colors properly.

Around me are my friends and peers who will be getting enrolled in the Academy today as well. I spy Thorne conversing with his father, Aria hugging her mother, Trinity kissing her girlfriend goodbye. . .all very touching moments they seem to be having.

I already had mine. It came with a book of rules and regulations on how the future Queen of Wolvendom is expected to behave. I was forced to memorize the first page and. . .My days of extravagance and partying are officially over. No males. No alcohol. No getting high. No smooches in between. No fun. One must be courteous and respectable. I must lead my people in the right direction with the Goddess as my guide. Her will must be my will.

Like hell will any of that happen.

The moment I get into the Academy, I’m burning the damn book.

“Gather around, children,” Grand Mistress Atlas says. She heads the Academy, and as such, only she can usher us in. Her green official robes billow around her as she places herself between each boulder, waiting for the last of us to inch closer for the address.

Aria is instantly by my side, eyes bright with glee and uncontained excitement. “Can you believe it? We’re finally going!”

“Ugh. Get your shit together, Ari,” Trinity scoffs, settling on the other side of me. “You do know we’re going to get drilled and pummeled in there.”

“The drilling’s just for the first year, Tri. I’ve heard it gets so much better in the second year. We even get to mingle with the older wolves! I heard they’re hot too. Mouth watering, yum yum—”

“Focus, Ari,” I growl, needing to hear the Grand Mistress’s address. I’ve been told to listen to the woman’s every word if I want to get through my first year. They say the first year is the hardest. It is where the strongest are chosen to move on, and the weak either die, quit, or get expelled.

Werewolf Academy isn’t your regular human university. There, we are taught the necessary skills to survive the incoming war. We study like the human do, but learning their science and technology is in no way fundamental to us. We have the Moon Goddess. We have portals. We have her blessed magic. We have pack telepathy. What better way to communicate than that?

The Lycans do not share our sentiment. They incorporated science and the Goddess’s magic into their realm, growing even more advanced than the humans. Stuck-up and arrogant pieces of shit. Good thing I wasn’t born there. I have no doubt that I wouldn’t fit in with the lot of them.

   "Young ones, I must anchor you on the journey to the next phase of your lives. You will be addressed properly once you are upon the academy grounds," she pauses, smiling softly at us, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

     Her eyes cool, sharp blades, observing and noting everything. Her gaze suddenly meets mine, and I lower it in a show of subservience. She gives me the creeps.

      Luna knows how long she has been alive for. The sole survivor of Hekate's ruination of the Goddess's temple. She doesn't look a day older than forty. Though, we age slowly, hers is a mystery.

     Some say it is because she is closer to Luna than any of us. Some say she carries the souls of her dead sisters around with her.

     My surest bet is the first option. After all, it was she who brought the Goddess's will to my ancestor and founded the schools with his help, gaining a seat of power that nearly transcends even the king's throne.

      Grand Mistress Atlas turns to the boulders and places a hand atop it, chanting something that makes the air on my skin rise. 

     The boulders begin to glow with soft green light, right before the earth beneath my legs shake.

     "Woah," I say, arm flailing as I try to gain balance. Aria is grasping onto my leather sleeve tight enough to shred it. "Let go Aria!"

     "I'll fall!" She squeals before careening into me and Trinity.

     I swerve out of the way quickly, gripping her arm as I do, lest she falls into the puddle of muddy water beside us.

      "You're a life saver," she pants, righting herself as the shaking stops.

      "You are not merely walking through a portal," the Grand Mistress continues, and my gaze darts over the parted space between each boulder that is brightly lit up. "You are moving between realms, and as such, you will need the Goddess's approval. Should she find you unfit to attend the academy, the portal will reject you immediately."

     Trinity sudden nudges my shoulder and when I arch a brow at her, she merely inclines her head towards Thorne, who is now standing beside her.

     "Hey there, knuckle head," he teases and my toes curl at the deep baritone of his voice.

      "Hey," I smile shyly, praying to the Goddess that I have not turned red yet. "Ready for this?" I say, gesturing towards the talking Grand Mistress.

      He shrugs. "You'll be there. Nothing else matters."

      I blush. It is words like that make me want to curl up by his side and kiss him until we're both breathless. 

     As if he can read my thoughts, his lips drop to mine and my core heats up. Hell.

     "Oh, for the love of the Goddess, get a fucking room already!" Trinity chides in a hushed tone, and Thorne chuckles before returning his attention ahead.

     I stare for a moment longer, watching his beautiful side profile, etching the lines and panes to my memory. I have no idea why I feel solemn all of a sudden. A sense of foreboding settles over me, and I can't seem to shake it off.

     Rolling my shoulders, I force myself to listen to the last of the Mistress's address. "You must be at ease and trust her to lead you to the right place. Now," she says, inclining her head toward the portal. "The Academy awaits."

     At the Grand Mistress's behest, we get in line. I am given a wide berth, as are my circle of friends. No one wishes to get on the princess's bad side by stepping her boots. Or her friend's boots.

     Yeah, I can be edgy sometimes.

     All the time.

     The blonde werewolf at the front of the line seems to be having an anxiety feat and keeps toing around the portal like it is some sort of evil she must avoid. People snicker behind me, and some growl with impatience. 

    I merely shift from foot to foot, heart thrumming in anticipation.

    "What if it rejects me?" The female asks with a high pitched timid voice that is grating to my ears.

     "Well, try again next year! Ba!" Someone laughs from the back.

     "Get the fuck off the line, loser!" Another yells and barks a laugh.

      The Grand Mistress pats the blonde's hair lovingly. "Then you can always try again with the next set dear. There is nothing to fear. It is the Goddess's will. She means no harm at all. Place your hands on the surface and let it guide you where you belong."

      The girl swallows loud enough for the crowd to hear, but holds her hands out before her and places it on the luminous surface between each boulder. 

      In the blink of an eye, she disappears. There are gasps and hoots around me, but I have watched this numerous times. It is nothing surprising.

     Grand Mistress looks up from the portal, glancing through the line in search of something. Someone. I lean back into Thorne's warmth, hoping to hide from her. Instinctively, his arm bands around my waist, pulling me further into him and his nose ruffles my hair.

     My eyes shutter at the feel of Thorne's fingers against my bare midriff, and my heart begins to pound, even if it is just a casual touch.

     But the spell is suddenly broken when Grand Mistress Atlas calls out, "Princess Astrid?"

     My eyes snap open to find the Mistress's disapproving glance on me. I mirror her expression and inch out of Thorne's arms as she beckons me forward.

      As Princess, I should have been the first to go through the portal, but I'm in no hurry to leave my friends yet.

     Trinity slaps my arm. "Good luck girl! See you on the other side!" she squeals, grinning from ear to ear. Aria looks teary eyed. Drama queens. I'll see them in a couple of minutes. Why so emotional? 

      I give them funny looks and walk ahead of the lines, ignoring the envious looks I get from my peers. 

     "You must follow protocol at all times, Princess. I do not take kindly to being disobeyed," The Grand Mistress says when I stop before her, clicking her tongue in displeasure.

     "Take it up with my father then," I purr, walking past her.

    "Hold out your hands," she says sternly, annoyance stark in ber voice, but I don't care. I despise being told what to do. I despise people who try to control me. I despise being ordered around.

     I hold out my hands and take a step forward, stopping in front of the portal. My breath leaves me as the air around me suddenly cackles with otherworldly energy. The hairs on my skin rises and my heart picks up quickly, racing with excitement and trepidation.

    The iridescent colors swirling through the portal are mesmerizing and I find myself taking another step forward.

     The Grand Mistress is speaking but I can't h hear her anymore. My world, my thoughts ha have been reduced to the low thrumming sound that seems to vibrate through my very being.

      "Astrid..." a voice that is both young and ancient, beautiful and astounding, masculine and feminine calls out to me from beyond, and lost in a trance, I take another step forward.

     "Astrid..."

     Following the ethereal sound, I place my hand on the surface of the portal.

     I jerk suddenly as unseeing hands grab me and hurl me into the portal.

    Then, I fall.

     The world around me dissolves into a blur and the ground under my feet has been removed. I scream as the wind whips  my hair and clothes around me. My heart plummets as I drop into the void like a human rocket dropping from the sky.

     I shut my eyes as they begin to hurt and I brace myself for impact as soon as the sceneries start to shift--

     I crash head first into a hard rock. I groan, shifting lightly. Maybe not a rock. It is surprisingly smooth.

     The sound of female laughter has my eyes snapping open. I squint up at the bright light over head and the people peering down to look at me.

     "Is she alright?"

     "Where'd she come from?"

    "Appeared out of nowhere."

     The voices attack me all at once and I clutch my ears, whimpering. Too loud. Everything is too loud.

     A cackling sound suddenly fills the air and a loud voice booms across the space. "Attention students! You are to assemble in the Lycan King's Hall for the official address in ten minutes. Remember, you will be penalized for tardiness!"

    The crowd around me disperses and I drop my hands from my ears, confused as hell. Lycan King? In Werewolf Academy? What in the three realms is happening?

    I push up to my feet, groaning at the ache in my back. People push past me quickly, rushing to wherever this hall is and I squint, trying to make out the faces I see, but I don't recognize these people.

    Moreso, they look and smell wrong.

   Like...Lycans.

   That can't be right.

    "Excuse me," I say, trying to stop the nearest person I see, but I am pushed aside.

    I stare at the male's retreating back, surprised. Does he not know who I am? How dare he push me? 

    Scowling, I try again. And again. 

    I successfully stop a female who looks at me like I am filth. "Where am I Where is this?"

    She gives me a once over, nostrils flaring with disgust as she yanks her hand from my grip. "Don't touch me, wolf. Who let the rat in? This is Lycan School. What's a wolf doing here?" she mutters, walking away, seemingly annoyed.

    I turn around, feeling and looking lost. What the hell am I doing in Lycan School?