Chapter 4

TESSA’S POV

On a warm Monday morning, the sun looked like a big fireball in the clear blue sky. The birds were singing happily, and there was a light breeze that made the trees move.

"This is it..." I told myself as I stood in front of a tall golden gate.

Edevane University, a school for werewolves like me.

My eyes focused on the students entering the school. They all appeared to be humans, specifically teenagers in high school enjoying their lives, very similar to those I met at White Bridge High.

As my eyes feasted on the people of Crimson Shadows Pack, I couldn't think of a better word to describe them than "normal." But I doubt it is still the same every time a full moon rises in the night sky.

Breathing heavily, I gathered all my courage to move my feet and entered the school. It was already 8 o’clock in the morning. My first subject would start in thirty minutes. I don’t want to be late and get everyone's attention once a teacher calls me out for tardiness.

Needless to say, the school was enormous. It was like one of those prestigious universities I’ve seen in the magazine. Gold and fancy stuffs could be seen anywhere, making my mouth fall open in awe, but of course this school had a twist.

No one was really human in this place.

They were all shifters... who looked so elegant and very elite in uniforms.

And I was like a typical new girl in town who looked very plain, aloof, and different.

I embraced myself as I walked into the main building, trying not to mind the stares of the people who seemed to be bothered by the presence of a new transferee like me.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" I politely asked a girl who seemed to be around my age.

She was sitting at the information desk. The first thing I noticed about her was her very curly brown hair that was tied in a loose bun. She looked like a Latina girl who was very carefree yet so adorable with her sweet expression. Licking her lollipop, her almond-shaped eyes instantly widened when she stared closely at me.

"You’re the new girl that Harry is talking about!" she exclaimed.

I gasped softly. "Y—You know my uncle?"

"Of course!" She stood up and walked gracefully towards me. "Who wouldn’t know the most handsome vampire living in the pack territory? My name is Mikhaela, daughter of the current Beta, and you are Tessa, if I’m not mistaken."

"H—Hi, nice meeting you, Mikhaela," I said shyly.

She giggled, grabbing my left hand so we could do a hand shake, which made me stunned for a bit.

"So...what’s your question, new girl in town?" She asked mischievously.

My eyes roamed around and I noticed that there were a lot of eyes looking at us...at me. If my guess was right, it seemed like my Aunt Alice and Uncle Harry had told the whole pack that I had come to this place.

Oh, my God. Kill me now.

"Uhm..." I paused and checked the paper in my hand that had the schedules and room numbers of classes. "I want to know where building B is."

Mikhaela smirked as she licked her lollipop. "Don’t worry, I got you! I asked my mom to put on all my classes. Come with me. We’ll be late for our first subject." To my surprise, she clung to my arm and gave me a playful stare. "From now on, you’ll be my new friend."

Blinking thrice, all I could do was nod my head in response.

She looked at me for a brief moment. Her eyes then narrowed. "Amazing. I can’t mind link you, new girl. It seems like you haven’t fully unlocked your wolf."

"T—That’s what my aunt told me too..."

"Exciting," she said meaningfully.

This girl was a bit straightforward and obviously playful. I recalled what my Aunt Alice told me a couple of days ago; that a Beta was the second powerful werewolf in the pack, next to the Alpha, who was the leader. It only means that Mikhaela belonged to a highly ranked family.

Meanwhile, the Finleys—our family—were part of the warrior wolves. We were an average family who served the pack when needed. It was odd that the Beta’s daughter wanted me to become her new friend.

"I...I don’t understand why these people keep looking at me," I uttered awkwardly as we walked down the hallway of the main building.

Mikhaela laughed a bit before she nudged me. "You see, it’s been a decade since someone from the human land stepped into our territory. Everyone is apparently curious about you!"

"That... sounds like trouble," I said, breathing heavily as my skin tingled at what she stated.

"Fun, actually!" She squinted her eyes and added, "Don’t you think it’s fun to get the attention of the future Alpha and Beta?"

My forehead creased. I was not entirely sure about what she meant. I was about to ask her to elaborate, but when we walked to the side of the soccer field, my attention drifted to the crowd roaring on the bleachers.

"Oh, there’s a practice game," Mikhaela stated.

"Atlas! Atlas!"

"Cohen! What a goal!"

The crowd kept chanting two names of the players. My gaze went to the soccer players who were astoundingly playing with their enhanced abilities. A beautiful man moved the soccer ball around before he kicked it. It was a beautiful kick that went right into the corner of the net.

"Now, that's what you call perfection!" Mikhaela applauded.

"Do you know them?" I turned to her to ask.

She nodded in response. "I do, and you will learn more about them too. One of them is the future Alpha of this pack."

"R—Really?"

"Uh-huh, and my brother is one of them too. His name is Cohen, the future Beta," she added proudly.

Wow, that’s a lot of information to take in.

I was about to look back on the soccer field when the crowd suddenly screamed in horror. A loud whoosh in the air was the next thing I heard, and before I could even realize it, the soccer ball was flying directly at me.

But then it seemed like time had slowed down and something within me was forcibly activated. My hand instantly caught the ball without a sweat, preventing it from smashing my face. I gasped as I didn’t expect myself to catch it so fast. It was like my senses became enhanced for a split of seconds, and I felt stronger than I ever was.

"Nice catch!" Mikhaela exclaimed.

However, I was so stunned that I couldn’t make a move. My eyes were focused on the soccer ball in my hand until it fell to the ground.

"H—How did I..." I breathed sharply as I shook my head. When I looked at the soccer field, all of the people there were already looking over at me, which made me so freaking uncomfortable.

"It looks like you’re going to have to deal with more attention from now on," Mikhaela whispered to me. "Even the future Alpha looks at you with curiosity."

Swallowing hard, I glanced at Mikhaela. She seemed very amused as she crossed her arms against her chest.

My gaze went to the soccer field once again, totally confused about what I just did.