“You know you didn’t want another fight,” I demanded of Rebecca.
“What? You are scared now?”
She cackled in response, and I knew she wasn’t backing down, which was a problem. The last time we got in a fight she hit me hard, I hit back harder. It had broken her nose and her daddy had just bought her a new face, so she was pissed.
The fight was worse because we had both been in human form, for me because I couldn’t shift, and for her, probably because I didn’t shift, either. She was stronger in wolf form, but the stronger we could fight in human form, the more powerful we could be as a wolf. That was why we did a lot of sparring as humans–so that our wolves would grow stronger and we could become powerful warriors.
At least, she could be more powerful as a wolf. For me, human fighting was all I was going to get.
She had another advantage over me last time, even though I broke her nose. Her healing journey had been a fast and easy one, thanks to her wolf. She was back in the new face her daddy had given her the very next day. I wasn’t as lucky and had to miss school for the next week to heal from the fight.
Guess I will have to miss another week of class again.
I wondered how my parents were going to react when they heard about this, remembering how they’d reminded me that my performance here reflected on them. My mother had wanted to confront Rebecca’s dad after our last fight. My injuries had been bad enough that they broke their usual rule of staying out of my battles. It wasn’t that they didn’t care. They wanted to teach me how to handle them on my own.
“I just thought that maybe you won't want to get another plastic surgery to fix your fake nose.” I smiled, I knew this would piss Rebecca off, but since the fight was inevitable, I’d rather say it out loud.
The girls Rebecca kept around gasped and the crowd stopped its murmuring for a moment, but then they all went back to whispering.
Rebecca started moving closer to me with a terrifying look in her eye.
The blonde girl stood in the crowd. She frowned for a moment before her face returned to a cold, beautiful mask. It looked like she wanted to say something, but she stayed silent.
I caught sight of Arthur through the crowd. He looked pleased with how everything was turning out, like he was watching a show and it was fun.
“You bitch. You’ll regret that comment,” Rebecca said. She came to me ferociously, I dodged her attack and moved backward.
Rebecca swung out, the attack too hurried and clumsy to be effective. I effortlessly moved my head out of the way, swinging my upper body to the left. The red haired girl let out a frustrated groan as she was unable to hit me. I couldn’t help but smirk at her lack of ability. I went to hit back at Rebecca, the strike would have hit easily.
“Stop. ” Rebecca shouted.
Her voice sounded different. Instead of its usual high-frequency quality, it was deeper. It echoed as the large design of the arena caused the sound to reverberate. Her eyes flashed red for a second as she shouted. My body obeyed the command and stopped, and there was nothing I could do to move my body.
I wished I could resist, but it was hopeless.
This was her special power–mind control. Rebecca was the only person in the royal family who possessed this ability. A wolf having an ability like that was rare, and she had been able to use it since high school. When she was younger, she could only control small movements but now she could control a person’s entire being. Not many people knew about Rebecca’s special ability. They never thought that it was a special ability when they were bullied, they just thought their body froze because they were too scared, but not me, I had fought with her a hundred times. I knew it was her and when I asked her, she admitted it in front of me but no one else knew except her family. The only problem for her was that it only worked for a few moments, like one or two seconds. But that was all she needed to get me hit by her fist.
Rebecca rushed over to where I stood and got back into her stance, raising her toned arms to hit me with a chilling expression.
The crowd moved with her, and some of the more spiteful students started cheering on the affair. I growled and reached out to block her attack, my arms were in pain because of bearing heavy attack, I guess there would be a bruise on my arms tomorrow, I quickly identified a vulnerability in her stance that I could strike at next, then I punched Rebecca’s face, her head tilted because of my attack, the crowd gasped and someone even screamed, but I knew it didn’t hurt her much because she immediately turned her head to me and looked at with even more terrifying look.
I am going to kill you, I guessed that was what she was thinking.
But before she could execute the move, a large hand grabbed her arm, holding it in place easily.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
It was the same deep, intense voice from earlier, and it sent a pleasant tingling all over my body.
My body shuddered. It was the same deep, intense voice from earlier. My eyes followed the question and I tried to keep the look of shock from my features. Rebecca wasn’t as successful and looked behind herself, trying to pull her arm from the man’s grasp.
It was the mystery man–the man I’d kissed.
He had changed since our meeting this morning and was now wearing a tank top with jeans, along with combat boots–battle-ready. I tried to decide how he looked hotter, like this or in his suit.
His black hair, which was slicked back earlier, was now messy. Without the jacket to cover them, I could now see the tight, well-defined muscles I had only got to feel earlier.
His body had a faint sheen of sweat on it, and the musk from before finally hit me. It smelled even better now. My face flushed at the thought.
There was something about him. I was losing control of my own mind and body.
His striking eyes shifted from Rebecca’s arm to me, and he looked surprised himself. Their blue gaze filled with anger at first before changing to a mix of concern and a touch of amusement.
He looked around at the crowd that had formed. All of the gossip and cheers fell to a quiet hush.
More thunder rumbled in the distance, and I wondered when the storm would hit.
I wondered why he was here and how he kept showing up whenever I needed help.
“Hands off, old man, and mind your business,” Rebecca spat out at my mystery man as she kept trying to pull her arm out of his grasp.
She was obviously getting frustrated, and I feared even now that she would shift. Her green eyes snapped back to me and she bared her teeth.
“You’re going down,” she said menacingly.
Nobody in the crowd moved, everyone equally as transfixed with the commanding aura the man had. He released Rebecca’s arm, but before she could hit me, his voice boomed out, filling the arena.
“Stop now,” he commanded.
Rebecca stopped short, unable to resist the command.
Was he an Alpha?
The other students looked scared, but I was just intrigued.
Rebecca’s gaggle of girls moved to stand next to her, and one of them started rubbing her arm. Rebecca slapped her hands off and sneered at the man.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” she asked.
He chuckled. “I am the professor of this class. So, this is me minding my own business.”
He looked around at the small crowd that had gathered. Rebecca’s pale face got red and she started stammering. The girls behind her looked especially scared of the repercussions.
Oh, my Goddess, I thought. I kissed my professor?!
Now it made sense, why he knew his way around so well, and why he didn’t seem the same as any of the students. He wasn’t a student. He was faculty.
My mouth fell open, and I was sure both Rebecca and I looked like idiots. It was my first day and I had already caused a scene. Not only that, but I had kissed my professor.
What if someone found out? I shuddered at the thought. My cheeks became red as well.
“I… uh, I–” Rebecca started, trying to explain.
He just put a hand up to stop her. “Let me lay down some ground rules for class.” He addressed the whole class as he spoke. “What I say goes. If I say jump, you say how high. Anyone who disobeys an order will be punished.”
He looked very pointedly at Rebecca.
“I don’t care who you are, or how important your family is. You will be punished.”
That would be a first for Rebecca, I thought. Nobody back home ever told her no. They were too afraid of her father.
“We will be learning battle skills,” the professor continued. “But if you seriously hurt or, Goddess forbid, kill anyone in the process, you will know my wrath.” His voice was dark and menacing, but it didn’t frighten me.
He eyed me up. His gaze felt like he could read my mind. He winked at me slyly.
Holy shit, I thought. I couldn’t believe I’d kissed my professor. That has to be against some sort of Academy rule.
“Now, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Atlas,” he said.
Then I felt my cheeks turn hotter, realizing that I had kissed a man without even knowing his name. All I knew was I couldn’t keep my eyes off him.
What kind of girl does that? I asked myself silently. He had to think I was crazy. On top of that, he wasn’t even that phased by being kissed out of nowhere. What kind of guy was just used to random girls kissing them?
Despite all the reasons against it, my body still wanted to close the distance between us. I wanted to be close to this man, but I fought the urge.
It wasn’t easy.
I decided he looked more handsome like this. The way he was commanding the class and laying down the law was incredibly attractive. Maybe that was why he had such a command over me, I thought.
His voice made my skin tingle when he asked, “And you are?”
That amused glint was still in his eyes. Oh Goddess, I thought, why had I given him a fake name? I had really thought I’d never see him again. It was a big campus. What were the odds that he was my professor?
“My name is Aria,” I answered back quietly.
He nodded, and I heard Rebecca make a weird noise beside me. Before she could make a comment, Atlas spoke up again. “What about you?” he asked with a quick glance in Rebecca’s direction. “I’m Rebecca,” she answered from beside me, her voice much meeker now. “I apologize, Professor Atlas.” He nodded but didn’t look at her. His attention was entirely on me. It was overwhelming. His icey blue gaze would have this effect on any girl, I told myself. He was one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. “I need you two to make peace. I won’t stand for any petty drama in my class,” he said. “And I need everyone else to find a partner.” He punctuated the sentence with a clap. There was a rumble of thunder in the air as he did. His eyes didn’t leave mine as he commanded the class. The electricity in the air was due to the storm, I’m sure. There was a flurry of activity as the crowd dispersed. Everyone found a partner quickly, people seemingly going with the friends they brought. I wish
“I am not going waste my time practicing these kindergarten skills.” Judy said as she looked at her nails and crossed her arms. She then gave me a fake smile. Her tone doesn’t match her pretty face. Her hair is pulled into two long braids and her blonde hair looks almost golden in this light. Her features are soft, unlike Rebecca’s artificial beauty. “So how about we just stand here wait and chill, the professor won’t mind, I knew these skills even before I was born.”That was exactly what I wanted, just now I had a fight with Rebecca and I didn’t want anyone’s attention anymore.“But I guess you need to practice more, in case Rebecca is looking for trouble again. After all, you almost got beat in front of everyone which would be super embarrassing.”“I will, thanks.” I said and ignored the sarcasm in her words, and left out the fact that I actually got the highest fighting entrance exam results this year. It’s probably for the best that people didn’t know. Most people didn’t
Cries of pain echoed around the arena. Judy and I looked at each other, both concerned. We walked over together to join the students that were looking at Arthur and his partner. Once we were there I saw the professor striding over. He looked angry. Our eyes met again and the anger in his gaze melted a little. “What happened here?” Atlas demanded to know and the students parted to let him through. “I was only trying to help.” Arthur said loudly as his partner laid on the ground. He was clutching his shoulder and crying out in pain. The storm continued to rumble in the distance and the wind picked up. Everyone remained silent as we watched the scene unfold. Rebecca was smiling at it. Atlas knelt next to the boy on the floor and inspected his shoulder. “His form was all off. All I did was adjust his shoulder so he could actually hit right. None of the other students can keep up with me.” Arthur continued to explain but he had a mischievous look on his face, like he just had fu
The sky opened up and it started to drizzle. The professor and I were standing in the center of the arena still, his hand heavy on my shoulder and his eyes intense in their questioning. It felt so right to be near him. I didn’t have the heart to shove him away and leave. My body positively melted around this man. “Did I do something wrong?” I ask and shake his shoulder off against all instinct to ask him to touch me more. I turn and square my shoulders, standing up straight. It was meant to be intimidating but my head barely reached his shoulders. I don’t understand why he would keep me behind. I didn’t perform the best today but it wasn’t poor enough to get punished for it. “Nothing wrong.” He whispered, leaning in more. The air was electric between us as the rain fell softly. Any part of me that wanted to get to dry ground was overwhelmed by his presence. The draw to his was so strong that it cannot be helped. I moved closer without realizing and we were almost chest to chest
My mouth opened and closed as I eyed Atlas curiously. I didn’t know what to say. Part of me didn’t want to say anything until we were in private. Some of the other students gave us weird looks as we made our way to his office. The door had his name on it. ‘Professor Atlas Firestone’ Before I could say anything about it we were in his office. He locked the door behind us and knowing he would probably get me against another door, I moved into the center of the room. I was going to miss my next class if we didn’t make this fast but I couldn’t help but be interested. Who was this mystery Alpha with so much power and so much knowledge?He stepped towards me and joined me in the middle of the room. We stared at each other for a moment and then we gestured to the chair in front of his desk. I frowned at him, not wanting to stretch this out, before listening. The chair was simple with a small amount of cushioning on it. He went around his desk and sat down. What he had said before w
*Atlas*A sense of pride swelled in my chest that she had trusted me enough to ask for help. I couldn’t help the smile that twisted at my features as I eyed her up. She was so beautiful: chocolate eyes and deep brown hair very intense. So much emotion behind those eyes, she was careful to keep it contained. All that tension in her shoulders, the way her combat clothes hugged her nimble figure. The first time I laid eyes on her was burned into my mind. The feeling came from behind me, I was compelled to turn and follow it. My wolf Alex knew immediately that she was my mate. There was no doubt about that. With the way she walked up to me, with that misty look on her face, before kissing me - I assumed she knew the same. But her reaction was weird, like she didn’t know that I am her mate, and Alex never could talk to his mate. He was confused, usually the other wolf answered quickly. She never responded after the first moment they recognized each other; it made my wolf sad, and
*Atlas* “Aria, do you have any diseases?” I asked slyly, and she looked at me curiously. My mate looked so cute when she was confused. Her nose scrunched up, and she folded her arms in front of her. She always looked cute but especially cute when she was trying to act defensive. “No, I don’t,” Aria said sharply and then sighed. “I’m perfectly healthy…” I wondered why that would be a problem and then realized she’s probably looking for reasons why she’s wolf-less. My heart ached in my chest. I hated seeing my mate so sad. My wolf Alex also hated being unable to comfort her wolf. If there was anything I could do I would. “Well, hypothetically if you were to have something I could write you a sick note for my class,” I explained. She got a conflicted look on her face and hummed, looking down at her feet to think for a moment before meeting my gaze again. “How long would that work?” She asked. “Usually it’s only for one month, but I could get you two. Any more t
*Aria*It had only been one day at the Academy and someone had already discovered my secret. At least it was Atlas and he was willing to help me. I blushed at the idea of trading a kiss for help as I made my way to my next class. The hallways had large windows that let in the sunshine and I enjoyed the way it felt on my face. My next class was an herbology class. Most of the students were witches and warlocks but I chose it as an elective. You never know when herbology will come in handy. I was paired with a nice witch who showed me some tips on distinguishing between different types of herbs as we put together a salve of sorts. The professor explained that it was a good way to heal burns. He wasn’t as young or handsome as Atlas, not even close. It was really odd to me that he was a professor in the first place - none of them had been as young as him so far. I had a break after that class and decided to spend it unpacking instead of in the food hall, although my stomach prot