Chapter 82 CHAPTER 82
She stepped out of the car, smoothing her blouse with trembling fingers. Liam came around to her side, offering his hand without saying a word. She hesitated only a moment before taking it. His palm was warm, steady, grounding. She let him help her out, heart fluttering again at the memory of their accidental kiss.
Lunaris Academy sat at the base of a small hill, framed by tall white pillars and curved stone archways that glowed softly under the morning sun. It was nothing like the cold walls of Silverpine’s pack school. The buildings here stood tall and elegant, surrounded by green courtyards where summer break students laughed freely, backpacks slung over their shoulders.
Lisa felt small in comparison.
Celia sighed inside her mind.
“Please breathe. If you faint, I will be the one embarrassed.”
Lisa nearly rolled her eyes, but a corner of her mouth twitched instead.
A man stepped out of the front doors - a tall wolf with kind brown eyes, grey streaks in his hair, and a warm smile. The Lunaris principal.
He bowed the moment he reached them.
“Your Highness,” he greeted Lisa with respectful warmth. “It is an honour to welcome you. Welcome to Lunaris. This school was founded by your grandfather. You should feel at home here and we are honoured to have you back.”
Home.
The word pressed softly against her heart.
She bowed her head slightly in return. “Thank you.”
The principal turned to Liam with equal respect. “Commander.”
“Principal Aeron,” Liam said, dipping his head.
The principal gestured toward the doors. “Please, come in. We still have a few students here for the summer lessons but we’ve arranged a private tour before the morning classes begin.”
Inside, Lunaris smelled faintly of old books, polished wood, and a hint of magic that Lisa couldn’t quite name. The hallways were bright, lined with murals of wolves in various forms - running, shifting, protecting. Students peeked from classroom windows, whispering excitedly before the teachers shooed them back.
Every adult they passed bowed reverently.
Every teacher smiled warmly.
Every staff member lowered their heads with respect but also gentle friendliness, as if they wanted her to feel welcome, not intimidated.
“This is our auditorium,” Principal Aeron explained as they stepped into a large hall with sunlit windows. “We host assemblies, performances, ceremonies - especially the rites of coming of age.”
Lisa nodded, looking around curiously. She could imagine the room filled with students. Laughter. Applause. The kind of joy she never experienced at Silverpine.
They toured the art studios, the science labs, the training grounds, and even the library - an enormous, two-floor room filled with warm golden light and rows and rows of books. Lisa felt her breath catch at the sight.
“Do you like it?” the principal asked.
Lisa only nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from the shelves.
Liam watched her with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth - proud, soft, almost tender.
At the end of the tour, they returned to the principal’s office. Aeron motioned for them to sit, but he remained standing behind his desk, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable.
“So…” he began, clearing his throat. “We should discuss placement.”
Lisa tensed.
Liam looked at her worriedly.
The principal continued cautiously, “You mentioned that you stopped schooling at age twelve?”
“Yes,” Lisa said softly. “I was home-schooled until then… and then I didn’t continue.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Normally, that would mean placing you in our seventh-grade group.”
Lisa winced.
He sighed. “But you are… well… older now, Your Highness. And it would not be appropriate to place you in a class with twelve-year-olds.”
Liam stiffened.
Lisa immediately sensed both their anxiety.
She sat up straighter. “It’s alright,” she said gently. “Actually… I have been studying on my own.”
The principal blinked in surprise.
Lisa continued, “My adoptive sister had schoolbooks. I used them. And later, I found old books that belonged to my… my adoptive parents. So I taught myself what I could.” She offered a small smile. “If you’d like, you could give me an exam. Something to determine where I fit.”
Principal Aeron’s shoulders dropped in visible relief. “Yes. Yes, that would work beautifully. If you’re comfortable doing that today?”
“I am,” Lisa said.
“Good,” he said warmly. “Let me have someone prepare the materials.”
He led her to a quiet classroom with large windows and a single wooden desk. A young teacher brought in a stack of examination papers and placed them neatly before her.
“You may take as much time as needed,” the teacher said kindly.
Lisa nodded, took the pencil offered to her, and began.
Liam and Principal Aeron returned to the office to wait.
The silence in the office stretched for several minutes before the principal finally asked softly, “Is she… alright?”
Liam exhaled slowly. “She’s been through more than you can imagine.”
“What happened?” the principal asked quietly. “If you don’t mind sharing.”
Liam paused, then spoke gently but truthfully. “She suffered neglect. Abuse. She was… forgotten by her former pack. We are still trying to understand how it happened.”
The principal’s face twisted in horror. “That breaks my heart. Children from Silverpine attend this school. They walk these halls every day. And none of them ever mentioned her existence. Not once.”
Liam nodded grimly. “We are investigating that too.”
The principal placed a hand over his chest. “Here at Lunaris, we teach compassion. Loyalty. Kindness. It is devastating to think my students could belong to a pack capable of such cruelty.”
“They follow their parents’ beliefs,” Liam said. “They are young. We don’t know how much they knew or understood.”
The principal nodded slowly, still deeply unsettled. “We have counsellors here. Good ones. If her brother wishes, we can arrange discreet therapy to help her heal.”
Liam’s chest warmed with gratitude. “I’ll speak to Ethan. Thank you.”
An hour later, a soft knock sounded at the door.
“Enter,” the principal said.
The same teacher who oversaw Lisa’s exam walked in with the papers in her hands. Her expression looked conflicted - somewhere between shock and awe.
Principal Aeron stood. “You can speak freely. Commander Blackthorn is a guardian to the princess.”
She placed the papers on his desk, “She took no time with all the tests given.”
They were fully marked.
Aeron flipped to the first page.
Then the second.
Then the last.
He did not speak, instead, he gasped.
A soft, stunned sound left the teacher’s throat.
Liam’s stomach twisted. “Is… is it bad? Did she not answer anything? Is that why she finished the tests so fast?”
The principal looked up slowly, disbelief in every line of his face.
“Commander… on the contrary.”
He turned the paper around so Liam could see.
“Princess Lisa scored higher than our brightest students.”
Liam stared at the marks - page after page of correct answers, thoughtful explanations, flawless reasoning.
His breath caught in his chest.
“She didn’t simply pass,” the principal whispered. “She excelled. Her analytical skills, her comprehension… this is exceptional work. Truly exceptional.”
The teacher nodded. “She is… gifted.”
Pride surged in Liam’s chest - fierce, warm, overwhelming.
A softness touched his expression, the kind that only appeared when he was thinking of her. “She taught herself,” he said quietly. “All of this… she learned alone.”
The principal sat back, still staring at the papers. “Then the kingdom has not only gained a princess, but a prodigy.”
Liam swallowed hard. He couldn’t remember the last time his heart had beaten this fast from excitement. His wolf chuckled listening to his heartbeat.
“Are you that happy for her?” Kane – Liam’s wolf - asked, amused.
Liam couldn’t wait to tell her.