Chapter 147 CHAPTER 147
Isabel had never been so aware of her own heartbeat.
It thudded loudly in her chest as she walked beside Lisa across the wide stone courtyard of Lunaris Shifter School. The building loomed ahead of them, tall and ancient, its pale walls catching the morning sun in a way that made it look almost unreal. Students moved around them in small groups - laughing, talking, brushing past one another with an ease Isabel did not have.
She kept her hands close to her body, fingers clutching the fabric of her dress as if it were the only thing anchoring her to the ground.
Lisa noticed immediately.
She slowed her steps and reached for Isabel’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Hey,” she said softly, leaning closer. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. I promise.”
Isabel nodded, though it was small and uncertain. “I know,” she said, but her voice barely carried past her lips. “I just… I didn’t think I’d be this scared.”
“That’s because now it’s real,” Lisa replied. “And that doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice.”
Two guards followed a few steps behind them, close enough to be seen but far enough to give them space. Isabel could feel their presence like a quiet reassurance, though it did little to calm the tight knot in her stomach.
They entered the administration building, where the air smelled faintly of parchment and polished stone.
The secretary behind the desk looked up immediately the moment Lisa stepped forward, straightening in her chair. “Your Highness,” she said with a respectful nod, already reaching for the registration forms.
Lisa returned the greeting with a brief smile and spoke quietly, efficiently. Papers were brought out at once. Names were confirmed. No questions were asked.
Isabel stood still, hands folded, feeling like she was shrinking into herself.
When it was time to leave the office, a female teacher stepped forward, smiling politely. “I’ll take you to your class, Isabel.”
Lisa hesitated. “I can walk with her…”
The bell rang, sharp and loud, echoing through the halls.
Isabel swallowed. “It’s okay,” she said quickly, forcing herself to look up. “I’ll go. I don’t want you to be late.”
Lisa searched her face, then nodded. She pulled Isabel into a hug, holding her tightly. “You’ve got this,” she whispered. “And if you don’t - if anything feels wrong - you come find me. Immediately.”
“I will,” Isabel said, though her voice wavered.
Lisa pulled back, smiling bravely, but her eyes were still worried as she watched Isabel walk away with the teacher.
Each step down the corridor felt heavier than the last.
The classroom was large, rows of desks stretching farther than Isabel expected. Around fifty students filled the space, some chatting, others already seated and watching with open curiosity as the teacher led her in.
“Everyone, quiet,” the teacher said firmly. “We have a new student joining us today.”
The murmuring didn’t stop completely, only softened.
“This is Isabel Ashvale,” the teacher continued.
The name hit Isabel like a sudden gust of wind.
Ashvale?
She blinked, turning slightly. “I…” she began, ready to correct her.
The teacher leaned closer and whispered, “The king requested it. Just here.”
Isabel froze.
Around her, whispers grew louder.
“Did she say Ashvale?”
“Another princess?”
“Is she related to Lisa?”
The teacher raised her voice. “That’s enough. Isabel, you may introduce yourself.”
Isabel turned to face the class. Dozens of eyes stared back at her - some curious, some suspicious, some openly assessing. She felt her throat tighten.
“Hi,” she said, her voice soft. “I’m… Isabel.”
That was all she managed.
The teacher nodded and gestured toward an empty seat near the middle of the room. Isabel walked quickly, keeping her head down, and sat. She opened her book immediately, pretending to read, though the words blurred together.
She could feel it now.
Most of them looked human - but not entirely.
If she looked closely, she could see it. Some students had eyes that glinted in the light, pupils. A few had ears that tapered subtly at the tips, hidden beneath hair but not quite enough. Others bore faint marks along their skin - patterns that looked like scars until they shifted when they breathed.
She had never felt so aware of her own humanity.
A tap against the back of her chair made her jump.
She turned to see a girl smiling brightly. “Hi,” the girl whispered. “Ashvale, right?”
Isabel hesitated. “Yes.”
“So, does that mean you know the princess?”
“I… yes,” Isabel replied carefully.
The girl leaned closer. “Are you a princess too?”
“No,” Isabel said quickly. “Definitely not.”
“Then why the name?”
Before Isabel could answer, the door opened and another teacher walked in, beginning the lesson without pause. Isabel exhaled in relief and focused on her book again.
But she felt it.
Someone watching her.
Directly across the room, a girl sat with her chin resting on her hand, eyes locked on Isabel. She didn’t look away. Not once.
Isabel tried to ignore it.
By the time the bell rang for break, her nerves were stretched thin. She stood quickly and slipped out of the room, heading straight for the bathroom.
Footsteps followed.
Her heart began to race.
She reached the door just as the girl behind her spoke. “Hey.”
Isabel didn’t respond. She pushed into the bathroom and headed for the nearest stall, locking the door behind her. Her hands shook as she sat, fully clothed, on the closed toilet lid.
Her chest felt tight. Too familiar.
Not again. Please, not again.
The girl’s voice came again, closer now. “I just wanted to say hi. You seem familiar. Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so,” Isabel said, her voice trembling.
“I’m Anna,” the girl said lightly. “Anna Hale. I thought maybe we could be friends.”
Isabel’s breath caught.
Hale.
Her shaking slowed, something cold settling into her chest instead. She cracked the stall door open slightly, peering out.
“Hale?” she asked quietly. “As in… the Hales?”
Anna smiled. “Yes.”
Isabel opened the door fully and stepped out. “Then I don’t think we can be friends.”
Anna blinked. “Why not?”
“Because I know what you did to Lisa,” Isabel said, her voice steadier now. “And what your family did to her.”
Anna laughed softly. “Cindy exaggerates everything. Now that she’s a princess, she likes playing the victim.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Isabel snapped.
Anna’s smile faded. “Careful. Just because they gave you their name doesn’t make you one of them.”
“I don’t want to be,” Isabel said. “I just don’t want anything to do with you.”
She turned to leave.
Anna grabbed her wrist.
Isabel didn’t panic.
She looked Anna straight in the eye. “Let go.”
Anna’s gaze sharpened.
“Human,” she said again, slower this time, tasting the word. “So that’s what you are.”
Isabel straightened. Her hands were still trembling, but her spine wasn’t.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I am.”
Anna let out a short, mocking laugh. “And you dare talk to me like that?”
Isabel met her eyes. Something inside her settled. Fear gave way to something steadier.
“So what?” she said. “Just because I’m human, I’m supposed to bow? Keep quiet? Pretend I don’t see what you are?”
Anna’s smile thinned.
“You think talking like that makes you brave filthy human?”
“No,” Isabel said. Her voice didn’t shake now. “What makes me brave is knowing exactly who you are.”
Anna’s nostrils flared.
“You think you’re better than me?”
“No,” Isabel said. “I think you’re worse.”
The words landed hard.
“You and your family,” Isabel went on, unable to stop now, the truth burning its way out, “the way you treated her, the way you broke her down and laughed about it - you’ll always be trash for that. Wolf or not.”
For a heartbeat, the room went silent.
Anna’s face twisted, fury flashing raw and unmasked. She stepped forward, hand lifting.
“You filthy little…”
The slap never landed.
A sudden force slammed Anna backward, her body hitting the tiled wall with a sharp thud. The breath left her in a gasp.
“Isabel?” a voice cut in sharply. “Are you alright?”
Isabel turned, heart pounding, and saw the guard standing in the doorway, eyes already assessing the room.
She swallowed once, then nodded.
“You came at the right time,” she said.
The guard’s gaze flicked from her to Anna, pinned against the wall, and hardened.
Isabel exhaled shakily as they walked out together.
“Thank you,” Isabel said as they stepped into the corridor.
The guard glanced at her, faintly puzzled. “For what?”
“For everything,” she replied, breath still uneven. “You saved me back there.”
He slowed, studying her face as if weighing something he didn’t quite understand.
Isabel didn’t notice. She hesitated, then added quietly, “Can we keep what happened in the bathroom between us? I don’t want to worry Lisa.”
The guard frowned. “Do you think that’s a good idea? The princess should know.”
Isabel shook her head. “No. It’s just my first day. I’ll get used to it.”
She forced a small smile and lightly bumped her fist against his arm. “Besides,” she said, softer now, “I’ve got you looking out for me. We don’t need to alarm her over something small.”
The guard exhaled slowly, conflicted, then gave a single nod.
“Alright,” he said. “But if anything like that happens again, you tell me immediately.”
Isabel nodded. “I will.”
They continued down the corridor together, her steps steadier than before, even if her heart was still racing.