Chapter 1 Arrival
Chapter 1
Selene (Lira POV)
Arrival
“What's the name?” the guard barked the moment I approached, his voice rising as sharp as sea waves, but I stayed calm.
I swallowed hard, not allowing the situation to overwhelm me. Then, with a calculated move, I pushed my forged documents to him. My palms by now was damp, the gloves making it worse. Even with different emotions running through my mind, I still ensured to retain a blank face so as not to expose myself. “Lira, an Omega candidate, and admitted in class of this year.”
His nose twitched slightly, and for a moment, I thought he would enventully dictate the lie, like he could literally smell it. Most wolves do that sometimes.
“Omega?” He eyed me for few seconds, giving me the look of someone unworthy to be in the Academy. Or that I polluted the gates of the Academy. “You don’t actually look the part of someone supposed to be here.”
“Then maybe, perhaps, I’m just one of the pretty one,” I replied, my tone light, but my lashes lowered. But I ensured never to flinch, or show any sign of fear or weakness.
He sneered, his gaze intensely on me. “Let's watch and see how long that pretty face of yours lasts in Vanguard. Perhaps, you should note that Aphas here eat omegas alive, especially new ones.”
Within me, my wolf shook. But outside, I just gave him a little smile, the type that portrays me as a naive girl, too innocent to understand what she was signing in for. That was the mask, to keep them ignorant. That was the game plan all along. But, I was ready for whatever they have to offer.
“Paperwork checks out clearly,” he finally muttered after keeping me there for minutes, and his eyes roaming round me. He finally stamped the seal. "You can move along."
I took few steps forward, my boots clicking aggressively against the floor, as I made my way into the belly of the beast den; Vanguard Academy.
“Selene…” Nyra called me from within the moment I stepped past the gates. "Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
“The strange symbols on the gate,” she whispered.
Well, to satisfy my curiosity, I risked a glance back. What I saw shocked me. There were Strange etchings, all of them ancient runes, and burning with faint silver light. And more strange that I was the only one seeing it. "They weren't glowing before I passed there." I whispered back to her.
"Yes, they only glowed because you crossed the gates. This Academy has a secret seal for hunting heirs."
The student hall was a long sight to behold, stretching endlessly before me. I glanced by my right to behold the banners of wolf sigils. The air surrounding me reeking of thick dominance and ambition. Packs from different part of the world, all mingled around, some laughing out loud, but I kept my gaze lowered, rehearsing invisibility.
“Fresh meat,” I heard someone hiss from behind me. On looking back, I noticed it was just a boy with two white teeth, and sharp eyes. Too sharp for his kind. "You are probably lost, Omega?"
I smiled nervously. It's my first day, just trying to find my dorm."
He chuckled darkly, like that was already a problem. “Just do your best to be careful, darling. Pretty strays don't make it to the last days here."
“Then maybe, you shouldn't bite,” I quipped, and that came out fast enough before I could stop myself. I watched the way his brows shot up in surprise, as he never expected that from me. But before he could gather his word and respond...
A hush was heard vibrating through the endless hall.
Everyone paused whatever thing they were doing. Every head turning toward the direction of the sound.
He walked in majestically.
He's tall, and cold. The kind of cold that carries heavy weight. The kind that signifies not just cold from lack of heat, but the freezing of an entire kingdom.
It was Cael Dravenhart. The crowned king of wolves, and also the future Alpha king. His movement only shows one thing: that the world only bend for him. His black hair shining brightly under the chandeliers, his charming blue eyes scanning the whole environment, and as some point, it became dismissive. I noticed that he owned the room, and whatever he says, stands.
I froze as my wolf stirred awake by his presence.
“Alpha Cael,” I heard one of the students whispering with so much reverence while bowing his head, to the extent he could pass for a mini god.
He didn’t even as much as spare a glance at his direction. Well, he needed not to. His presence alone already carried much command.
I forced my lungs to move, to continue breathing at least, till the moment he moves past. Every of my movement was rehearsed, to stick to my plan of remaining invisible. He would pass, and I would disappear like I was never there in the first place.
But he didn’t pass as I anticipated.
He slowed down like something caught his attention.
His gaze located me, his nostrils somehow flaring up. His gaze remained locked with mine that I prayed he would see nothing.
My heart pounded greatly as I awaited his next move.
No, this can't be possible. I ensured to mask my scent with heavy perfumes. There's no way he's finding out my identity.
“Stop staring,” the boy standing beside me finally hissed, bringing me back to reality. “You’ll end up getting both of us killed.”
But I couldn’t break the eye contact. I couldn't even move. His gaze on me was more of a predator to a prey.
Finally, Cael’s lips moved, parting as he formed an audible word.
“…strange.”
The crowd then parted for him to pass, and when he was gone, the crowd roared back to life.
“Lucky you,” the boy muttered, as he stared at me weirdly, like I've grown horn. "If he really saw how hard you stared at him, you wouldn't be alive to tell the story, Omega."
I was lucky? That can't be possible.
Instead of relief, a strange chill ran over my whole body. Cael hadn’t dismissed me... instead, he had actually marked me.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Later, while I tried to settle down in the dormitory assigned to “omegas,” I found myself trying so hard to remain invisible again.
“So you are the new girl.” I heard a girl with glossy hair say behind me, plopping onto my bed uninvitedly, like we had been buddies for ages. "Lira is the name, right? I'm Maren. Don't worry, I will help you out by telling you every necessary thing you need to survive this Academy, especially the necessary rules. Rule number one: Don't you ever cross paths with Lyra Ainsworth."
I blinked in confusion. “Lyra?”
“Yes, she's in second year. The daughter of a Councilor. And with the way she carries herself, she can pass for the owner of the Academy. And most importantly, she's very obsessed with Cael, the same way half of the girls here do. You would enter her trap, if you as much as mistakenly breathe close to him."
“I don’t plan to even go near him,” I lied smoothly.
Then, in a whisper, Maren continued, Rule two: do your best not to get noticed. Omegas who don't know how to control their visibility, attracting much attention, vanish all of a sudden without trace."
It sounded more like a horror movie just listening to her. "Vanish?"
She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "You will see by yourself."
Her warning for reasons unknown to me, crawled into my bones, heavier than the guard’s sneer at the gate, or Cael’s gaze. Vanish. That word would not leave me, it kept repeating in my mind.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
By evening, I made my way toward the dueling yard. It was the perfect place to quietly observe Alphas in their natural element. The way the blade clanged, and body clashes. I stayed hidden, my notebook in hand, making sure to take down every tactics in details. Ranging from strength to weaknesses.
“You are probably taking notes?” I heard a lazy drawl just behind me.
When I turned, I noticed it was yet another heir, but this one was red haired. It was no other but Riven Kaelthorn, popularly known as the Academy's rebel prince.
“Don’t give me the scared look, sweetheart,” he teased. “I won’t tell anyone.”
I tried hiding my notebook. “I wasn’t...”
“Sure you weren’t, I can tell from the way your hand moved.” He leaned in, and whispered. “Be very careful, little omega. It's no news that pretty eyes like yours attract wolves like me.”
“I’m not interested in whatever you have to offer.”
His widened, his grin like he was looking forward to my answer. “Good then. That makes it even more fun.”
Before I could respond, I heard a commanding loud voice from the yard.
“Again.” that was Cael issuing out orders. The students all obeyed in fear, sparring harder to avoid his wrath. His eyes darted toward me, sharp and intimidating.
Riven noticed, then chuckled lightly. "Did you see that now? He noticed you too, just like I did. Poor girl, you must be very lucky, or you are doomed for life "
Two predators circling me, but I have one mission to keep hidden. And even with my efforts to stay hidden, my wolf whispered: they’ve already scented you the moment you entered.
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
Back at my dorm, I lay on my bed, clutching my forged documents tightly to my chest. I haven't forgotten my mission here; infiltrate, gather evidence, and expose, while staying invisible. But in just one day, on arrival, I have crossed paths with Cael, and Riven had corned me. It's only Lyra that haven't showed herself. How do I survive them all, while staying hidden to carry out my assignment? Especially now that I have no idea if Cael and Riven would make me disappear by tomorrow.
Outside my window, a wolf howled continuously, long, low, and also mournful. My wolf stirred violently in response to it, drawing me closely to the sound. Someone happens to know my mission. And tomorrow might be too late to take action.
"Selene..." Nyra's voice returned, and I knew we still have a lot to discuss.
"What now, Nyra? Can't I rest?" I muttered.
"You're not the only heir from your bloodline hiding in this Academy."
I stiffened in shock. "Another heir from my bloodline?"
"Yes." She replied. "And if you don't do anything, the heir will remain trapped forever."
My mind went wild in thought. My entire fami
ly was massacred in cold blood when I was small. I was the only one saved by the old general. Who could be this heir from my bloodline?