The woods were scary, but she had to be brave. It was long past her bedtime so it was dark. She had been fast asleep in the back of the car when she had woken up to the loud bang. Then she saw them... The monsters. The monsters standing over her father’s body.

She did what she had been always taught to do in this situation. She quietly slipped out of the car and started running.

“Hey! Someone’s seen us!”

It didn’t take long for the loud footsteps to start following her through the trees. The darkness and the shadows cast by the full moon looked like predators ready to pounce on her, but she couldn’t close her eyes to make them go away. She had to survive. She tried to stay quiet as her dad had taught her. Step lightly. Change direction. Try not to leave too many tracks. But their long strides were fast and easily catching up to her little ones.

The forest was eerily quiet, and all she could hear was her thundering heart, her harsh breaths and the monster behind her. It was like everything in the forest already knew what her fate would be. But she would fight that fate. She didn’t want to disappoint her daddy.

Her braid was yanked from behind and she screamed in pain as she was thrown against the trunk of a tree. Her head hurt and she felt pain in her arm as she rolled over and tried to stand up.

“It’s just a kid, Mike,” she heard one of the voices say.

“She’s seen us, and now you said my fucking name,” another growled.

The one called Mike grabbed her again, pulling her painful arm. She screamed in pain and called out for her daddy. But she knew he would never come again now. She was all alone.

“Just do it quickly and let’s get the hell out of here. She’s making too much noise.”

She was shoved to her knees, and she heard the sound of a gun being cocked. With a silent cry, she looked up at the sky peeking through the tall trees and saw the clouds part to reveal the moon. Her daddy always told her that the Moon Goddess would always watch out for her even if he couldn’t. She closed her eyes and gave a final prayer. She was not mad that this was how it ended. She wanted to be with her parents.

“I can’t do it. I can’t have the murder of an innocent child on my conscience. You do it yourself.”

She heard their quiet arguing as the moon’s rays shone on her face and filled her with calm. And then she felt it. It was a warm feeling touching every part of her, and she knew she would never be alone again. Maybe it was the Goddess’ touch. But the most terrifying growl she had ever heard filled her ears. It took her a moment to realise it had come from her.

“She’s a fucking monster! Shoot her!”

Then there were screams. And so much blood. The screams kept repeating in her ears, and the begging, the tears. But she didn’t stop.

That one scene repeated over and over again. Screams. Blood. The crunching sounds. Screams. Blood. The crunching sounds.

By the time Ava Morgan shot up in bed she was drenched in sweat and her heart was pounding. Her hand was shaking as she reached for the bottle of water on her side table, and most of it ended up down her pyjama top instead of in her mouth.

It had been a while since she’d had that nightmare but she knew what had triggered it now. She threw the empty water bottle into her trashcan and then squeezed her eyes shut as if that would make the images in her head disappear. It never worked. She always heard the screams long after she’d woken up. She always saw the blood. The broken bones.

With a tired sigh, Ava lay back on her bed as she tried to calm her breathing and her heartbeat. The time on her clock said it was still only three in the morning but she knew she wasn’t going back to sleep again. And then in a few hours, she had to leave home and start a real-life nightmare that would last for four years.

Four years! She had to give up four more years of her life before she could finally be free.

The full moon’s rays filtered through her curtains and illuminated her room. She turned her head and saw her packed bags waiting by the door. Her chest squeezed painfully and she had to train her breathing to stop the looming panic attack.

“It will be over in no time, Ava. Breathe. Just breathe,” she whispered to herself.

An hour later she felt she was calm enough to get ready. She put her bedside lamp on and let out a sigh as she pushed the covers off her body. She trod quietly as she had learned to do her whole life, making sure she wouldn’t wake the others, and then walked to the adjoining bathroom to take a quick shower and brush her teeth. When she finished, she walked to her wardrobe. The first thing she saw was the horrid uniform.

She had never worn a school uniform in her life and now as an adult, she was expected to conform. Who forced people to wear uniforms at a university? She ignored it and pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and then when she was dressed, she quietly left her room to head to the kitchen.

The light was on as she approached, and the smell of fresh coffee hit her nose. She found Alpha Roland hunched over a cup, staring at it as if it would give him the answer to all of their problems.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” she asked as she dropped a kiss on his cheek and walked over to the cupboards to pull a mug out.

“I don’t think I slept,” Alpha Roland grunted.

She felt a pang because she knew she was the cause of this.

“I’ll be fine, Dad,” she said gently as she took her cup to sit next to him.

She had been calling him dad since he had found her in a foster home. It seemed like forever since then. They told her the police had found her walking down the long, winding road through the forest, naked and covered in blood. They had said it was an animal attack. She didn’t remember any of it but when Alpha Roland had heard that, he had adopted her straight away. As the only pack in the area, he hadn’t wanted a pup to end up with the humans.

Now sometimes she wondered if he regretted that decision. The police had been right, after all. Just a wild animal attack.

She would likely never remember what really happened, but her nightmares had been born of the story she had eventually read in the papers.

“Any sign of trouble, anything at all, call me and I will come and get you.”

“I thought this was a rite of passage for every wolf,” she teased.

She didn’t want to point out that trouble would probably be all she would get. He was worried enough. Besides, she was sure they would have her out of there the moment they realised she really was human. This was a huge mistake and someone would fix it.

“I’ve already taught you everything you need to know,” Alpha grumbled again. “If that stupid Council wasn’t so stuck in their antiquated ways, there would be no need for all this.”

“The rules are the rules, Dad. You can’t break them, even for me.”

She had brought enough trouble to him over the years for the things she could not control. The calls from school, the hospital visits, the way her mouth sometimes worked before she could stop it. But she could control the outcome of this. She could follow the rules and keep her head down and let the Council come to the right decision themselves.

Alpha Roland sighed and then pulled her to his side for a hug before he kissed the top of her head. He was a huge man, as were most werewolves, even her peers. It was another reason she believed she was not one of them, no matter what she imagined had happened years ago.

“Make sure you keep standing up for yourself. Don’t let anyone break your spirit,” he whispered.

“I’m the ruthless Alpha Roland’s daughter. No one will ever break me,” she said with a sad smile.

She blinked back some tears as she pulled away.

“I’m going to make us all a huge breakfast so you can all celebrate kicking me out of the house for four years,” she said as she stood up.

“I’m going to miss your cooking. Every time Caleb cooks it tastes like he shit in it,” her Dad snorted.

Ava laughed as she pulled ingredients out of the fridge. She had to. She couldn’t let the man who raised her know how completely terrified she was of the journey she was about to start.

By the time she was almost finished, her brothers found their way downstairs to the kitchen one by one despite the very early hour. Caleb ruffled her hair before he went to pour himself some coffee. Nate went straight for a piece of bacon before he plonked himself down at the table. The twins, Alex and Nick were the last down. She hadn’t thought she would see them until long after the sun had risen, but they came and kissed a cheek each before they went to sit at their kitchen table, too.

They all tried to keep the usual jovial mood, but she could tell it was forced. Of all of them, Caleb was the oldest and had already done his four years. She had seen how much he had changed every time he had come home, and the sadness in his eyes every time he looked at her now was what was making her worry the most. But he couldn’t tell her what to expect, the same way she wouldn’t be able to tell Nate and the twins when it was their turn.

“So, remember the rules,” Nate said after they had finished eating. “No boys. No thinking about boys. No speaking to boys. No parties. Nothing.”

“No fun. Got it, dad,” she snorted.

“This isn’t a fucking joke, Ava,” Caleb snapped. “For once in your life, do as you’re told.”

She stopped piling the plates and looked at her brother in shock. Caleb looked away and started fiddling with his coffee mug.

“I’m sorry. It’s just very important that you follow their rules,” he said gruffly.

She couldn’t stop the anxiety that trickled through. Her father and Caleb were the most worried about her because they knew what it would be like. And if two men with alpha blood were worried, then how could she not be scared?

“Why don’t you go for a run before we drive Ava to the airport,” their dad suggested.

With the way Caleb lowered his head, she knew that had been a command. He rose quickly and then dropped a kiss on the top of her head before he used the back door to leave the house.

She sighed as she turned back to the rest of the family.

“I’ll be fine,” she said with a little smile.

“Yes, you will,” Alpha Roland replied with a smile of his own.

As she left her brothers to tidy up the kitchen, she couldn’t help the dread that settled in her stomach again and the bad feeling that told her that no, she would not be fine.

Ava tried to suppress the dread filling her as she sat in the back of the taxi but she knew she was failing miserably. The taxi driver was some sort of supernatural so he could probably sense everything. She knew that not because she had suddenly developed any enhanced senses overnight but because they were the only ones allowed to ferry the new students from the airport.

Phoenix Academy was in some super-secret location that humans were not allowed to enter. She almost snorted at that. If that was true, they should never have insisted on her attendance. She should have been allowed to go to a regular college like any other nineteen-year-old human who’d survive the torture of high school. But no, she had to attend this place with all sorts of supernatural species who could kill her without a second thought if it wasn’t for the fact that it was forbidden.

There were several branches of this academy all over the world to accommodate all of them, and she still didn’t know which one she had come to. A private plane had picked her and a few others from a small airport in Arizona, and then they had made several stops along the way to refuel and pick up more students. She had been travelling for a whole day and felt tired to the bone. Not knowing where she was made the whole situation worse.

They seemed to have been driving for hours but every time she looked at the time on her phone, it had barely moved. They had driven through the mountains and then the taxi entered a very dark forest that brought her nightmares back to the forefront. She could hardly see anything through her window even though it was still daylight, and even from the safety of the taxi she could feel that this was somewhere she wouldn’t want to find herself alone. There was such a heavy feeling in the air like the darkness could consume her the moment she exposed herself.

She looked away and found her gaze on the driver’s eyes in the mirror. He had a frown on his face as if he disapproved of her emotions. Or her, in general. It was probably the latter, same as everyone else. There was nothing she could do about anyone else’s opinion of her. She was who she was, and no amount of crying or hoping would change that.

She looked at her phone again and typed quick messages to her family just in case they would be the last ones. Her dad had already warned her that no matter which campus she ended up in, there would be no outside networks there, and she would only be allowed to call from the school phones on weekends. This was a deprivation of liberty, no doubt about it. How anyone felt they had the right to do that to adults was beyond her.

But then again, she had been in this world for thirteen years. None of it surprised her anymore.

She almost teared up when she read her dad’s message.

‘Remember your name. Stand tall.’

She squared her shoulders and repeated what he had taught her from the moment they had realised she was not one of them. She was Ava Morgan, daughter of Alpha Roland Morgan, and she didn’t take shit from anybody. If only that were true.

Her shoulders sagged again as her mind tried to pull her back to the torturous years she had endured living among the wolves. Even the alpha and his four sons had failed to keep her safe from that.

Her phone signal disappeared; her only link to her safe haven was gone. She blinked back some tears as she switched her phone off and put it in her handbag.

As the Alpha of their small pack, no one had ever dared question her dad about his decision to take her in. But that hadn’t stopped the abuse when he or her brothers had not been around. School had always been the worst time for her, but at least she had always gone home at the end of the day and found comfort in her family. Now she was out here all alone.

She could only hope that as college students, everyone was too mature to do the things they used to do to her in her isolated pack. Supernatural beings from all over the world attended this school; she had to hope that they weren’t all ignorant turds like the ones she had left behind in New Mexico.

They came out of the forest and into the sunlight again. And it felt like she had entered another world. Even the majestic beauty of the vast forest she had called home for most of her life didn't compare to this. The grass seemed greener here and tall trees lined up perfectly on either side of the road with their branches forming an arch. Even the atmosphere felt different. If she had felt uneasy in the forest, it was worse here. She felt like a little lamb being driven into a den of predators.

She tried to put it down to nerves of leaving her pack territory for the first time in her life but she couldn't lie to herself for too long. She felt danger everywhere, and they hadn’t even arrived yet.

Tall, imposing gates loomed in the distance, and giant birds which she assumed were phoenixes on the posts on either side. Her anxiety notched up again. Once this taxi drove back, there would be no way to leave this place. She would be stuck here for months before they would allow families to visit. She wished she could turn back, but defying an order from the Council would bring the greatest shame to her dad. That was something she never wanted to do.

The gates slid open by themselves and her jaw dropped when she saw the vast grounds. There was so much space she wondered if she’d ever have to go from one end to another for her lessons. She would never get there if that was the case, not with her human speed. The buildings came closer, and she noticed they were all four storeys and looked like fancy mansions complete with driveways with expensive cars parked at the front.

She had never gone hungry a day in her life. She and her dad and brothers were not filthy rich, they were comfortable. But the types of cars she saw here, she realised this was a whole different ball game. The taxi eventually slowed as it drove around a huge fountain and then stopped at the entrance of a big, imposing building. It looked like it had been built in a different time with its stone walls and spires as if it was the original building that had served the many generations of supernatural beings that had come through here. Its rich history was something that would have fascinated Ava any other day, but today she had too many knots in her stomach. She had been given specific instructions to stop at the reception first, so she assumed this was the main building where it was.

“We’re here, Miss.”

She startled when she heard the driver’s voice, and realised she had just been sitting and staring like an idiot.

“Sorry. Thank you,” she mumbled as she grabbed her handbag and got out.

There were students everywhere in the same uniform that she wore. Black pleated skirts for the ladies and black trousers for the guys, white shirts, and they all had the maroon blazers. She noticed, though, that the others had different coloured trimmings around the lower sleeves.

The trunk slammed behind her and she startled again until she realised it was the driver who had just got her bags out of his trunk.

And that little gasp she made seemed to bring everyone’s attention to her. If she hadn’t known about this world already, she would have known they were all other-worldly just by looking at them. These were some damn good looking people. And to top it all off, they were all perfectly made up. They could have stepped off a runway. They didn’t look like they had spent hours on a plane and tried to freshen up in its cramped bathroom.

She pushed her hair behind her ear and felt self-conscious as she picked the handle of her luggage and started walking towards the entrance. She had dull red hair, ordinary blue eyes, freckles and skin that burnt easily in the sun. Nothing sparkly, shiny or airbrushed about her. Human. Just ordinary. She had felt that in high school, but even those beautiful people wouldn’t hold a candle to anyone here.

As she walked past them, she saw a number of them sniff the air. She kept her heart calm as she had learned to do over the years, but she knew this was when they would know what she was. And they would know that she didn’t belong here.

“Is she human?” she heard someone ask.

She ignored the rest of the whispers as she finally stepped inside.

It was worse here. More people were standing around with their bags, and it looked like she had to stand in a queue to get further instructions. The others looked like they already knew each other, judging by the way they talked in groups. Their conversations were lively but the moment she stopped in one of the lines they all stopped talking. She kept her eyes down, knowing she could control her emotions better if she didn’t make eye contact with anyone. She didn’t even try to look around the interior of the building that had fascinated her from the outside.

“You’re in the wrong queue. The donors don’t come through this building.”

She looked at the boy who had said that and refrained from making a snarky comment. This was not the place to let her mouth get her into trouble. The boy had to be her age if he was in this queue. Like the rest of them, his silky blond hair and blue eyes could have made him a movie star.

“I’m not a doner. But thanks,” she answered with a tight smile.

“Wait. You’re actually enrolled here?” the man said incredulously. “Did someone prank you?”

“How?” she asked with a frown.

The invitations were always delivered to the intended person they were meant for using magic, and only they could read the details. The instructions had been very clear.

“I’m sorry. I just thought they couldn’t have humans enrolled here,” the boy said, and then he turned back around.

She had as well. And she had her fingers and toes crossed that they would tell her this had been a huge misunderstanding and send her back home. This was not the place for her.

Zeke Michelson buttoned up his shirt and tried to tune out Claire’s voice in the background. He didn’t give a shit about whatever she was complaining about. They had only been here a few hours so he didn’t know how she had found so much to complain about in the first place.

He put his tie on and straightened it before he ran a hand through his still-damp hair.

“Are you even listening to me, Zeke?” Claire whined.

“No,” he answered as he turned to pick his blazer up.

He held her gaze, daring her to complain about that. But Claire lowered her eyes and kept her mouth shut. Her blonde hair fell over her face as she sat naked on her bed. For a moment he considered rejoining her because she knew how to use her body to please him. But she was already too clingy, he didn’t want to give her any more ideas.

He left her room without a word, ignoring the shocked looks he got from the female residents of this dorm. But none of them would dare to report him. He was the future Alpha of the biggest pack in all of America. Once he graduated at the end of this year, his father would step down and make it official, because he had already proved in many ways that he was more than capable.

Once he was out of the building, he found his friends leaning against his car, wolf-whistling the ladies as they walked past to settle into their dorms. Most of them would probably end up in their beds before the semester was out. Zeke shook his head as he unlocked his car and jumped into the driver’s seat.

“And how is our future Luna?”

He threw Myles a withering look before he started the car. Claire would never be his mate and this idiot knew it. He had only stayed with her all these years for convenience. He was too busy to mess around with many girls. When he had started here, he’d already been shouldering a lot of responsibilities for his pack.

Besides, his father had already arranged a suitable match, one that worked perfectly for his plans. He would be mated before he became the Alpha.

“Did you even talk to her this time?” Derek laughed as he jumped into the passenger seat.

He turned his withering gaze from Myles to Derek before he started driving out of the car park. Zeke had stopped at Claire’s dorm first before he had even gone to his appointed residence. Their bags were still in the trunk as they had driven down together. Being allowed to do that here was a privilege every student was allowed after surviving two years of this hell hole. By then it was expected they knew the consequences of breaking any of the school rules.

“Check out that fresh meat,” Myles said from the back seat.

“She’s a vampire, you fucker,” Derek said.

“I didn’t say I want her to be my mate,” Myles laughed as he rolled down his window and called out his usual pick up lines.

The vampire’s fangs elongated and then she snarled as they drove past.

“You can bite me anytime, baby,” Myles called out.

Zeke shook his head. They had been raised together and trained together, so he knew Derek and Myles would be perfect for their Beta and Gamma roles when it was time. He just sometimes forgot that what was expected of him was on a different level. He could never be intimate with the other species, and that was so fucking ironic because the whole reason the Academy was founded was so they could all learn to co-exist. It was not forbidden for everyone else, but it was forbidden for him.

As he drove past the main building, he caught a scent in the air and wondered what fruity dish was being made in the kitchens. They had their own kitchen and could order food, but he didn’t think the main kitchen had ever made anything that smelled that good before. He took a long, deep breath and the scent seemed to coat all of his insides. His wolf, Shadow, unfurled and agreed with him. They had to have whatever that was. Shadow was practically salivating.

“What time is it?” he asked.

Maybe he would go for lunch in the cafeteria just so he could taste that amazing dish before anyone else.

“About ten,” Derek answered. “You weren’t in Claire’s room too long.”

“You were there for an embarrassingly short time, actually,” Myles snickered.

He rolled his eyes as they finally drove down to his parking spot. As a future Alpha, he and his chosen Beta and Gamma also had the privilege of living in their own house in the residential areas set behind the main buildings and other dorms. There were other Alphas nearby, and future leaders from all the other species, except the vampires who preferred to nest in the dorms because of the extra space.

Before they got out of the car he caught an unwelcome scent and looked in his rearview mirror to watch the man who was walking up their driveway. His wolf tried to force himself out at the nerve this traitor had to even show his face, but he forced him down. There were rules at the Academy, and he had followed them for three years. He would not fail now when he was almost out of this place.

‘Shall I get rid of him,’ Derek asked through the mind link.

‘No. I’ll deal with him.’

He got out of the car and walked to stand behind it, waiting for the man to approach. He didn’t sense any fear or guilt coming from the new arrival, and that was what rattled his wolf the most. The need to dominate this insignificant asshole had consumed him for three whole years.

“Welcome back,” the man said as he stopped a distance away.

Sensible. Any closer he would have given in to the temptation to rip his throat out.

“What do you want?” he growled.

“Aww, don’t be like that Ezekiel. We’re all friends here,” the asshole said with a grin.

He clenched his fist when he felt his claws lengthening.

“I wouldn’t be a good neighbour if I didn’t stop by and invite you to my party tonight, to kick the semester off right.”

“I’d rather chop off my balls.”

The asshole grinned and shrugged.

“Whatever, dude. Just being courteous. See you around.”

And then he turned and gave his back to him, something that reeked of disrespect because away from this place, you never turned your back on an enemy.

He felt his wolf thrashing around, ready to end the fucker on the spot. Though Jared was a future Alpha, too, his level of dominance was well below his own. Jared would never survive a real fight. He hid behind the rules of the academy that lulled everyone with a false sense of security, made them all believe that they were on the same level.

Derek and Myles came to stand on either side of him as they watched Jared whistle as he walked off their property. In a place like this, their houses and dorms were sacred and had the same rules as their territories at home. Any interlopers were always unwelcome. If anyone were not invited, it was better to keep away, because there were other ways to punish people at this school that didn’t break the rules. Jared knew that better than anyone else.

“One more year, Zeke. We’ll get him,” Derek said.

He managed to calm Shadow down and retracted his claws after Jared stepped out of his territory. He was pissed off with himself. He’d been taught control when he was a pup, long before Shadow had even emerged and tried to break him. Then a little shit like Jared rolled along and rattled him like this, throwing it all out of the window.

“We’ll get all of them,” Myles added somberly.

Zeke patted his Gamma on the back before he turned to open his trunk. Myles had just as much reason to wish Jared and all of his pack dead. They would get their revenge.

“Let’s get all this shit into the house,” he said as he pulled some of the bags out.

As future leaders, they had Omegas assigned to them to maintain the house and run around wherever they were needed. He never had much use for them; he left them alone and they didn’t get in his way. The academy took care of the laundry and food was delivered from the kitchen whenever he wanted it. He didn’t need anyone to cook for him. His Omegas were always first years and mostly just pissed him off with how terrified of him they were. At least they would have the house to themselves for a day or two before he had to deal with the stench of fear everywhere.

They walked into the spacious two-storeyed house and the fresh scent indicated it had been thoroughly cleaned before their arrival. He wrinkled his nose. It had all the usual scents, but for some reason, he wanted whatever scent he’d drove past to fill his home.

“I’m going to have lunch at the cafeteria today,” he announced as he walked to the stairway with his bags. “Whatever they’ve cooked today smelled good, and I’m starving.”

“I don’t think they do lunch early, especially on the first day,” Derek said as he followed.

“They did today. Didn’t you smell it?”

He looked back at his friends and they shrugged.

“Tell us when you’re ready, then,” Myles said as he stopped at the door to his room. Derek stopped at the opposite one and he carried on to the end of the hallway.

Shadow was still restless within him, obviously because of the visit from Jared. Maybe a run before lunch would soothe him. Tomorrow would be the first formal day of lessons; he needed to make sure he remained in control. Nothing could go wrong now when he was so close to everything he had worked hard for.