“Just try, dammit!” Loren shoved me towards the door of the cafeteria. I stumbled a bit and heard Kairos laugh at me. I kept backing towards the door slowly, eyes on the people in front of me. They kept edging closer and closer. My hand hit the metal of the door handle and I ripped it open and took off in a sprint.
My legs were utterly exhausted still from the morning run. I felt every muscle in them protest as I took off full speed. I had no idea where I was going and kept running as I heard howls behind me. I couldn’t pause to look and see how close they were and risk slowing down.
I pushed and pushed, my lungs and thighs burning, until something large cut in front of me and made me stutter to a stop. A massive wolf, with glowing purple eyes and grey fur, stopped in front of me. It snapped it’s jaws and I pivoted in a different direction. I kept running until another wolf cut me off, this one an auburn with gold eyes. I pivoted again and ran towards a building. A third wolf cut me off at the entrance and I swerved to run in the back alley. My heart was pounding out of my chest.
Finally, I turned a corner and expected an escape but was met with a dead end, a fence as high as two of me stacked end to end. “Fuck!” I screamed. The howls and grows were closer. I turned around and found four wolves in front of me, hackles up and teeth bared. There was a giant blonde wolf in front, pacing back and forth.
“Submit!” she barked. “Apologize!” It sounded like she was in my head. Her words bounced off the sides of my skull. I was shocked. The wolves could speak? “Or what? You’ll eat me?” I said. I tried to show as little fear as possible, despite the fact I was quaking to my core. “If Kairos wants to play this little game, it’ll end when I decide.”
The blonde wolf’s snout curved into a grin. “Good luck.”
Then they charged. I immediately started throwing kicks and punches to ward them off. My fingers dug into the sides of the fence and I lifted myself away from their snouts. They chomped below my feet and then started to get up on their hind legs. I took that as my chance and swung my feet onto the top of the grey wolf’s head.
She whimpered with the force of my full weight on her head. I pushed off and launched myself into the sky. I flailed a bit before grabbing the top of the fence and swinging myself over. I dropped to the ground on the other side as the wolves were still snarling. My ass felt bruised and I hobbled back up to my feet. I tried to break into a full sprint again but it came out as a limpy run. “FUCK YOU, BITCHES!” I yelled over my shoulder.
I ran out of the alley way and heard more wolves howling. Fuck, could they communicate with each other that I had escaped? I didn’t let myself think about it for too long. I was focused on finding a place to hide. I kept running when I felt a force collide with me.
My world spun on it’s side and I finally realized, this may be my end.
I blinked a few times to get the blurry spots out of my vision. My head felt like it was run over by a bus. I staggered to my feet. A hand wrapped around my wrist. I tried to shake it free when I looked at the person attached to it.
Of course, it was Maximus.
“Let me go,” I hissed.
“Come on, little human,” he teased. “Just give up. Submit and recognize you’re nothing at this school.”
I yanked my arm. “I’m am so sorry I covered you in mustard,” I yanked again. I wasn’t moving. “But this stupid murder game is a bit much!” With one more yank, my wrist slipped from his grip.
I took off again and wondered how long I could go without being caught again. My legs pushed and pushed but I was running out of gas. The howls and snarls were getting louder. But then, a cold voice boomed through the chaos.
“Enough.”
All the wolves stopped, some whimpering in pain while some were still snapping their jaws. The voice was loud enough in my brain to cause me to fall to my knees, my hands over my ears. The ringing in my brain stopped and I looked up.
Striding across the field was a man in elegant maroon robes. They floated across the grass like he was flying. His hair was long and wavy, tucked behind his ears. He had eyes so pale, they looked white instead of yellow. I could sense the power radiating off him. It was the same power that ebbed off my mother in sheets.
He was a true Alpha. Not just the heir like the rest of the people at the school. One of the wolves next to me shifted back to their human form. They stood tall but their hands were shaking. “Professor Lunerly,” they started. “We were just partaking in this year’s hunt. It’s tradition – “
“Don’t tell me about tradition,” the man in the robes said. His voice sounded like velvet on my ears. “I, too, attended Alpha Academy.” He looked down at me.
“What I didn’t do, however,” he said. “Was pick on the wolfless.”
“But, she was the weakest!” Another wolf-turned-human protested. “And Kairos – “
“Mr. Moonraiser will be compensated for the hunt this year,” the professor said. “But the rest of you are dismissed to afternoon classes.”
A few of the wolves tried to protest but ended up giving up as they watched Professor Lunerly’s mouth set in a thin line. One by one, they all shifted back to their wolf forms and took off across campus. As they all disappeared, I looked up at my savior.
He couldn’t have been much older than me, but he felt like. The way he held himself was the way someone of great age and power presented themselves. It was the same kind of royal behavior I felt around the castle when I was there.
“Thank you,” I said softly. The man barely acknowledged it, instead turning on his heel and beginning to walk towards the admissions building. He paused once to check if I started to follow him, then motioned me forward. I strode across the grass to keep up with him.
We went up the stairs and into the building. Professor Lunerly led me through the dark oak halls and into a room. The word “HEADMASTER” was written across the door in curly font. He motioned towards a chair in front of a desk to which I sat in. He took the seat behind the desk and gently pushed an old rotary phone towards me.
“For you,” he said.
I furrowed my brows but picked up and handle of the phone and held it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Zora!”
It was Victoria. Great. Exactly what I needed after fighting for my life all day.
“Vict – er – your highness,” I said when I caught Professor Lunerly’s gaze. “You shouldn’t need such formalities,” Victoria said. “Valentin is a family friend.”
I glanced up at Professor Lunerly. His mouth was set in a line still. He looked unfriendly. He looked proper.
“Right,” I said into the phone, drawing out the word.
“So how was your first day?” Victoria said. “Um, well,” I ran a hand over my face. “I didn’t pass the run. Missed it by like a quarter of a mile. Then I spilled a sandwich all over a student. Which cause the hunt to start, where a bunch of angry wolves started to chase me and try and kill me. And then Professor Lunerly ended it and brought me here.” I half-laughed. “So pretty eventful.”
“My Gods,” Victoria laughed along. “You certainly are my daughter. Causing such a commotion on the first day!”
“I’m sure your commotion was much more positive than mine,” I grumbled.
“Well, sure, yes,” Victoria said. “The princess-heir was starting her education. At a different school than her mother! Highly scandalous.”
I hummed. I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to say. We both sat in silence for a moment before Victoria sighed.
“Have you met any of and fiancé candidates yet?”
I snorted. “Unfortunately,”
“Unfortunately!?” Victoria balked. “Oh goodness, the sandwich.”
“The sandwich,” I repeated. “Though I think Maximus was more angry that I cut him than that I spilled mustard all over him.”
“You cut him?!” I had never heard Victoria so surprised. “Oh heaven’s above! What on earth prompted you to do that!”
“He was being a dick!” I threw back. “Pummeling my into the ground during Basics. Telling me I was worthless! Using my wolfless-ness as an insult!”
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