Freya

~

The moment I stepped through the door, the world shifted.

One second, I was standing in a dark alley, my breath heavy from chasing the striped stray cat. Next, I was somewhere...else.

The air was filled with an energy I had never felt before. It wasn’t cold, it wasn't warm—just different. My feet landed on solid ground, yet I wasn’t sure if it was stone or something more alive. The scent of damp earth and ancient wood filled my lungs.

I looked around, trying to grasp where I had ended up. The sky above me wasn’t the dull grey of the city but a deep shade of violet.

The cat sat a few feet ahead, tail flicking, watching me with knowing eyes.

“What is this place?” I whispered, more to myself than to the animal.

I stepped forward, my heartbeat loud in the silence, and as I did, a low hum filled the air. It was coming from something. From everywhere.

Then, the door behind me—this impossible, floating door—vanished.

I sucked in a sharp breath.

No way back.

No turning around.

I was here.

And whatever this place was, it felt like it had been waiting for me.

“This is a dream,” I whispered to myself. “I have to be dreaming. Freya, you need to wake up. Soon.”

Then I heard a strange noise. A clang—metallic and rhythmic—like the sound of a gate.

I followed it, my worn-out shoes sinking slightly into the damp earth with every step.

The fog cleared just enough to reveal large set of iron gates, with the image of a falcon carved into the center.

They were as tall as the trees around them—and twice as scary.

Something deep inside me screamed to turn back. But curiosity… Curiosity made me walk closer.

With a shaky hand, I touched the gate.To my surprise, it groaned and creaked—then slowly swung open on its own.

I hesitated.

Is this some kind of bad dream I’m stuck in? This can’t be real… right?

But the cold felt real. And so did the tight knot twisting in my stomach. Before I could decide whether to run or step through, two massive figures emerged from the fog.

They didn’t look human.

Too tall.

Too broad.

Glowing tattoo-like marks covered their bare arms.Their eyes held no warmth—just endless darkness.

One of them grunted something in a language I didn’t understand.

Then the other grabbed my arm. Not violently, but firm enough that I knew resistance was pointless.

“Hey!” I protested, struggling. “Where are you taking me?”

They didn’t answer. The one on my left muttered something again, and I thought I heard a name—something that sounded ghostly…

“Let’s go!” the other one barked.

My heart pounded. Everything was happening too fast. They dragged me forward, toward a structure just beyond the gates.

It looked like a building, but not any kind I had ever seen.It had spires like a castle, towers that clawed at the sky.The stones were dark. The windows are strange.Vines twisted up the walls, but they weren’t green. They were coal-black.

It reminded me of those ancient hunted castles from storybooks.

I swallowed hard.

"This has to be a dream," I whispered. “There’s no way this is real.”

The inside wasn’t any more comforting.

The doors slammed shut behind us with a thunderous boom. They led me down a hallway lit by flickering torches—yes, actual torches—and strange runes that shimmered faintly on the walls.

The hallway stretched endlessly. With every step, the air grew heavier, like the entire building was watching me.

Finally, we reached a door carved with the same falcon and runes I’d seen on the gate. One of the guards knocked three times.

“Enter,” said a voice. Soft, but commanding.

The door swung open on its own.

Inside sat a woman behind a desk. She looked no older than thirty.

But her eyes… Her eyes weren’t like anything I had ever seen. They were sharp and violet.

Her auburn hair was tied in a neat bun, and her deep green robe shimmered with moving symbols.

“I’ll take it from here,” she said calmly to the guards.

They released me and vanished without a word.

I rubbed my sore arm and looked around. The office wasn’t too bright—dimly lit, with three walls lined with floating books and scrolls that organized themselves in mid-air.

The ceiling was a swirling vortex of stars—an illusion, but mesmerizing nonetheless.

“Freya Moore,” the woman said, looking directly at me. “Welcome.”

I blinked. “You know my name?”

She smiled gently, like a teacher pleased with a child’s curiosity. “I’m Eva Morgen. Dean of Admissions and Orientation. You’ve arrived at Moon claw university.”

I stared at her. “Moonclaw—what? I… I didn’t apply to any—wait. No. That was a throwaway option. I only submitted an application because I needed four.”

Eva nodded, hands folded neatly on the desk. “Yes. The last option. The one you didn’t want to accept.”

“How do you know about that?”

“Oh, Freya,” she said softly. “I’ve always been watching you. Monitoring your activities in the human world. And I must say—you weren’t treated well there.”

“Is this some joke? Or a dream?” My voice trembled. “This isn’t real. I’m stuck in some kind of trance, right?”

“Oh, it’s very real,” Eva replied, her eyes glinting strangely. “You were always meant to arrive here. As per the terms of the binding—once you turned eighteen, the portal would find you. And here you are.”

I blinked rapidly. “Portal? Binding? I didn’t bind anything with anyone! I’m… I’m just human!”

Silence stretched between us like cracking ice.

Eva tilted her head, studying me. “You think you’re just human.”

My chest rose and fell quickly. “I am human. I go to high school. I work at a café. I take care of my foster family. I’ve never even been on a plane—and now I’m in some gothic wizard Hogwarts knockoff being told I was meant to be here?”

“You may feel human now—or think you are—but you’re not,” Eva said quietly. “You are more than that, Freya. What you are has simply been… dormant.”

Without realizing it, I dropped into a chair across from her. My hands trembled in my lap.

“This is insane,” I muttered.

Eva didn’t respond right away. She reached for a quill and scribbled something into a floating book.

“It will take time for you to adjust,” she said finally. “Your powers will begin to awaken. It starts with small—unusual dreams, accidental manipulation of emotions. Soon, the human shell will fall away. Your true essence will emerge.”

I stared at her like she’d grown horns.

“Why now?” I whispered. “Why when I just turned eighteen?”

“Because a binding spell to the human world was placed on you,” Eva answered. “It was only broken when you turned eighteen. Like I said, I’ve been watching you. You weren’t cursed, Freya. But the suffering you experienced in the human world—that was part of the calling. You were placed in the wrong world… temporarily.”

“Everything was for a purpose,” she continued. “This is your purpose.”

I stood up abruptly. “This is too much. I need to wake up from this dream.”

“Freya, this isn’t a dream,” she said firmly.

“What about the cat?”

“Well,” she said, with a faint smile, “I sent him to bring you here.”

“What!” I shouted. “Okay, that’s enough. All of this is too much. You’ve got the wrong girl. I need to go back to the human world. I’m sure my father—”

“Must be worried sick?” Eva finished for me, cutting me off. “He doesn’t care anymore, Freya. There’s nothing left for you in that world. This is your home now—whether you like it or not.”

“If you won’t take me back, then I’ll find a way myself,” I said, voice shaking.

Eva’s lips curled in a knowing smile. “No one has ever escaped before, Freya. Those who tried… well, some never made it out of the forest. Graduation is your only hope.”

My heart hammered. Was I truly trapped here, forever cut off from my family?”

“I’m dreaming,” I whispered, pressing my fingers to my temples. “Please let me wake up.”

A knock interrupted us.

“Come in,” Eva said.

I turned, blinking twice as a tall, beautiful figure stepped inside. No—not just beautiful. He was breathtaking.

“Hello Dean?” You asked for me.”

“Freya Moore,” Eva said, standing from her seat, “meet your new mentor—Kristen Blackwood. He’s a wolf shifter and just transferred to this school... because of you.”

“Me?” I echoed, startled.

“Yes, Freya. You.”I looked up at him. His golden eyes glowed and locked with mine, and I felt a jolt—like lightning racing through my veins, and something shimmered beneath the surface. There was a pull—something I couldn’t explain, something that tightened in my chest.

Freya

~

I looked at him again, this time more closely. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark curly hair and grey eyes that looked like they were about to unleash a storm. His eyes had been golden earlier, but now they had returned to their normal color. Why were they golden? I wondered. He wore a dark academy coat, unbuttoned to reveal a white long-sleeved shirt underneath.

He held himself like royalty.

“Freya,” Dean Eva said, “Kristen is the best fit for you right now. He was a top student at his university back in his pack before he transferred here.”

But Kristen’s mouth twisted in disdain. “Really, Dean? This is the one I was transferred to this school for?”

“Yes. You’ve known this all your life, so why complain now?”

“Why complain now?” he scoffed. “Miss Eva, look at her. She looks like she’s been hit by a bus.”

They were discussing me like I wasn’t even in the room. If this was how it was going to be, maybe I really should go back to my world.

“She’s not just any human,” Dean Eva said calmly. “She’s a human hybrid. A rare one—from your clan.”

Kristen frowned. “I refuse to believe this is Ryker’s daughter.”

“You know my father?My real father?” I asked.

Kristen scoffed. “You’re barely what he is. Human,” he said to me. “And I don’t need anyone leeching on me right now.”

My eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to be rude, you know.”

Kristen rolled his eyes but stepped closer, a slow smirk forming on his face.“If not for my father’s final verdict, I wouldn’t have considered mentoring you at all.”

“Then don’t,” I snapped. “I don’t need you anyway.”

He exhaled heavily, clearly annoyed. “If my father hadn’t made it his dying wish, I wouldn’t waste my time. I have better things to do than babysit someone who hasn’t even unlocked her powers.”

I felt heat rise to my face. The audacity of this guy.“You’ll be nothing but a distraction,” he added coldly.

“Excuse me?” My voice was aligned and sharp. “Let me make something clear. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t beg for this. And I most certainly didn’t beg for some spoiled prince to be assigned to me like I’m some lost child. If this is how mentorship works here, then no thank you. Dean Eva, maybe this isn’t going to work.”

Kristen’s jaw tightened.

The Dean, however, simply smiled. “Freya, sit. Kristen, that attitude won’t get you anywhere. Your father chose you for a reason, so don’t fail him.”

Kristen gritted his teeth. “Not like I have a choice now,” he murmured.

I looked between them and scoffed before sitting down and crossing my arms.

“You’re dismissed,” Eva said.

As Kristen stormed out, he threw me a final look—one that promised war. I shivered, realizing I’d just made my first enemy in this strange new world.

***

Kristen

~

I stormed through the corridors of Moon claw, ignoring the nods and bows of lower-ranked students.

I reached my room and slammed the door, throwing myself into the dark leather armchair by the window.

My head was filled with a storm of confusion.

Freya.

That name shouldn’t mean anything to me. She was half-blood. A hybrid with dormant powers. Raised as a human. Weak, Inexperience and mortal.

And yet…when she looked at me, I felt something twist deep inside. Was it lust? My wolf had growled the moment she stood up to me. But it didn’t make sense.

The mate bond!

I had already felt it years ago with Chloe. Or so I thought. My mother had arranged the marriage. Chloe was strong, beautiful, and capable. We matched in lineage, power, and pack politics.

But I never really felt the bond.

Not until now.

That girl,Freya. Something about her scent, the way she challenged me… it woke something inside me that had been sleeping for years. But why didn’t she feel it too? I rubbed my temples.

Unless… unless she can’t feel it.

Not yet.

Not until her powers awaken. Her hybrid blood might still be dormant and sealed.That would explain it.

But what would happen when she unlocked them? Should I just reject her and get all this over with? Would she come running into my arms? Would she accept the truth or reject me?

God, I was so confused. I gritted my teeth. I didn’t love Chloe. I respected her. Liked her, maybe. But love? It was far from it. There was never any spark between us. We were allies, meant to be partners in a carefully curated future. But no matter how I tried, I couldn’t seem to be attracted to Chloe.

Not sexually, not with lust, not even as friends.

Freya… She was a burning match in a dark room.

And I hated her for making me feel like this. Still, I couldn’t shake her voice from my mind.

“Maybe this isn’t going to work out.”

That look in her eyes, brave and broken all at once, it undid me. I stood up, pacing. I needed to know. Needed to see if the bond was real.

Because if it was… everything was about to change. Chloe and her pack wouldn’t take betrayal lightly.

I crossed to the window, staring out at the towers of moonclaw.

Beyond the courtyard, I could see the training grounds where the elites mastered their powers.That was where she would be soon enough… if she survived the awakening process.

My fingers tightened against the window frame. What do I do?

The Human World...

The door creaked open slowly. Three men stepped inside. They were tall, draped in black cloaks and their eyes glowing red beneath their hoods. They moved silently.

They spread through the small, dusty house. The air reeked of alcohol and mold. An empty bottle rolled across the hallway as one of the intruders stepped in.

“She’s not here,” the first man said, his voice a low growl. “Search everywhere.”

In the corner of the living room, sprawled over a stained couch, was kelvin. A bottle still clutched in his hand, his eyes bloodshot, barely able to sit upright.When he saw the figures, he froze.

“No… no, no,” he muttered, trying to stand. “You—”

The leader turned toward him. “So you do recognize us.”

“You’re the ones that destroyed Ryker and his family… You killed Ryker, goddammit.”

The man smirked beneath his hood. “Ahh, so the memory hasn’t entirely rotted in your drunk skull.”

Kelvin backed up a step, knocking over a small wooden table. The bottle in his hand shattered. His hands shook.

“Where is she?” the man whispered.

“I-I don’t know,” he said, terrified. “I’m sure they must have taken her.” He let out a shaky laugh, his breath reeking of alcohol.

“Taken her where?”

“I told you—I don’t know. And even if I did, I’m not telling.”

The man sighed. “Then what use are you to me? If you can’t tell me her whereabouts, you’re better off dead—just like your friend.” He turned to the others. “Kill him.”

“Wait!” Kelvin shouted. “Don’t…please, I beg you…have mercy…”

But his pleas fell on deaf ears. One of the cloaked men lunged forward, his blade sliding across the room with deadly speed.

A sharp gasp.

Then silence.

Kelvin collapsed to the floor, blood pooling from his slit neck, eyes wide with the final terror of a man who had seen monsters twice.

“No!” Cherry shouted from the door steps, the shopping bag in her hand fell to the ground. Behind her was Loretta, wide-eyed in shock.

“Get them!” He ordered.

Loretta and Cherry quickly ran off.

“Prepare the Bloodstone. If she’s crossed over into the mystical world, we’ll find her. As for the rest of the family, find them and kill them.”

“But Slyker,” one of them asked, “what do we tell the king?”

“That’s why we have to find her quickly.”

~

The next day…

A girl around Freya's age stopped in front of her house in the human world, her hands gripping the steering wheel with excitement. The soft purr of her brand-new car—sleek and silver.

Her parents had gifted it to her after their vacation as an early birthday present, and she couldn’t wait to show it to her best friend.

She parked along the curb and stepped out, the cool morning breeze ruffling her dark curls. As she shut the door, she glanced around. It was too quiet.No clinking of empty beer bottles.No grumbled swears from kelvin and no abuses from Loretta.

Just… unbearable silence.

Tiffany walked up the porch steps, the wood creaking beneath her boots. The front door was slightly open.

Why is the door open? she thought.

She knocked once.

Then again.

No answer.

“Freya?” she called out, peeking through the narrow front window.The hallway looked the same, but something felt… off.

The energy in the house was dead.A small frown tugged at her lips as she gripped the doorknob to the living room. It turned easily.

She stepped inside cautiously. “I’m coming in, okay?” she called, forcing a small chuckle.

Then the scent hit her.

Sharp.

Metallic.

Like rust.

Tiffany wrinkled her nose.“What the hell…”

The strange smell grew stronger with each step. Her instincts screamed at her to leave—but curiosity pushed her forward.

“Mr. Kelvin? Freya?” She called out for Freya's foster father and her friend. “You alright?”

The scream never made it out.Her breath was stolen by the gruesome sight before her. Kelvin lay sprawled across the floor…lifeless. His chest soaked in blood. His hands dangled limply, fingertips grazing shattered glass and a bottle of liquor.

Blood had pooled beneath him, seeping into the carpet and staining it.

“Oh my God… Oh my God—Freya…”

She scrambled back, fumbling for her phone, fingers slipping as she dialed emergency services.

“There’s blood… he’s dead… I think he’s dead…please, please hurry—Mr. Kelvin —he’s—” Her voice cracked with sobs.

She ran to Freya’s room,but it was empty.“Freya? Where are you? Please…”

Her hands shook as she dialed her mother’s number.

“Moth-Mother,” she stammered, breath ragged. Fear gripped her chest. “I don’t think I can drive, Mum. Please… come to Freya’s place.”

“What are you saying, child? I can barely hear you. Why are you crying?”

“Mother, please… just come. I beg you,” she whispered, then ended the call. She texted Freya quickly.

Where are you? Are you okay?

Her mind spun in circles.

What if Freya had been hurt too? What if she had walked in on this? What if—

She dropped to her knees, sobbing as the worst possible scenarios consumed her. And the sirens couldn’t come fast enough.

**************

Meanwhile, in the mystical realm… in the white halls of the Crimson Pack mansion, Chloe paced furiously in front of the Pack Council Chamber.

Her heels clicked sharply against the polished stone, her lavender gown fluttering with every turn she took. Her long dark hair was unkempt from tugging at it in frustration, and her usual calm demeanor had shattered into furious pieces.

"They’ve lost their minds!" she shrieked, storming into the chamber without waiting to be invited.

Kristen’s mother, Mabel, Luna of Crimson pack, sat at the head of the long table with a few council members. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for Chloe’s tantrum to finish.

“Elders, please excuse us,” Chloe said, fury burning in her eyes.

They looked at their Luna, and she gave them a single nod.

As soon as the room cleared, Chloe rounded on her. “How dare you all make Kristen abandon his duties here—his coronation, school, and most importantly our mating ceremony—just to go babysit some human hybrid freak?"

“Watch your words,” Mabel said coldly, her eyes glinting with restrained rage.

“I had to learn about it from my source! None of you could’ve had the decency to speak to me about it first? What will my father say when I tell him? She’s a stain on everything we stand for!" Chloe barked. “Isn’t she the daughter of the previous Alpha who betrayed his own pack and this very pack to go to the human world and be with someone?”

“Why let your son play mentor to some abomination, Luna Mabel?”

"Enough, Chloe." Luna Mabel’s voice rang.

"No!" Chloe shouted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "You’re his mother! How could you allow this? How could you let him disgrace us all by entertaining that thing? You promised my father that he would be ready! The ceremony is in three weeks!”

"If not for one thing, Chloe, I would’ve ended this alliance," Mabel said calmly. "You aren’t even Luna yet, and already you’re setting yourself high, trying to control everyone around you. Don’t forget your place—and who’s in charge here."

"You speak like a spoiled pup Luna Mabel added.

"Chloe’s nostrils flared. "I’ve spent my whole life preparing for this. I’ve trained beside Kristen for years. I’ve earned my place! He needs to come back here. He can’t leave me behind to go take care of some human. I’ve spent my whole life preparing for this!" she repeated, her voice cracking. "She just…he can’t just throw our plans away for her"

Mabel stood up slowly, her gaze sharp. "Are you speaking out because of the ceremony… or because you feel threatened by her presence?"

"Threatened? Seriously? By a human? Don’t flatter me, Luna Mabel. I can never feel threatened by her. Why would you even allow Kristen to transfer to that school?”

"You know, Chloe… I think you don’t love my son. You’re just after the power and the name the Blackwood family will give you."

Chloe opened her mouth to respond, but the words barely came.

"No need to be defensive, Chloe," Mabel said, her tone clipped. "The ceremony will happen in three weeks. Just don’t get in my son’s way.”