Arabella's Point of View

Legends Creation College, Beverly Hills

"I'm so scared. I don't think I'll attend the selection parade."

"Me too. What if we don't come out alive?"

"My mom said the King eats human flesh."

"Same here. My mom said he prefers the flesh of young virgins."

"I heard he's old, ugly, and has two very sharp fangs."

Ugh. These are the words echoing in every hallway right now. The whole school is in total chaos, as every girl I walk past is having a serious conversation about the selection parade.

The selection parade takes place every five years. It's an occasion where girls who have come of age—from 18 to 25 years—from different species (werewolves, vampires, witches, elves, and dragons) are chosen and taken to the King's palace.

Although we don't know why they do it, all the girls who were taken there always come back having lost their memories—they don't remember and can't say what happened or what they saw there.

Another five years has come, and it's putting all the eligible girls on hot seats. Sadly, I'm one of those eligible girls this time.

Every girl is walking on her toes now because the selection parade is fast approaching and everyone is scared. Honestly, I'm scared too.

Not wanting to hear any more about the selection parade, I hastened my pace and rushed toward the direction of my first class for today.

I have not seen the King yet, but I believe these girls are kind of exaggerating—although I know for sure that he's old and ugly.

"Hey, Ara!" someone called me from behind.

I stopped and looked back, only to see Daphne (my best friend since diapers) jogging toward me with a bright smile on her face—as usual, she was dragging Dante (her twin brother) along.

"Let go of me, you beast!" Dante cursed and tried to get away from her.

"Let go of you?" Daphne scoffed. "In your dreams! Not until you refund my money. Every penny!" she screamed in his ear, making him wince.

I stifled a laugh at Dante's expression. Well, I can't blame him, because his sister always seems to forget we're werewolves—and we've got super hearing.

"I didn't force you to give me your money. In fact, you begged me to accept it," Dante said.

They had stopped in front of me by now, but I didn’t stop them from arguing because I wanted to watch some drama and have a good laugh.

Besides, with all this talk about the selection parade going on, I think having Dante around would help ease my mind.

"...wanted to reject your money, but you desperately begged me to accept it."

"You’re—"

"You were crawling after me, crying that I accept your money," Dante said in a mocking tone.

Daphne slapped his shoulder as hard as she could, but it didn’t seem to do any harm to him.

"You’re exaggerating things here. Also, you tricked and lied to me!"

"I didn’t lie," he defended himself.

"You lied!"

"I didn’t!"

"You lied!"

"I said I didn’t!"

"I said you lied!"

"I didn’t!"

Alright, I guess it’s time for me to cut in, or they're going to keep on arguing all day. I cleared my throat.

"I didn’t—"

"Dolphin," I cut in, and they both turned to face me.

Dolphin—my nickname for Daphne because it kind of sounds like her original name: Daphne, Dolphin—haha.

"What did Dante promise to do for you?" I asked her.

"He promised he'd stay over at Grandma’s tonight and take care of her for two days, but now he's taking back his words," she explained.

I looked at Dante, but he quickly looked away from me and started whistling, which meant he’s guilty.

I closed my eyes briefly, puffed out some air, then massaged my temples softly.

"Dante isn't to be trusted with money. Why do you always believe his words and fall prey to his scams?" I scolded Daphne.

"Hey, I’m not a scam!" Dante quickly defended himself.

Daphne and I both raised our brows at him. He chuckled lightly and nodded.

"I’m just intelligent," he said.

"Mr. Smart Pants, you're just too lazy to work for your money," I retorted.

He released a tight smile, grabbed Daphne’s shoulders, and pushed her toward me.

"Sorry to disappoint you ladies. I just got myself a job last night—and it’s at the King’s palace."

"What?!" Daphne and I exclaimed at once.

He grinned widely, nodding his head.

"Oh yeah," he replied.

"Are you crazy? Why did you go looking for a job at the palace? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Daphne asked worriedly.

Dante shrugged his shoulders, shoved his left hand into his pocket, and waved at us.

"I’m off to class. My mate’s waiting." Then he ran off.

Daphne closed her eyes and pulled her hair in frustration.

"My dad’s never going to agree to this. Wait—I should mind-link him and inform him of Dante’s craziness," she said.

Her eyes glazed almost immediately. I patiently waited until she was done, and we started walking again.

"What did your dad say?" I asked.

"He’s going to have a word with Dante. He sounded angry, and I believe that talk is going to involve his fist," she laughed evilly.

I shook my head. She must have done this gossip to get back at Dante for taking her money—she and her brother can be so childish every so often.

"Did you watch the news?" Daphne asked.

She threw her right arm around my shoulder, and we headed toward our class—we both have the first class together.

"You know I hate watching the news. It adds nothing to my life," I said.

"It adds nothing to your life, but it makes you aware of the things happening around you."

I scoffed.

"We're wolves. We don’t really need the news or whatsoever."

"Of course we do," she replied.

I sighed softly.

"What about the news?" I asked. I didn’t want her to continue preaching in my ears.

She looked around briefly, pulled me closer—even though we were already close enough.

"A body was found last night at the Wizardry Forest," she said in a low voice.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Rumors had it that he was killed by the Beast King," she whispered even lower than before.

"Rumors?" she nodded.

"It shouldn’t be rumors anymore. We all know he’s the one behind all the killings," I said.

Daphne nodded slowly in agreement with me.

"I don’t know why they’d make a killer our King. He should be removed."

I gave her a daring look.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Aren’t I saying the truth?"

"Of course you are. But telling me can change nothing... Why not go talk to the Twelve Elders about it?" I suggested calmly with a hint of sarcasm.

"No thanks," she said, shuddering as if she had just thought of something unpleasant.

Well, hearing of the Twelve Elders is truly something unpleasant. They are the last people you'd want to cross paths with—they’re second in command after our Beast King.

"I wish my mate would just show up, and I wouldn’t need to go to the palace," she sighed. "I don’t want to see the Beast King’s ugly face," she cringed.

I laughed and stopped in front of our classroom. I turned to face her and patted her shoulders.

"Don’t worry. You won’t remember his ugly face even if you see it," I told her.

I was indirectly reminding her that every girl who comes out of the palace doesn't have any memories of what they saw or what happened in there.

"Hmm, you’re right," she agreed.

"Let’s forget about the Beast King. It’s time for class." I nodded at our class.

She tilted her head and peeked in, then gasped.

"Mr. Clovis is already in! What should we do now?"

"Em…"

"I don’t want him to scold me again today. He’s going to tell my dad I came late to class, and my dad’s gonna—"

"Daphne," I interrupted her. "Breathe."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"We're taking the back door," I said, pointing at the back door.

Daphne smiled, then gave me a thumbs up.

"You’re so wise."

"Of course. I know that," I replied cockily.

★★★★★

Another yawn escaped my lips as my eyelids twitched sleepily, but I tried my best to shake off the sleepiness.

It’s been almost 20 minutes since we entered Mr. Clovis’ class, and honestly, his classes are extremely boring, which always makes me fall asleep halfway through his lectures.

Another yawn escaped my lips again. Maybe I should get some sleep because I can’t hold it in anymore.

"Hey," I called Daphne softly. "Mr. Clovis’ lectures are boring me. I think I’ll take a nap… Wake me up when he’s done."

Her eyes widened.

"A nap in Mr. Clovis’ class?!" she whisper-yelled.

"Yes. I have a part-time job later. I might as well catch some sleep," I said and rested my head on the desk.

"But he’s—"

I closed my eyes and tuned her out—sleep, oh sweet sleep.

★★★★★

"ARABELLA HUMPHREY!"

A voice shouted, and my eyes snapped open as I sprang up immediately. Then I heard a series of laughter.

I looked around with a frown until I realized I was still in the classroom. I looked to the front and saw Mr. Clovis glaring daggers at me.

Uh-oh. Guess I’ve been caught.

"Arabella Humphrey, you always fall asleep in my class!" Mr. Clovis shouted.

I twisted my lips nonchalantly.

"That’s because your lectures are boring," I grumbled.

But unfortunately for me, everyone in my class is a supernatural creature, and we all have super hearing—they heard me perfectly clearly and roared with laughter.

"What did you say?" he asked in an outraged tone.

"Nothing," I answered quickly.

Mr. Clovis’ face grew red with anger. He banged on the table and stormed toward me, waving his forefinger at me.

"You think this is funny, right?" he growled.

He stopped in front of me and glared down.

"Detention for you."

"Detention?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Mr. Clovis, we’re no longer high school students. You know that, right?"

"Well, you’re behaving like a high school student right now," he replied.

My mouth parted slightly as I wanted to argue, but he didn’t let me speak.

"You’re leaving this school premises by 8 p.m.!" he said, leaving no room for arguments.

I sighed and quietly nodded my head. It’s not appropriate to sleep off during a lecture anyway.

"Good." With that, he stormed out.

I sat down and glared maliciously at Daphne, who was laughing like the rest of the class.

"His face was hilarious," she said, banging on the desk.

"And that earned me a detention. Ha-ha," I laughed sarcastically.

"Oh, right."

"Hm." I hummed.

We started packing up our books, getting ready to head to our second classes—we have different classes for second period.

"I would have loved to stay in detention with you, but I have to go over to my grandma’s after school," Daphne said.

"Excuses. I understand you, though."

She grinned.

"You know I love you." She leaned forward and kissed my cheek.

"I love you too."

★★★★★

The rest of the day went by in a blur, and before I knew it, it was already closing time.

I rushed straight to Mr. Clovis’ office immediately after my classes. I didn’t want any more of his nagging.

But unfortunately, he had already gone home when I arrived. I wouldn’t have come to detention had I known he wouldn’t be there.

So, I took it upon myself to sleep throughout the detention period—after all, I might work overtime tomorrow because of this stupid detention.

Finally, it was time to go home. I gathered my things and rushed out of the school. Everywhere was quiet, since all the students of Legends Creation had already gone home.

My stomach growled loudly, urging me to make it home in time and get something in my stomach. But unfortunately, from the school to my home is quite far. The only shortcut to my home is… the Wizardry Forest.

'Yeah, it’s a shortcut, but the least safe one,' I heard Amy, my sassy wolf, nag in my head.

I rolled my eyeballs.

"Why do you easily get scared?" I asked.

'I’m not easily scared. I just avoid what’s going to cause me trouble,' she replied.

I scoffed and smirked wickedly.

"It’s decided, then. We’re taking the woods," I said, referring to the Wizardry Forest.

What can I say? I love opposing Amy because she gets on my nerves every so often.

'You’re very stubborn and—'

I shut her out and headed toward the forest. I was too hungry and couldn’t wait to get home.

★★★★★

Whoa, it’s so dark here. I panicked mentally as I stared at the woods (Wizardry Forest) ahead of me.

I’d made it to the entrance of the Wizardry Forest, but I didn’t know if I should continue or turn back and take the long road instead.

Staring at the woods gave me an eerie feeling, and it made my palms sweat weirdly.

'Are you scared now?' Amy mocked me.

I scoffed.

"Scared? Never."

'Then go in—but count me out when you meet trouble.'

"As if I need your help," I retorted rudely.

I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply, and ventured in. I pray I don’t come across danger, though.

Arabella’s Point of View

Being the only living soul walking in this lifeless wizardry forest is quite scary, and I swear I could hardly move my legs—but I'm already in, and I must get out quickly. So, I pushed myself to keep moving.

I felt a gush of eerie breeze blow past my ears. It sounded as though someone just ran past at great speed, and I shivered.

It’s very dark everywhere, but since I’m a werewolf, I can still see clearly. I saw goosebumps growing on my arms and hugged myself.

Then it dawned on me—Daphne said a dead body was found around this area last night. Could it be the killer is still lurking around?

“It’s late,” I heard a very deep, frightening voice say near my ear.

I jumped back and couldn’t help the shriek that left my mouth. But before I could grasp what was going on or even get a glimpse of who just spoke into my ear...

A hand wrapped around my neck, lifted me off the ground, and slammed my back against a tree I hadn’t noticed earlier. I closed my eyes and grunted in pain.

If I wasn’t a werewolf, I’m sure my backbone would’ve broken from the impact my back had with the tree.

“Who the hell are you?” I asked, struggling to get away from the person, which was impossible because of his strong hold.

I lifted my head and opened my eyes. My breath hitched instantly, and my mouth parted at the sight that greeted me.

I’ve heard people say he took my breath away, and I never really read any meaning into it. But right now, I have the perfect explanation for it.

My eyes trailed along his facial features—his thick and perfectly arched eyebrows, which were knitted together in a frown. His long eyelashes were illuminated by his sparkling blue eyes.

His lips looked a bit pale, but still so beautiful and tempting as I stared at them longingly. I folded my lower lip into my mouth and bit it hard until I tasted a metallic liquid. That’s when I realized I’d injured my lip.

He looked so flawless and sinfully handsome. Even though he was frowning, he didn’t look any less handsome.

Is this human? How can someone be so perfect?

Hold on a sec... Why is my heart pounding so fast? Am I having a crush on him? What about my mate? What am I going to do when he...

“What were you thinking, coming into the woods at this hour?” his hoarse voice interrupted my unnecessary thoughts.

“It’s the only way to my home,” I answered, strangely in a bold tone.

He growled as if he didn’t like the tone in which I answered. His free hand held my chin up, and he stared into my eyes, his squint... anger?

“A lot of things can happen to you in the woods tonight. Do you know that?” he snarled at me.

That’s when I saw it. There was a small trail of blood at the corner of his mouth, and judging from its scent, I could tell it was fresh.

My eyes widened as fear suddenly gripped me. My heart accelerated because different thoughts were running through my mind at that moment.

Could it be I’ve met the Beast? Is he going to kill me? Is my blood next in line?

Oh no, please spare me. I’m a perfect girl. I might be a little rude, but I’m still a good girl. Please don’t kill me—I started praying in my mind.

“Answer me!” he bellowed.

“A-are you the Beast?” I asked instead.

Honestly, I don’t know where this courage came from or why I asked that question. I just couldn’t keep it in and blurted it out.

“Don’t I look like a Beast?” he asked me back.

I studied his face and shook my head. According to Grandma’s description, the Beast must be old, with horns and dirty fangs in his mouth. This man looked pretty neat to me.

“No, you don’t look like a Beast. You’re very handsome,” I said.

He stared at me silently for a moment, then chuckled lightly, and his tensed shoulders slumped down a bit. The sound of his laugh was wealthy and soft.

“Don’t be fooled by looks, my darling. They can be deceiving,” he told me in a calmer tone this time. “You seem like an obedient little one, so obediently run home now,” he added.

I scoffed mentally. I’m nowhere near obedient at all. In fact, I can be very stubborn every so often.

“What are you still waiting for?”

“Like you said earlier, looks can be deceiving,” I smirked at using his words on him too.

He closed his eyes briefly.

“I’m not someone you’d want to mess with. Leave now, before I become your worst nightmare!”

“But you are not…”

He suddenly tensed again. His brows furrowed instantly as he sniffed the air, then zeroed his eyes on me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He quickly let go of me, and I almost fell on my face. He took a few steps away from me, as if standing close to me would burn him—as if I burned him.

“Get out of the woods now!” he barked at me.

“Then what about you?”

His blue eyes suddenly turned bloodshot red, and I took cautious steps back.

“Get out before it’s too late for you!” he roared, making the forest shake—or maybe that was just my imagination.

I heard very heavy footsteps approaching us. It sounded like the feet of a monster hitting the ground in cartoon films.

My body started shaking in fear. I slowly picked up my bag that was lying on the ground and ran toward the exit of the forest. I didn’t want to stay back and witness that handsome guy lose his life.

I ran as fast as I could, using my wolf’s strength to support myself—though she was fighting not to lend her strength to me.

★★★★★

“Mom, I’m home,” I announced immediately as I stepped into our small living room.

I threw my bag randomly on the table and slumped on the nearest chair, releasing heavy breaths.

“You’re finally home,” Arthur (my younger brother—he’s 17) said as he strode toward me with his hands in his pockets.

He thinks doing that makes him look cool and stuff. I scoffed mentally—he’s just bluffing himself.

“Where’s Mom?” I asked.

“She went to the pack-house,” he answered.

“Pack-house? Why?”

He sat on a chair, reached for the remote control, and turned on the TV.

“There’s a pack meeting, and I think it’s about the selection parade. Alpha Jarek personally came to inform Mom about it…”

He paused and tilted his head, brows furrowed in a serious frown.

“…Do you think he has a crush on Mom?” he asked.

Alpha Jarek and Mom together? That’s not a good combination at all. I winced in disgust at the thought of them being together.

“Get your mind out of the gutter. You’re too young to be talking about crushes.”

Arthur coughed.

“I’m 17 years old, and I’ll have a mate next year, so I’m not too young to be talking about crushes.”

Weirdly, at the mention of ‘mate,’ my mind flashed back to the handsome stranger I met in the Wizardry Forest. I wondered what happened to him.

Did the Beast King catch up with him? Is he devouring the handsome stranger’s flesh right now?

“Ara!”

Arthur snapped his fingers across my eyes. I blinked and alighted from my train of thoughts—it’s a pity that a handsome stranger’s life would be wasted just like that.

“Besides, Mom’s a widow and Alpha Jarek is a widower…” he adjusted his posture to an imposing one. “…I’d love to have people referring to me as the Alpha’s son,” he laughed evilly.

I leaned forward and pushed his head gently, making him glare at me. But he quickly looked away when I glared back.

“Stop dreaming about being the Alpha’s son. You’re not fit for that title,” I told him.

Arthur has girls flocking around him everywhere he goes. And if it weren’t for the respect he has for Mom, I’m sure he’d have been a little heartbreaker by now.

If Arthur ends up becoming the Alpha’s stepson, I believe all the unmated girls in our pack will become pregnant with his kids—even before getting a chance to know who their mates actually are. After all, he’s got great looks and a pompous personality.

In fact, everyone in our lineage has great looks and bodies. I’m not an exception.

“Right. You’re already 22 years old and still haven’t found your mate yet…”

I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to conclude his words. Although, I kind of had a hint where this conversation was going.

“Maybe you should visit another pack. Your mate might not be in this pack,” he said.

“I don’t need a mate,” I told him curtly.

“You don’t need a mate? Who doesn’t need a mate in this world?” he asked rhetorically.

“Perhaps me,” I answered.

He set his lips in a thin line, turned away from me, and gave his attention to the TV.

“Good for you,” he said.

“What’s for dinner?” I asked.

“Nothing. Mom’s not around to make dinner.”

I glared at the back of his head.

“What a lazy ass,” I grumbled under my breath. But he heard me anyway.

I got up, reached for my bag on the table, and headed toward my room—I require a long warm bath and a nice sleep.

★★★★★

It’s just me and him again in this lonely woods. Not even a bird could be seen flying around.

“You’re here,” he said.

“Yes,” I answered.

Then there was silence. He didn’t say anything, and neither did I.

It’s always like this every time we meet. We don’t talk, but we enjoy being in each other’s company—it’s almost as if we’re speaking with our souls.

We don’t see each other’s faces too—or maybe he’s seen my face, but I haven’t seen his, not even once. I can’t tell what he looks like.

His back is always facing me every time. I could only stare at the back of his head.

“You called me, and I’m here. Can I at least see your face?” I asked.

This is the first time I’ve requested to see his face.

“No,” he answered.

“Why?”

“I’m ugly,” he said.

Ugly? I huffed mentally. Handsome guys always refer to themselves as the ugliest beings.

“I don’t care if you’re ugly. I just want to see your face,” I told him.

“No. My face would scare you away.”

“Huh?”

“It’s going to be your worst nightmare,” he said.

How can I be friends with him but not know what he looks like? Who is he? Why does he always call me to meet him here? Wait… how did he even manage to call me?

“Stop thinking. Your tiny brain’s going to explode. Because it’s unclear to me why I can call you too,” he said.

How did he know what I’m thinking? Is he a vampire that can read minds?

“You’re right. I can read minds. So, I suggest you stop thinking.”

“Oh.”

This is all the more reason I must see his face. He might be someone I know.

I reached forward to touch his shoulder but…

★★★★★

My eyes snapped open at the sound of someone banging on my door very loudly. I threw a glare toward the door as I imagined I was glaring at whoever was banging on it.

From the scent, I could tell it was Arthur. I angrily sprang up and sat on my bed, gathering my blanket in my hands.

“What?!” I barked at him.

“Mom said I should wake you up. Breakfast is ready,” he said.

I rolled my eyes.

“I’ll be there in a jiffy,” I replied. Then I heard his footsteps fading away.

I fell back on the bed and covered my face with my palms. I puffed out some air.

The same dream again. It’s been quite some time since I had this weird dream—why did I dream of him today?

I’ve been dreaming of this nameless man since I was twelve. I don’t know anything about him.

But the unusual thing is, I always enjoy being around him in my dreams. I must be losing my mind.

“Ara, Mom said you should hurry!” Arthur shouted from the living room.

“Well, you didn’t have to shout before I heard you!” I shouted back at him.

I pushed the blankets off me and hopped out of bed, then dashed into the bathroom.

Arabella's Point of View

“Daphne, what are you doing here so early?” I asked, stopping in my tracks when I saw Daphne sitting at the dining table.

“Good morning to you too. As you can see, I’m eating breakfast,” she answered, nodding at her plate of steaks.

I snorted and dragged my feet lazily toward the fridge. I reached for a yogurt before turning back to the dining table.

“Why did you come here to eat breakfast after ditching me yesterday?” I was referring to the detention, and I knew she understood what I meant.

Daphne grinned widely.

“I’m sorry about that, but I really had to look after my grandma because my mom wasn’t around, and my dad had to attend the pack meeting,” she explained.

“Hm,” I hummed.

“Anyways, how was the detention?” she asked.

Arthur choked on his food at the mention of detention. He started coughing, and I quickly reached for his glass of water and handed it to him, rubbing his back gently too.

He took a few gulps and slammed the glass on the table, then gave me a mocking look.

“Detention? Really? What are you? A high school student?” he asked, not even trying to hide his mockery.

“Ha-ha, very funny.”

He held his chin up slightly as if trying to recall something, then he hissed and shook his head.

“I’m a high school student, and I can’t even recall the last time I was in detention,” he smiled, giving me a thumbs up. “You impress me every day, sister Ara,” he mocked further.

I leaned across the table and punched his shoulder when I couldn’t take his mockery anymore. He frowned.

“How dare you hit the Alpha’s son?” he asked.

“Alpha’s son?” Daphne faced me, furrowing her eyebrows questioningly.

“Don’t listen to him. He’s just daydreaming,” I told her, and she laughed.

Arthur banged on the table lightly and faced Daphne.

“I’m not daydreaming. Alpha Jarek has a crush on my mom,” he said.

I wanted to scold him, but my mom beat me to it.

Mom dropped the bowl of cereal she was carrying and pulled Arthur’s right ear. He grunted in pain and tried to escape from Mom’s grip, which was obviously impossible—my mom is strangely stronger than most wolves.

Maybe it’s because she’s from the Gamma’s family.

“What nonsense are you spouting, young man?” Mom asked, still pulling his ear.

“I... I was just joking,” Arthur tried to defend himself.

“Joking with something as serious as that?” Mom asked, pulling harder, making Arthur howl in pain.

“Yes, yes, yes...”

“What?” Mom cut him off warningly.

Arthur quickly realized his mistake and shook his head desperately.

“I mean, no, no. I’m a fool. I’m a very foolish boy, and I shouldn’t have said that. Mom, I’m sorry,” he blabbed.

Mom finally let go of his ear. She pulled out a chair and sat next to me.

“Mom, you almost cut off my ear,” Arthur grumbled as he rubbed his ear to numb the pain.

“You’re lucky I didn’t cut it off. You mustn’t spread rumors next time,” Mom warned him.

Daphne and I were just staring at Arthur in amusement. From the sly smirk on her face, I could tell she was deriving great pleasure from Arthur’s pain—as much as I was. Call us witches, we don’t care.

Having Arthur as a brother is the worst curse in my life. He’s such a pain in my neck, and he never stops getting on my nerves. He’s so annoying—but I love him so much. Weird.

“You were already asleep when I came back from the pack meeting last night. How was your night?” Mom asked me.

“It was... okay.”

My night would have been okay if I had managed to see that guy’s face. It’s a pity I didn’t see it—all thanks to Arthur.

He stuck out his tongue at me when he caught me glaring at him. I gripped my fork tighter and sent him a quick mind-link:

Stick your tongue out at me one more time and I swear I’ll cut it off.

He quickly withdrew his tongue but huffed at me before focusing on his food.

“I bumped into Mr. Clovis at the pack house. He told me you’ve been dozing off in his class recently. Is that true?”

I sighed.

“Yeah,” I answered.

Mom raised an eyebrow at me.

“B-but it’s not every time. I only dozed off yesterday because I didn’t get enough sleep the previous night,” I quickly lied smoothly.

I can’t possibly tell my mom I slept in class simply because I found Mr. Clovis’ class boring—they’re siblings, after all.

“I know you’re lying, but I’ll just let it slide this time...”

Of course, you know, I grumbled mentally.

“...Don’t let me get another complaint about you slacking off. You know what’s going to happen to you then,” she said icily.

My mind flashed back to the last time my mom punished me. I was bedridden and had to spend two months in the pack infirmary. I even took some of my exams there. Bad shivers rushed down my spine, and I shuddered.

“I swear, it’s never gonna happen again.”

“Good,” Mom nodded in satisfaction.

Daphne nudged me gently, and I leaned closer to her.

“Why do I feel like your mom was once a sniper?” she asked me in a whisper.

I glanced at Mom, sighed in frustration, and shook my head.

“I feel that way too. Who knows? She might not even be my biological mom,” I whispered back.

Mom cleared her throat.

“I can hear you, young ladies,” she said.

Daphne and I coughed lightly and adjusted ourselves on our chairs, pretending like we weren’t just gossiping about my mom.

“Right. How was the meeting?” I asked.

“Hmm. It’s about the selection parade—it’s been brought forward.”

“What?!” Daphne and I exclaimed at once, making Arthur jump slightly and spill his milk.

He glared at us through his eyelashes.

“Can you ladies have mercy on this little pup? Don’t you know I need this milk to grow healthy and strong?” he pointed at himself, but we ignored him.

“Mrs. Humphrey, why was it brought forward?” Daphne asked.

Mom shook her head.

“We weren’t told why it was brought forward. Alpha Jarek said it was the King’s decision.”

The King? Ugh. Then I guess it’s final—no one can oppose it.

“When is it now?” I asked.

“In two days,” Mom answered.

“In two days? Isn’t that the day after tomorrow?” I asked, and Mom nodded in reply.

Daphne and I exchanged looks. I believe we both had the same thoughts running through our minds right now.

Why was it suddenly brought forward? And here I was, hoping the day would never come.

“Hurry up, kids. You’re running late,” Mom urged us.

><

LEGENDS CREATION COLLEGE, BEVERLY HILLS

Daphne and I breathed heavily as we stopped right in front of our school gate. We missed the bus and had to race here—without our wolves’ strength.

“I didn’t know I’m a good runner. I always thought my wolf has been the one helping me every time we race,” she said.

I nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll never race with you again without my wolf’s strength,” I told her. “I had to use up all my strength just to keep up with you,” I complained.

Daphne laughed at my misery.

“Quit whining. Your wolf is stronger than mine, so I think it’s fair that I’m a better runner without our wolves’ strength.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Are you saying I’m lazy?” I gritted out.

“Of course. Everyone knows that,” she answered.

I glared at her but didn’t say anything—because she’s right. My wolf is very strong, but my human (which is me) is very lazy.

Daphne threw her arm around my shoulder, and we started walking inside.

“Hey, another body was found in the Wizardry Forest last night,” Daphne whispered very lowly in my ear, and I tensed.

“Another body?” I asked.

The image of that handsome stranger appeared in my mind. Could it be he was killed by the Beast King? Could it be that handsome face and godly body have gone to waste?

I shook my head in denial.

“You gotta stop with all these gossips. I walked through the Wizardry Forest last night, and I didn’t see any beastly creature,” I told her.

Her eyes grew wide. Her mouth parted as though she was about to release a shriek, but she stopped herself when she took in our surroundings—a group of girls was walking behind us, at a safe distance though.

“You passed the Wizardry Forest last night?” I nodded. “What were you thinking? Were you trying to get yourself killed?” she asked in a scolding tone.

“Relax. There wasn’t any danger when I passed it.”

She inhaled deeply.

“Well, maybe the danger came right after you left. You’re lucky—who knows if that body would have been yours.”

I shrugged.

“Yeah, but the body is not mine,” I stated. “You better use your time for something meaningful instead of listening to gossip news.”

She grabbed my shoulder and made me stand still.

“It’s not gossip. According to the news, it’s the body of a vampire.”

I laughed at her, shrugged her hand off me, and continued walking.

“Now you’re sounding ridiculous. What would the body of a vampire be doing in our Wizardry Forest?”

“You don’t believe me?” Daphne asked.

“Of course I don’t,” I answered.

“But you believed me yesterday. In fact, you’ve been believing the Beast King has been the one behind all the killings,” she wondered aloud.

“Yeah, that was before I passed the Wizardry Forest last night. I don’t think it’s true that a body was found there.”

Actually, I believe everything she said—because I heard heavy footsteps approaching us (the handsome stranger and me) last night, before I took off.

I was just finding it hard to accept that the handsome stranger was wasted just like that.

I hope the handsome stranger managed to escape before the Beast King arrived. I don’t want that body they found to be his.

“I’m kinda baffled by something, though,” she said.

“What?” I asked.

“The Beast King’s palace is built on neutral lands, which is pretty far from our Wizardry Forest—but why does he always dump the bodies in our forest after killing them?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you should ask him when we visit his palace.”

She pushed me away from her and threw me a glare. I simply laughed at her expression.

“I hate you,” she said.

“I love you too, baby,” I replied and blew her a kiss, but she dodged it.

“Don’t talk to me.” She ran off, and I quickly chased after her.

><

Third Person’s Point of View

WIZARDRY FOREST

It was still daytime, but it was very dark inside the Wizardry Forest, and a mere human wouldn’t find their way in.

The whole forest seemed dead. The trees were all dead as their leaves had withered. Even the birds’ singing echoed throughout the forest as if they were ghost birds—and they kept flying from one tree to another as though being chased by a force.

No one in their right mind would step foot in the forest. It’s just so lifeless.

He stood in a very dark corner, his dark and emotionless eyes fixed on the royal investigators who were busy moving a dead body. His fists were balled at his sides.

“Your Majesty.”

His adviser called from behind as he jogged toward him.

He didn’t reply or even turn to face his adviser, but the adviser continued anyway—it was pretty obvious he was listening.

“Your Majesty, it’s done. The date has been brought forward.”

“Hm,” he hummed.

“But I have a question though.”

The adviser paused and waited for his response, which he knew he wasn’t going to get.

“It was way past sunset when you crossed paths. Are you really sure it’s her?”

His shoulders tensed when he heard his adviser’s words, but he still didn’t utter a word.

“You can’t perceive your mate’s scent or feel the mate-bond once it’s sunset. We can’t be sure it’s her—right?”

Still no response from him.

“Likewise your mate. She won’t feel you or perceive you. So I think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions yet and raise our hopes.”

He finally moved his eyes away from the royal investigators and faced his adviser—that darkness never left his eyes.

“We’ll see,” was his reply.