The Road to Royal Alpha University
1264 Words
The morning sky above the Ocean Tide Pack shimmered with shades of gold and sapphire.
Today was different.
The Crystal Heart Palace, usually calm and peaceful, was filled with movement. Palace servants hurried through the halls, guards stood in perfect formation, and royal vehicles waited outside the grand entrance.
Today, the new students were leaving for the Royal Alpha University.
Astera stood before the mirror in her room one final time.
The reflection staring back at her was no longer the broken girl who had escaped the Forbidden Volcano.
She was Ariana Tidewell.
Her long blue hair fell neatly over her shoulders. Her academy uniform fit perfectly—a white shirt beneath a navy-blue blazer embroidered with silver waves, matching trousers, knee-high black boots, and the silver crest of the Ocean Tide Pack pinned proudly over her heart.
Around her neck rested the enchanted necklace given to her by the witch grandmother.
It concealed her true identity.
It hid the fact that no wolf aura could be sensed from her.
Most importantly...
It kept her greatest secret safe.
The tiny dragon jumped onto her shoulder, happily wagging its fluffy tail.
Astera smiled faintly.
"You'll have to stay hidden most of the time."
The little creature chirped in protest.
"I know."
"I don't like it either."
"But the academy isn't ready to meet you."
After gently scratching beneath its chin, she slipped the tiny creature into a specially designed hidden compartment inside her backpack. Small air vents and a soft blanket ensured it remained comfortable.
"Behave."
The dragon gave one final reluctant chirp.
---
Outside, several luxury vehicles waited before the palace steps.
Nerina was already standing beside one of them.
The Alpha smiled as Astera approached.
"Ready?"
Astera nodded confidently.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
The Alpha opened the rear door.
"Then let's begin."
The convoy slowly departed from the Crystal Heart Palace.
As the city disappeared behind them, Astera rested her head lightly against the window.
The endless ocean stretched toward the horizon.
This place had become more than a refuge.
It had become the first place where she had begun rebuilding herself.
She silently promised she would return stronger.
---
Hours passed.
The convoy crossed rivers, forests, and towering mountain ranges.
Inside the car, the Alpha finally broke the silence.
"The Royal Alpha University is unlike any academy in the Wolf Realm."
"It was founded nearly a thousand years ago by the first Alphas of the Four Great Packs."
"It exists for one purpose."
"To prepare future leaders."
Nerina leaned forward with a smile.
"And to make students suffer through impossible exams."
The Alpha chuckled softly.
"That too."
Astera listened carefully.
"The university is divided into several academic divisions."
"Combat."
"Healing."
"Leadership and Strategy."
"Engineering and Innovation."
"And Magic and Ancient Arts."
Astera's eyes lingered on the final words.
Magic.
The one thing she understood least.
The one thing that might explain everything hidden inside her.
The Alpha looked at her.
"I assumed you would choose Engineering."
"It matches your talents."
Astera quietly shook her head.
"I've already spent years studying machines."
"If I want answers..."
"I need to study what I don't understand."
"Magic."
Silence filled the vehicle.
The Alpha smiled with quiet approval.
"A wise decision."
Nerina looked surprised.
"Really?"
"I thought you'd become the academy's greatest inventor."
Astera smiled faintly.
"Perhaps."
"But inventions answer only the questions we already know."
"I need answers to the questions no machine can explain."
---
The journey continued.
By afternoon, the convoy entered a mountain pass connecting the territories of the Four Great Packs.
Suddenly...
The lead vehicle slowed.
Another royal convoy approached from the opposite direction.
Black luxury vehicles.
Crimson banners.
The Inferno Pack.
Nerina glanced through the window.
"They're heading to the academy too."
"The Fire Pack always travels in style."
The two convoys slowed as the road narrowed.
For a brief moment...
The lead vehicles stopped beside one another.
Astera absentmindedly looked through her window.
At that exact moment...
Someone inside the opposite vehicle did the same.
Golden eyes.
Cold.
Sharp.
Yet carrying a sadness too deep to hide.
Prince Draven Ashfire.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
The world around them seemed to disappear.
Only their eyes remained.
Astera suddenly felt something strange.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Not from fear.
Not from danger.
From something she couldn't explain.
Her fingers unconsciously touched the necklace resting beneath her collar.
Across the road...
Draven frowned.
An unfamiliar ache spread through his chest.
He had never experienced anything like it.
The girl sitting inside the blue vehicle...
She felt strangely familiar.
As though he had met her somewhere long ago.
But that was impossible.
He had never seen her before.
The convoy behind him sounded its horn.
The spell broke.
The vehicles slowly continued in opposite directions.
Astera turned in her seat, watching the black convoy disappear behind the mountains.
"Strange..."
She whispered.
Nerina looked at her.
"What is?"
Astera hesitated.
"Nothing."
"Just... a feeling."
Meanwhile, inside the Inferno Pack's vehicle, Draven continued watching through the rear window until the blue convoy vanished completely.
Commander Rowan noticed.
"My Prince?"
Draven remained silent.
Finally, he asked,
"Who was she?"
Rowan glanced at the royal insignia.
"The Ocean Tide Pack."
"Probably one of their new academy students."
Draven slowly nodded.
Yet the strange feeling refused to disappear.
Why had looking into the eyes of a complete stranger felt so... familiar?
He had no answer.
---
As evening approached...
The mountains opened before them.
Astera's eyes widened.
The Royal Alpha University stood at the center of the four territories like a kingdom of its own.
It was breathtaking.
Four enormous districts surrounded a magnificent central campus.
Towering crystal spires reflected the sunlight.
Floating bridges connected massive buildings suspended above shimmering lakes.
Ancient trees, thousands of years old, lined wide stone pathways.
Students from every corner of the Wolf Realm filled the courtyards.
Some demonstrated incredible combat skills.
Others practiced healing magic.
Inventors tested mechanical creations.
Magicians cast dazzling spells beneath enchanted domes.
The academy was alive.
Not just with knowledge.
But with ambition.
Dreams.
Rivalries.
Destiny.
"This..."
Astera whispered as the convoy passed through the towering gates.
"...is incredible."
Nerina laughed proudly.
"Welcome to the Royal Alpha University."
"The place where legends are created..."
"...and where sleep becomes a luxury."
Astera smiled softly.
For the first time in a long while...
She wasn't thinking about the volcano.
Or betrayal.
Or revenge.
She was thinking about possibilities.
The convoy stopped before the Grand Registration Hall.
Students stepped out from every direction, carrying luggage, uniforms, and expectations.
Astera opened the car door.
A cool breeze welcomed her.
She stood silently before the largest academy in the Wolf Realm.
Somewhere within these halls lay the answers to her sealed wolf.
The truth about her mother.
The path to the Ancient Water.
And the beginning of the prophecy the Moon Goddess had foretold centuries ago.
Taking a slow breath, she adjusted the strap of her backpack.
The tiny dragon peeked out just enough to look around before quickly hiding again.
Astera smiled.
"Come on."
"A new chapter begins today."
Unaware of it, another student had just stepped out of a black car on the opposite side of the campus.
Draven Ashfire paused for a brief moment.
His eyes instinctively searched the crowd.
As if looking for someone he had only seen once.
But among thousands of new students...
The mysterious girl had already disappeared.
Fate had brought them to the same academy.
Now...
It would only be a matter of time before destiny crossed their paths again.
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