The Luna Academy

Challenge Accepted

We’ll see. You’re damn right we will. Elara drags Oliver away and out of view, leaving me standing by myself. Her perfume lingers in the air, sweet and sharp, as though even her absence has claws. What a cunt.

I stomp off into an area where I can stand alone and begin stretching for the run ahead. My hands tremble as I tug at my shoelaces and roll my shoulders, trying to shake off the heat rising in my chest. Frustration boils over, spilling out as I mutter under my breath, pissed I let someone like her crawl under my skin so easily.

Elara’s words seem to echo louder the more I try to shove them down. Cursed, dangerous, stay away. I want to laugh at her arrogance, but the c***k in Oliver’s eyes when she said it still gnaws at me. A figure startles me out of my thoughts, causing me to bounce up off the ground.

“Alyssa. I’m Elder Barrett,” he introduces, his voice clear and confident, like he’s used to commanding attention.

“Oh. Hello.”

“After seeing the strength you showed during the ceremony, the Headmaster and the other Elders felt it would be best for you to join our training,” he remarks, tone edged with skepticism. “But my concern is your ability to keep up with us…” He tilts his head, studying me like I’m some puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit. “…You may have strength, but I have a strong hunch you’ve never shifted before.”

“Shifted?”

“Exactly.” He exhales, exasperated. “It’s when we transform into our wolf forms. Let me ask you something… Do you even know why you’re here?”

“I’m here because I was told to come here.”

Barrett shakes his head. “No, I mean what brought you to the Academy.”

“I’m not sure. I just woke up here.”

“What about your parents?”

“What about them?” I ask, taken aback by his interrogation.

“What are they?”

“I’m not sure I understand the question?”

“Was your dad a shifter? Or your mom? Or is it that you have witch’s blood?”

“My mom’s human, and I’m not entirely sure about my dad. I lost him when I was a seven, and he only left me letters telling me about this place, but he didn’t explain much,” I admit.

“When’s the last time you looked at the letters?”

“It’s been years, and they’re back home, so it’s not like I can go over them now.”

“Are you sure? Have you checked your lock box?”

“You mean the empty thing that was in my dresser?”

“Yes. And it’s only empty if the key isn’t in it. If they were important to you, they will appear in the box. The Academy has a way of returning what’s meant for you. For now…” He scratches his jaw, eyeing me with something between doubt and curiosity. “… because I’m not convinced you’ll be able to run alongside us, let alone fight, why don’t you focus on building your stamina? You can run behind the group when we get started, and when we break for combat skills, remain running until we break for lunch.”

“You want me to run for five hours straight?” I manage, trying to keep the disbelief out of my voice.

“Correct. And try not to walk during any of it. Don’t worry, you should be fine. Wolves can run twice as long and fast for long periods.”

He brushes me off as his attention is drawn to the students calling out to him. I bite back a groan. Five hours. My lungs already ache thinking about it, but complaining won’t change anything. I keep stretching until a whistling howl cuts through. My head snaps toward the sound and notice everyone gathering around Elder Barrett.

“Good morning, trainees! Most of you know the drill, but as you’re all aware, each new year brings in new students. Look around you and recognize the color you are wearing. Those in blue are novices — welcome them accordingly. Those in purple are our second- and third-year students, while those in all black are seniors and those who demonstrate remarkable skill. There are eighty-two of you here now, and after the run, I expect to see eighty-two of you together, but that has yet to happen. Let’s see if this will be the year it does.” Elder Barrett announces, shooting me a wink.

A whistle blows, and the ground beneath me rumbles from the immediate sprint. Everyone takes off at once, leaving me standing puzzled and confused until I’m swallowed by the dust they leave behind.

By the time I shake out of my shock, I let one foot follow the other, forcing myself to catch up. My legs scream in protest, but to my surprise, I meet the back half of the runners. I slow my pace, knowing I’ll have to keep going once they all stop for combat training. We run for what feels like forever until I see a few people gather together ahead.

“Keep running, Alyssa! I’ll send someone to get you when your time’s up,” Elder Barrett orders.

My face is hot, and sweat beads down my skin. I want to cuss and collapse, to sit down for one measley second like the others resting, but I shove it down and keep going. Every inhale scorches my throat, every exhale feels too short, but I grit my teeth and push harder. If I’m going to be here, then I need to prove I belong here.

Running alone with no one to follow, it only takes a few miles before I realize I’ve ended up in a part of the forest that is not marked by a path.

Even in daylight, this place is daunting. I’m completely surrounded by trees while beams of sunlight slice through the canopy. Panic rises, but is quickly squashed when I plop down on the ground to finally rest. With plenty of daylight on my side, finding my way out shouldn’t be hard. All I’ll have to do is follow my tracks back.

After a small break, I decide to head back to the school when footsteps approach fast, snapping me to attention.

“If this was your way to get Ollie alone with you, you’re sadly mistaken,” Elara’s voice cuts through the forest noise, instantly silencing everything around me, before she appears.

“What?”

“This is the most common tactic the she-wolves use as an attempt to mate with him. But like always, he runs back to me.”

“Then why are you bothering me? It doesn’t seem to bother you if other people sleep with him, so why can’t I?”

The words are out before I can stop them, and I immediately regret it. My stomach twists. I don’t want to have s*x with some guy I barely know, let alone use him as a pawn in this conversation.

“You’re beneath us, that’s why. No wolf. No magic. Why are you even here?” Elara presses, her gaze burning through me until I shrink beneath it, making her sly smile curves into something more devious. “No words? Figures. Let’s get back before the others think I’m playing nice with someone like you.”

Elara turns away and sprints back toward the others. My legs, still burning from the run, carry me after her with only sheer willpower keeping me from stopping. We break through the treeline, and instantly, I can feel every pair of eyes on me. I keep my head down, but the weight of a stare from deeper in the forest sears into me, raising the hair on the back of my neck and sending a shiver down my spine.

A whistle blows, thankfully drawing everyone’s attention away from me

“Lunch!”

I shuffle toward the food tables with the rest of the trainees, lungs raw from the run. The smell of roasted meat and baked bread should be comforting, but my stomach twists. I grab a plate anyway and sit at the far edge of the courtyard, hoping to disappear among the crowd, but it doesn’t work.

Whispers coil around me, subtle but sharp, like gnats buzzing in my ears. “She can’t even shift.” “How is she even standing?” “What is she?” I hunch over my food, forcing down a bite.

Across the yard, Oliver sits with a cluster of boys in purple and black uniforms, his posture stiff, eyes fixed on nothing. Elara drapes herself beside him like she owns the space, her laughter ringing high and false. The sight makes my chest burn hotter than the run ever did. I look away before either of them can catch me staring.

After lunch and several more hours of running, the sun beats down heavy, and my eyelids grow heavier. All I want to do is crawl back to my dorm and collapse. But before I can make it inside the dormitory, someone slips up beside me and pulls me out of view.

“Here, take this,” Viola offers, slipping a smooth, rectangular orange object she pulled from the stack of bracelets on her wrist into my palm.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” I ask, more annoyed than intended.

“Just trust me,” Viola pushes.

“Trust you? I don’t even know you.”

“All friends are strangers first.”

I sigh, giving up and take the object back to my room and toss it onto my desk, too exhausted to care.