Chapter Four
1524 Words
Blackthorn Academy
The atmosphere inside the Carter farmhouse felt painfully heavy.
Nobody said much while Lily packed the last of her belongings into the black SUV waiting outside the farm. Even the morning air itself seemed quieter than usual, as though Ashvale already knew she was leaving.
Mr. Daniel hadn’t gone to the farm that morning.
Instead, he remained standing quietly near the porch while Naomi folded Lily’s jacket one final time before placing it carefully into the travel box.
Naomi’s eyes were slightly red.
She had clearly been crying.
Even though she kept pretending otherwise.
Lily’s chest tightened painfully at the sight.
For the first time since receiving the scholarship, the reality of leaving finally hit her completely.
She was truly going.
Leaving the only life she had ever known.
Once the final bag was loaded into the SUV, Lily slowly turned toward her family.
The emotion sitting heavily in her chest almost made breathing difficult.
Without saying anything, she walked directly into her father’s arms.
Daniel hugged her tightly immediately.
Lily buried her face against his chest as tears slowly gathered in her eyes.
After a long moment, Daniel finally spoke softly.
“Lily… my little angel.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“You don’t know how proud I am of you.”
Lily bit down hard on her lip.
“I know your mother would’ve been proud too.”
That instantly broke her.
Tears slipped down her cheeks immediately.
Her mother had always been a painful topic inside the Carter family.
Lily never got the chance to know her.
Never heard her voice nor experienced her love.
Because she died shortly after giving birth to Lily.
And every single time her mother was mentioned, the sadness inside the house became unbearable.
Daniel gently wiped Lily’s tears away before forcing a smile.
“You’re going to do amazing things there.”
Lily nodded weakly.
Even though fear still sat heavily inside her chest.
Naomi finally stepped forward next.
Unlike Daniel, she didn’t smile.
She simply cupped Lily’s face carefully between her palms and stared at her for several seconds like she was trying to memorize every detail.
“Remember everything I told you,” Naomi whispered softly.
Lily swallowed hard and nodded again.
“Stay away from trouble.”
Naomi’s expression darkened slightly.
“Stay away from the Alpha Heir.”
Lily almost sighed.
Again with Ethan Blackwood.
She still didn’t understand why everyone acted like his name alone could destroy lives.
Before she could respond, Naomi pulled her into a tight embrace.
And for the first time in years, Lily felt her grandmother trembling.
That terrified her more than anything else.
After several emotional goodbyes and endless advice, Lily finally climbed into the black SUV.
The moment the door shut behind her, the reality became final.
She fastened her seatbelt slowly as the engine started.
Then the vehicle began moving.
Lily immediately rolled down the window slightly and waved desperately at her family.
Her father stood with one arm around Naomi while both watched silently from the porch.
Lily kept waving.
Even after the farmhouse became smaller.
Even after Ashvale slowly disappeared behind them.
Even after she could no longer see home anymore.
Only then did she finally sit back properly in her seat.
And suddenly,
The silence inside the car became overwhelming.
The same man who brought the scholarship letter sat in the driver’s seat, focused entirely on the road ahead. He still wore dark glasses and a black nose mask, hiding most of his face completely.
Lily couldn’t even read his expression.
The inside of the SUV felt unusually cold despite the closed windows.
Nobody spoke.
Not even once.
Lily shifted slightly in her seat and glanced outside the window.
The farther they drove from Ashvale, the stranger the world started looking.
The roads became emptier, the forest thicker.
Eventually, even the familiar village roads disappeared completely.
Lily tried distracting herself with thoughts about Blackthorn Academy instead.
What would it look like?
Would the students really be as rich and intimidating as everyone claimed?
Would classes there feel different from Ashvale High School?
Would she make friends?
Her thoughts immediately drifted toward Arielle.
Lily smiled faintly despite herself.
She was going to miss her loud mouth terribly.
Arielle would probably complain every single day until Lily returned.
The thought comforted her slightly.
But as the SUV continued deeper into unfamiliar territory, exhaustion slowly overtook her.
And before she realized it,
She fell asleep.
Lily woke up almost an hour later.
At first, she didn’t know what woke her.
Then she heard the driver speaking quietly on the phone.
“…yes.”
Silence.
“She’s safe.”
Another pause.
“No complications so far.”
Lily’s heartbeat slowed uneasily.
The girl.
He meant her.
The man noticed movement from the backseat immediately and ended the call without another word.
Silence returned instantly.
Lily slowly sat upright.
The scenery outside the windows had changed completely.
A narrow one-way road stretched endlessly ahead of them, surrounded by thick dark forests on both sides. Massive trees towered overhead, their branches twisting together so tightly they almost blocked the sky completely.
There were no houses anymore.
No shops.
No people.
Nothing.
Just endless forest.
And somehow,
Lily couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching them from inside those woods.
Her chest tightened slightly.
The deeper they drove, the heavier the atmosphere became.
Even the air looked darker somehow.
Lily glanced toward the driver nervously.
“Um… excuse me?”
No response.
She frowned slightly.
“Are we close to the academy already?”
Still nothing.
The man didn’t even look at her.
Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
That strange feeling of being watched grew stronger.
Then suddenly,
Something moved between the trees.
Lily’s breath caught.
For a split second, she saw glowing golden eyes staring directly toward the SUV from deep within the forest.
Then they vanished.
Her stomach twisted painfully.
No. No way,
Maybe she was imagining things again.
The car continued moving silently.
A few minutes later, enormous black gates finally appeared ahead of them.
Lily’s eyes widened immediately.
The gates were massive.
Tall iron bars twisted into intricate designs while silver wolf crests gleamed beneath the dark gray sky above. Stone pillars stood on both sides covered with strange ancient symbols Lily couldn’t understand.
Two armed guards dressed entirely in black stood near the entrance.
The moment the SUV approached, both guards immediately stepped aside without question.
The gates slowly opened.
And the second they crossed through,
Lily felt it.
A strange pressure settled heavily across her chest.
Almost like crossing into another world entirely.
The road beyond the gates curved upward through the mountains while thick fog rolled through the trees surrounding them.
Then finally,
Lily saw it.
Blackthorn Academy carved boldly into the walls.
Her breath caught instantly.
The academy looked nothing like a school.
It looked like an ancient kingdom hidden inside the mountains.
Massive gothic towers stretched high into the fog while silver lights glowed behind enormous windows. Dark stone buildings connected through bridges and towering archways while enormous black banners carrying silver wolf crests swayed violently in the cold wind.
The place was breathtaking and terrifying.
Students dressed in elegant black uniforms moved across the massive courtyard below, some laughing, some talking quietly.
But the second the SUV appeared,
Everything changed.
Heads turned immediately.
Conversations stopped.
Whispers spread rapidly through the courtyard.
“That’s her?”
“The outsider?”
“She actually came?”
Lily’s stomach tightened painfully.
Every single person was staring at the vehicle.
At her.
The SUV finally stopped near the front entrance of the academy.
The driver stepped out first before opening Lily’s door.
Cold mountain air hit her instantly as she slowly stepped outside.
The silence surrounding the courtyard became almost unbearable.
Lily gripped her bag tightly while students openly stared at her like she didn’t belong there.
Maybe she didn’t.
Then suddenly,
The atmosphere shifted.
It happened so fast Lily almost missed it.
Students immediately moved aside.
Whispers died down instantly.
The entire courtyard somehow became quieter.
More tense.
Lily frowned slightly in confusion before slowly turning around.
And that was when she saw him.
Ethan Blackwood stood near the top of the academy staircase.
Tall, huge, calm and effortlessly intimidating
The cold wind moved slightly through his dark hair while one hand rested lazily inside the pocket of his black uniform jacket.
Everything about him felt controlled.
Dangerously controlled.
Students around him instinctively kept their distance, yet nobody seemed brave enough to look away completely either.
Lily understood why immediately.
It wasn’t just his appearance.
Though he was undeniably beautiful in a way that almost didn’t seem real.
Sharp jawline.
Piercing gray eyes.
Broad shoulders.
Perfect posture.
No.
It was the aura surrounding him.
The terrifying calmness.
The quiet authority.
He looked like someone born knowing the entire world would eventually belong to him.
And standing beneath the stormy Blackthorn sky, his wolf growled quietly
Ethan Blackwood realized two terrifying things at once,
he had never seen the girl before…
yet his wolf already recognized her.
- Writer
