"He is our mate!" my wolf growled, and my heart raced. Kylan, the strongest Lycan Prince. The dream of every girl at Starlight Academy. He is... my mate?!He moved closer, step by step, until my back was against the tree. His fingers gripped my chin, tilting my face up. I blushed, but— "You are nothing but a pathetic, low-rank puppy," his voice dripped with disgust, cutting through my heart like a blade. "I will never accept you as my mate. NEVER."--------------------------------------------------------VioletMy heart pounded with excitement and nerves as I walked across the campus of Starlight Academy with my suitcases in my hands.This had been my dream for as long as I could remember—to be among the best shifters. The academy was very hard to get into but somehow I had managed to do it.Today would be the start of a new chapter in my life, and absolutely nothing could ruin it."Move it, four eyes!"Almost nothing.I released a yelp as someone shove me down to the ground, and I fell down with my suitcases.My glasses slipped from my face and I panicked."No, no!" I whispered, closing my eyes as I desperately looked for them.They needed to remain on my eyes at all times. I'd had them since I was eight years old, and all I knew was that it would be a cold and lonely night if I didn't have them on at all times.The nightmares, the visions…"Yes!" I breathed, my fingers brushing against the familiar frame. Relieved, I quickly put them back on.I caught a glimpse of the back of the guy who had pushed me over as he walked with his group of friends. "What a rude guy!" my wolf, Lumia and I muttered at the same time.One of the guys, wearing a blue hoodie, looked back with what seemed like a look of sympathy.Our eyes met, and then he made a turn, sprinting to my direction.Flustered, I watched as he grabbed my suitcases from the ground before sticking out his hand to help me."Are you okay?""Yes, thanks," I accepted as I got up, now standing face to face with him.My lips instantly curled at the handsome blonde in front of me, his eyes as brown as honey and his hair slightly lighter than mine."I'm sorry for the prince," he said. "He didn't mean it, he's a bit cranky today."I frowned. "The prince?"The guy eyed me strangely. "The Ly…never mind. First day?""Yes.""Do you need help with your suitcases?""Yes, sure."He grabbed my two suitcases and we began to walk, my short legs struggling to keep up as I was almost half his size. "Were you on your way to pick up your keys?""Yes.""Can you only say, yes?""Ye…I mean—no," I shook my head, a bit embarrassed.He chuckled. "I'm Nate, member of the student council.""Violet," I responded.Nate glanced at me, and then his eyes studied me. His look was so intense I couldn't help but blush. "So let me guess," he spoke. "Seventeen, small and humble pack, Alpha's daughter, healer's acquaintance?"I looked at him, shocked, and let out a surprised laugh. "You were almost right—eighteen."And then there was this other thing.The Alpha was my uncle who had raised me, but it wasn't something I ever felt like discussing.When I was eight, my parents had passed away in an attack, and my uncle had been taking care of me ever since. He was the Alpha of the Bloodrose pack, a small pack from the east."Studying to be the healer's acquaintance? Your parents must be proud of you," Nate said."Yes, and they..." I replied, the words trailing off.Alpha Fergus had tried to treat me like a daughter, but the man was just too awkward to raise one. He had never been around much, and our Luna, Sonya had tried her best, but we just didn't have that mother-daughter click. Adding salt to the wound was Dylan, my cousin, who I grew up with. I called him my brother, everyone did. He had hated me all my life, never giving me a reason, and we had never gotten along.He was a sophomore at Starlight Academy and had made it very clear that we were not family within these walls and to stay away from him.His exact words had been, 'Do not embarrass me, freak.'"They're proud," I sighed.As I followed Nate, I noticed a lot of girls fighting for his attention. Once in a while he would acknowledge one of them, and was met with squeals. With a face like that, it wasn't hard to guess that he was popular. Above all, he seemed to have a good heart as well.He caught me staring, and I lowered my gaze to the ground with a giggle."Here you are," Nate said.I looked up and realized we had already arrived at the grand hall. "Come on," he guided me inside, and it was just as incredible as I remembered from the orientation—a large, open space with high ceilings and luxe appearance.It was quite busy, the area filled with students and suitcases. "Wow," I gasped, looking around in awe.Nate pointed. "That's the front desk. You can go there for information and get your keys," then he stuck out his hand. "It was nice to meet you. Welcome, and I hope you'll have a good year—Violet."I looked at his hand for a mome