Mooncrest Royal University
1731 Words
Chapter 2: Mooncrest Royal University
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Veyra Estate.
The luxurious dressing room was larger than most people's apartments.
Rows of designer outfits lined crystal display cases. Diamonds glittered beneath soft golden lights. Luxury heels and handbags sat neatly on glass shelves.
Three maids stood silently nearby.
Seraphine stared at her reflection.
For a brief moment, she almost didn't recognize herself.
Long wine-colored hair cascaded down her back like liquid silk, reaching her waist in soft waves. Her skin was flawless and pale, her delicate features sharpened by a confidence she had never possessed in her first life.
The girl reflected in the mirror looked every bit the daughter of House Veyra.
Powerful.
Untouchable.
Beautiful.
Nothing like the poor girl who once entered Mooncrest through the servants' entrance.
One of the maids carefully smoothed the fabric of her dress.
The deep burgundy designer dress had been custom-made exclusively for her by one of the kingdom's most prestigious fashion houses.
The elegant silhouette complemented her figure perfectly.
A delicate silver necklace bearing the Veyra family crest rested against her collarbone.
Understated.
Expensive.
Impossible to ignore.
"Young Miss," one of the maids said softly. "Your limousine is ready."
Seraphine's lips curved slightly.
Mooncrest Royal University.
The place where her nightmare had begun.
This time, she intended to rewrite the story.
---
The entrance of Mooncrest Royal University was unusually lively that morning.
Luxury vehicles continued arriving one after another.
Students crowded the marble pathways.
Some discussed family rankings.
Others compared expensive watches and designer brands.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Because Kieran Blackthorn had arrived.
The future Alpha King stood near the university gates surrounded by hundreds of students.
Girls whispered excitedly.
Some openly stared.
Others pretended not to.
A few even gathered enough courage to ask for pictures.
Kieran accepted the attention with practiced indifference.
He had experienced this his entire life.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Impossibly handsome.
Dark hair framed a face that seemed sculpted by the Moon Goddess herself.
His sharp jawline and cold silver eyes made him look untouchable.
Even while suppressing his Alpha Command, weaker wolves instinctively lowered their gazes whenever he looked their way.
He was the Crown Prince.
The future ruler of werewolf society.
The center of attention.
As always.
Then suddenly—
The atmosphere changed.
The excited voices around him began fading.
Students stopped looking at him.
Heads turned toward the university gates.
One by one, people started moving away.
Toward the road.
Kieran frowned.
What could possibly be more interesting than the arrival of the Crown Prince?
A low murmur spread through the crowd.
Then came gasps.
A long black limousine appeared in the distance.
The vehicle looked less like transportation and more like a moving masterpiece.
Its sleek body reflected sunlight like polished obsidian.
Silver details decorated the exterior.
The prestigious Veyra crest gleamed proudly on its doors.
For several seconds, silence fell across the campus.
Then the whispers exploded.
"Is that a Veyra limousine?"
"No way."
"Only direct descendants of House Veyra are allowed to use those."
"I heard there are only three in existence."
Students immediately rushed toward the entrance.
Even professors paused to watch.
For the first time that morning...
Kieran Blackthorn was no longer the center of attention.
The limousine came to a smooth stop.
Security personnel immediately stepped forward.
A chauffeur exited first before respectfully opening the rear door.
Everyone held their breath.
A pair of elegant heels touched the ground.
Then she appeared.
The entire campus fell silent.
Long wine-colored hair shimmered beneath the morning sunlight like strands of silk woven from rubies.
Her deep burgundy dress hugged her figure with effortless elegance.
The silver necklace resting against her collarbone displayed the Veyra crest proudly.
She looked less like a student and more like royalty.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
They went mute for some seconds.
Then the whispers began.
"She's beautiful..."
"Oh she's hot!!!"
"Who is she?"
"I've never seen her before"
"she look like a Goddess"
"Gosh I love her aura"
"That's Seraphine Veyra?"
"The Veyra heiress?"
"They say her family owns entire territories."
"She's even prettier than the rumors."
Seraphine ignored every single one of them.
Her violet eyes calmly swept across the campus.
This place had once witnessed her humiliation.
This time, it would witness her rise.
Then her gaze landed on a familiar figure.
Kieran Blackthorn.
The man she had once loved enough to destroy herself for.
The man whose approval she had spent years desperately seeking.
The man who betrayed her.
Memories surged through her mind.
Heartbreak.
Obsession.
Betrayal.
Death.
The execution platform.
The silver chains.
The blood.
For a brief moment, the wounds of her previous life resurfaced.
Then they disappeared.
Just as quickly.
Because that girl no longer existed.
Kieran's silver eyes met hers.
The noise around them seemed to vanish.
Something strange settled in his chest.
He couldn't explain it.
There was no admiration in her gaze.
No nervousness.
No excitement.
Nothing.
She looked at him exactly once.
Then looked away.
As though he were just another student.
And walked past him.
Without a word.
Without a greeting.
Without even slowing down.
Kieran remained where he stood.
For half a second, he couldn't move.
A strange feeling settled inside him.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
Annoyance.
He wasn't sure which.
No one had ever looked at him that way before.
Especially not a woman.
As Seraphine disappeared into the crowd, Kieran found his gaze following her retreating figure.
Who was she?
And why couldn't he stop looking?
Unaware of the future Alpha King's attention, Seraphine continued toward the main building.
Then suddenly—
A vision flashed before her eyes.
Blood.
A broken staircase.
A girl crying.
The image vanished instantly.
Seraphine stopped walking.
Moon Sight.
Her family's bloodline gift had activated again.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because this vision felt different.
More urgent.
More dangerous.
And somehow...
She had a feeling it was connected to Mooncrest.
To the future.
To fate itself.
A fate she had returned to change.
Seraphine's POV
Mooncrest Royal University.
The moment my eyes landed on the towering silver gates, a strange feeling settled in my chest.
This place hadn't changed.
The same ancient buildings.
The same marble pathways.
The same proud crest carved into the entrance fountain.
The same school that had once witnessed my rise...
And my destruction.
A bitter smile touched my lips.
In my previous life, getting accepted into Mooncrest had been one of the happiest moments of my life.
I had thought it was the beginning of my future.
Instead, it became the beginning of my downfall.
This was where my obsession with Kieran Blackthorn truly began.
Where I made countless mistakes.
Where I slowly lost myself trying to become worthy of a man who never once looked at me.
How pathetic.
A life i wasted chasing someone who was never mine.
Fortunately, that Seraphine was dead.
The current me had no intention of repeating those mistakes.
The chauffeur opened the limousine door.
I stepped out.
Almost immediately, whispers erupted around me.
I ignored them.
The opinions of strangers had stopped mattering to me a long time ago.
As I lifted my gaze, my eyes met a familiar pair of silver eyes.
Kieran Blackthorn.
Even standing among hundreds of students, he remained impossible to miss.
Tall.
Handsome.
Powerful.
The future Alpha King.
The man I once loved enough to die for.
For a brief moment, memories surfaced.
The sleepless nights.
The desperate longing.
The countless sacrifices.
Then they disappeared just as quickly.
I felt nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
As though my indifference confused him.
Good.
Let him be confused.
I looked away first.
Not because I couldn't bear to look at him.
But because he simply wasn't important anymore.
"Young Miss."
A respectful voice sounded beside me.
I glanced toward the woman accompanying me.
Elena.
One of House Veyra's most trusted assistants.
She had been assigned to handle my enrollment process.
"The administration building is this way."
I nodded.
"Let's get this over with."
We began walking through the campus.
Students continued staring.
Some whispered.
Others openly took photos.
I ignored them all.
The further we walked, the more memories surfaced.
The academy courtyard.
The library.
The lecture halls.
Every corner carried ghosts from another life.
A place of prestige for everyone else.
A place of regret for me.
Lost in thought, I barely noticed the figure sprinting around the corner.
Until she crashed directly into me.
"AHHH!"
A loud scream echoed through the corridor.
Papers exploded into the air.
A backpack flew one direction.
A phone flew another.
And a girl landed dramatically on the floor.
Silence.
I blinked.
She blinked.
Then she pointed at me.
"Oh no."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh no?"
The girl scrambled to her feet.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!"
She grabbed my shoulders.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Did I break anything?"
"No."
"Did I damage your clothes?"
"No."
"Do you hate me?"
"...No."
The girl visibly relaxed.
"Thank the Moon Goddess."
I stared at her.
She stared back.
Then suddenly her eyes widened.
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"Oh!"
She pointed at me again.
"You're Seraphine Veyra!"
There it was.
I sighed internally.
Another fan.
Another social climber.
Another person interested in my family name.
Before I could respond, the girl grinned.
"Can I borrow ten million?"
I froze.
For the first time all day...
I genuinely didn't know what to say.
The girl burst out laughing.
"I'M KIDDING!"
I stared.
Then stared some more.
Was she insane?
She extended her hand.
"Aria Sterling."
I looked down at it.
"Seraphine Veyra."
"I know."
"Obviously."
"Everyone knows."
Aria leaned closer conspiratorially.
"You're currently the hottest topic on campus."
I sighed.
"Wonderful."
"I know, right?"
"It wasn't a compliment."
"I know."
For some reason, that answer made me laugh.
An actual laugh.
The first one since arriving at Mooncrest.
Aria's eyes widened.
"Wait."
"What?"
"You're prettier when you smile."
I immediately stopped smiling.
Aria gasped dramatically.
"Bring it back!"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
Elena pressed her lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.
For the first time since stepping onto campus, the heaviness in my chest eased slightly.
Maybe Mooncrest wouldn't be exactly the same as before.
Maybe this life would be different.
And maybe...
Just maybe...
Making a friend wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.
- Writer
