The cursed Alpha at moonlight high Academy

CHAPTER 1 Ella’s POV The morning sun crept through my window, stabbing my eyes like it had a personal grudge against me. I squinted and groaned when someone knocked loudly on my door. Who knocks like that in the morning? I grumbled, turning to the side of the bed. “Get up, Ella. You just received a package.” Father walked in with a bowl of pudding in hand, wearing a messy apron tied around his waist. His hair looked like he’d combed it with a fork. He’s the Beta to our Alpha but still manages to do his fatherly duties. Whispers in the pack say he was supposed to become Alpha after the last one died, but someone else was chosen instead. Father never complained. He seemed genuinely happy being Beta, so I never questioned it. I rolled out of bed, shuffled to the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and then dragged myself to the dining room. The aroma of Father’s special pasta filled the entire house. If heaven had a smell, it would be that pasta. “The box is on the shelf,” he said, pointing with his spoon. “I’ll be attending a meeting with the neighboring packs.” I sighed and walked over, pulling down the package. “What’s the meeting about this time? Shouldn’t the Alpha be doing all this? You attend his meetings and do all the heavy work while he hops from one party to another.” “Ella, don’t say that. He’s our Alpha. You must respect him.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed a knife to slice open the seal. “It’s an envelope,” I muttered. “It says... Moonlight High.” Father immediately stood and snatched it out of my hand before I could open it. Suspicious? “Come eat,” he said with a too-bright smile. I stared at the envelope he had just tucked into his pocket. Father seemed rather strange just now. Wasn’t the package meant for me? I sat down and dragged my bowl closer. “Did they write my name on the package by mistake?” I mumbled through a mouthful of pasta. Father grabbed a handkerchief and wiped my mouth. At nineteen. Nineteen. Even pups don’t get wiped like this. “Besides,” I said, “Moonlight High? Isn’t that a school for males?” Father nodded and continued eating. Moonlight High was the biggest all-male institution for Alphas-in-training. The males in our pack were allowed to attend, while females like me went to mixed schools such as Howling Hills or Lycan Academy once we turned nineteen. Males could enter at eighteen since they usually got their wolves earlier. “I’ll be going to the pack house later with Lydia. She said the Alpha’s mother wants to see all the daughters of the ranked members. Something about finding a mate for the Alpha.” I shrugged. “You shouldn’t attend that,” Father said sharply. “Oh, come on. I don’t even have my wolf yet. There’s no way I’ll be chosen as his Luna.” I snorted. “Are you worried I’ll become Luna?” His tone dropped low. “I don’t want you having anything to do with the Alpha’s family.” I paused. His expression had changed—somber, guarded. The moment I pulled out that letter... he’d gone stiff. What on earth was inside that envelope? Father left for the meeting, and I went to meet Lydia. Her father was Elder Kael—third in rank. After the Alpha came Father, then Elder Kael. “Do you think I’ll be chosen as the Alpha’s mate?” Lydia asked as she checked her reflection for the fifth time. She applied more lip gloss, puckered her lips, and turned to me dramatically. “How do I look?” “Like someone who’s rehearsed this since the womb,” I muttered, leaning my head against the window as her driver took us to the pack house. The Alpha wasn’t someone I cared about. I’d seen him maybe five times. He always wore a mask. No one knew why. Some said it hid a scar. Others said he was ugly. Lydia swore he was mysterious and “heart-shatteringly handsome.” She said it with the seriousness of someone confessing a sacred truth. “We’re here!” she squealed. We got out and rushed inside. “Let’s be quick,” she said—the same girl who had spent thirty minutes trying to look perfect. As we moved, Lydia dragging me like a hostage, a maid collided with me, spilling wine across my dress. “I’m so sorry! I’ll clean it right now!” She panicked so badly that she tore part of her gown to make a cloth. I quickly caught her hand. “No, no. I’ll handle it. Your dress has suffered enough.” I smiled. “Alright, be quick, Ella,” Lydia said, rushing ahead. It was my first time inside the pack house. Father never let me come. Always the same warning—he didn’t want me anywhere near the Alpha’s family. “Where’s the restroom?” I muttered after circling the same hallway for the fifth time. At this point, maybe the pack house had been built specifically to confuse people. The maid had offered to lead me, but no—Big Girl Ella had said, “I can find it.” Ten minutes later: lost. Absolutely lost. I walked down the north wing and saw a wooden door at the far end. That had to be it. I opened it, only to find... another door. Strange. I pushed it open and found—another door. “Seriously?” I whispered. The third door opened into a blinding light. I shielded my eyes until the brightness softened, and then— My jaw dropped. It looked like a different world. A hidden paradise inside the pack house. Lush. Bright. Unreal. I hadn’t even taken a step before something sharp pressed against my neck. “Don’t move.” A voice came from behind me. And, of course, that was the moment I regretted refusing the maid’s help.