Chapter3
1069 Words
Chapter 3
Three days had crawled by since my father’s death, and the news had spread like wildfire through the pack.
“I heard his daughter’s missing.”
“Do you think she was killed too? Someone said they saw blood—maybe she escaped while injured.”
The whispers never stopped. They spread like smoke, curling through every corner of the territory. The pack house released no statement about the cause of his death. All they told the public was that investigations were ongoing, and that his daughter was still being searched for.
But I knew better. There was more to his death, and my answers waited at Moonlight High.
*****
A knock came at my door. I slipped out of my thoughts and opened it. The innkeeper stood there, her expression shifting from polite to startled the instant she saw me.
“Is this not the room?” she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.
I adjusted my glasses, offering a small smile.
“But it was a girl who came in that night,” she murmured, tilting her head.
I took the tray of food from her hands and shut the door quickly before she could say another word.
Back at the mirror, my reflection barely looked like me.
The thick glasses dulled my eyes. My chest was bound tight under layers of tape, my hair hidden beneath a cap.
I grabbed a burger from the tray, left the rest untouched, then packed my things. Downstairs, the innkeeper took the key wordlessly, still staring like she couldn’t decide whether I was the same guest or a stranger.
*******
The grand gates of Moonlight High towered before me, polished black steel with the crest of the moon and fangs.
I drew in a breath, steadying myself, and stepped forward.
I hadn’t gone far before someone slammed into me hard enough to knock me off balance.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going,” the boy snapped, irritation flashing across his face before he sprinted off.
I blinked, adjusting my glasses. “I was the one who got hit, but I should watch my way? Tch.” My mutter was half under my breath. “These boys seriously lack manners.”
A tap came on my shoulder. I turned sharply.
“That’s just how they are,” said the boy who tapped me, with a smile. “Try to avoid guys like him.”
I cleared my throat, pitching my voice lower. “Oh—uh, thanks.”
“New student?” he asked.
I hesitated, glancing at the folded letter in my hand, the one I’d snatched just before leaving the house. A letter of admission… but not addressed to me, it bore my late cousin’s name.
“Yeah,” I said finally.
He grinned. “I’m Roy. First year. Nice to meet you.”
“Elliott,” I replied, borrowing my cousin’s name.
“Alright, newbie. See you around, and try not to get into trouble.” He waved and jogged off.
*****
I got to the administration office and handed the letter to the clerk, who barely looked up before stamping a seal on it.
“Dorm 205,” he said, sliding a key toward me.
The dormitory stretched across two wings, lined with identical brown doors.
“200… 201…” I counted quietly until I reached the number engraved above a silver handle. “205.”
Before I could knock, the door swung open.
“Elliott?”
It was Roy again, smiling as if fate enjoyed throwing him my way.
“This is your room?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Perfect. You can take the bed next to mine. Just not that one.” He pointed toward the larger bed against the far wall. It looked soft, luxurious, easily the best in the room.
“Why not? No one’s using it.”
“That belongs to our third roommate. He’s… particular about his space,” Roy said with a nervous laugh. “You’ll meet him soon.”
He tossed me a pillow and blanket, then headed out, leaving me alone with the soft hum of the ceiling fan.
I looked between the three beds — two small, one large.
“Unfair,” I muttered, dragging my bag to the corner bed. “Who does he think he is? Son of an Alpha?”
The thought lingered as I stared out the window.
“Elliott,” I whispered under my breath. My cousin has been late since three years ago, although we looked alike and most people almost mistake us as twins at times.
In the admission letter, it was addressed to my late cousin which isn't supposed to be so. I bet that was the package I received this morning.
“What were you planning, Father?”
The faster I found his killer, the sooner I got out of here.
But first, I needed to find Elder Gideon.
*****
Outside, the campus buzzed with activity. Boys in uniforms clustered around the courtyard, laughing, showing off, challenging each other to mock duels.
Being surrounded by them felt suffocating. Every glance reminded me how out of place I was.
A sharp thud hit the back of my head.
“Hey!”
I turned, wincing, to see three boys standing behind me — all wearing cocky grins. The one in front spun a basketball in his hand, his eyes gleaming.
“Watch where you stand, Rank Five.”
I blinked, confused. My gaze fell to the number stitched in gold on my jacket — 5.
His uniform had a 2, and his friends bore 3s. So the rankings meant something here.
“I’m talking to you,” he snapped, bouncing the ball once, twice, before slamming it lightly against my head again.
My jaw clenched. First day, and trouble already finds me.
“Lower your gaze,” he ordered. “Do you even realize who’s standing in front of you?”
Around us, the crowd shifted uneasily. Some students looked away and hurried off. Others stayed, laughing behind their hands, enjoying the spectacle.
But I didn’t move. I met his eyes instead.
That seemed to infuriate him more. His arm rose —
“Enough, Chris.”
The voice cut clean through the tension.
The crowd fell silent as Roy stepped forward, his usually gentle expression hardened.
I exhaled, a small whisper escaping my lips.
“Roy?”
- Writer
