The Academy halls were quieter now, the chaos of check-in fading into the background. Rian moved along the curved corridor, the weight of her satchel pressing harder against her shoulder with every step. Her fingers gripped the strap tightly, knuckles pale beneath her gloves. Each footfall echoed faintly off the stone floor, rhythmic and deliberate, as if the sound could anchor her racing thoughts.
She reached the hallway labeled Residential Hall 3 – Elite Wing, carved into the wood with clean, sharp lines. The air here was different—cooler, stiller. Power clung to the walls like a living presence, thick and pressing, stirring her wolf beneath her skin. Her wolf remained alert but quiet, sensing the tension woven into the very stones of this wing.
Rian paused before a heavy oak door. Her
