The Alpha Prince Human Mate

I knew something was wrong with Ashwood Academy the second we drove past the gate. Not because the place looked creepy. Okay… maybe a little because of that. The iron gates stretched at least twenty feet high, covered in twisting black vines that looked dead despite the warm October weather. Beyond them sat the academy itself, massive stone buildings surrounded by dark pine forests and enough fog to make the entire place look like it belonged in a horror movie. Who sent teenagers here willingly? “It's beautiful,” Mom said from the front seat. I stared out the car window. “I hope you're being sarcastic.” Dad sighed the way he always did whenever I opened my mouth. “Val,” he warned. “What? I’m just saying this place screams hell” My younger brother, Vance snorted beside me. “You say that about every school.” “Because every school feels like a prison especially with lot of homework” “You’re being dramatic,” Mom said. I'm I really being dramatic?. I looked back toward the academy. No, I really wasn’t. Something about the place felt wrong, maybe it was the forest or it was the fact that we had driven nearly an hour through an isolated mountain road to get here or the weird feeling sitting heavy in my chest ever since we entered the Ashwood town. The town itself had been strange, everyone we passed had stared at our car like they already knew we didn’t belong there. The gates slowly opened with a loud metallic noise. “Relax,” Mom said, noticing my expression. “You’ll make friends.” I nearly laughed. Right. As if moving during senior year always went so well especially when your new school looked like it trained serial killers. The car rolled forward. Students filled the yard ahead of us, dressed in ash uniforms with silver crests stitched onto their jackets. Everyone looked annoyingly perfect. I glanced down at my oversized hoodie and sneakers. Fantastic. As Dad parked near the administration building, I noticed something else. People were staring and they made it so obvious. A blonde girl walking near the fountain slowed down to watch our car. Even students farther away had turned toward us. Okay. This is getting weirder. “Why are they looking at us like that?” I muttered. “New students attract attention," Mom said. No. This felt different. The second I stepped out of the car, conversations around the courtyard seemed to lower. Like people suddenly didn’t want me hearing them. A cold breeze swept through the courtyard and then the smell hit me. Wood. I grabbed my backpack from the trunk while Dad started unloading boxes. “Val, help your brother,” he called. “I’m emotionally helping him” “That’s not a thing” “It should be” Vance rolled his eyes. “You’re impossible” Before I could answer, a black SUV pulled into the yard. The reaction around us was immediate, students straightened and some moved out of the way entirely. Interesting. The SUV stopped near the academy steps, the driver’s side door opened first and a tall man stepped out wearing a dark suit. Bodyguard energy. Definitely. Then the back door opened and suddenly the entire courtyard felt different. The boy who stepped out couldn’t have been much older than me but everything about him screamed dangerous. Tall, dark hair and broad shoulders beneath his uniform jacket. His face was unfairly attractive in the kind of way that made people stupid, sharp jaw with gray eyes. The air around him felt heavy somehow. Like dominance. He glanced across the courtyard lazily. Then his gaze landed on me and stopped. For a strange second, neither of us looked away and something hot crawled down my spine. Not attraction… more like the instinctive panic of being noticed by something dangerous. His expression hardened, like seeing me immediately ruined his mood. Wow… Rude. The blonde girl near the fountain approached him quickly, touching his arm possessively. She was gorgeous, had perfect hair, and had perfect makeup on. “Killian,” she said softly. He barely acknowledged her. His eyes were still on me. The look on his face made my stomach twist. It was not a look of curiosity but disgust. Nice meeting you too, psychopath. “Who’s that?” I asked quietly. A nearby student overheard me which was strange cause I didn't expect anyone to catch what I said. The brunette girl visibly paled. “You don’t know who he is?” “Should I?” She looked genuinely shocked. “That’s Killian Ashwood” That explained absolutely nothing. Apparently my face showed it because she lowered her voice. “His family owns Ashwood pack” Owns? What was this, the eighteenth century? And what the heck is a pack. Before I could ask another question, Killian started walking toward the building. Students moved aside instantly, their heads bowed like he was some king. The blonde girl followed beside him, glaring at anyone who looked their way. Halfway up the stairs, Kilian suddenly paused, then he looked back at me. The coldness in his eyes caught me off guard. It wasn’t normal teenage arrogance. It felt deeper, like he genuinely hated what he was seeing. I frowned. And because my survival instincts occasionally took breaks, I mouthed at him; What’s your problem? Vance gasped beside me. “Val!” Killian’s eyes narrowed and for a second, something strange flashed across his expression. Not anger. Something darker. Something almost animal, then it vanished. The blonde girl turned toward me sharply, her expression twisted like she wanted to physically remove my organs. Well. The first day in this school is already going great. Killian disappeared inside the building without another word. Only after he was gone did the tension around the courtyard finally ease. I blinked. “Okay” I said slowly. “What the hell was that?” Nobody answered, not even the girl beside me. She just shook her head nervously and hurried away. Weirdos. Dad handed me another box. “Come on. Let’s get you checked in before orientation starts” I followed my parents toward the administration building, but as we climbed the stone steps, I couldn’t stop thinking about Killian Ashwood. About the way everyone reacted to him, the look in his eyes. And the worst part?. I could still feel it. That strange pressure in the air from when he stared at me,like somehow, without saying a single word, he had already marked me as a problem. The inside of Ashwood Academy was even creepier than the outside. Dark wood walls. Ancient portraits. Massive chandeliers. The entire place smelled faintly like smoke and cedar. A woman behind the front desk greeted us with a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You must be Valentina Winters” “Unfortunately” Mom gave me a look. The woman’s smile twitched slightly. “Your schedule and dorm assignment are ready. Orientation begins at six this evening in the main hall. She slid papers across the desk then her eyes lingered on me strangely. Almost cautiously. “Is there a problem?” I asked. “No,” she said too quickly. Definitely a lie but I care less. As I picked up the papers, a loud crash echoed somewhere upstairs, like they were hitting each other. Followed by shouting. The front desk woman acts like it was normal and keeps doing what she was doing. Then silence, just like that. I raised an eyebrow. “Do students regularly fight to the death here or–” “Val,” Dad warned. “Fine!” The receptionist forced another smile. “A student disciplinary issue. Nothing more” Sure. Because that sounded believable. A strange feeling settled low in my stomach. The kind that whispered to me to leave but it was too late for that. We had already moved here. This was home now. Unfortunately. I looked down at my class schedule. Then I froze. At the very top, written in bold letters, was one name. Advanced Literature–Professor Hale. Partner Assignment–Killian Ashwood. You have got to be kidding me!.