Chapter 2 THE LYCAN PRINCE
ISABELLA
Light and darkness.
Lycans were the superior force, the peak of evolution.
But they were going through a shift, a dangerous stage where the violence of their animal side became unstable and brutal.
In our werewolf realm, there were only five noble Lycan families and, of course, the ones at the top of the food chain: the royal family.
They were the darkness that needed the light of the Seraphinas.
We weren’t the only pack blessed by the Goddess.
There were other Seraphinas, but my father made sure to claw his way to the very top: the royal family.
He’d groomed Savannah her entire life for that.
Seraphinas soothed those beasts with their scent, the touch of their bodies, and the calming aura that wrapped around Lycans like a drug.
But if light couldn’t overpower darkness… she died.
And the Lycans of the royal family were the most bloodthirsty and feral of them all, easily the hardest to tame.
For the first time, I wasn’t going to follow orders.
I had my own goals.
Break the damn restriction he’d slapped on me, get stronger at the Academy… and escape.
And I’d do whatever it took to make it happen.
Even fake my way through and put up with that insufferable prince.
Sitting in the car, I watched the landscape blur past the window.
Today was the day I left, and my dear father didn’t even spare me a second glance before sending me off as cannon fodder.
Elliot had the nerve to watch me from between the trees as the car pulled away.
Coward.
“You know what? Stop wasting your tears on that idiot,” my wolf scoffed. “His dick wasn’t even that big. When it got cold, it shrank down to a peanut… and those hip movements…”
Thera clicked her tongue.
“More bland than plain water,” she added, rolling her eyes with full dramatic flair. “You should’ve reported him to the Alpha.”
I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.
Thera was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
I knew she was just covering our disappointment with sarcasm.
“You really think my father would sacrifice his precious Beta for me?" I sighed bitterly.
"He’d probably call me a whore and say I seduced him. Now I even suspect he knew the truth and sent Elliot to beat me up just to keep torturing me."
That idea, which wasn't entirely unreasonable, crossed my mind.
"Forget the pack and behave at the Academy. We need to stay under the radar.” I warned her, staring at my reflection in the glass.
I was in casual clothes: Comfortable sneakers, jeans, a white T-shirt, and a denim jacket.
My blonde hair was pulled up into a high braid, and I’d only bothered with the tiniest touch of makeup so I wouldn’t look so ghostly.
My gray eyes, though, were full of plans and quiet calculations.
“That Lycan prince better not turn out to be a cocky asshole,” Thera huffed, restless.
We were both on edge about all the unknowns waiting ahead.
I didn’t answer. My gaze drifted back to the scenery outside.
My father’s driver took the highways that skirted pack territories.
Silver Mountain Pack was tucked away in a remote, rugged region, which gave us an air of mystery and made it even easier to keep up my fake identity.
We drove for hours without stopping, until we finally entered a forest choked with fog and shadows.
The sunlight struggled to pierce the heavy atmosphere.
My heart thudded harder when the huge iron gates rose into view at the end of the road like a set of imperial jaws.
The car rolled to a stop.
“Miss Savannah, this is as far as I’m allowed to go,” the driver said respectfully.
“Fine,” I answered curtly, just like my sister would have.
I got out, and he rushed to grab my suitcase.
I wrapped my fingers tightly around the handle and walked forward without looking back, straight into my new ordeal.
The headlights faded, the engine noise was swallowed by the fog, and suddenly there was only silence, thick and eerie.
“For an elite Academy full of rich people, you’d think they could afford a few extra lights,” Thera muttered. “This looks like the entrance to the underworld.”
“Thera, stop rambling and scan the area,” I told her, while my eyes swept between the dark trunks.
The wheels of my suitcase rattled nonstop over the stone path.
As I got closer to the towering gate, a sound snapped Thera to attention.
“I hear someone calling for help. I swear I heard a scream!” she said, instantly alert.
“Where?” I asked without even thinking.
“Over there!”
I hurried in that direction, venturing deeper into unfamiliar territory.
I really needed to quit this habit of sticking my nose where it didn’t belong…
And yet, there I was, watching a girl dangling from a tree in the distance.
“Help! Help!” she kicked wildly, moments away from falling.
The hood of her sweatshirt was barely hooked onto one of the branches, the only thing keeping her up.
“Hold on, that’s not going to last!” I shouted, running just as I heard the crack.
I dropped the suitcase and threw myself forward, tackling her so we landed together on the grass.
She’d been about to drop straight onto a cluster of jagged rocks.
“Ouch!” she groaned as we hit the ground. Honestly, I took the brunt of it.
She was small, with dark hair and striking green eyes.
I pushed myself up as she rolled off me.
Pain pulsed through my right ankle, making me hiss.
“Are you okay?” I asked, glancing over at her.
“Y-yeah…” she stuttered, cheeks burning a vivid red, gaze glued to the ground in embarrassment.
“Good…” I tried to stand, but the moment I put weight on my foot, the air rushed out of my lungs.
“Are you hurt? Oh Goddess, this is all my fault! Let’s go to the infirmary...”
“It’s fine, it’s just a sprain,” I reassured her, because she was about to spiral into a full panic and I was the one in pain here.
I finally convinced her I didn’t need the infirmary, limped back to my abandoned suitcase, and was about to leave.
“Wait, I haven’t even thanked you!” she called, hurrying after me.
“I’m Kiara, an Omega from Blue Tulip Pack,” she said, stretching out a small hand.
“Savannah Olivan,” I replied, shaking it. I didn’t add anything else. The last thing I wanted was extra attention.
We started walking toward the entrance again.
“Thank you so much for helping me… I, uh, had a little first-day accident. You know, the ‘welcome’ treatment for newbies,” she mumbled, ducking her head, her ears practically glowing red.
I just prayed no one was planning that kind of “initiation” for me.
Before I could say anything, bells rang out in the distance, their chimes vibrating through the whole forest.
“No way, they’re already calling us. Come on, come on!”
She began shoving me forward anxiously, and we finally passed through the towering iron gates, which swung open as if by magic.
Through the fog, the distant towers and solid, intimidating buildings started to take shape.
This Academy drew in the boldest of the bold, the ones who wanted to push their limits, gain power, and increase their pack’s status.
You could die here… and no one would even question it.
So I couldn’t help but wonder what a fragile girl like Kiara was doing in a place like this.
She seemed to know an awful lot about how the Academy worked. Was this really her first time here?
A million questions buzzed through my head, but when I saw the crowd gathered in an impressive plaza up ahead, anxiety drowned out my curiosity.
My hand tightened around the suitcase handle.
Out of nowhere, the sound of a car engine roared behind us.
It was coming so fast that we barely had time to throw ourselves headfirst into the bushes at the side of the road.
“What the hell is wrong with that idiot?!” I growled, my ankle throbbing even worse.
“Shh… don’t talk like that about a Lycan,” Kiara whispered, grabbing my hand and helping me up before guiding me to a more discreet spot among the newcomers.
“Stay away from them. They’re dangerous and way too powerful.”
Her squirrel-like eyes darted toward the far side of the massive plaza.
I followed her gaze past the fountain that rose in the center.
A tall man stepped out of the luxury car, all black hair and piercing gray eyes.
Tailored clothes, expensive shoes, arrogant posture.
He walked over to a smaller group that still somehow stood out from everyone else.
Two women, one blonde and one redhead, both voluptuous, composed, and oozing confidence.
Five guys circled them, all tall and muscular. A few smoked lazily like they owned the place.
One blond guy laughed loudly, clearly the most relaxed of the bunch.
The air shifted, thickening as dominant, dangerous pheromones rolled across the plaza.
Lycans and Alpha females.
The elites of our realm. The best genes our species had to offer.
Which one of them was Prince Aurelius?
My chest tightened at the thought of being that man’s pet.
His personal stress ball to squeeze between his claws whenever he felt like killing something.
My breathing sped up, and a cold sweat trickled down my spine.
“Calm down, Isa. Easy. We’ve got this. All we have to do is what we’re best at…”
“Fake it,” I finished for my wolf.
That was what I hated most. My only real talent in life was pretending to be someone I wasn’t.
A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd, dragging me out of my near panic attack.
The dark stone building on one side of the plaza swung its massive wooden doors open with a grating sound.
A tiny woman with glasses and graying hair marched out in heels, a folder in her hands.
She stopped at the top of the staircase.
“Welcome, all new student candidates to HighMoon Academy!” she began.
“As you should already know, there is an initial selection process, and whoever fails…” She let the sentence trail off, her eyes soft with fake sympathy.
“There’s a test? What is this, a dance competition?” Thera chimed in, taking the chance to wind my nerves even tighter.
My father had conveniently “forgotten” to mention that part.
And the worst part came right after.
“The Seraphinas will undergo a special examination in front of the Lycans. Please gather here beside me as I call your names.”
She started reading from the list in her hands.
To my complete shock, I realized I wasn’t the only candidate to become Prince Aurelius’s Seraphina.
There was an actual lineup. A whole selection.
Those two proud Alpha females were linked to him as well.
“Savannah Olivan, Seraphina assigned to Prince Aurelius…”
Did my father know Savannah wasn’t the only option the Lycan King had?
“Savannah Olivan!”
So… is there a chance I won’t be chosen?
Will they throw me out or pass me off to another Lycan?
“Savannah.” Kiara’s elbow jabbed me, dragging me out of my mental spiral. “They’re calling you…”
Her whisper flipped a switch inside me.
“I’M HERE!” I shouted way too loudly, even raising my hand like some overeager student.
Every head snapped in my direction.
So much for flying under the radar.
Hauling my little suitcase with me, I climbed the stairs awkwardly, feeling the snickers and mocking smiles from below.
It was mortifying, and it was only the beginning.
“You’ll need to wake up a bit, Miss Olivan,” the woman scolded under her breath, then gestured for me to join the other girls, thankfully only a small group.
I didn’t have to see their faces to feel their contempt rolling off them.
“Move to the side. Don’t you dare block me,” came a low command from behind me.
The blonde Alpha with huge boobs didn’t bother lowering her voice much.
She was another candidate for Prince Aurelius.
I stepped aside with as much dignity as I could muster, but it didn’t matter where I stood, I didn’t seem to belong anywhere.
Thankfully, the welcome speech went on, and soon no one was paying attention to me anymore.
At least not until the woman asked us to wait a moment and disappeared back inside.
Not even five minutes later, the powerful roar of a motorcycle echoed up the entry road.
The bright headlight cut through the fog, and sure enough, it was an impressive black bike with an aggressive, gorgeous growl.
But the real problem was the rider.
People parted across the plaza to clear the way, because he didn’t look like he planned on slowing down.
He was a solid wall of male, wearing black combat pants, military boots, a dark sleeveless shirt, and a black helmet hiding his face.
His muscular, tattooed arms, sun-bronzed and powerful, flexed as he gripped the handlebars.
Power hit us all like a slap.
My heart started pounding wildly, and the sheer weight of his rank crushed down on me without mercy… a Lycan of the royal family.
He stopped at the base of the stairs and pulled off his helmet.
Every movement was sharp, cold, dominant.
The entire plaza went silent, except for the voice in my head.
“Oh, damn… who is that walking orgasm?”
Thera scented the air excitedly, focusing on our next tormentor.
I had no doubt about it… That was the Lycan prince, Aurelius Blackridge.
