Chapter 8 COMPATIBILITY TEST

ISABELLA

Before anyone could look up, I dropped flat onto the floor, hiding.

Down below I could already hear the shouts, everyone ready to crucify whoever did it, even though I was sure the prince had dodged it.

My panicked gaze landed on the reason I’d screwed up, and for a second I almost threw myself out the window too.

“Uh… s-sir…” I stammered at the blond Lycan raising a brow at me, the same one who’d been yelling from the stands during the competition.

His bright eyes were dancing with amusement.

“Either you really like Aurelius, or you’ve got a death wish,” he said, crouching so we were kind of at eye level.

He was huge, like every Lycan.

But his build looked leaner under the leather jacket, and his grin made him way less intimidating than the others.

“I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know someone was going to walk by… I panicked…”

“Oh, so this is my fault now?”

Yeeees.

“Nooo, no, of course not…” I said the opposite of what I was thinking, my anxious gaze glued to the door.

Thera warned me someone was pounding up the stairs.

Was he going to hand me over?

“Please, I swear I’m innocent,” I begged him, eyes wide.

He rubbed his chin, as if he was thinking something over, even though he never seemed to take anything seriously.

“I can cover for you this time, but you’ll owe me a favor,” he finally said, standing and giving my body a slow, curious once-over.

On instinct, I hunched in on myself and crossed my arms over my chest.

“I don’t do that kind of favor,” I told him primly.

He burst out laughing. “You’re hilarious. I still haven’t given up on you being my Seraphina.”

Footsteps were already echoing in the hallway outside. Was the prince coming in person?

Just thinking about it had me shaking.

“I’m not after anything sexual from you, but I’ll think about it and tell you what I want later. Deal?” he asked calmly.

“Deal,” I rushed out, upper lip sweating, already seeing disaster’s shadow falling over me.

“Don’t forget, little Omega,” he said, winking, and I had the distinct feeling I’d just made some kind of dark pact.

“Now roll under that bed.”

He pointed at my own bed nearby, and I dove for it, hiding without thinking twice.

I watched his combat boots head toward the entrance.

My heart was pounding so hard I was sure they’d hear it.

I held my breath when two people walked into the infirmary.

“Hey, what are you guys doing here?”

“Mr. William, we came to check things out. Someone just attacked Prince Aurelius from that window!” male voices answered him, respectful but pissed.

I curled in tighter against the cold tiles.

“Oh yeah, I saw a girl running off down that hallway. She bumped into me on the way in,” he lied without even blinking.

“Seriously? Let’s go then. Thanks, Mr. William!” they shouted, and I heard them take off running.

I almost let out a sigh of relief, but that Lycan, William, started sing-songing from the doorway instead.

“I had an Omega, E-I-E-I-O… And that little Omega owed me one, E-I-E-I-O…”

He walked off, humming that ridiculous tune, and I dropped my forehead to the floor, thinking of how tangled my life already was and I’d only been here half a day at this Academy.

Now I was in debt to another Lycan. Damn it.

I finally slipped out of the infirmary, wandering with no real destination.

I was terrified of bumping into any of those prince-bootlickers.

I reached a corner and glanced back, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.

I had no idea why, but it felt like someone had been watching me.

“There’s a heavy scent in the air, but whoever it is hides really well.”

Thera’s words made a shiver run down my spine.

Anyone who could mask themselves like that was powerful. Another Lycan?

“We should find a teacher,” I muttered. That was the plan… but the second I rounded the corner, I ran straight into someone sprinting toward me.

“Savannah, you got discharged already! That’s great, I was coming to visit you!”

“Kiara,” I breathed, and when I felt her shy hug, I nearly burst into tears.

Finally, someone familiar.

“Does it still hurt?” she asked, worried, glancing at my foot.

“No, no, I’m fine. Why are you dressed like that?”

I looked her over. She was wearing a navy-blue uniform.

A pleated skirt down to her knees, a white shirt underneath, and on top a fitted jacket with long sleeves and a stand-up collar.

Over her right breast, a golden wolf head emblem was embroidered with the letters HMA.

I guessed that stood for HighMoon Academy.

It looked elegant and expensive.

“You missed the opening ceremony, but don’t worry, I grabbed all the materials, schedules, and guess what…” she said, eyes shining.

Before I could guess, she went on:

“I convinced my mom to put us in the same dorm room!”

I was absurdly happy at the news. Just imagining being stuck living with one of those other Seraphinas gave me full-body chills.

I remembered her saying her mom worked here in administration.

Chatting as we went, she guided me through the maze of hallways and buildings.

Goddess, this Academy was stunning.

Built from such dark stone it looked oppressive, but at the same time it was majestic as hell.

This was where the elites of our realm trained.

If there was one place you could really become powerful, it was here.

The towers rose in the distance across a chain of buildings, and mountains that scraped the clouds wrapped around the valley where the Academy sat.

It felt unreal and knocked the breath out of me.

I felt the same when we reached our small shared dorm.

A cozy little sitting room greeted us, with a set of couches, a small dining table, and even a modest TV.

The whole place mixed classic and modern.

“This is my room,” Kiara said, giving me a tour.

Past the sitting area there was a hallway with four doors.

She opened one, revealing a small bedroom with half-unpacked suitcases and a whole lot of pink everywhere.

Then she showed me the shared bathroom and said the other bedroom was for a third student she didn’t know yet and who hadn’t shown up.

“And this one’s yours. They already brought your stuff,” she added, opening the door across from hers.

I stepped into the prettiest room I’d ever had in my life.

A simple white wooden bed with two nightstands, a solid chest at the foot, and a vanity with a huge mirror.

What really stole my attention, though, was the view through the glass door leading to a tiny balcony.

A lake stretched out in the distance, and part of the forest brushed right up against this dorm building.

“It’s… beautiful. Thank you, Kiara,” I said, turning toward her, genuinely moved, the breeze brushing through my hair.

“You’re welcome,” she mumbled, cheeks flushing red as she ducked her head.

“I’ll leave you to change. Today’s our only free day, so rest up!” she called as she headed out, closing the main door behind her.

I went back into the room to unpack.

Main thing was checking I hadn’t lost anything important, like Savannah’s scent spray that I had to refresh every week.

“What’s that?” Thera asked, nosy as always, and that’s when I noticed a white envelope lying on the lilac sheets.

I picked it up, assuming Kiara had left it there, but the second I opened it, my smile froze on my face.

«You are requested to present yourself at 8:00 p.m. in Prince Aurelius’s quarters for a compatibility test. Requirements: …»

Compatibility test? What on earth was that supposed to be?

And who had come into my room to leave these instructions?

The more I read about what I was supposed to do, the colder I felt.

Was all of this really necessary?

I crumpled the paper in my hands, anger ready to explode in my chest.

“Fucking pervert prince,” I muttered under my breath, but my fate was tied to him, and all I could do was obey.

That night would be my first time alone with the Lycan prince.