Chapter Two: The Only Place Left

That night, I couldn't sleep, the event of the day kept replaying itself in my head. Every time I try to close my eyes, I could hear father’s voice selling me off to Alpha Malrick without even asking about how I feel. I spent the night praying he'll change his mind, or decide that I am not an object to be bought and sold. 

Before daybreak, I had gotten to Aunt Luma’s chamber.

I sat at the edge of her bed, restless, waiting for instructions, a plan anything. My aunt paced around the room quietly. Her shawl was worn over her shoulders, her face looked worried. 

After waiting for what seems like an eternity, she turned to me. “Aria,” she said softly, “Aria are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes Aunt Luma. I'm sure this is what my mother would have wanted.”

She sighed. “if you want to escape your father, you must run very far. Go to a place where your father will never find you. Because your father will not stop searching until he drags you back here and hands you over to Malrick himself.”

I lifted my head, my throat felt raw from all the tears I had shed throughout the night. “Where?” I whispered. “Where could I possibly go that he won’t find me? His influence spreads everywhere. And if he can't Malrick can. His reach is endless.”

Aunt Luma looked at me with a mixture of hesitation and determination. She finally sat across me, folding her hands. “I know of only one place.”

I leaned forward, desperate. “Where?”

“The Alpha Academy.”

I blinked at her, certain I didn't hear correctly. “The what?”

“You heard me.” She replied, her gaze steady.

I gave a dry laugh. “Aunt Luma it’s for male heirs. Sons of Alphas, future leaders trained to rule. It’s the most heavily guarded and secretive institution in the entire continent. No outsider steps foot there, unless they’re chosen. And even then—” I cut myself off, realizing what she was asking me to do. My mouth was wide open.

“You can’t be serious. I’m not a male heir. I’m not even a male.”

“You must become one, Aria. And don't worry about getting in. I have friends that can help.”

I stared at her, my mouth still wide opened. I shook my head. “This is insane. You are saying I should disguise myself and live among future Alphas. If anyone finds out, I’ll get killed before I can even blink.”

She came closer and grabbed my trembling hands.

“Listen to me, Aria. The Academy is the only place your father can't dare to search. No Alpha would humiliate himself by admitting his daughter fled into the brotherhood of Alphas. And Malrick—” her lips twisted in disdain “—he will never imagine you could hide among the very men who train to become his rivals. It's the one sanctuary beyond his reach.”

I couldn't speak. I tried to think about it, to imagine what she was saying. The more I thought about it the more I concluded that it was both a terrible and a great idea at the same time. I pulled my hands free from hers and held my head. “This is madness,” I whispered. “Me? Pretend to be a man? Among them?”

“Would you rather face Malrick’s bed?”

“The moon goodness forbid it.” I didn't even try to imagine it. 

Luma’s eyes softened, but her tone remained firm. “Then you have your answer.”

I stood up abruptly, pacing the small space in her room. My mind was racing. “Even if I agree—how? I’ve never lived like them. Never walked or fought like them. I’ll be discovered within days, maybe hours. You said yourself—they are sons of Alphas. The strongest of our kind. They smell weakness the way wolves smell blood.”

“Then we must erase your weakness,” Luma said simply.

I turned toward her, stunned. “Erase—?”

“You will train,” she said, rising to her feet. “You will train and practice until you walk, fight, and command as one of them. Until your scent is blocked, your strength is great and your disguise is seamless. You will not be Aria daughter of the Alpha. You will become someone else entirely.”

I swallowed hard, my throat felt dry. “And who would I be?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, she was thinking, calculating.  “We will decide later. But understand this, child. Training will not be easy. You will suffer. You will fall. You will bleed. And every time, you must rise again, because your life depends on it. Do you understand?”

I felt cold. I wrapped my arms around myself to stop myself from shivering even though the fire burned nearby. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You can.” Her voice cut sharp, unyielding. “Because you have no other choice.”

I was afraid, but I had to do it. The room was silent for a moment. 

Finally, I whispered, “Why are you helping me?”

Her eyes softened. She reached out and brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Because your mother would have wanted me to. She fought so hard to protect you from this world. And I failed her when she died. I will not fail her again.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let the fall. “If I do this, if I train and pretend to be one of them will I really be safe?”

“No one is ever truly safe,” she said. “But you will be more safer than with Malrick and in time, you'll become stronger. You will find freedom on your own terms and be able to protect yourself when the time comes.”

I let out a shaky breath, “when do we start?”

Luma’s lips curved into a smile. Grim but proud. “Tomorrow,” she said softly. “Before dawn.”

I nodded. My heart trembled in fear but Liora encouraged me. “This is our chance, Aria. Take it.”

I stared at Aunt Luma in her eyes. “I’ll do it.”

“Good. Get ready. You begin tomorrow.”

That was when it hit me. There is no turning back, because to survive, I have to kill the girl I was. It's not going to be easy. But I'd rather become another person than get married to a monster.