Chapter Five

Kael’s pov

The cafeteria smells wrong. It's not that the food is bad, it's actually really fancy, like always. Shiny silver trays, all polished, with steam coming off roasted meats. Thick sauces simmer in crystal bowls, and the bread is warm enough to make the glass lids all foggy. Fruits are cut perfectly, and the desserts look too pretty to eat. It all screams money as it should be, the school gets paid enough money for its upkeep.

My wolf should be happy, and I should be hungry. Instead, I just feel annoyed. None of it smells like the food I caught a whiff of earlier. That smell stuck with me all day, rich and warm. It wasn't just food, but comfort, home, something I didn't know I wanted until I smelled it. Now, looking at this buffet, I know it's not here. Whatever they cooked earlier was gone. Ghost growled in disappointment….. yeah, me too buddy.

“Changed your mind?” Jaxon, my Gamma walks up. He loads his plate like it's his last meal. “Or are you going to keep looking at the food like it did something to you?”

I give him a look. “It wasn’t what I was expecting”.

He snorts and shakes his head, not caring. I sigh and grab a plate anyway, people are watching. I'm Kael Blackthorn , the next Alpha of the strongest pack around. People watch and compare me to my dad. I can't look weak or picky, not here, when everyone in this Academy is judging us. I pick at the food, taking some roasted veggies, a slice of beef that smells bland, and a piece of bread that I know will taste like dust. It's sad, but whatever. I grab a water bottle instead of a soft drink, because at least I can count on water. I'm no longer hungry anyway.

I look around for my usual table, but Dante's already there surrounded by a group of girls……..wait, not just any girls, Misha's friends, of course. My jaw tightens. Great, just what I needed.

I head to the table, nodding to some students. Classmates, future allies, one thing the school had taught us is to be friendly to our colleagues, to build connections that might help us later. I hate being polite, but I nod back because I'm not just Kael, I'm the heir. I can't be arrogant and make enemies, not yet.

When I get to the table, Misha's eyes light up. She flips her hair and leans forward like she had been waiting for me all day.

“Hi babe”, she says batting her perfect lashes.

The word hits me like a punch, and my mood gets worse. Babe? I hate that nickname. It sounds fake and annoying. She knows I don't like it, but she keeps saying it, like it will make it true if she says it enough. My jaw tightens. I don't answer or even look at her. I can feel her annoyance, even though she's still smiling.

She hates being ignored……too bad. I drop my tray on the table and sit down. My wolf Ghost growled, he doesn't like her, not because he hates her, but because he knows she's not the one for me. Misha is beautiful, sure. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a body that every guy here probably wants. She's strong, she had shown us that in our combat classes but she's also empty. She only cares about gossip, parties, and the latest fashion.

My dad would be mad if he heard her call me babe. I want the woman by my side, the Luna, to be everything Misha isn't, smart, calm, caring and important for politics and war. That's what an Alpha needs, that's what I need. The woman my father arranged for me is just that and she will be my Luna. If Misha thinks she can change that by batting her eyelashes, she's even more stupid than I thought.

Dante looks at my tray and smirks. “That's all you're eating?”

“Yes”, I say, opening my water. “I'm not hungry”.

He raises his eyebrows. I know he is going to say something else, but Misha jumps in with her annoying voice.

“Did you guys hear what happened at the Admissions building?”

Jaxon groans, he doesn’t like her as much as I do especially since she is known for gossip. “Of course you know”.

Misha rolls her eyes like she is doing everyone a favor by keeping them informed. “I heard a human enrolled”.

That drew my attention to the conversation. A human?

“That's not possible”, Dante says. “Humans aren't allowed. The school is hidden from them”.

Claire, one of Misha's friends, tosses her red hair. “Maybe she's just a weak witch. It happens sometimes, but they put her in Omega Dormitory. If she is human, she won't last the week” she smiled.

A human here? How? The invitations are spelled and tied to blood. They can't be faked or stolen. The letters glow with the person's name. It shouldn't be possible, but......I lean back, listening to the chatter. Could someone have messed with the magic? Could the Council have done this on purpose, to test us?

Misha laughs. “If she's human, she will run home crying once classes start. Imagine her trying to keep up with us”.

She's right. A human here won't last the week. Not my problem though, the Council knows what they're doing. They would have fixed it if there was a mistake. Classes start tomorrow. We'll see then.

The conversation moves on to other things. I'm lost in thought when Misha surprises me.

“So babe”, she says, “are you going to Adrian's party tonight?”

I raise my bottle of water to drink and then froze. I slowly put down the bottle and look at her. Two years! She has been with me for Two years, how can she forget? How do someone that claims she wants to spend the rest of her life with me forget something this important to me.

“How many times”, I say quietly, “have I told you I don't go to Adrian's parties?”

The party, Adrian's stupid party that he throws every year. It's the only thing all the students talks about on resumption. His little empire of drinks, music, food and whatever else. I've hated it since the first time I saw it and Adrian is a cocky jerk. The werewolves and vampires had been at war for centuries until the council came together and called a truce, the war was over.

The wound on the other hand remained……..One more year, I tell myself. One more year until I can challenge him and wipe that smirk off his face for good.

Her face goes pale. “I’m sorry, I forgot”.

She looks down, like I'm yelling at her. The table goes quiet. Jaxon doesn't even try to say something, they all know better. I stand up, leaving my tray. Misha opens her mouth like she wants to say something, but I don't let her. I turn and walk away. Ghost is restless, wanting to get out.

The cafeteria is too much. I need air, I need to move. I go straight to the woods. As soon as I cross the trees, I rip off my shirt. My body is shaking, ready to shift. My wolf comes out, big, white, with glowing gold eyes. Ghost…….We run.

The ground is a blur under my paws, leaves flying by. The smell of pine fills my lungs. The anger, hunger, and annoyance fades as we run through the forest, fast and hard. We follow the creek going back to the house. By the time I got close to the house, I was so thirsty and tired. I stopped, drinking from the creek and decided to rest a bit, I fell asleep.

The smell woke me up, it was dark already. I wake up, listening. Dinner already? Did they bring food out here? No, I’m not in the cafeteria anymore. I breathe hard, it is that intoxicating scent again. Strong, amazing, filling my lungs like smoke and silk. Rich, delicious and impossible to ignore. Damn.

The scent is coming from somewhere else, faint but clear. It's on the wind, pulling me east, towards music and laughter.

Adrian's house.

No way, I growl…….that jerk. The food that smelled amazing was in his house. One more year, I remind myself. Just one more year and Adrian's reign is over. Right now... my stomach growls. I can't rest until I find the source of that scent.