Chapter 3

Diana’s POV

“What’s the problem, Diana?” the teacher asked, pausing at the doorway when she noticed the frozen look on my face.

I had just seen him, the boy who’d poured water on me. But... that wasn’t possible.

 Maybe it was just one of my wild daydreams again. He couldn’t be here. Not here.

“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Just nervous. I’ve never really had friends, but... I hope that changes soon.”

She smiled kindly. “Ashmoor students are well-trained. I’m sure you’ll get a warm welcome.”

I forced a smile. “If you say so.”

Just then she opened the door to the classroom. It felt even colder inside the class. The class fell silent immediately we entered.

“Good morning, Miss Victoria!” The class chimed in unison.

“Good morning, class. We have a new student.” She turned to me. “Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

I scanned the room. Neatly pressed uniforms. Perfect hair. Polished shoes, they all look rich and privileged.

But there was something superior about them. Like they knew a secret, I didn’t.

I've done this type of introduction at least fifteen times in different schools. It wasn’t that hard anymore.

I adjusted to the stiff blazer they gave me and cleared my throat, swallowed hard, forcing a smile as I introduced myself. 

“Hi, I’m Diana Johnson. I just transferred here, and I hope we get alon…”

A ripple of murmurs cut me off, followed by scattered snickering.

One girl, lounging at the back of the class, whispered something to her friend loud enough for everyone to hear,

“She’s human. Can you believe they let a human in?”

Human?

My smile faltered. I blinked, trying to understand what she just said.

Everyone’s human… right?

“She smells like shampoo and fear,” the girl added with a curled lip.

The class giggled. My skin burned. I stood paralyzed at the front of the room, every second stretching like glue.

This was supposed to be a fresh start…but maybe I was cursed after all.

“Enough, Abigail!” Miss Victoria snapped. “Now, someone should help her find a seat.”

Then she left. Just like that. Abandoning me in a room full of silent judgment.

No one moved or offered me a seat. 

They whispered behind their hands. A boy exaggerated a sniff of the air and said,

“No scent. Must be true.”

I blinked back tears. Was this a prank?

Then a voice spoke up, softer but clear:

“There’s an empty seat here.”

I turned toward a petite girl with deep brown skin and bright silver glasses. Guess she is a nerd like me.

Her expression was kind and cautious. I hurried over and sat down beside her, grateful for the lifeline.

“Don't mind them, they’re just territorial jerks. I’m Eva.”

“Diana,” I whispered, grateful beyond words. “Thanks.”

She grinned. “Figured. You’re the talk of the school. ‘The human transfer’...like we’re in some sci-fi movie.”

I laughed. “Isn’t everyone here human?”

Eva blinked. “You don’t… oh. Wow.”

“What?”

She hesitated. “Never mind. It’s not really my place. Let’s just say Ashmoor is…special.”

One by one, the teachers lectured, their eyes lingering on me before asking for an introduction, with a curious or suspicious gaze. The repetition was draining, each question feeling like an interrogation.

Between classes, I leaned toward Eva and whispered,

“Why do they all look at me like that? Am I… not supposed to be here?”

Eva hesitated, fiddling with her pen. “Not exactly.”

I raised an eyebrow, but before I could ask more, the bell rang. Lunchtime.

Students shot out of their seats like lightning, with loud noise and motion.

The hallway became a river of perfect, polished bodies.

I entered the cafeteria, only to be met with dagger stares. I grabbed my tray and walked out.

My appetite is gone.

I wandered along the stone path, my bag slung over one shoulder, my food in one hand.

It wasn’t just the name-calling that unsettled me, it was the looks. The way their eyes followed me. I tried to ignore the sideways looks and occasional pointed laughter.

I finally found a quiet spot under a rusted stone arch across from the football field.

 The sun painted everything gold as it began to set. I picked at my cold fries, sipping juice.

“What is wrong with these people?” I muttered aloud.

“Don’t mind them,” a voice answered.

I looked up. My eyes met Eva’s.

“Thank God you’re here,” I said, relieved. She is the only one here who doesn’t want to bite my head off.

The only one who seemed to have answers.

I opened my mouth to ask, but she suddenly stiffened.

“Don’t look now,” she whispered. “He’s here.”

“Who?” I asked. 

Her hand gripped mine. “the Devil's grandson. The crowned alpha. No one crosses him.”

I turned before I could stop myself.

Across the courtyard, on the edge of the field, stood a boy.

Tall…impossibly tall, maybe seven and a half feet.

Messy brown hair. Deep, piercing blue eyes. And lips that were almost too perfect, heart-shaped and striking.

No. It couldn’t be.

I blinked, hoping my mind was playing tricks both in the hallway and now,

But he was real. I wasn't mistaken.

My chest tightened. Breath caught in my throat.

The arrogant jerk from the convoy. The one who’d poured water on me and called me a freak.

The one who’d made my chest ache with confusion and fury and something else I couldn’t name.

For a second, I thought I was dreaming. But his gaze pinned me like a blade, sharp and real.

Eva stood up, suddenly pale. “I have to go. You should too, Diana.”

“Wait, what…?”

But she was gone before I could speak.

I turned back.

He just looked directly into my eyes. The weight of his stare bore into me like a silent threat or a warning.

He didn't move.

Neither did I.

He was the last person I wa

nted to see.

I told myself to look away, yet… part of me couldn’t.

Just then, what I was so afraid of happened.

He started walking.

Straight towards me.

Each step, deliberate. Like he meant it.

Like he’d already decided how this moment would end.

I wanted to run.

But I was frozen.

Damn stuck.