03: A little fun would not hurt

SIX MONTHS LATER

SORAYA

Six months. That was all it took for me to learn the supernatural world — for me to shed my old skin and become someone else entirely.

I was on my way to Fenrir Academy — my first mission as a Hunter — to bring back the head of the Alpha Prince. If I did that, then I could meet my Father again after months of being away from him and Lynn. i had not kept in contact with them because of my mother. No distractions she had said.

And it grounded me, perhaps in a toxic way, however I had changed. The clueless human I once was no longer existed.

I stood before my mother, eyes sharp and jaw set.

“You have come a long way, Raya, haven't you?” Quinn started, arms folded, staring at me with that look of steel I had gotten used to.

“Yes, ma'am,” I answered. I still found it difficult to address Quinn as Mother, even after all the months we had spent living and training together.

“Now, this is your first mission as a hunter. You are going to be at Fenrir for as long as it would take you to kill the Prince. The client who requested the Prince's head is a patient one. He knows it will not be that easy to kill a werewolf of Royal bloodline.”

My throat tightened. Patient or not, I knew what she meant — killing a royal was never easy

No questions - just do as you are told. That was my mantra, what I had been taught for the past six months. I would have asked Quinn how long was the maximum, how long would it supposedly take to just kill one werewolf but I kept quiet.

“A spear would not kill a royal werewolf. What kills them is their emotion. You get him at his weakest point and strike then and there.”

“Wolves are sensitive to smell, so we are going to disguise you as a witch,” Quinn continued as she reached for her pocket and brought out a bottle. “It’s a potion that cloaks your scent, no wolf will tell what you are. You must make sure to take it every morning, understood?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“Do not slack off, okay?”

I nodded again in affirmation.

“Good. Now pack your bags, a driver is waiting for you outside.”

Stepping into the lion’s den, or in this case, the wolf’s — was no easy feat. The Academy loomed before me, vast, gothic, and intimidating, like a castle ripped from a fairytale.

My phone was on the receiving end of my nervousness as I gripped it tightly while dragging my suitcase along the marbled ground, my feet skidding alongside it. The driver had dropped me off at the school gate and left me alone to find my path inside myself. I was sure those were Quinn's orders, perhaps to test my resilience.

There were a few students in the courtyard, all oblivious to my presence. My eyes scanned around, trying to figure out where to go next because all my registration had been done online when I heard my name.

“Soraya Karter?”

My gaze gravitated towards the one who had called my name, and I gasped at seeing him.

He was tall. Tanned. He had blonde hair that matted against his face from sweat. His eyes burned gold, like a mixture of earth and the sun - an enigmatic sight. His gaze seemed to hold mine for a moment before either of us realized what had happened. It was the crown Prince of Nevanda – Prince Daryl Ender.

It was like fate. Fate had directed him to me in just a few minutes of my arrival.

“You are Soraya Karter?” he inquired again.

“Yes... Yes, I am,” I answered.

Something did not seem right, because why was the crown prince looking at me like he knew me before and why did his voice sound so familiar? He walked closer to me and suddenly he reached for my face. I felt the sizzling heat on my skin as he quietly let out a soft growl.

---

DARYL

It was her alright.

I could swear on my mother's grave that this so-called witch standing in front of me, whom I was assigned to lead to her dorm, was the human who had seen me shift six months back. The girl who was immune to my death touch. The reason why I was in Fenrir in the first place.

From her black curly hair to her striking hazel eyes and those puckered lips, nothing had changed about her except for her scent. Where it was a rich earthy scent before, it was now adulterated with the special scent peculiar to witches. And yet as I drew nearer to her, I could not help the tug in my heart, the heat that licked up across my skin as I regarded her wickedly beautiful face.

It was at this moment that my wolf senses decided to play tricks on me and I reached for her face, unconsciously letting out a quiet growl.

It took a minute before she snapped, dragging my gloved hands from her face and violently pushing them down.

“What the actual heck!” she yelled.

She had changed, I noticed. The innocent softness that was once in her eyes was gone and now replaced with fearlessness and a bitterness so vile, I was taken aback. What had happened to her?

“Do not ever touch me without permission. Trust me I know various ways to sever your fingers from its parent and I will not hesitate to use them,” she threatened.

I was amused as well as confused. What had happened to her?

“Do you know me?” I questioned, narrowing my gaze on her.

She paused, slowly taking her lips in before replying to me tactically. “Am I supposed to know you?”

I scoffed at her questioning answer. She was not supposed to know me, since they had wiped out her memories of what had happened that day, but yet, the fact that she was here as a witch was the turn-off.

“Come with me, let's get you to your dorm,” I finally said to her. I heard her sigh as she started to follow me, her suitcase making loud noises as it slapped against the marble floor.

The dorms were on the west wing, a single building with hundreds of rooms as it seemed. Her room was on the second floor, just right next to mine. Once I had brought her there and given her the key, telling her that her roommate would be around soon, I turned around and slid into my room without a further glance.

Something was amiss with the girl – Soraya – and I had every intention of finding out.

---

SORAYA

No slip-ups. I chided myself as soon as I settled down in my side of the room. I needed not to be distracted by him, the same one I was sent to kill. But how could I focus when he had a wickedly handsome face like that?

I sighed as I lay down to nap, thankful that Quinn had allowed me to come on a Sunday, thereby giving me enough time to rest, and maybe draft out my plan of killing the prince. Although it wouldn't be easy as Quinn had told me, the faster I got on with it, the very better for me.

I was just about to doze off when the door suddenly opened, crushing my hopes of finding rest for a while.

“Is that you, Soraya?” A British accent that seemed to enunciate every pronunciation made, floated into the room.

I rolled my eyes at the dumb question of the intruder. Of course, who else would it be? But then when I raised my head to face the owner of the voice, I had a practiced smile plastered to my face. “Hi,” I greeted.

“Hi, I am Adele. Not Adele the singer, but Adele the witch!”

The girl was rather small, even shorter in height than my five foot five. Adele had white hair that she had packed into a ponytail, with pink flowers gracing them. She grinned at me again and closed the door.

“I am your roommate,” she announced as if I had not picked that information already.

“I hope we get along,” I replied rather monotonously.

“Of course, we will!” she exclaimed and went over to her bed, humming and skipping along happily. Adele reminded me of that carefree human that I was before now. Before Quinn Targott. I shook my head, it was no use reliving those moments because they were my past, and not who I was before.

“So, I hear you are a witch,” Adele started. “I'm very sure you can cast spells and make potions right? I am too actually and I am very good at water spells. I like to call myself a water witch,” she finished with a bubbly smile.

The words at the top of my lips were to tell the girl: good for you, but I did not. Instead, I returned Adele's smile and answered blankly. “That is cool.”

“So as new roomies... Do you want to go to a party?”

I was stunned at Adele's offer. “A party?”

“It is kind of like a welcoming party for the newbies. It happens every new session,” she responded.

“And you want me to come?”

“Of course. You are a newbie, aren't you? Besides it is the only time we get to socialize as students before spell, sparring, and potion studies take up all of our time.”

“And who are the organizers of the party?”

“The Fenrir Pack Alpha's children. Ethan and Elle Farrow. They are like the gods of the school, well not compared to the Alpha Prince of Nevanda but here, they rule.”

I nodded.

“Do you want me to help with your makeup and hair? I am very good at things like that,” Adele grinned, already standing up.

“No thanks. I can do those myself.”

“So that means you are coming?”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

It was a stupid idea that I was even considering this because I was not here for aimless bonding like Quinn had made sure to grind into my head days before now. I was here on a mission, and I had not to forget that, but a little fun would not hurt, right?