Chapter Three

Chapter 3:

Through the Veil

The landscape changed dramatically in the fifth hour of our journey. The normal forest gave way to something older, darker. Trees that seemed to touch the clouds. Shadows that moved independently of the wind. And a mist that clung to everything like a living thing.

"We're entering the Territories," Professor Blackthorne announced. "You may experience some discomfort as we pass through the barrier. This is normal."

Discomfort was an understatement. The moment we crossed whatever invisible line separated the human world from the werewolf territories, pain shot through my skull like someone was trying to crack it open from the inside. I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, determined not to make a sound.

But I wasn't the only one suffering. All around me, students groaned, gasped, and cried out. Jenny actually whimpered, pressing her palms against her temples. Even Ethan went rigid beside me, his knuckles white as he gripped his book.

Only I seemed to notice that our pain had an audience. Professor Blackthorne watched us with clinical interest, making notes on a tablet. The driver—another werewolf—kept checking his rearview mirror, a satisfied smirk playing at his lips.

They were enjoying this.

The pain lasted maybe thirty seconds, but it felt like hours. When it finally faded, several students were crying. One boy in the front row had actually passed out.

"Congratulations," Professor Blackthorne said cheerfully. "You've just experienced your first taste of the barrier that separates our worlds. The discomfort you felt was your purely human bodies rejecting the magical atmosphere of the Territories. You'll adapt... or you won't."

"What happens if we don't adapt?" someone asked shakily.

The professor's smile was all teeth. "Natural selection."

Nobody asked any more questions after that.

The last hour of the journey was silent except for the occasional sniffle or whispered comfort between friends. I stared out the window, trying to process what I was seeing. The Territories were like something out of a dark fairy tale. Beautiful and terrible in equal measure.

Buildings rose from the mist—structures that seemed to blend organic and architectural elements. A tree that was also a tower. A bridge made of woven vines that sparkled with bioluminescent flowers. Streets paved with stones that glowed softly under the bus's headlights.

And everywhere, everywhere, there were werewolves.

They walked the streets in both human and wolf form, moving with a casual grace that made our bus full of humans look clumsy by comparison. Some watched us pass with curious eyes. Others with hunger. A few with what looked almost like pity.

"Behold," Professor Blackthorne announced as we rounded a curve, "Crimson Moon Academy."

Jenny gasped. Several students pressed their faces to the windows. Even Ethan sat up straighter.

The academy was... impossible. That was the only word for it. It rose from the earth like it had been grown rather than built, all spiraling towers and organic curves. The main structure seemed to be carved from a single massive piece of black stone that gleamed red in the setting sun. Hence the name, I supposed.

Windows glowed with warm light, and I could see figures moving within—students, maybe, or faculty. The grounds stretched for what seemed like miles, encompassing forests, lakes, and what appeared to be several smaller buildings connected by covered walkways.

"It's beautiful," someone whispered.

"It's a prison," Ethan muttered, too low for anyone but me to hear.

The bus pulled through massive iron gates that swung open without any visible mechanism. We drove up a long, winding path lined with trees whose leaves seemed to whisper as we passed. Finally, we stopped in front of the main entrance—a doorway so large it could have accommodated giants.

"Everyone out," Professor Blackthorne ordered. "Leave your luggage. It will be brought to your rooms."

We filed out slowly, a bunch of scared kids trying to look brave. The moment my feet touched the ground, that strange something inside me stirred again. The earth here felt different. Alive. Ancient. And somehow... familiar?

No. That was impossible. I'd never been here before.

"Welcome, new students."

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once. We all spun around, searching for the source, until a figure materialized from the shadows of the entrance. He moved like water, fluid and graceful, and when he stepped into the light, several girls actually gasped.

He was devastating. There was no other word for it. Tall, broad-shouldered, with midnight-black hair and eyes like molten gold. He couldn't have been more than twenty, but he carried himself with the authority of someone much older. Power radiated from him in waves that made my skin prickle.

"I am Kaine Northwood," he said, his voice carrying easily across the courtyard. "Student Council President and your guide for this evening. Follow me."

He turned without waiting for a response and walked through the massive doorway. We hurried after him like ducklings following their mother, though the comparison felt insulting to both parties.

The entrance hall took my breath away. The ceiling soared at least five stories high, painted with a mural that seemed to move when I wasn't looking directly at it. Wolves chasing the moon across a star-filled sky. The floor was polished marble that reflected our nervous faces back at us. Chandeliers made of what looked like crystallized moonlight hung at perfect intervals.

"This is the Grand Hall," Kaine said without turning around. "All major ceremonies and gatherings happen here. You'll want to memorize the layout quickly. The academy doesn't forgive those who get lost."

"What happens if we get lost?" a brave soul asked.

Kaine stopped and turned, his golden eyes finding the speaker—a small girl with mousy brown hair. "Then you become someone else's problem to solve. And trust me, you don't want to be anyone's problem here."

He resumed walking, leading us through a maze of corridors. Portraits lined the walls—previous students, maybe, or important werewolves from history. Their eyes seemed to follow us as we passed.

"Boys' dormitory is in the East Wing," Kaine announced, gesturing down a hallway to our right. "Girls' dormitory is in the West Wing. You do not enter the opposite gender's wing without explicit permission. The punishment for violation is... severe."

"Define severe," Ethan said.

Kaine's eyes found him, and something passed between them—some silent communication I couldn't interpret. "You'll find out if you're stupid enough to try."

We climbed a massive staircase that split in two directions at the top. Kaine led the girls to the left while another student—a werewolf, judging by his amber eyes—took the boys to the right.

The girls' wing was slightly less intimidating than the main hall, but only slightly. The corridors were narrower here, more intimate, with soft lighting and carpet that muffled our footsteps. Doors lined both sides, each marked with a brass nameplate.

"Room assignments have been predetermined," Kaine said. "You'll find your name on your door. Two to a room. No exceptions, no changes."

We scattered, searching for our names. I found mine at the very end of the hall, which felt fitting. The brass plate read: A. BLACKWOOD & S. CHEN.

I opened the door to find my roommate already inside, unpacking. She was tiny—maybe five feet tall—with long black hair and delicate features. She looked up when I entered, and her face broke into a genuine smile.

"You must be Aria! I'm Sophie Chen. From Riverside District?" She bounced over to me, practically vibrating with energy. "I can't believe we're actually here! Isn't it amazing? Terrifying but amazing?"

"That's one way to put it."

"Oh, don't look so glum! This is an opportunity of a lifetime!" She grabbed my hands, and I had to resist the urge to pull away. "We're going to learn so much, meet so many interesting people, maybe even find true love!"

I gently extracted my hands. "You really believe all that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" She tilted her head, genuinely confused. "This is what we've been told our whole lives. The greatest honor a human can achieve."

Before I could respond, a bell rang through the building—deep and resonant, seeming to come from the very walls.

"Dinner," Sophie said excitedly. "Come on, we don't want to be late!"

She grabbed my hand again and pulled me from the room. Other girls were emerging from their doors, all heading in the same direction. Jenny appeared from a room halfway down the hall, now dressed in designer clothes that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent. She sneered when she saw me but said nothing.

The dining hall was on the ground floor, a massive space with long tables arranged in precise rows. But what made my blood run cold was the clear segregation. Werewolves sat at elevated tables along the walls, looking down at the human tables in the center. We were literally beneath them.

"Find a seat quickly," someone hissed. "They don't like waiting."

Sophie pulled me to an empty spot at one of the human tables. The moment we sat, I felt them—eyes on me, watching, assessing. I kept my gaze down, following everyone else's lead, but I could feel their attention like physical weight.

"Look at them," a voice drawled from one of the elevated tables. "This year's crop of humans. They get more pathetic each year."

Laughter rippled through the werewolf sections.

"Now, now," another voice said, smooth as silk and twice as dangerous. "Let's not judge too quickly. Some of them might surprise us."

I made the mistake of looking up. Four pairs of eyes were focused directly on me. Four devastatingly beautiful faces. Four predators who'd found their prey.

Kaine sat in the center, his golden eyes boring into mine. To his left, a boy with honey-colored hair and eyes like ice. To his right, one with dark skin and silver eyes that seemed to see straight through me. And at the end, someone whose beauty was so perfect it was almost painful to look at, with white-blonde hair and eyes that shifted from blue to green to grey.

The Shadow Princes. They had to be. The ones Nana had warned me about in hushed whispers. The four most powerful young alphas in the academy.

And every single one of them was staring at me like I was a puzzle they intended to solve.

Or a meal they intended to devour.

I forced myself to look away, but not before I saw Kaine's lips curve into a smile that promised nothing good.

"Interesting," he murmured, and even from across the room, I heard him perfectly. "Very interesting indeed."

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