Chapter 1

DRASA'S POV

“Watch where you're going” Someone laughed as they pushed past me in the hallway, the force of their shoulder knocking into me almost making me stumble.

I stared at the boy who flipped me off before he walked off, laughing with his friends.

Fuck them.

I was utterly aware of the stares that people gave me and it was just my first day at school here. It was a no brainer about how I felt already on my first day here.

Terrible.

No, that was an understatement. This was living hell on earth and I seriously decided to question my life decisions the second I step foot in this college a few hours ago.

Using a hand to adjust the strap of my bag, I continued walking forward, refusing to meet the eyes of those who stared which was literally everyone and I tried to block out the voices of those who were barely trying to hush themselves.

“Silver hair? Ew” a girl to my left whispered to her friend as I walked past them, cringing at her words.

A part of me wanted to lash out and confront her but something told me I would be doing nothing but harm to myself so I refused to let myself get riled up by her stupid words.

She seemed to be expecting a reaction from me but when I just walked past her, she scoffed a little more loudly to her friend and I could feel her gaze on my back. “Weirdo”

Weirdo? I'd been called worse. I had endured enough shit to last for years. Stand up for myself? I would get killed. I was different, it was something I had come to accept over the years. With silver hair and onyx eyes that was far from common amongst werewolves, I knew why they all tended to look down on me and call me names. 

In this world, I could never let them know my true heritage. I could never let anyone know that I was a half werewolf and half witch, they would kill me which meant I had to lay low and just survive through my years here.

A shoulder pushed past me and I stumbled slightly at the sudden jolt. Gasping, I looked up ready to apologize when I found myself staring into the bluest eyes I had ever seen and for a moment, I just stood there, my bag clutched closely to my chest like a second skin.

The boy had a mask around the lower half of his face but his eyes stood out like beacons and they were staring at me in confusion.

Oh.

“Are you okay?” He looked me over in one short glance and I immediately cleared my throat.

“Yeah” I croaked.

He wasn't looking at me again and immediately, I recognized that standoffish behavior.

Elite.

“Watch where you're going” He barely spared me another glance before he walked off.

Shit. He was hot and the fact that he hadn't said anything about my hair made me smile despite myself. Or maybe he just didn't care enough.

“Miss Rurik?” A soft voice broke me out of my spiralling thoughts and I realized that I was at the door to the class, right in front of a teacher who was staring at me with a frozen smile.

“Drasa” I jerked slightly and muttered, adjusting the strap of my bag again as I looked down at my feet suddenly while I tried to calm my racing heart.

I wanted to know who that boy was for some reason.

“Welcome to Nightshade college. I'm your teacher, Mrs Lyra” She smiled at me but I noticed the hesitation, the way her hand twitched like she was thinking twice about offering me a handshake, I didn't mind it if she didn't. People usually thought I was cursed because of my hair and eyes so they tried to avoid physical contact with me.

She stepped aside and gestured for me to get inside the class. “Class starts in 10 minutes. Let's have a chat before then” She smiled warmly this time and I nodded before I walked into the classroom.

The air in the room was warm and smelt of damp wood, the chairs were neatly arranged and I spied the various posters of werewolves on the walls.

Typical werewolf college.

Except I wasn't like the others.

“Have a seat, Drasa” Mrs Lyra gestured to the seat at the front of the class.

The light filtering in through the curtains were faint and I felt nervous being alone with the woman. She didn't scare me but I had always had this certain fear of being discovered hence my hesitance whenever I found myself alone with a pure breed of wolf. Could they detect that I wasn't normal?

“You don't seem to talk too much” the woman pointed out as she sat back on her seat.

I nodded with a tight lipped smile and sat on the chair she had pointed out to me, my fingers digging into my skin from how tightly I had clenched my fists. “I like the silence” I admitted.

She watched me slowly, scrutinizing me like she was trying to get every last detail on me then she sighed, tapping a finger on her table. “You should know you are in Nightshade college. This is a school for the elite. You're certainly…going to attract attention to yourself” She gave me an obvious once-over and the meaning of her words were clear to me; I was going to be easily spotted amongst students and I wouldn't be able to live in the shadows.

Subconsciously, I ran a hand through my hair, a nervous chuckle escaping me. “I'm aware of that, ma'am”

Mrs Lyra frowned. “Then let me give you a piece of advice. I graduated from this very school you're in so I'll tell you this, you are never alone in this place” Her words had an ominous feeling to it and I wondered what emotion to feel.

Was that a threat? Or was it a…warning?

“What does that mean?” I had to ask, my brows knitted together in confusion.

“It means that it's only a matter of time before you'll have to start fending for yourself. It's not just about academics here, you realize that you have to impress the People of the school and make a name for yourself. It's a battle for the strongest and the weakest will get weeded out by second year. The elite won't let a weakling graduate”

I blinked. Once. Twice. “Are you saying I have to…fight my colleagues?” I asked, confusion evident in my tone.

She seemed like she was hesitant to say something and for a bit, I wondered why she was even telling me all these. Could I even trust her? No. Trust wasn't something I could give easily, especially not to a full breed. “Do you have a family?”

I slowly shook my head, my chest aching at her words. “No” I whispered, not liking where this conversation was heading to.

“A job, perhaps?” She asked yet again.

I hesitated at that question. “No”

Big lie. I had gotten a job this morning but be damned if I was going to tell anyone at this college about that.

Her lips slightly parted like I was the most idiotic new student she had the pleasure of meeting. “You're…nothing” She said bluntly. “There's two options for you, Miss Drasa”

I braced myself. “What are they?”

“Firstly…fight to stay alive or… get yourself an ally amongst the elite” She paused and leaned forward for more effect. “Do neither… you're not gonna make it out of this college”