The Mask of Declan

Amelia's Pov

“No, Amelia. I can’t let you do this,” my aunt’s voice broke the silence, thick with concern as she caught sight of me standing before the mirror, scissors in hand, ready to cut my hair.

“I need to do this,” I replied, firm but not unkind. Her hand, gripping mine tightly to stop me, trembled. For a moment she held on, torn between resistance and helplessness, and then slowly, she let go. Tears pooled in her eyes, glistening like they might fall at any second.

“You knew about this?” she hissed, whipping around to glare at her son, Declan. He stood frozen beside her, wide-eyed, as though only now realizing the weight of what I was about to do.

A few months ago, when my aunt secretly sent supplies to me, I had stumbled upon her plans to enroll Declan at Lunaris Academy, an all-boys institution, the crucible where future Alphas were molded. But Declan had been stalling, dragging his feet and refusing to commit.

When I’d read further, I understood his hesitation. And I made my decision. Using the coded letters we had exchanged since childhood, I contacted him and he'd answered.

“You registered your name with her face and your details?” my aunt’s voice shook with fury as she rounded on him again. “How could you do that, Declan? Amelia is a girl! She can’t go to Lunaris Academy! How could you be so careless?!”

“I made him do it, Aunt,” I cut in sharply before she could continue. “If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me. Shout at me, not him.”

And with that, I lowered the blade to my hair. The scissors snapped shut and long strands tumbled to the floor. I kept cutting, the weight falling away with each lock until only short bangs framed my face in the mirror.

Oddly enough, I felt…relieved and liberated.

I had never liked my hair long. It had always been a weapon in my stepbrother Draven’s hands, a reminder he used often that I was just a girl, weak and unfit to lead, destined to remain in his shadow. But now, staring at my reflection, I saw someone else. Someone who could no longer be mocked into submission.

“When I overheard you talking about Lunaris Academy, Aunt,” I said quietly, lowering the scissors, “the plan had already formed in my mind. This is my escape. My chance to carve my own path away from the chains of my stepmother, away from the cruelty of my pack. Recent events only forced me to take it sooner than I expected.”

My aunt shook her head, her face lined with anguish. “Amelia…you can’t do this. The academy won’t be safe for you. The boys there are brutal, ruthless. You’ll be surrounded by enemies. And don’t tell me you’ve thought it through, how long do you think you can keep your identity hidden? How long before they discover you’re not one of them?”

I smiled faintly, despite the storm in her tone. Before I could respond, Declan spoke up, his voice brimming with excitement.

“That’s easy, Mother. I altered most of the uniforms they sent me to fit her size. And I bought her a chest binder. With those, she’ll blend in with the other boys just fine. They won’t even know.”

My aunt’s head snapped toward him, eyes blazing, silencing him instantly. His mouth clamped shut as if he had said too much, too soon.

But his words hung in the air, undeniable. The preparations were already done. The path was already chosen.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was the one choosing it.

"Plus, I haven’t left our pack in ages now. No one outside knows what I look like," Declan added quickly before shutting his mouth again under the weight of his mother’s glare.

She turned back to me, her voice soft yet desperate, still trying to persuade me. She even promised to provide another way for me to escape my father’s wrath should he decide to storm her pack tonight. But my mind was already made up. I was leaving for Lunaris Academy and there was no turning back. That place would be the beginning of my freedom, the ground where I would forge alliances and sharpen myself for the day I would return to my father’s pack to claim what was rightfully mine, my throne.

*****

The taxi dropped me off in front of the massive iron gates that towered high, proud and intimidating. Bold letters gleamed across the top, spelling out Lunaris Academy.

I stood there for a long moment, clutching my bag tightly as the taxi disappeared into the distance and out of sight. A lump formed in my throat. This was my first time leaving my father’s pack, my first time in the city. Everything around me felt foreign, strange, too wide and open compared to the suffocating walls I had grown up within.

My thoughts drifted to my father and I could almost picture the fury etched across his face. By now, the entire pack must be searching for me. He must have rallied his warriors already, perhaps even heading toward my aunt’s pack, the only place he would believe I’d run to.

A bitter, almost triumphant smirk tugged at my lips as I imagined the moment he would realize I wasn’t there. That I had been steps ahead of him this time. That I had slipped through his fingers.

I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t hear the loud honk behind me until the sound nearly jolted my heart out of my chest. A sleek car had been waiting for the gates to open and the driver leaned out his window.

“New student?” he asked, his voice casual.

I gave a short nod, turned away and hugged my duffel bag tighter to my chest. Inside were only a few things, Declan’s oversized shirts and shorts, clothes big enough to mask my frame, the provisions my aunt had stuffed in for me in case I missed breakfast and the ointments and perfumes she’d begged a witch to prepare to cloak my scent. It wasn’t much, but it was all I needed.

I walked inside the gate, my steps heavy with both dread and determination. But the car rolled forward again, slowing until it matched my pace.

“I don’t know why you’re walking,” the driver called again, glancing at me with a grin. “But Lunaris Academy is still far from here. If you’re trekking on foot, you’ll walk until sunset before you arrive. If you don’t mind, hop in. My companion and I wouldn’t mind giving you a ride.”

“I mind, Damien!” a sharp voice snapped from the passenger seat before I could respond. “Why would you offer him a ride without asking me first?”

I glanced at them both warily. The one called Damien leaned slightly forward, trying to block his companion from view with his shoulder. “We really don’t mind,” he insisted, his smile faint but not unkind.

I froze, weighing my options. I didn’t know if what he said about the distance was true. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. But one thing was certain, I didn’t have the strength to trek until sunset. My body was already screaming with exhaustion.

So I hopped in, shutting the car door behind me. I hadn’t expected students here to own cars. Sure, I had seen cars before, my father had dozens of them lined up like trophies, but they were always his. Always for his use or the pack’s. Never for his children. Never for anyone else.

“What’s your name?” Damien asked, watching me through the rearview mirror.

“Declan,” I answered quickly. That was who I was now.

“Declan?” Damien repeated, his brows lifting slightly as though he recognized the name. His eyes flicked toward me again, probing.

“Yes. Declan Stone,” I added firmly, turning my gaze away to avoid his.

“I don’t know what pack you crawled out from, but I can tell you this, you look way too soft to be an Alpha in waiting. And your voice, gosh.” Damien snorted. “I bet your wolf would whimper at the sight of an attack.”

His companion burst into laughter. My jaw tightened, my fists clenching in my lap, but I forced myself to remain silent. I had already made my voice rougher, hoarser, whenever I spoke, but his words stung all the same. One day, I swore, if the opportunity came, I would shut him up with my fists. And when I did, he’d learn exactly who was weak.

“I’m Damien,” he said suddenly, almost cheerfully, as if his mocking hadn’t just pierced me.

“And this,” he added, jerking a thumb at the boy beside him, “is Lennox.”

The boy, Lennox, wore a cold, unreadable expression.

“Want me to tell you a secret?” Damien asked after a beat, his tone sing-song.

I narrowed my eyes. Why was he still talking? Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? His voice was too loud, too grating. It made my skin crawl.

“Don’t you dare, Damien. Don’t you dare say that to him,” Lennox warned.

For a moment, something strange rippled through me. His voice… it sounded familiar. Too familiar. But I pushed the thought aside instantly. No, it was impossible. I had never seen him before. So there was no way.

“How much are you betting?” Damien teased, clearly enjoying the irritation sparking in his friend.

“Don’t you dare!” Lennox growled again, his voice rising.

“Lennox hasn’t been at school for weeks now,” Damien went on, grinning wickedly, “because he was supposed to be mated to someone”

My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to say something, anything, to keep the conversation moving. I didn’t want to appear suspicious, not when I was hitching this ride and we still had a long way to go. The landscape outside was endless. Not a single building in sight yet.

“Why is he back at school then?” I asked cautiously. “What about his mate?”

Damien laughed, long and loud. “That’s the problem!” he said, nearly choking on his own amusement.

Confusion and dread knotted in my chest. If Lennox had been about to be mated, then he should have been with his bride by now, siring pups, preparing to assume his role in his pack. That was tradition. That was how it worked.

“The she-wolf he was supposed to be mated to ran away before the ceremony,” Damien said with relish. “Her father searched everywhere, even her aunt’s pack but she vanished. Gone.” He leaned back in his seat, smirking. “In the end, Lennox’s father forced him back into the academy, hoping it would keep the humiliation from spreading. Imagine it, your bride running from you on the very night of the ceremony!”

His voice boomed with laughter, filling the car, while Lennox’s face darkened crimson. His jaw was taut, his fists clenched, his body trembling with suppressed rage.

And me?

I sat frozen in the back seat, fighting to still my trembling hands. My blood roared in my ears, my heart hammering against my ribs so loud I thought they would hear it.

Lennox.

He was the same one. The very same one I had overheard last night. The same one I had escaped from. The mate I had run from on the night of the ceremony.