CH.3

Daisy

The crowd thickens as we approach the announcement board. Students from various classes push forward and their whispers creates a nervous hum in the air.

I stand on my tiptoes in an attempt to see over the sea of heads in front of me.

A hush falls over the crowd when one of the test administrators steps onto a small platform. He's a stern-looking man with wire-rimmed glasses and a clipboard clutched tightly in his hands.

"Welcome to you all," he begins in a voice that carries across the courtyard. "You all know that a scholarship is offered to study at Lunar Crest Academy. Every year, some succeed and extend their scholarship while others fail and complete their studies in their old school."

I hold my breath as my fingernails dig crescents into my palms.

"Lunar Crest Academy is the largest institution designed for intelligent people. Only those with great minds and important potential study there. So whoever receives this scholarship will have opportunities they could never acquire here."

'Just tell us already,' I beg with my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Three people passed the test."

'Three? Just three?' The murmur that ripples through the crowd tells me I'm not the only one shocked by the number. My chances suddenly seem impossibly small.

"Vampire Frederick Althemus."

A vampire? My eyes widen in surprise. I had no idea other supernatural creatures were participating in this test. I thought it was exclusively for werewolves from our territory.

"Wizard Rebecca Alexon."

My heart sinks to my stomach. Only one spot left and it has to go to a werewolf. Please be me, please be me, please be me...

"From werewolves..." The administrator pauses to adjust his glasses as he looks down at his clipboard.

The silence stretches to the point where it becomes almost unbearable. Every muscle in my body tenses and I swear I can feel Aru, my wolf, holding her breath along with me.

"Daisy Fernandez."

For a moment, I don't react. The name. My name, seems to hang in the air. It doesn't quite reach my brain yet. Then Mia grabs my arm and shakes me excitedly.

"Daisy! That's you! You did it!"

The reality crashes over me in a wave of disbelief and joy. I passed. I actually passed.

Against all odds, I— a Class S werewolf with nothing but determination and hard work— am going to Lunar Crest Academy.

........................................................

My lungs burn when I finally reach the palace door. My legs are trembling from the sprint across the territory and sweat trickles down my temple despite the cool afternoon breeze.

The news of my success bubbles inside me like a fizzy drink ready to explode. It makes my heart race even faster than my run warranted.

I need to tell my grandparents immediately. This scholarship is our ticket out of poverty, our chance at a better life, the opportunity I've been dreaming about since I first learned what education could do for someone like me.

I pause at the main palace gate with my hands on my knees as I catch my breath. The imposing stone structure looms over me like a constant reminder of the divide between the Alpha's world and ours.

Guards patrol the perimeter with casual efficiency. They barely spare me a glance because I'm just another Class S wolf who is invisible in their eyes.

I scan the area in search of my grandfather's familiar silhouette among the workers.

The palace gardens stretching out to my right have been meticulously maintained by a team of groundskeepers. Even the flowers here seem more vibrant and more alive than the struggling plants in our tiny yard at home.

I soon spot my grandfather emerging from the back service door. His gray uniform is slightly wrinkled from a long day's work. My heart leaps at the sight.

His silver hair catches the sunlight and I can see the weariness in his shoulders even from this distance. I can see the toll of decades serving the Alpha's household.

I don't think before I dash towards him and launch myself into his arms, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Oh. take it easy, my little one." He chuckled as he steadies us both with his weathered hands gripping my shoulders.

The familiar scent of pine and old books that always clings to him comforts me instantly.

"Grandpa, I succeeded! I passed the test!" The words tumble out between gasps for air. "I'm going to Lunar Crest Academy! My dream is finally coming true! Can you believe it? They only chose three students from the entire territory, and I was one of them!"

"Haha, congratulations!" His weathered face breaks into a proud grin and the deep lines caused by years of hard work momentarily soften. "This is my granddaughter, always achieving the impossible! I knew you could do it, Daisy. I never doubted you for a second."

A few palace workers glance our way in curiosity while others glare at us with thinly veiled disdain.

Public displays of emotion aren't common among the palace staff, especially not from someone of my grandfather's position.

But I don't care what they think for once in my life because this moment belongs to us.

I break the hug and step back to study his joyful expression.

The afternoon sun highlights the silver in his hair and the proud gleam in his eyes.

But the reality of what comes next suddenly dampens my excitement like a cloud passing over the sun.

My grandmother's reaction won't be nearly as enthusiastic. She's been against this from the start.

"What do you think Grandma will say about this?" I bite my lower lip in the anticipation of her resistance.

My fingers fidget with the frayed edge of my sleeve. It's a nervous habit I've never been able to break.

"You know very well that she fears for you from the smallest things." He places a gentle hand on my head and ruffles my hair the way he's done since I was small enough to ride on his shoulders. "All you have to do is convince her. Show her that same determination you showed the test administrators."

"Well..." I sigh as frustration creeps into my voice.

I kick at a small pebble on the ground and watch it skitter across the pristine palace walkway. "Why am I the only one who sees that her fear is completely misplaced? This is my future we're talking about. It's my chance to break free from our circumstances. I'm not a child anymore. I can handle myself."

A pair of Class A wolves walk past us, their expensive clothes and confident strides marking them as members of the Alpha's inner circle. They don't even glance our way. It feels like we're part of the palace fixtures rather than people. This is exactly what I'm trying to escape.