Chapter 1: officially a student

"Run Faye!"

The sound came from somewhere far away, yet close by. It sounded muffled, like speaking underwater.

"Faye!"

Closer.

"Faye!"

Her eyes snapped open. Just in time to see the monster leap at her.

Faye moved, summoning every ounce of energy she had. Which was very little, considering she was an omega wolf bleeding from a deep cut on her side.

The monster snarled, circling her.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she took in her surroundings. She was alone in the arena with the monster.

While her family watched her.

She could feel the judgment from her mother, could feel the scrutiny from her step father, and could feel that cold, unflinching indifference from him.

Something hot sparked in her chest.

She picked up the staff she had been given, going into the position her twin sister Mira had taught her.

'Keep your head low, your eyes on the enemy, and your heart leveled.'

She recalled every lesson, every tip.

She wasn't going to die. She wasn't going to give up either.

Too much was on the line.

She charged at the beast, a battle cry tearing from her lips as she jumped, the staff aiming for the monster.

The pointy tip lodged into its left eye.

Her heart beat spiked, hope and excitement blooming in her chest.

But it was too soon to celebrate.

The cut was too shallow.

She didn't have time to register what was happening before she was thrown across the arena.

Her back hit the wall with a sickening crack.

"Faye!" Mira cried, her voice carrying that desperation. "Run! Please!"

The monster approached slowly, like predator stalking prey.

Faye sat there, her body bruised and battered, tears streamed down her cheeks. But not the kind that came from pain.

It was anger. Red and hot, accompanied by that sinking feeling of helplessness.

Why?

Why?

Her sister had passed without breaking a sweat. They were twins yet she was far weaker.

She had picked up the staff to fight.

To prove a point.

Yet there she was. Broken and bleeding on the floor while her family witnessed.

While He witnessed.

She watched with blurry vision as the monster approached. It took its sweet time, as though it could sense her weakness. Could sense that she wasn't a threat.

She was never a threat. Just a weak Omega.

She got up slowly, wincing at the pain.

Her staff was broken.

She had no weapon.

'Run,' her wolf whispered weakly.

Running would be the cowardly thing to do. She wondered what her family would think of that, what he would think of that.

She balled her fist and looked up at the beast.

One more.

She charged.

The beast prepared itself, its fangs glistening under the golden glow of the sunset.

She got close—almost close enough to attack.

Then—

She jumped.

She used the last bit of energy she had left to send her body as high as it could go.

But she wasn't aiming for the beast.

No.

She jumped over it, landing a few distance away from it. Enough to give her a head start.

The arena went completely still.

Then before anyone could blink—

She bolted.

Heading towards the exit.

There were two ways to pass the exam.

Kill the beast, or evade it long enough to get to the exit.

Or of course, yield.

But she would not yield.

She was on Omega. Yielding would mean automatically getting kicked out of your pack.

And no Alpha would accept an unclaimed Omega.

She would be a rogue Omega.

And that meant starvation, loneliness, danger, and most certainly death.

She would not give them the satisfaction of watching her die.

She ran.

Ignoring the pain from her cuts, the ache in her bones, and the heaviness in her chest.

Only one word rang in her head.

Survival.

The beast closed in on her, the sounds of its heavy paws loud behind her.

'You can do it,' her wolf whispered.

She pressed forward, her heartbeat roaring in her ear, adrenaline pumping in her veins.

The beast raised its paw, claws extended.

She looked back.

It was close. So close.

She saw the shadow fall over her, saw the glint of the sharp claws. Everything slowed down.

It was over.

Her heartbeat slowed, her limbs grew heavy, and even the pain she felt dulled.

Despair clawed up her throat. She was going to die.

But then she remembered Ryan.

And that managed to snap her out of the bubble. A cry tore out of her throat as she poured every ounce of her strength into her legs.

The beast’s claws missed her by an inch.

And those few seconds it took for it to recalibrate itself was more than enough.

She burst through the doors, feeling her body immediately give up on her.

She collapsed on the floor, panting, bleeding, and crying.

"Faye!" Mira was already there, holding her shoulders, pressing down on her wounds. "Keep your eyes open Faye."

Mira's voice was a distance away, even though Faye could feel her presence beside her.

"Faye Andrea Devon,” she heard the deep rumble of the Gargoyle warden, "You pass the examination. You are now officially a student of the Lupin Academy for supernaturals."

The words echoed in her head, drowning out every other sound.

She passed.

But it wasn't relief she felt.

It was doom.

She thought passing meant she'd survived.

She was wrong.

She had only just entered the game.

Because The Lupin Academy wasn’t just any school. It wad a school of supernaturals. A place where the gifted came to learn control—and the weak came to die.

Every lesson was a test. Every mistake could be fatal. And beyond its walls lurked creatures far more dangerous than anything in their textbooks.

At Lupin Academy, survival was not guaranteed.

It was earned.

And Faye knew she stood no chance.

As darkness beckoned to her, she felt the heat of something—or someone's gaze on her skin.

Her heart stuttered.

It was him.

She opened her eyes a fraction.

And immediately met the gaze of those familiar pair of stormy greys. But it wasn't the usual uneasiness she felt this time.

No.

It was something else.

Her wolf reacted. Not stir, or brush the surface.

She charged forward, slamming against the barrier with a force that made Faye's body jolt.

She gasped.

But she couldn't dismantle its meaning before the darkness pulled her completely under.