Chapter 3

Lila’s pov

He looked me all over, as my eyes remained fixed on the floor unable to meet the gaze of the mighty Alpha Saul. My Alpha.

I’ve never seen him up close but only from a distance, seeing him this close made my blood cold.

His presence commanded respect, he wasn’t just my alpha but the leader of all three packs.

I could feel his gaze on me, but he did it say a word for a while before he spoke.

“Send her to Stray Town” I heard him speak. When I heard his order, I almost collapsed. My heart dropped, my eyes widened in fear.

“But…we, we don’t know for sure….she’s still very much human…she hasn’t even wolfed out how can we be so sure?” Mrs Yin begged on my behalf but once a decision has been made, it is made final and binding.

He remained silent.

“Please just give me more time to watch her, don’t send her away just like that, I’m sure she didn’t mean no harm, maybe we didn’t see right … she doesn’t belong there”. She pleaded on my behalf.

I couldn’t understand anything at all, she sounded like I had done something wrong and was sorry for it while I didn’t even know what I had done wrong.

“She doesn’t belong with us” that was the last word he spoke before he turned his back on us and walked out.

My whole body trembled, I fell on my knees weeping and begging Mrs. Yin for help. Given all the horrifying stories I had grown up hearing about Stray Town, the last thing I wanted was to be exiled there. I didn't even understand why I was being banished in the first place.

“Please… if I’ve done something wrong, please I’m sorry, please don’t send me away!” I cried out.

She looked down at me, her expression filled with pity and helplessness. “Your fate has already been decided, Lila.” She gently patted my head one last time before walking out, leaving me entirely alone.

I stayed on the floor for what felt like hours, completely paralyzed. I tried to think of a way out, but there was no escape. If I tried to run away from our leader’s decree, I would only make matters worse. If I got caught escaping, I would be thrown straight into The Hole.

I was still sitting on the floor later that day, mourning my sad life, could a life of an orphan get any worse? That was all I thought about when Mrs. Yin walked back into the room. She held a sealed envelope in her hand and quietly passed it to me.

“Take this,” she murmured.

I reached out, my hands shaking as my fingers brushed the paper.

“You need to leave now. The moment you arrive, give this letter directly to Alpha Toran. He is the leader of Stray Town. There is a car waiting for you outside,” she explained, a deep look of worry covered her face as she tried to hide it.

I nodded numbly.

“Go… right now, you don’t want to be found here,” she urged.

I forced myself up onto two feet and dragged my legs toward the door. Just as I reached the threshold, her voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Lila? Please be strong. Whatever you do, do not open that letter.”

I swallowed hard, nodding in compliance before stepping outside. I didn’t know how far time had gone. Sure enough, a dark car was idling at the curb, ready to take me to my doom.

I climbed into the backseat and stared out the window in silence until we finally reached the border into Stray Town. The difference was clear. It was nothing like Saint Town. This place was wealthy and beautiful, lined with sleek, towering skyscrapers that dwarfed any building I had ever seen back home.

Eventually, the car pulled up and stopped in front of a massive iron gate. I stepped out of the vehicle and looked up at the structure. It was the tallest building on the entire street.

My heart began racing so fast. I had heard terrifying rumors about Alpha Toran my entire life. He was widely known as the strongest and most ruthless among all the Alphas, ruling his territory with an iron fist just like Alpha Saul did back in our town, but he was worse, no trace of mercy can be found in his jury, he was a true beast at heart.

Standing in the shadow of the gates, a wave of hopelessness washed over me as I tried to figure out how to face him. Every single person exiled to this academy had already shifted and been marked as a Red Werewolf. But I hadn’t. I was still human. If he was notoriously brutal to his fellow wolves, what on earth would he do to a powerless human like me?

I wasn't ready to go inside alone, walking around the fence. But just as panic almost consumed me, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. A young man was trying to scale up the fence. I wondered if he was a newly transferred student like me, or perhaps someone who could actually help me run from this nightmare.

I approached him, thinking it will be a nice chat. That was the exact moment I met Aiden, what I thought would have been a nice chat was a show of my weakness.