Chapter 3

The day of the trip, they all refuse to sit beside me. I pretend not to care, inserting my earpieces and bowing my head until I feel a figure settle beside me.

Of course, it's Cassie.

"Fool," she mutters just low enough for only me to hear, and I smile.

The journey goes by in a blur with everyone chatting loudly. Cassie seems lost in her phone. I keep my head down, my heart pounding with excitement at the thought of meeting my role model.

When we arrive at the hostel where we'll be staying, we're all assigned to our rooms.

The room they give me isn't big, but it has everything I need. I drop my bag and move to go to the bathroom when I suddenly hear footsteps. Then, the sound of rushing water. Someone is already in the shower.

My legs feel heavy, and I pray silently that it's just my imagination.

I walk to the door and gently push it open, but before I can take in the scene, a strong palm covers my eyes. Fear rushes through me, my legs trembling as I freeze in place.

Who the hell is this?

I can't speak. I can barely breathe. I'm terrified this might be my last day alive—until I hear a voice.

"Stay still. Don't open your eyes. That's an instruction from your senior player." He lets go of his palm on my face.

My heart nearly stops. That husky voice—it's familiar.

I've watched his interviews too many times not to recognize it.

Dominic.

It has to be him.

But instead of listening, I act on impulse, flying my eyes open.

The first thing I see is his abs, perfectly sculpted, gleaming with water droplets. They seem to be daring me to reach out and touch them.

I swallow hard.

I should close my eyes again, obey him, but I can't. I'm caught up in staring.

"Oh, damn it," he mutters under his breath. "You never listen, do you?"

He grabs his towel and quickly pulls it on while I continue standing there, unable to look away.

His gaze locks onto mine, and before I can react, he spins me around and pins me against the wall. One of his hands rests beside my head, trapping me in place. His face is so close, our breaths mix.

My heart pounds in my chest, my palms turn cold, and a strange heat builds inside me.

"How are you a player when you don't even follow instructions?" His words are just background noise. All I can focus on is the warmth radiating from him.

"You're a newbie, aren't you?"

He suddenly lets go, stepping away to glance out the window.

"I don't want to hear any rumors about this," he says flatly. "I only came to borrow your bathroom."

Then, just like that, he walks away, leaving me standing there, speechless.

The only thing he leaves behind is his scent.

A loud cough escapes my lips as I snap back to reality. My knees give out, and I drop onto the floor, still trembling.

—

By evening, after replaying the scene with Dominic in my head more times than I care to admit, we're called for training.

I put on my training clothes, my hands shaking at the thought of seeing the three stars again.

Once I'm ready, I step outside where the rest of the team is already gathered, but there's no sign of them.

The coach stands in the middle, addressing us, but I can barely focus on his words. My mind is elsewhere, waiting—anticipating.

And then, a loud scream erupts from my teammates.

I follow their gaze and finally see them.

Dominic, Alex, and Liam.

They look even more striking in real life than on TV, but Dominic—he doesn't even seem like the same person I saw earlier. He looks more handsome.

The coach welcomes them, continuing his speech, but I can't tear my eyes away.

Then, Liam catches me staring.

His gaze lifts in question, and I choke on my own saliva.

He smirks.

"Let's train for a while ahead of tomorrow," the coach announces. "But let's do something different today."

He begins selecting teams, mixing the girls with the guys.

A new training method?

My stomach tightens when I hear my name.

I'm paired with Alex. Dominic will be my opponent.

I don't know why, but I feel... happy.

Alex isn't bad either. He's beyond handsome, and the way he plays—his skills, his control—it's mesmerizing.

He steps beside me, winks playfully, and I gasp softly.

The other players glance at me. Am I the only one affected by his presence?

He moves closer, his arm brushing against mine, his scent filling my nostrils.

"I heard from the coach that you performed a miracle," he murmurs, his voice dropping low. "Keep that up, don't disappoint me. I don't accept slow-witted players on my team."

I lift my gaze to him, and he flashes me a smile.

The game starts, and something inside me awakens.

I move with a speed and precision that I've never experienced before. Every play, every shot—it comes effortlessly.

At one point, I drop my stick just to pick it up again, needing to make sure this is real.

How am I this fast?

How is pushing the ball into the goal so... easy?

I hear Alex applauding me several times, his voice sending chills down my spine.

By the time the game ends, it's already late at night.

Everyone seems normal—except me.

I'm the only one gasping for air, downing an entire bottle of water.

"Oh my God, I love the way you move on the field," Alex says loudly. "So fast and accurate."

"You're happy to have her on the team, right? It wouldn't be bad if we played together next time," Liam adds casually.

I catch the displeasure in some of the other players' expressions.

Dominic doesn't say a word.

He just stares at me with a smirk, his gaze never leaving my body.

The longer he watches, the more uneasy I feel.

"Alright, let's rest and come back for the moon celebration," the coach announces. "You have thirty minutes to get changed and meet outside."

We all head our separate ways.

Inside my room, I go straight to the mirror, inspecting my hands.

They look the same... but something feels different.

What's happening to me?

I shake off the thought and take a quick shower before changing into something comfortable.

I check the time. Twenty-eight minutes.

Good enough.

When I step outside to meet the others, they all look normal, laughing and chatting.

I search for the three stars but they are nowhere to be found.

Then suddenly, someone points to the sky, screaming.

"The full moon!"

And just like that, everything shifts.

The world around me darkens.

And then I see it.

Fur.

Their eyes glow, their bodies tremble, and suddenly, they drop to their knees, shifting.

Their limbs twist, their fingers elongate into claws, their bodies contort.

Fear creeps into me, and I turn back to take a step, but by the time I look at them, they've turned into animals! Wolves, to be precise.

Everything in me screams, and without giving it much thought, I turn on my heel and run. This cannot be real.

How come they're animals? This isn't supposed to be. So I have been training with animals all my life?

I reach the nearest forest, drop to my knees, and start gasping for air.

Tears stream down my cheeks. The reason I thought they were all better is because they're not human. How come I am so stupid not to realize sooner?

"Why do you look scared?" I hear a voice behind me.

I raise my gaze to see the three stars walking toward me. They're not completely human—their eyes... their irises are glowing in different colors, and their teeth!

No, no, no!

I try to run, but Liam is fast enough to grab me back and pull me to the ground.

"Where the hell are you going?" Dominic yells, and I shake. He looks so much like an angry lion now.

"Because you guys are not normal! You are animals!" I yell. I feel my voice become sharper than before, but maybe that's because I'm scared.

"And what about you?" Alex raises an eyebrow.

He takes out his phone and kneels to my level.

"Are you not an animal?" He slides the phone to camera mode and points it at my face.

At first, I can't see anything, but when I look closer, I see it, and a loud scream escapes my lips.

My teeth!

My eyes!

They don't look human. They look just like theirs.

This can't be real! I can't be one of them! I am just human!

I am still trying to process it when suddenly, I hear their voices all at once.

"Mate!"

Fear cripples me with the way they pronounce it.