CHAPTER TWO : THE HEADMASTER ARRIVES

The man’s presence filled the room like thunder.

Ava stood frozen, her heart hammering as she stared at the stranger who had burst into her home without warning, without invitation, and somehow without fear.

“Who the hell are you?” she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady despite the adrenaline roaring through her veins.

“I already told you,” he said calmly. “Xander Vale. Headmaster of Halewyn Academy. Your legal guardian, as of this morning.”

Clara stepped between them, protective despite her shaking hands. “You had no right to come here like this.”

“I had every right,” Xander replied, pulling a sealed scroll from the inside of his coat. “This decree was signed under the Northern Clan Accord. The Moon-Blessed has manifested. She belongs to the Trials now.”

Ava’s breath caught. “Excuse me? I don’t belong to anyone.”

He raised a brow at her. “You will. If you survive.”

The fire behind his silver eyes wasn’t hostile. It wasn’t even angry. It was colder than that—dispassionate, practiced. This man wasn’t here to argue. He was here to collect.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she snapped.

“You don’t have a choice.”

He turned slightly, revealing the hilt of a dagger strapped under his coat. Its grip shimmered with runes matching the ones on her pendant. Ava’s blood chilled.

Clara gripped her arm. “Ava… please. You have to listen.”

“No,” Ava said, eyes narrowing. “I need answers.”

Xander stepped forward, silent for a moment, then inclined his head just enough to seem respectful.

“You want the truth?” he said. “Fine. You’re not just Moon-Blessed—you’re the key to an ancient power. A living tether to the Alpha Bond, a magic older than any pack alliance or clan treaty. When the Trials begin, five alpha heirs will compete for the right to claim you. If they fail to form the Bond…” His eyes flicked to the crescent mark on her neck. “You die.”

Ava’s lips parted. “What kind of sick, archaic—”

“Law,” he interrupted. “One that predates your entire bloodline. You didn’t ask for this. I know. But you are this.”

Clara touched her shoulder gently. “He’s telling the truth, sweetheart. The mark proves it.”

Ava turned away, suddenly overwhelmed. Her mind reeled—wolves, power, death by full moon. Was this what her life was always meant to be?

She pressed a hand to the mark, now pulsing like a heartbeat.

“And if I don’t go with you?” she asked Xander, without looking.

He hesitated.

“Then the Trials will come to you. And so will the alphas.”

By nightfall, Ava was gone.

The drive to Halewyn was silent. Rain lashed against the black SUV’s windows as the forest grew darker and denser. Ava sat in the back seat, her eyes locked on the pendant around her neck.

Xander drove like a soldier—calculated, unbothered by the winding cliffs or the distance growing between Ava and her old life.

When they finally pulled through a towering iron gate, Ava sat up straighter.

The academy was a fortress.

Moonlight bathed the stone towers in silver, and firelight flickered in windows set high above. The manor was massive—part castle, part prison—and the air around it thrummed with magic.

“Welcome to Halewyn,” Xander said as the gates clanged shut behind them. “This will be your home… and your battleground.”

Inside, everything felt colder.

Ava followed Xander past long stone corridors, ancient portraits, and runed lanterns that glowed without flame. She passed students—some human-looking, some not. They watched her with wary curiosity.

Finally, they stopped before a thick oak door carved with five animal sigils: a bear, a wolf, a serpent, a raven, and a lion.

“The heirs’ quarters,” Xander said. “They’ll be arriving soon.”

Ava blinked. “I’m staying with them?”

“They’ll be living near you. Watching you. Competing for you.”

A flicker of fire shot through her spine. “They don’t even know me.”

“They don’t have to. The Bond will decide.”

Xander turned to her fully now, his voice lower, quieter. “Don’t trust them too quickly. Don’t fall for their games. These heirs were raised to conquer. Not to love.”

She crossed her arms. “You speak like you know them.”

“I do,” he said grimly. “One of them is my brother.”