Chapter 2 - Immune to Fire

Azura's POV

The gasps around us only grew louder, rippling through the hallway. I could feel hundreds of eyes fixed on me, some curious, some jealous, others simply stunned, but none of it seemed to exist. My whole world had narrowed down to the man standing in front of me.

His arm was still wrapped securely around my waist, keeping me upright after I'd nearly crashed into the stone pavement. The warmth of his hand seeped through the thin fabric of my uniform, spreading slowly across my skin before settling somewhere deep inside my chest.

I had come to Luanareth Academy for one reason and one reason only, finding the truth behind my foster father's death. That was all that mattered. So why was my heart reacting like this? I hated that my body refused to match the anger I had carried for five long years.

His arm was still around my waist. Why wasn't I pulling away? Any sane person would have. He was everything I had spent five years learning to distrust, a stranger with more power in one glance than most people held in a lifetime. Yet for the first time since my foster father's death, I felt safe.

Our eyes met, and his crimson gaze burned steady and unblinking, the kind of stare that should have made me want to look anywhere else. Instead I couldn't. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, as though he'd noticed every emotion flickering across my face and found it entertaining.

"You should be more careful next time," he said, his voice low and smooth enough to send an odd shiver through the silent courtyard. He tilted his head, studying me with open amusement. "Though I have to say, most people thank the person who just saved them from face-planting in front of half the academy."

Only then did he slowly help me back onto my feet. The moment his hand slipped away from my waist, I felt the warmth disappear with it, and for some reason, I noticed.

His brows drew together as he studied me, the amusement on his face slowly giving way to genuine confusion. "How on earth," he murmured, almost too quiet for anyone to hear, "are you not reacting to me?"

His words barely left his lips before the crowd exploded.

"What did he just say?"

"She's not burning!"

"How is that possible?"

"I thought anyone who touched Alpha Zayn got burned."

"I've seen it happen before!"

"So why isn't she screaming?"

"Could humans be immune to his fire?"

"No way. A human brushed against him once and ended up in the infirmary."

"Then what's happening?"

The whispers spread through the courtyard like wildfire, each voice louder than the last. I frowned. Burning? Reacting? What were they even talking about? Completely confused, I glanced down at my own hands, then at the place where he'd been holding me. My skin looked perfectly normal. There wasn't even the slightest redness.

Before I could ask anyone what was going on, the Alpha's smile returned, this time carrying a spark of playful curiosity, as though I'd suddenly become the most interesting mystery he'd encountered in a long time.

"Let's meet again." He took one slow step backward, never once breaking eye contact. "I'm very interested in you."

Then he winked. Actually winked.

For a heartbeat I simply stared, too stunned to react. Without another word, he turned and walked away, his hands tucked casually into his pockets as the crowd instinctively parted to let him pass. Even surrounded by hundreds of students, he somehow commanded every ounce of attention without trying at all.

I stayed rooted to the spot long after he disappeared into the distance. Did one of the Four Cardinal Alphas just say he was interested in me?

The whispers erupted all over again.

"That Moonless is unbelievably lucky."

"It's her first day, and she's already caught Alpha Zayn's attention."

"I've been here three years and he doesn't even know my name!"

"This has to be some kind of joke."

Lucky. The word almost made me laugh. If luck had ever existed in my life, my father would still be alive. If only they knew. They saw the attention of a Cardinal Alpha as a blessing. All I saw was another complication. The last thing I needed was to become visible, because you can't quietly search for the truth when everyone is watching you.

Still trying to make sense of everything that had just happened, I turned toward Piper. She hadn't moved. Her mouth hung slightly open, and she stared in the direction Alpha Zayn had disappeared as though she'd just watched history rewrite itself.

"Piper?"

She blinked several times before finally looking at me. "Hm?"

I hesitated. "Was he one of the Four Cardinal Alphas?"

She stared at me like I'd just asked whether water was wet, then grabbed my shoulders. "Yes!" she practically squealed, her eyes shining with excitement. "Didn't you see how handsome he was?"

I gave her an awkward smile. "I was a little distracted." Distracted trying to understand why touching him hadn't terrified me, and why my heart had reacted in a way that made absolutely no sense.

Piper leaned closer, lowering her voice even though nearly everyone around us was still gossiping. "That was Alpha Zayn," she whispered dramatically. "One of the Four Cardinal Alphas. His elemental power is fire."

I frowned. "Fire?"

She nodded so fast her brown hair bounced around her shoulders. "His body temperature runs a lot hotter than everyone else's. Most students can't even touch him without getting burned." She glanced down at my arm, her excitement slowly giving way to confusion. "But he touched you."

I looked down at my own hands again. Not a single burn or faint red mark. The strange warmth he'd left behind had faded, but I could still remember exactly how it felt.

The memory unsettled me. I shouldn't have remembered it at all. I barely knew the man, and if the truth I was searching for ever led to one of the Cardinal Alphas, then feelings like this could become dangerous.

"This is so strange," Piper muttered, still staring at me as though I were the mystery instead of him.

Before I could respond, her eyes widened. "Azura!"

I flinched. "What now?"

She raised her arm and pointed toward the center of the academy. "Look!"

Curious, I followed the direction of her finger. Students were rushing toward an enormous crystal screen towering over the courtyard, rows upon rows of glowing names shimmering across its surface, constantly shifting as more students gathered beneath it.

"What is that?" I asked.

"The academy rankings," Piper answered, already pulling me through the crowd.

The rankings. I frowned in confusion as we stopped in front of the crystal display, my eyes moving slowly down the glowing names. One. Two. Three. My gaze kept climbing. Ten. Twelve. Fourteen. Then my breathing stopped.

Fifteen. Azura.

I blinked once, then twice, certain I had read someone else's name. I looked again. It was still there, still mine.

"What does this even mean?" I asked, completely lost.

Piper looked ready to faint. "You entered the rankings," she said, pointing at the screen with a trembling finger before looking back at me.

I frowned. "Is that bad?"

"Bad?" she repeated, staring at me in complete disbelief before letting out an incredulous laugh. "Azura, it's unbelievable!"

The whispers started all over again.

"She reached Rank Fifteen just from meeting one Alpha?"

"That's impossible."

"She probably planned this whole thing."

"Humans are shameless."

"She threw herself at him, admit it."

"Then what happens if she catches the attention of all four?"

"Her rank will skyrocket."

"This has never happened before."

"This human must be cheating somehow."

The voices came from every direction until they blended into one overwhelming wave of noise. My stomach tightened. Wonderful. So much for keeping a low profile. I had barely stepped inside the academy and somehow everyone already knew my name. Finding the truth was going to be difficult enough without becoming the center of attention.

Before I could process another thought, students began pushing closer. Phones appeared from every direction, camera flashes lighting up the courtyard, some recording video, others shoving their screens so close to my face that I instinctively stepped backward.

"I don't like this," I admitted quietly, my pulse starting to race.

The crowd only pressed in closer. And then, a sharp furious voice sliced clean through the noise.

"You!"

The students immediately parted, clearing a path as a girl with long curly black hair marched toward me, her expression twisted with anger, her eyes burning with the kind of fury that made it obvious she hadn't come for a conversation. She stopped only inches away.

"How dare you!"

I frowned, genuinely confused. "Excuse me?"

Her finger shot toward the crystal rankings. "How dare you steal my ranking?”