Help from the moon goddess?

Lyra's POV 

Hearing Zane Hawthorne, the hottest boy in Crestmoon academy say my full name sent my stomach doing another round of flips. 

Truth was, I'd always noticed him—everyone in Crestmoon did.

In classes. In training. 

God, it was too hard not to notice him.

And each time, for reasons even Aurora the great discoverer was yet to sniff out, he was always in a brooding and intense mood. 

No one dared speak to him unless he did first. 

He had a gang of two friends, was sharp and dangerous during physical training and was popular for having the worst grades in theory classes.  

“Driver!” He poked his head out of the window and beckoned to the taxi man. Then he rested his head against the seat and shut his eyes. 

I inhaled quietly, my hand dropping from the doorknob. 

Soon, the car started to move. 

I tried not to—really tried hard not to. But without knowing it, I found myself sneaking a peek at him. 

I'd always wondered what used to go through his mind when he stayed so silent. 

I used to wonder if, just like me, he had a disgraceful past that tormented him every night or a secret that weighed him down during the day. 

But no, it wasn't. 

Zane Hawthorne was influential. He was from a powerful werewolf family and was set to lead his Pack. 

In fact, there were rumours that Crestmoon academy belonged to his bloodline. 

“Is there like somet’n on my face?” 

I choked on my breath. 

And then quickly, I glanced the other way… out of my window. 

But now the drop-dead gorgeous boy beside me was awake, dark brown eyes pointing at me. 

“You know… you are quite interesting, Elysia Vale,” he said.

Zane Hawthorne had never said a word to me before and all of a sudden today, he'd said how many now?

I swallowed, pressing my fingers on the edge of the empty leather seat between us.

“Why do you think—” I started to say, but then his phone began to ring and his attention shifted to it. 

In a few seconds, our taxi slowed by the road side. 

Another one pulled up behind it. 

And out of it, the two most popular girls in the academy power rankings, Evelyn and Arabella stepped down. 

In the same breath, Zane opened the door and got down. 

Must be a meeting of the most populars, I thought, feeling a pang of jealousy.

Without a backward glance, Zane walked towards them. And then my taxi rode off. 

I was tempted to look back… at him one more time. 

But I didn't. 

Sharing the same space with him, even though it only lasted for a few minutes was enough.  

Soon, the taxi arrived in town.

When I tried to hand over some cash to the man after alighting, he said Zane already took care of the fare and drove off. 

“I really did ride in the same taxi with Zane Hawthorne,” I muttered out loud, still in disbelief of it.

Aurora would probably go crazy if she heard it. Which is exactly why I won't be telling her, I thought. 

I hurried down the street towards the town square—a three storey building where almost any type of business could be found. 

“Get out of the way!” A truck driver barked at an elderly woman taking time to cross the road. 

A new pack must have arrived in town, I thought. 

It was getting rowdy and crowded day by day. So many Packs were either migrating from goddess knows where, or merging with another. 

Some were also causing troubles. 

A board for new job listings and necessary information stood by the entrance of the three storey building. 

Just then, as I studied it, I heard a voice.

“Elysia Vale.”

I turned.

“You are Elysia Vale, right?”  A flawless skin, deep brown eyes, beautiful woman asked. 

I looked at her, my head drawing a blank. 

There was no way I knew such a gorgeous woman. No way. 

Her smooth and silky skin shone so brightly it could pass off for a flesh of soft milk. And then beyond the elegance, her scent screamed “powerful.”

“Um, care to speak with me for a while, Elysia?” she asked, smiling. 

“Oh, I heard about you from Orion,” she continued, sensing my confusion. 

Headmaster Orion?

A nervous warmth crept up my neck.

“Please sit with me for a minute.” She motioned to a nearby Café.

Now seated across her in the Café, my fingers fidgeted in my lap under the table. 

What did Headmaster Orion tell her? What did she want with me? 

I was sure there was no way a sophisticated woman like her would have a business with someone like me.

Or was she familiar with Elysia Vale?

The real Elysia Vale… the real owner of the name I now bore as my own. 

“I'm Zane’s mother,” she dropped, cutting my raging thoughts short. 

“Zane…” The name rolled out of my tongue. 

What a coincidental progression. 

“Yes, Zane. He's my little boy. You must know him since you are in the same class.”

Knowing him was an understatement. 

There was no day that passed he wasn't leading the headlines in the academy bulletin as the most talked about kid. 

He was that poplar.

And just now, we even shared a taxi and breathed the same air.

Looking closely at the woman before me now, the resemblance was right there…in the deep brown eyes. 

“Yes I know him.” I said.

She smiled. “He can be a douchebag, right.”

I blinked. 

Was that a question?

Because it didn't seem like it.

And worse, I wasn't sure how to react. Especially since I had no real interactions with Zane.

Except for earlier—which probably wouldn't count for much. 

But in that short time, he didn't seem like a douchebag.

Zane’s mother continued. “Well here's the thing, I need you. Zane needs you.”

“N–need me?”

“You must have heard… Zane is so horrible in his theory classes. I want to change that.”

“I heard from Orion… your grades are the best in theory classes. Top in the whole of first years.”

True, that. 

But where exactly was she headed with this information?

“So my dear, what I'm trying to say is,” she leaned forward, her well manicured fingers resting delicately on the table. 

“I want you to tutor Zane—for only his theory classes of course.”

“I…”  I was speechless.

“You will be paid handsomely,” she added quickly. “Very handsomely.”

A knot formed in my stomach. 

How could this be?

Is this the moon goddess helping me?

Sending this woman right when I needed money so badly?