1. The Journey Begins

"She is a freak." Their laughter echoed through the closed room.

I glared at them. Two girls were holding my arms, forcing me to bend down on my knees. The others surrounded me like predators looking at their prey. One of them had my glasses in her hands. There were six girls in total. Suddenly, the leader stepped forward and stood in front of me. She bent down and held my jaw in a painful grip.

"Look at her strange eyes." She said, looking at my eyes. "No wonder she hides them behind her glasses."

I averted my eyes and stayed silent, waiting for this to pass as soon as possible. Even if I said anything, they would not stop. It would only fuel them more. I had learned this over time. She let go of my face and stood up. She wiped her hand on another girl's dress as if wiping dirt from it.

"Why do you bother to come to school? After all, you'll be a servant in the end, Omega." Another one said.

I kept my eyes fixed on the floor, clenching my jaw.

"Well, she can be a mistress to someone in the future as well..... like her mother. People like an educated mistress, I'm sure." The leader stated, and everyone laughed again.

I swallowed the insult. I controlled myself from saying or doing anything. It would pass. I chanted the mantra in my mind. Just a little longer.

"By the way, who is your father?" A girl asked innocently and I froze. This was the subject I didn't want to discuss.

"I think she has no idea. Her mother might have slept with so many men that she must be confused who the father of her baby is." The leader stated.

"Enough." The words left my mouth before I could stop them. They could insult me, but not my mother. I just couldn't tolerate that.

"Ouch.." she pretended to be scared. "Look, she can talk back..."

Everyone laughed again. It was just a funny show for them.

The leader bent down and grabbed my hair tightly. A gasp left my mouth from the pain. "You whore... Don't forget your place." She shouted on my face.

Her grip on my hair tightened, and my body shook violently.

My eyes snapped open, and I met a face with red hair hovering over mine with curious eyes.

"Wow, your eyes are beautiful." The girl stated.

I immediately jerked away, sitting up, and found myself seated on a bench seat.... inside a train.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." The girl said and backed away, sitting on the opposite seat across from me.

I frowned as it took me some time to realize where I was and why.

"We are in the Royal Academy Express." She said. She might have noticed my confused look.

I ignored her and looked around and found my bag. It was where my head was resting a moment ago. So I used it as a pillow. I hurriedly pulled out my glasses from my bag and wore them. All the while, the girl sat there, observing my every action. I finally met her eyes, narrowing mine.

She cleared her throat. "Sorry to disturb your sleep, but it's lunchtime."

I looked at the open window of the train, and yeah, it was daytime. I recalled having boarding the train the previous evening. After the guard showed me my compartment, I slept immediately without meeting anyone. It looked like I had slept for a long time. I had even missed my breakfast.

"You should freshen up." The girl's voice brought me back from my thoughts.

I sighed and stood up. Leaving the compartment, I walked through the aisle to find the washroom.

.

"Hi, I'm Lana. What's your name?" The girl began the conversation as I returned from the washroom.

She didn't even wait for me to sit down. She looked very enthusiastic. Normally, I didn’t like chatting with unknown people. Okay, she was going to be my classmate, but still. I sat down in my seat and looked at her. She was looking like an innocent girl, waiting for my reply with the enthusiasm of a child. I sighed.

"Eloise. My name is Eloise Root."

"Wow, beautiful name."

I forced a smile on my face. My stomach growled at that moment. I hadn't eaten anything since the last evening, and now I was hungry.

"Let's go get our food. I am also hungry." she said excitedly, standing up.

I frowned. Had she not eaten anything until now and been waiting for me? Shaking my head, I followed her out of our compartment. She led me to an open area. There was a huge table with all sorts of food there.

"Wow. So much food." She exclaimed.

I shook my head. Why was she so excited about every damn thing? I grabbed some fruits, a juice bottle, and a burger. I didn't see what she grabbed and returned to the cabin. Moments later, we began to eat the food on our seats.

"It's delicious." She moaned as she ate a cookie. "Here, try some." She dropped a few on my plate.

What the hell?

When I looked at her, she gave me a big smile. I dropped the idea of lashing out at her. It was just some cookies.

"Everything about the Royal Academy is exceptional, you know. I am very excited." She continued.

Yeah, I could see that. I bit back my smile.

"We will have a new school, new friends, new teachers, a new dormitory..."

"New bullies as well." I murmured.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing." I said, shaking my head. "It'll be great."

She didn't hear my words because she was a witch. I recognized her the moment I saw her.

"Yeah. By the way, you are a werewolf, right?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"I'm a witch." She said. "But my parents aren't in the coven. We're... ordinary witches." She added hesitantly.

Ordinary witches weren't powerful and could perform only basic spells. I knew a little about them. Like in the werewolf world, weak witches were looked down upon and didn’t have high social status, living their lives like ordinary people.

I could sense her fear of rejection and of being looked down upon.

"I'm an Omega wolf." I replied, hoping to make her feel good, and it did work. She relaxed.

"You know, Royal Academy provides great opportunities to people like us. I want to get a good job after graduating from here." She stated.

Yeah, I knew. Ordinary and poor students came here with the hope of getting a good job after graduation. And they did. A good job provided them with respect in society. So obviously, it was a great opportunity for them.

"I want to be a doctor. What's your aim?" She asked.

If only you knew why I was going to the academy. I sighed. "Nothing specific. I like business."

"Oh, great."

"We're only half an hour away now. Everyone, please get everything ready. Your luggage is your responsibility. The train won't stop for long, and if you forget anything, it'll be lost forever."

We heard an announcement.

We stopped talking and finished our food. Lana began to pack her belongings and put them in her luggage. I didn't have much to do, so I just checked if everything was in place.

Half an hour later, the train stopped. We climbed off the train, escorted by a guard. It was a very small station. Only a single one-story building stood in the middle. All the students, officials, and guards were standing on the platform. We were the last ones to come out of the train. The train immediately left, leaving the platform full of students. I looked at the surroundings and found ourselves standing in the middle of a deep forest. I frowned. There was no sign of any academy.

What now?

I looked at the other students, and everyone had the same question on their faces.