Chapter 3

Aurora

'Welcome to the Secret Society' The first message follows as an invitation, but before I can finish reading it, another message, which is from Stella, slides on top of it.

'Don't be a stuck-up about what happened, and get ready for our warrior dance. I brought a change of dress for both of us just in case. So change into the grey one after our performance.'

The grey version of this same dress that I am wearing is uglier than this beer-loving dress.

She just loves to humiliate me like this every time, putting me under her thumb because it gives her some sort of kinky satisfaction, but I can't voice my complaints to anyone.

Groaning, I put my phone back into my purse, deciding to check that invitation later. Must be a club invite. Now that the new session for the academy has started. I am bound to get more of these.

I rush out of the restroom after wiping the front of my dress with a damp towel and covering it with my hair as much as I can. I walk towards the changing rooms behind the stage. My eyes fall on the naked torsos of the predatory trio as they perform a combat act, and my feet stop.

They must have shifted into their wolves in the first half of their performance. Kudos to the girls. They succeeded in making me miss it because right now they are showing a combat in their human forms.

Sweat slides down Dylan's chest as he bends down and stares right through Mateo, who is facing him squarely. Issac is acting as a referee for now, and even though their performance is nearing its end, the crowd is going crazy.

It's expected, given those gorgeous muscle contours and masculine charm. I can't help but gawk when they pounce at each other and showcase some pretty good hand tricks.

Dylan holds the back of Mateo's head and throws a punch at him, which he blocks effortlessly, twists his arm behind his back, and unlocks the arm behind his head, swings it to his front, and thrusts it under his chin at the same time.

But Dylan isn't weak. He hits Mateo's leg from behind and uses the tiniest gap Mateo lends him to fight back. Their suave moves like these have the crowd in a chokehold.

I have been training by myself too for the past seven years, and can't wait to apply those techniques on my wolf.

Just as I am watching, I hear someone comment.

"Cool dress." He says, more like a tease, and it doesn't help the suppressed anger in my chest.

I turn towards him and notice that this new guy isn't even looking at me while he made that comment. He is wearing a hood, so I can't really see his face, but I would love to smack him once if I could.

I do not react, but then he chuckles. A deep, sonorous sound that accelerates my heartbeat. I feel him shift, and then he looks at me.

His golden-hazel eyes stare intently into mine.

"You have pretty eyes." He rasps, making me feel strange under his scrutinising stare. "Special, and different." He murmurs.

It feels weird to get complimented on my eyes even when I am wearing these stupid glasses because no one really sees me past them, but he did.

I have never seen him before, and something about his aura feels different. I feel like I shouldn't stay here for long. My eyes keep drawing to the scar under his left eye. It looks like a claw mark.

He smirks when he notices the flickering of my eyes, catching my breath. Fear crawls on the back of my spine, and tiny alarms start beeping in my head.

He isn't someone I should associate with. Thinking so, I am about to leave, but he interrupts. "Did you receive an invite?"

I frown. How did he know? Wait.

"Was it you who sent that club invite?" I ask warily.

He looks slightly surprised by my question, and then he laughs again.

"Yes, a club invite. I sent it."

I grow more wary. "I will see it later." I brush him off.

"You'd better if you want to improve your life." He mutters strangely in a cryptic manner, and when I wish to ask him more, the announcer takes the mic again.

"That was a wonderful performance. Everyone, give them a big round of applause."

I whip my head towards the stage and see all three of them enjoying the applause.

Shoot! It's our turn next! I can't dawdle anymore. I turn around to ask the name of that guy, but he is no longer standing there.

Where did he go? I think to myself, but then I don't have the luxury to search for him right now. I need to change into the dress for the performance.

I pass through the crowd, barely reaching the changing room behind the stage on time. Stella and her girls are already there, and they are furious.

"What took you so long? Come here fast!" Sadie yells and throws my warrior suit at me.

It hits my face, but I catch it before it drops on the floor. The pointed end of the decoration on the suit scratched my cheek slightly, but they don’t give a damn.

"I am sorry. I was wiping the stain on my dress in the restroom." I fix my crooked glasses and cradle the high-collared black military jacket and the other stuff that is about to go on my body to my chest.

"Stop giving us shit about your sob story, and change into these clothes quickly." Willow scolds me next.

"Do as they say, Aura. We don't have time to deal with you." Stella says, tiredly, parting her hair to the side while Riley unzips her dress from behind.

She is going to be the princess in our warrior dance. She will sit on a high throne in the middle, around whom Sadie, me, and a few others are going to perform a war dance, accompanied by Weston and Axel, who are warriors of our pack.

They will shift and stand in the front in their wolf forms, wearing ceremonial cloaks as they dance. Just like this, in the middle of the performance, Stella will stand and hold the staff, representing the moon

goddess, and perform a few moves, marking the act's end.

For that, she is going to change into a ball gown while the rest of us wear these military jackets, a deep red sash around our torso, sleek black pants and other accessories like leather gloves and black boots.

Leaving the girls, I slip into my dress, take my position beside Sadie and Jade, another girl who hates me (Who doesn't at this point?) on the stage, waiting for the announcer to make the announcement.

Now that I am about to perform, I still can't believe that I am a part of this because, knowing Stella, she hates putting me anywhere where I can get attention, so why did she include me in this performance?

Only the goddess knows. The only thing in my mind right now is that I am really nervous, and I didn't expect the predatory trio to sit in the front row in the front seats while we perform, and it's not really good news that all of them have their eyes on me currently.