5. Academia Of The Moon

“Let go of me!” my voice bounced off the walls of the cavernous hallway. We were inside a cathedral-like building, where we appeared after wolf Elijah dragged me through the portal. When I turned to punch him, he was human again.

Before my fist could land in his face, he grabbed hold of it. “You need to calm down.”

“I told you I didn’t want to come here,” I shouted. “Take me back, now!”

“So you could run in front of another truck?”

“Anything is better than being here,” I cried out. “Please, just send me back. I won’t be a problem, just—”

There was a long whistle and then laughter. “Another pup, Eli?”

I turned to pin a mean glare at the boy who said it. Holy, living crap. He was a giant of a person. He towered double my size over me, peering down at us with an amused expression.

“Let me guess, you got this one from the suburbs?” the boy asked.

“A motel,” Elijah sighed. “It’s not what you think.”

“Forgot to use your enchantment?” the boy smirked.

“I did use it on her. She somehow bypassed it,” Elijah answered. “I need to get her to—”

I bit into Elijah’s hand.

He spat out a string of curses, tearing away from me while the other boy shook with laughter.

“This is gold, man,” the boy chortled.

“Shut up, Cass,” Elijah bit out. His eyes darted to me, who was already backing away. “There’s no point in running. You can’t get out of the grounds. Stop making it so hard on yourself, and come with me.”

“The hell I am,” I snapped. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The tall boy scratched the back of his neck. “You sure you don’t need help, Eli?”

“I can handle this,” Elijah scowled. “Go get Humphrey. She needs to check this one out.”

“Why? Just send her to the commons?” Cass asked. “Give her some time to cool it off and she’ll figure out no one here will try to eat her.”

“I can’t.” Elijah stepped toward me. “I need to take her to Humphrey.”

“Why?” Cass queried. “What’s so special about this one that she needs Humprey’s attention?”

“It’s a long story,” Elijah sighed, turning to glare at Cass. “Can you just go, now?”

“Fine, man.” Cass passed me a smirk. “Good luck chasing this one across the courtyard. I bet you fifty she’s going to outshow that Jaxon boy.”

Elijah murmured a string of curses before he proceeded toward me. He inched closer like he was approaching a wild animal.

To be frank, maybe I was. It felt like my heart was about to climb out of my chest. “Why am I really here?”

“Exactly what I told you. We’re trying to help you and figure out why your mark is different.’

“What’s it to you what happens to me anyway?”

“Because if you run wild you could become a danger to humans.” He paused. “You could die if you don’t know how to contain your magic or the change. That’s what the academy is for. It’s to help you manage all of it.”

“Why me?” my voice quivered. “I don’t get it.”

“I wish I could tell you why the huntress chose you, but I don’t have that answer. But, you can find out if you learn how to tap into your magic. You can talk to her yourself.”

“I can?” I froze. “She’ll tell me?”

Elijah sighed, tipping his head to the side. “Hopefully. Sometimes she doesn't give direct answers, but I think she’s got something big planned for you. I think you’re important.”

“You think Luca might know?”

“Maybe, but we’ll need your cooperation to find out.” Elijah’s shoulders dropped, and he sighed. “I promise you, we are not going to hurt you in any way.”

“Why did you use magic on me then?”

“To calm you. I knew it was the only way for you to listen.” A slight smile formed on his lips. “I sense things, remember?”

“Right.” I peered down the hall. “What did you mean by 'you need my neck?' What are you going to do?”

“You thought we’re going to chop it off or something, didn’t you?” he grinned. “We need your neck, with you attached to it, alive. No funny business, I swear.”

“I don’t get how it’s going to help.”

“We need to perform a spell to track the one who marked you. Basically, Humphrey’s going to sprinkle some herbs on your neck and chant. No wolves will get harmed in the process.”

“And this is going to bring Luca here?” I asked.

“Yes. And then we might get some answers for you. Hopefully, by then when you’ve calmed down enough, I can show you around and how we really work around here. We’re not as rabid and wild as humans claim us to be. If anything, we’re more humane than humans, if that helps.”

I rubbed my arms, staring at him. I could run, but from what I understand, there was no way out, and one of them would catch me eventually.

Or, I could go with him and get it over with. I blew out a breath, my mind telling my heart to steady down. “Fine. Let’s do this.”

***

Elijah led me into a small corridor, down several flights of stairs, into another darker, creepier corridor.

“Exactly where are we going?” I asked nervously, inching closer to him.

“To Humphrey. She’s the werewolf high priestess. Also known as the headmistress of the academy.”

“And she lives down here?”

“No, this is usually where she works during the night.” He turned to face a geometric symbol carved into the wall and pressed his hand against it. A click sounded, and the wall melted away. “She rarely sleeps.”

“Another werewolf perk?”

“Nah, I can only wish,” he laughed. “She uses potions to keep herself up. But,” he lowered his voice to a whisper. “She’s like a hundred and two. We’re pretty sure she’s mixing an anti-aging potion in there too. Never say it to her face though. She’s very sensitive about her age.”

“Okay?”

He leaned closer when the door to an ancient-looking office swung open. “You’ll see what I mean.”

As we stepped in, the scent of burning sandalwood and sweet spice enveloped me. My eyes immediately found the source. It was a small wooden bowl burning a variant of dried herbs on a wooden desk.

My brow rose. “Isn’t she worried about fire hazards?”

“No, she does not.” A sharp, firm voice made me jump. I turned to face the shadier part of the room, where I heard the woman speak. I could only see the hem of her dress peeking out from underneath the shadows. “That’s the beauty of magic. Especially if you understand how to control it.”

I peered nervously at Elijah, who shook his head. I took it as a cue to remain silent.

The woman sighed and got up. When she stepped into the light, I couldn’t help the gasp that slipped from between my lips.

My hand flew to my mouth. “Your dress is beautiful,” I tried to redeem the slip.

The woman—well, should I rather say, girl—offered a sweet smile. “Thank you, dear. I’m quite fond of it.”

I gave Elijah a quizzical look.

He nodded. “This is the high priestess, Mrs. Humphrey. Mrs. Humphrey, this is Hailey Woods. A new pup I just brought back.”

The girl, whose lips were painted in a deep, ruby red, smiled. Physically, this woman wasn’t a day over ten. Her long, raven curls hugged her porcelain doll-like face.

“You're supposed to take her to the dorm and help her settle in?” She pinned Elijah with a questioning look. “Or did something go wrong?”

“Not exactly,” Elijah said, placing down my duffel onto the floor. I honestly forgot about it. “Let me show you. Hailey?”

I nodded, throwing my hair back over my shoulder and exposing my neck to Mrs. Humphrey.

She gasped, stepping forward to grab me by the arm. “My dear girl, the huntress must think highly of you.”

I blinked. “How so?”

“You’ve been granted a very special gift.” She turned to face Elijah. “This girl, she isn’t the first. If you paid attention in History, you’d know what this meant boy.”

Elijah’s cheeks flushed. “Didn’t realize history class was interesting.”

Mrs. Humphrey scowled. “The huntress only gifts her most favored followers with this. This,” she nodded toward the marking on my neck. “Only the best of our people, among our rulers and highest sought, get granted this.”

“I don’t follow?” I said. “There’s nothing great about me.”

“Not according to our gracious Diana,” Mrs. Humphrey spoke. “Girl, you have no idea what you're in for.”