An original and empowering shapeshifter/werewolf mystery.
Lily's abusive life with her childhood pack is about to change forever when she's assigned to attend Rochester Academy; A boarding school rumored to be for unmated shifters.
What does this...
"Is that all you brought?" Anne asked, nodding towards Lily's bag.
"It's all I have," Lily replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her limited belongings. All she had were her sleeping clothes and the uniform she was wearing. The problem with the light clothes of lower-ranking members was that they were prone to getting dirty easily.
"They'll have clothes there," Anne reassured her, as if she could read Lily's mind.
Lily nodded, feeling some relief. 'There,' she thought to herself. There, at the school. No turning back now. The train had been moving for hours with a smooth, rhythmic motion. Despite her trepidation about the new life ahead, she felt an odd sense of euphoria. She had never been on a train before, and it seemed to fly through the landscape, much faster than a car.
As she looked out the window, the scenery changed from forest to valley, and finally to a massive field with distant mountains on the horizon.
Euphoric, that was the word alright. But there was also a lingering sense of terror, though Lily chose not to dwell on it too much for now. Anne seemed to share her mixed feelings. They talked about many things as morning turned into afternoon. Anne shared stories about her family, and how difficult it was to part ways with them, not knowing if she would ever see them again.
As the sun began to set, their conversation turned to the prophecy Anne had mentioned earlier.
"Oh, that," Anne said. "I don't know much about it. Those kinds of things are kept secret. But I know it has something to do with the Lycan."
"What about him?" Lily asked, intrigued.
"Well, that's the thing, I don't know," Anne admitted. "But there haven't been any Lycans born for over two centuries. The fact that one's born now... well, it would be significant even if there wasn't a prophecy."
"Do you have a theory about what it's about?" Lily pressed.
"Well, sure," Anne replied, her expression brightening. "Well, come on!" Lily urged her. "Now you're just holding out on me."
"Well..." Anne hesitated, then smiled. "Well, I think it's prophesied that he's to become the ruler. The next king."
Lily wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn't that. "But there hasn't been a monarch for at least 200 years."
"That's right," Anne confirmed. "Not since the Lycans disappeared."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was night by the time they arrived at the school. Lunch had been served on the train, but it was so late now that the ache of hunger was intense.
Exiting the train onto a stone landing area, Lily and Anne observed the towering mountains surrounding them, casting intimidating shadows against the star-strewn sky.
Picking up her bag, Anne glanced at Lily before following the rest of the students, who were moving deeper into the mountain landscape along a stone pathway lit on both sides by small twinkling lights.
Lily was puzzled to see that many of the females at the school weren't dressed in light-colored clothing, as she had expected based on the rumors she had heard during the journey.
"Maybe the higher ranks wear the light clothes in other packs or something," Anne speculated when Lily mentioned this observation.
"True," Anne agreed. "Maybe the new law that was instituted requires a certain number of higher-ranking females this year?"
"That might improve the odds of finding mating pairs," Lily pondered. "Don't stronger males get matched more often to higher females?"
"I think so," Anne confirmed. "But not always."
As they walked, they eventually arrived at a small, airy cave illuminated by wall sconces. Other students stood in line, scanning their wristbands one by one before disappearing into the cave.
"It's to protect the school," Anne explained in a whisper. "This way, no one knows where its true location is. It protects the students also."
Soon, Lily and Anne reached the front of the line.
"It's going to be ok," Lily reassured herself.
"It'll be amazing," Anne encouraged. "Just you wait."
Feeling a sense of comfort in Anne's presence, Lily smiled. Although they had only met that morning, it already felt like they had been friends for years.
"It'll be amazing," Lily echoed. Saying those words seemed to dispel her worries, transforming her fear into excitement for the new experiences that lay ahead.
Stepping forward, Lily scanned her wristband at the rock wall. To her amazement, the wall seemed to ripple and transform into a moving image of a grand room. When she reached out to touch it, expecting solid rock, her hand encountered warmth instead. It was a sensation unlike anything she had felt before.
As the warmth enveloped her, Lily felt a surge of energy and excitement. She blinked, only to find herself standing in the warm, well-lit room depicted in the image. Other students bustled around her, adding to the buzz of excitement in the air.
"No turning back now," Lily whispered to herself, gazing out of the windows at the castle-like tower in the distance. With Anne by her side, she moved forward, determined to embrace whatever lay ahead with interest and anticipation rather than fear.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
