The office smelled of leather, ink, and faint smoke. The sunlight streamed in through the windows, highlighting the multiple trophies sitting on a glass shelf by the side.
Behind a broad desk sat Commandant Draegor, his presence sharp as a blade. He had short silver hair and was scribbling on a parchment with his eyes glued to his work.
But it wasn't the Commandant who made her chest tighten.
Leaning against a shelf, arms folded was another man. This one commanded a kind of aura that was calm, but not the good kind. He was wearing glasses, and both eyes were closed.
Till Draegor Spoke.
"Name," Commandant Draegor's deep voice called without him looking up.
"Thaddeus Arnold Douglas, son of House Douglas," Theodore replied with her enhanced tone.
At that, Draegor looked up. His eyes swept over her, an assessing look that made her toes curl inside her boots.
"You're late. Gravemont doesn't tolerate tardiness," Draegor stated.
"My apologies, Commandant. Circumstances kept me delayed. But I'm here now, and ready to serve Gravemont with everything I have,"
A flicker of approval crossed his face, though he hid it quickly. Then, Draegor reached into a drawer and slammed down a heavy parchment.
"Your admission requires proof of bloodline. A seal,"
Theo's hand tightened around the small leather pouch at her side. Eric had warned her this would come. She drew out a small silver seal engraved with her mother's crest, a rare relic she had kept hidden for years.
The Commandant picked it up, scrutinised it under the light. He ran his thumb across it, then handed it back.
"Authentic," He murmured.
Then, the man in glasses pushed up from the shelves. His icy blue eyes met hers, and although they weren't as heavy as the Commandant's, that eerie calmness in them had a coldness in them that had goosebumps spreading across her skin
"Tell me, Thaddeus, what's Gravemont's First Law?" His voice sounded like one of those that could slip into your bones and stay there.
It was insanely calm. Too calm.
Theo's spine stiffened
Eric had drilled this into her.
"Strength above all," She answered.
He stepped closer to her, eyes never falling away "And if your strength fails you? If your brother betrays you mid-battle, what then?"
Theo's eyes didn't waver. She remembered Harrison, her brother's sneer, and his claws digging into her flesh.
Her answer was sharp, "Then I survive. Betrayal is just another weapon to outlast. Nothing more,"
Something flickered past his eyes, "Spoken like someone who's lived it,"
Her jaw tightened. Did he know?
He shouldn't know. It was just a certain way his eyes lingered, almost like he was seeing what no one else could.
"You'll be placed in the Eastern Dorms, Room seventeen. You already have a roommate. Training begins at dawn tomorrow," Commandant Draegor spoke again, breaking the silence.
A feeling of relief washed over her.
But it wasn't over yet.
The blue-eyed man turned to the commandant, "He arrived late. Gravemont doesn't look kindly on tardy wolves, no matter the reason!"
"He showed his seal. Passed the creed," Draegor Grunted.
"Blood and words are always easy and we all know strength isn't always brute force. How about we see if this one has more than a clever tongue," His eyes gleamed with something that made her shoulders tense
"What are you suggesting, sir?" Theodore inquired, her tone strong and direct.
He stepped forward, stopping close enough that his cold aura pressed down on her, but she refused to look away. His blue eyes locked firmly on hers, like twin shards of ice trying to shatter her mask, "I don't think you belong here," He said.
She held her ground, "Then I'll just have to prove that I belong here, sir,"
An amused expression glittered in his eyes, not meeting his lips, "Fine. Then prove it,"
He turned to the Commandant, "Effective immediately, this student will undergo a probationary trial. Three hours. Hide yourself within Gravemont's walls. Mask your presence, your scent and your tracks. You will be hunted. If anyone finds you before the three hours are done, your admission is void, and you're to leave without question!"
A frown appeared on the Commandant's face, followed by a look of approval.
Oh no.
Gravemont has always loved blood games.
The moment Theo stepped outside the office, the great bronze bells of Gravemont tolled all over the campus. Then, a voice boomed over the courtyard, magically amplified:
It was the Commandant's voice.
"Attention, all students. A trial has been issued. Thaddeus Draven, newly arrived, has been released into Gravemont's grounds. Any Alpha who finds him before the next three hours will be rewarded with exemption from tomorrow's drills and a place in the next combat rotation. Let the hunt begin."
Theodore heard as the whole school erupted with snarls, growls and laughter. Students instantly broke into tighter packs immediately, some shifting their eyes gold, some already sniffing the air for the scent of a new person.
The thrill of the hunt seemed to have infected them like wildfire.
Theo's stomach clenched. It didn't feel like a test, more like a death sentence.
And Eric wasn't waiting outside like she had expected. He had even left her luggage sitting there.
But she couldn't worry about that right now.
Theo pulled her hood up, a mix of excitement and fear coursing through her veins. Seraphina was even more pumped than her, ready to show the whole school what she could do.
Her body moved on instinct, melting into the shadows. Seraphina sucked in every bit of her scent, and her steps were so light the ground barely vibrated as she moved.
She could hear them all around her, their thundering boots and howls. She went down a narrow hall and pressed herself flat against the stone.
The trick wasn't speed, not when the hunters were wolves. The trick was silence, and she's always considered a master of melting into silence, and shadows.
A group of boys thundered past and one in wolf form skidded to a halt, his hairy ears flicking. He sniffed the air, and then he turned his head left and right.
Theo smirked.
He was good, but she was better. She slowed her breathing, forcing her lungs to shrink under her command.
The wolf's gaze swept right past her. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he growled before bolting after the others.
Theo smiled to herself.
One down. Dozens more to go.
The minutes soon bled hours, and the hunt remained relentless.
She crawled beneath wooden bleachers, pressed into mud as wolves circled just above.
She scaled the spires of the south tower, holding herself against the gargoyles as the wind whipped her hair and students scanned the rooftops.
And once, she had slipped through the kitchens, where two students had nearly cornered her. She'd eventually dropped into the coal chute and slid into darkness before they could pounce.
By the final hour, she was all sweaty with her red hair sticking to her face, and her shirt glued to her back.
As she kept wandering aimlessly through the shadows, she came across an abandoned greenhouse. The glass window was broken and vines were curling all around it.
She slipped inside, quickly crouching low behind a half-toppled bench. The air smelt of damp soil and crushed herbs, and her whole body shook from exhaustion.
She's been moving non-stop, utilising her abilities at the same time, trying to keep the mask on - it was much more draining than usual.
She checked the clock tower through a crack in the glass. There were twenty minutes left.
*Stay here, and don't move. Just listen and breathe softly* Seraphina said to her.
She did as she was told. Dozens of wolves passed by, and a few made to step into the greenhouse but every time, they would pause at the door and turn away immediately...
As though something was stopping them from coming in.
When the final bell tolled, the sound echoed through every hall and courtyard of Gravemont.
"The trial has ended. The new student has survived!"
Theo nearly collapsed from relief. Seraphina groaned inside of her, letting her scent out again.
They had done it. Theodore's escape had finally been secured.
She stared at the clock tower again. It was around 3pm, and she could imagine what was going on back home.
Her father would be insanely furious. Probably pleading with Cain, repeatedly telling him they would find her soon. Her father would have scattered his forces everywhere, but not here.
Gravemont wouldn't be one of his options.
Theodore straightened, brushing dirt off her hands and face. She was going to go retrieve her luggage and head straight to her room, throw herself on the bed and most likely, sleep off.
Just then, Movement from her right caught her eyes, and her eyes widened.
She wasn't alone.
Her head snapped toward the far end of the greenhouse.
A boy lay there on the floorboards with his back to her, like he'd been resting all along. The way his shoulders moved told her he wasn't asleep, and his bare back was filled with ink tattoos that whispered danger.
His shoulders were broad, with not-so-lean muscle. At a glance, she knew he wasn't like the other boys who'd been hunting.
Theo froze, her heart racing. How long has he been here? Did he know she'd been crouched, hiding from everyone, just a few feet away? How on earth did she not notice him all this time?
Then, the boy stirred.