~Daphne~
"Are you Daphne June?"
I froze, my hand hovering over the sign-in sheet at the front desk of the dormitory. My aunt had just dropped me off five minutes ago with three boxes of my stuff and a tight hug that felt like goodbye. My heart was still pounding from watching her car disappear down the long driveway.
Two days ago, I had been a perfectly normal eighteen-year-old girl. Two days ago, I had never shifted into a wolf, never knew vampires and werewolves existed, never imagined I would be standing in a supernatural academy pretending to be something I wasn't. Or I wasn't only.
But here I was. Astral Heights Academy. Home to literal dragons, Fae, werewolves, and vampires.
I turned around slowly, my stomach twisting into knots.
The guy standing behind me was.…..stunning, to say the least. Short white hair, shiny purple eyes that seemed to glow even in the fluorescent lighting of the lobby.
He wore a long-sleeved shirt that clung to every muscle, biceps, chest, abs all perfectly defined, and loose joggers that somehow made him look so cool.
But the look on his face? Pure disgust.
My breath hitched in my throat. Was this a vampire? Could he hear my heart racing? Could he tell I was terrified?
"That's—that's me," I stammered.
His purple eyes dragged over me slowly, from head to toe, and he scoffed.
"You're supposed to be a werewolf, but you have such a pitiful smell."
I winced, heat flooding my cheeks. I didn't know what to say. What could I say? This world was brand new to me, two days new. My aunt had told me to keep my head down, blend in, pretend I was just a werewolf because apparently my werewolf side was stronger. She had explained it all so calmly, like it was normal. Like finding out your dead parents were a vampire and a werewolf, that you were never human, that you had to go live in a school full of supernatural creatures was just.…..fine.
It wasn't fine. It was terrifying.
"I'm supposed to be your tour guide," he said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh. Okay." My voice came out small.
I turned back to my boxes stacked haphazardly beside the desk, fumbling to pick one up. My hands were shaking.
He rolled his eyes. "Just drop them. Let's go."
"Oh okay." I set the box down quickly, nearly knocking over another one in the process.
He was already walking toward the door, not bothering to look back to see if I was following.
I grabbed my bag and hurried after him, my sneakers squeaking against the polished floor.
Two days ago, I was normal. Two days ago, I kissed Julius, my crush, under the moonlight.
Now I was here, following a beautiful stranger with purple eyes who looked at me like I was dirt on his shoe.
~
He was walking fast. Way too fast. I had to half-jog to keep up, my bag bouncing against my hip as I struggled not to lose sight of him in the crowded hallway.
Students filled the corridors, so many students. My eyes widened as I took them all in. Some had normal skin tones, but others.…..others had purple skin. Green. Blue. Shimmering like they had been dipped in starlight.
Fae. They had to be Fae.
I spotted a girl with skin the color of lavender laughing with a guy whose eyes were solid gold. Another student had pointed ears and flowers literally growing from her hair.
This was insane. This was real.
But what caught my attention even more was how everyone reacted to the guy I was following. Students stepped aside as he passed, clearing a path like he was royalty. Some whispered to each other. Others just stared.
Who was this guy?
"That's the library," he said without slowing down, gesturing vaguely to our left. I caught a glimpse of towering oak doors with intricate carvings before he kept moving. "Open twenty-four hours. Don't be loud or the librarian will hex you."
"Wait….hex?"
He ignored me.
We passed a massive set of glass doors that opened onto a sprawling courtyard. "Training grounds," he said. "Combat classes, flight practice for dragons, shifting zones for werewolves. Stay out of the dragon zone unless you want to get torched."
"Oh. Okay."
He pointed ahead. "Sports center. Swimming pool, gym, whatever. Cafeteria is on the first floor of the main building, breakfast is seven to nine, lunch is twelve to two, dinner is six to eight. Miss it and you're on your own."
I nodded quickly, trying to memorize everything, but he was already turning down another hallway.
"Classroom wing," he muttered. "You'll get your schedule later."
My head was spinning. Everything was happening so fast. I was distracted, staring at a massive stone statue in the center of the corridor, a dragon coiled around a wolf and a figure with wings, and I didn't see him stop.
I slammed right into his back.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry—"
He whirled around, and the irritation on his face was scalding. "Don't. Fucking. Touch me."
"Yeah—I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
He rolled his eyes and scoffed, turning sharply on his heel and continuing down the hall. I followed at a safer distance this time, my cheeks burning.
We stopped in front of a door labeled Student Services. He pushed it open and gestured inside. "Grab a piece of paper and a pen."
I nodded quickly and stepped into the small office. It was empty, which made sense, it was Sunday. I found a clipboard with blank forms and a pen on the desk.
"So you're in Lunar Hall," he said, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "That's the first-year dormitory. Your classes will be in the West Wing. All first-years are grouped together regardless of species for core classes. Specialized training is separated by type."
"Lunar Hall. West Wing. Got it." I scribbled it down.
He stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head like I was hopeless.
"My name is Zephros," he said. "Zephros Silvain."
"Ah. Noted."
His gaze sharpened, purple eyes narrowing as he looked me over again.
"I might have been assigned to you," he said slowly, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to fucking babysit you. Got that?"
I nodded quickly. "Got it."
He stared at me for another beat, then turned to leave.
"Oh—wait, I—" I hesitated. "I don't... I don't remember how to get back to my dorm."
He groaned, tilting his head back like I was the most exhausting person he had ever met.
You're such a jerk, I thought.
Except I didn't just think it.
I said it.
Out loud.
His head snapped toward me, and his eyes glowed, a bright, unnatural violet that made my stomach drop. His lips pulled back, revealing sharp, gleaming fangs.
I flinched, stumbling back a step.
Vampire. Definitely a vampire.
"Don't talk to me like that," he said, his voice low.
"I'm sorry," I blurted. "I didn't mean—I'm sorry."
He said nothing. Just stared at me for a long, uncomfortable moment before turning and walking back down the hallway.
I followed in silence, my heart hammering in my chest, keeping a solid three feet between us this time.
When we finally reached the dorm, he stopped and looked at me one last time.
"Class starts at nine AM," he said flatly. "Don't be late."
And then he just.….left.
I stood there in the empty hallway, clutching my bag, watching him disappear around the corner.
Great. Just great.
Not only was I a half-vampire, half-werewolf freak, I had just pissed off the one person who was supposed to help me survive this place.
Life was definitely a bitch.