ALISHA.
By the time I came to, I found myself lying on the bed in the guest room, murmurs echoing around me. My eyelids fluttered, trying to concentrate on my environment.
Two pairs of eyes—one green and one sky-blue—settled on mine. I sat up straight and stared at them one after the other.
"What happened?" I asked, looking around. The room was still just as it was. A desk and chair at the corner. A bookshelf that was devoid of any books beside it. A small wardrobe that I didn't bother to check if it was functional. And the bed I was currently on. Oh, a few cobwebs scattered here and there in the ceiling that held just a chandelier that kept flickering and nothing else.
"You fainted, Starlight," Grayson said to me.
"Everyone was frightened," Harrison added. It was the first time neither of them tried to bite their heads off. A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I wondered if it would do a lot of good for me to just keep fainting since that seemed to help.
"What the fuck are you smiling for, human?!" An angry female voice growled at me.
"Enough, Angel." A third male voice said at the corner.
I turned in the direction to find the third Alpha Heir—whatever they mean by that—standing there, hands in his pockets and his back to the wall. His eyes stayed on me even as he spoke to the Snow White hair lady who seemed to hate me for no reason.
"She ruined the Blood Moon ceremony for us." She protested, eyeing me with disdain.
Blood Moon ceremony? Right. I was in the camp of beasts.
"I'm sorry," I apologized to them. I got up from the bed, feeling a bit weak. My head hummed from weakness but I paid no heed. "If you will all excuse me." I walked to the door, leaving them dazed. A small voice in my head reminded me of how I was a prisoner and how the door was probably locked but that didn't deter me. I couldn't afford to stay in the midst of these people who blamed me for things that were out of my control. Luckily, the door gave way when I opened it. I stepped outside, drowning the voice of argument.
I walked silently, my eyes roaming around. I half expected guards to stop me, but nothing of such happened. By the time I stopped walking, I found myself at the spot it all began—the mysterious door that was now locked and hidden away by forces that should not exist. I turned, ready to walk away and found Gary staring at me from behind.
"The door only opens to students it wants to admit. Students who are worthy to be a part of this academy." He said. His gaze lingered on the black swirl. He stalked toward me, stopping only a few inches away from where I stood, dumbfounded.
"What I'm trying to say is that, instead of trying to run away, why don't you find yourself just as worthy as the fate found you? That way, you will adapt faster here." He encouraged me.
Adapt here? Was he telling me to find joy in being a part of something I had no prior knowledge of its existence? How was I, a human, supposed to cope in the midst of everyone who were beasts? How was I supposed to be okay with being around people who could tear me apart in a second if they wanted to?
"See the good in the bad." He stated, drawing me out of my thoughts. "It's what my abuela would always say." Then he smiled. Not the small smile that tugged at my lips at random times. It was a full smile—one that revealed the perfect set of dentitions. His brown eyes lit up with warmth, enveloping me in them.
I closed the gap between us. He stared at me, uncertainty in his eyes. I stood on my toes and brushed my lips against his. He sighed before stepping away, out of my reach.
"Miss…" he trailed off.
"Alisha," I breathed out, a blush staining my cheeks.
"Miss Alisha, I don't think we should be doing that. You belong to the two other Alpha Heirs and I would like to stay out of trouble." Then he turned and walked away, leaving me both speechless and embarrassed.
I slapped myself across the cheeks. "Stupid girl," I cursed under my breath. After gazing around to make sure no one saw what happened, I walked in the opposite direction he did.
How stupid of me.
It felt weird why I simply lost all of my self moral since I stepped into this world. While I was 19–the age most people would blame for their stupidity and immorality—I had always taken care to not get entangled with anyone at my human school back in California. But here I was, making the first move on a man who would be older than me with five years… if not more than.
I took a bend and kept on walking.
It was easier to blame whatever erotic thoughts I have each time I see Grayson or Harrison as they both kept their claims of mate or whatnot. But Gray? He wasn't supposed to be a part of any of the plans, so why was I drooling over him?
Another blind turn.
I hissed, ready to go back. I paused and studied my environment. It felt like I had just transported myself from the moon bound Academy, straight to another realm?
Panic surged within me. Did I just manage to get into another trouble apart from the one I got myself into?
I looked around once more. Ruins greeted me. There were four erected headstones. One, grey, stood in the middle. The others surrounded it. I drew close, feeling a pull in the direction. I peeped into the first headstone, noting some writings on it. The writing felt as ancient as the headstone itself. With calculated steps, I walked round the four stones. Each of them had different writings. When I got to the last one in the middle, I lifted my finger to clean it so I could read the words.
The writing hummed and came alive. I yelped and stumbled backward. I felt myself flying. Knowing that a fall was inevitable, I closed my eyes and stilled myself for impact. Before I could finish the fall from grace, a hand coiled around my waist, holding me steady.
"Careful." A voice warned. I knew without being told that it was Gary.
What was he doing back here after embarrassing me like that?
I slapped his hand away from my waist and pulled away from him. He looked surprised but didn't say anything. Without a word to him, I hissed and walked away. He waited, watching me as I pranced about, looking for the way out. After circling round the room, met with nothing but stones that didn't reveal the way out of their enchantment, I took the shameful walk back to where he stood.
"How do we get out?" I asked.
He let out a low rumble, which rapidly graduated to a full blown laughter.
"You are wild, firefly." He commented. Then he held my hand and walked us to a corner of the ruins that I was sure I circled round about three times. He pressed something at the side and the stone gave way, revealing the passageway.
Just as the stone closed back, heavy footsteps thudded into the room we just left.
"Find the intruder who dared to awaken the curse!" Headmistress Aurora yelled.
"Curse?" My voice was barely a whisper. I looked at Gray, my eyes seeking for an answer but he simply shook his head and placed a finger on his lips.
Curse?
Did I just accidentally awaken some curse?
And why was Gary helping me?