Aurora

“Like, are you Alpha-born? Beta? Or…” she lowered her voice dramatically. “Lycans?”

I tried to play it cool, even though my stomach turned. “Um…they’re just normal, I guess?”

Selene arched an eyebrow. “Normal? Like… Beta bloodlines?”

I had no idea what that meant. I just nodded vaguely. “Yeah, something like that.”

Mira frowned, confused. “But your scent’s kind of…off. Like… subtle. Not undeveloped. Just…” She scrunched her nose and trailed off.

Lira stepped in gently. “She probably hasn’t shifted yet. Some of us won’t until later. Maybe even second term.”

“Or maybe,” Selene said slowly. “She’s hiding something.”

The words weren’t exactly mean, but the way she said them made the hair on my arms stand up.

“I’m not hiding anything,” I said. Which was technically true. I just didn’t understand anything either.

Riven finally looked up, eyes cool and curious behind strands of icy-blue hair.

“You’re not from here, are you?” she asked.

“No. Just moved in yesterday.”

She nodded slowly, like that explained something.

Selene clapped her hands together. “Alright, introductions. I’m Selene Vaelaris. Alpha-born.”

Lira gave a small smile. “I’m Lira Duskryn. Beta-born. Our family usually keeps things balanced… less dramatic than some.”

Mira tilted her head at me, still curious. “Mira Thalior. Beta bloodline.”

Riven’s icy-blue hair fell over one shoulder. “Riven Caelaris. Alpha-born too.”

My stomach twisted painfully.

I suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here.

The quiet stretched just long enough to become awkward, so I cleared my throat and tried to keep my voice casual.

“So…um… Can I ask something? It’s probably a really dumb question.”

Mira lit up immediately. “Those are my favorite kind.”

I gave her a hesitant smile. “Zayn said something weird earlier. He said I ‘smelled off.’ And then you guys were talking about Alpha blood and Lycans, and I guess I’m just wondering—what does that even mean? Is that like… social rank or something?“

Lira blinked at me, gently confused. “Wait…you don’t know?”

“Know what?”

Selene sat up straighter, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Know what?!” I asked again, my heart thudding faster.

There was a short pause. And then Mira grinned, but it wasn’t teasing—it was surprised. “Wait. You really don’t know?“

“Can someone already tell me!”

Riven closed her book softly, folding her hands in her lap like this was some ancient ceremony I’d just stumbled into. She looked at me the way someone might look at a puzzle they weren’t sure how to solve.

“About the werewolf world,” she said calmly.

I blinked. “The what?”

Mira tilted her head. “You know… wolves? Packs? Full moon? Shifting?”

“I––” I let out a short, breathy laugh. “Wait. Hold on. Are you being serious right now?”

Selene didn’t laugh. Neither did the others.

No one said ‘just kidding.’

“You’re serious,” I said again. My voice flatter now. “You’re actually talking about…werewolves.”

Riven nodded. “Yes”

I stared at her, waiting for the punchline.

It didn’t come.

Something inside me went still. Not quiet—just frozen.

“I thought this was a normal college,” I said slowly. “A really remote, maybe slightly culty, college, but still…a college. With, like, normal people.

“Wilderness program,” Mira repeated, like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. “Oh my Goddess.”

“But you have a class schedule,” Lira said. “With magic on it. And shifting.”

“I thought that was just weird course naming,” I mumbled. “Like creative branding. I don’t know! I didn’t think it meant literal turning into wolves.“

“Oh my moon,” Mira said, sitting down hard. “You are the first human in Moonbound history. Like, ever.”

“That’s not possible.” Selene said again, but she didn’t sound confident anymore.

Riven stared at me, thoughtful now. “Unless someone in administration made a mistake.”

Mira snapped her fingers. “Wait! They did hire someone new in the front office this year. I heard she was clueless—kept filing things wrong.”

“Oh my Goddess,” Lira whispered. “She never asked what species Aurora was.”

My stomach turned to stone.

Riven nodded slowly, confirming it to herself. “That’s how it happened.”

I sat down again, hard. “I’m in a school full of wolves.”

“You’re in a school full of werewolves, Lycans, and a handful of other things,” Selene corrected. „And every single one of them could smell you the second you walked in”

My head spun. “Then…why hasn’t anyone kicked me out yet?”

Riven tilted her head. “Because no one’s reported you. Not yet.”

Lira looked at her. “We’re not going to, are you?”

Riven didn’t answer.

But Mira suddenly reached for my hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong, or not, considering she was a werewolf. “We’re not telling anyone,” she said. “Right?”

Selene crossed her arms. “That depends.”

“On what?” I asked, barely breathing.

„On whether you’re worth the risk,” she said simply.

And somehow, that scared me more than anything else I’d heard all day.