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Chapter 5: Shadows of the Forest

Seraphina's POV

Ronan’s grip on my hand was strong but not strong enough to inflict pain on them; my mind couldn’t quite wrap around what was going on.

Why was he dragging me? Where was he dragging me to? My heart was pounding in anticipation and fear.

As he led us through the shadowy hallways, I glanced at the students nervously; they were casting different shades of glances at us; some were curious, and others were wary.

However, they seemed as though they were keeping their distance from us as if the presence of Ronan was the reason why.

That would be understandable as he was, after all, feared at the Lupine Academy,

We reached a secluded part of the academy, one I hadn’t seen before. The windows were tall, casting eerie shadows from the dim sunlight.

Ronan freed my wrist, and I instinctively rubbed the skin where his fingers had held me, still feeling the heat of his touch.

“Where are we?” The nervous edge in my voice was noticeable.

“Why? Scared I might kill you?”

I swallowed hard. I could feel the fear increasing by a high notch. “No.”

“You are scared, don’t worry I won’t make good to the promise of that bloodied note.”

“How do you know about the note?”

“I know a lot of things. Like the fact that you would die if you do not leave here.”

“W-hat?”

He smirked and came much closer to me, and I was only breathing the scent that had been emancipated from him.

“Though it would be a shame for a pretty girl like you to die such pathetic death.”

“What do you know about me?” I asked with a forced, steady voice.

He ignored it. Instead, he breathed in my hair, “I had expected a legend like you to smell like old musk, but you smell much more like roses mixed with vanilla.”

I used all my strength to push him off me, even though I had the urge to pull him back.

“What the hell do you know?”

He rolled his eyes. “You are being watched.”

“By who?”

“Kyros, he spent his life looking for something, someone, and it seemed he found it in you.”

“Me? I don’t even know him,so what do I have to do with him?”

“More than you realize, it’s not just him that you need to be worried about, the academy hate newcomers-but more importantly they hate newcomers who are unique, you are simply not supposed to be here.”

His words sent chilling fear down my stand, but I faked a calm demeanor so I wouldn’t seem afraid and weak in front of him.

“What are you talking about?”

He studied me for a while, his gaze intense as though he was contemplating telling me or not. “Your powers are unique and dangerous, the students can sense such type of powers, and they love to eliminate it before it is used against them.”

“I’m not powerful.” I shook my head as I said it. “I’m not even supposed to be here, hell I don’t even understand any of this!”

“You’ll understand in due time.”

“That’s just sick, why would I be hated for something I don’t even understand.”

Ronan said nothing; he just kept giving me his intense look.

“You know what? I don’t even care; you and All the other students can go to hell. I shall live my life and not die, so damn you all and your hates.” And with that, I stormed off, feeling quite angry.

The next few days, I didn’t see Ronan or bump into him much, but I did notice the hostility between the students; I hated that my lobizona traits were something that could be sniffed and not hidden.

I attended classes and did whatever tasks that were given to me; I did extra to make them somehow accept me,

But it didn’t work out; they didn’t seem fazed, and even the teachers avoided eye contact with me in the classroom,

It felt truly scary; while that was going on, I had also been having weird dreams about some dark shadow who comes out and transforms into a beast that almost eats me up,

But more shocking than that is that after the dreams, I find myself in the outside vicinity of the academy,

Almost like I was being drawn to the forest, I told Principal Lena about it, but she didn’t seem to care about it,

What she cared about was me harnessing my powers so she could decide if I was powerful and dangerous or just powerful,

It was beginning to feel like she didn’t care about me cause her training was so vigorous.

Well, at least it kept my mind busy from thinking depressing and bad thoughts,

I had just woken up from one of my crazed dreams, and now I’m standing in front of a stone tomb in the middle of the forest,

As if that wasn’t eerie enough, the night was still alive, as in everywhere was stark dark,

I had never made it this far into the woods, meaning the dreams were getting crazed.

The high-pitched sounds of the night owls made the whole situation even more eerie.

I wasn’t with any phone or torchlight to find my way back into the academy,

Meaning I would have to maneuver through the dark woods,

How creepy.

Even though the moon wasn’t out, I was all alone; I tried to find my way with my memory,

I had been in this forest before, and part of my powers is having to go back to past events, so-

A loud thud distracted me from my train of thought.

“Who’s there?” My voice was pitched with alarm,

I was about to move forward when I heard a loud growl and the bouncing of a wolf on me,

Not just any wolf; it was the wolf in my dreams,

Thanks to the classes in the Lupine Academy, I learned a trick to push the wolf from me.

I couldn’t yet transform into my wolf, so I had to rely on my strength to fight,

The wolf came at me; I dodged it, but not before I tumbled on a large stone,

The wolf appeared even more angry at my rebellious act, so it lodged at me,

And just when I thought my life was going to end before my life, a figure stood in front of me and pushed off the wolf; then he took my hands and started helping me run,

The figure was a male; he was quite fast, faster than any wolf I had seen, and since he was holding my hands, my speed matched his,

I didn’t know if it resulted from his power or my own.

We eventually arrived at the academy, and we stopped once we were safely in the walls of the academy,

My breath had gotten raspy, but the stranger seemed fine,

He was a tall male with dark hair that fell to his face and gray, deep eyes, who stared at me as I regained my breath.

“Who are you? And what were you doing in the forest this late.”

“I should be asking you that. The name is Ciaran nightshade.”

Oh. He is the Ciaran Nightshade, The only vampire prince in the academy, the one that the girls in the hallways gossiped about, the only one who can stand up to Ronan, and who happens to be Ronan’s sworn enemy.

Some called him the bipolar opposite of Ronan; why?

But he had such a beautiful face, not that it made much difference.

“You are ogling cupcake, I understand why? But it hasn’t answered the question, why were you in the forest this late, and that too in a dangerous vicinity as such?”

“I do not owe you any answers; thanks for saving me.” I proceeded to leave. I shouldn’t associate with him; I’m sure he is trouble just like Ronan is,

“Hey hey hey.” He stopped me with a grip on my arms. “Not so fast.”

His touch didn’t cause heat like Ronan’s own did, but they certainly caused a different kind of chill.

“You didn’t answer the questions, what were you doing so close to the trees of kyros.” His brows were now netted in seriousness.

“Kyros?”

“Yeah. The one and only bad vicious hybrid, the one who reigned terror in the academy years ago and had to be banned? The one you’ve probably read in the history classes, that one.”

“I didn’t know it was his trees.”

“That’s the thing, no one except the vampires know where his trees are, and last I checked you do not have any blood of vampirism running in you, so you better start speaking cupcake.”

“I-.” I was interrupted by the sound of a pained scream coming from the forest, the very one that we had just eluded from,

“Help. Haaaa-“

“We have to help.” I told him.

“We barely escaped, if we go back we would get killed.”

“If we do not go back something terrible would happen.” And with that, I ran towards the forest.

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