After the frantic breakfast, Lila—who was still very much Ava inside—fled back to her excessive pink room. She resumed pacing, a desperate, silent clock ticking in her head.
"Okay, plan," she muttered, retrieving the notepad. "Not only do I have to go to that horrifying Academy, but I have to meet the Female Lead, Rose Williams, at the dorm, and then I'll see the Male Lead, Harry Westwell, at the festival tonight."
The Moon Festival was the annual event prayed to by the werewolf deity, the Moon Goddess. It was a major gathering celebrated by high society across the supernatural world, and every year, the new Academy term started the day after. This particular festival was where Lila Blackwood first laid eyes on the stunningly handsome Alpha, Harry, instantly falling into the obsessive love that would eventually lead to her cruel demise.
"I don't want to die, so I need to avoid him and Rose as much as I can," Ava stated, her voice tight with panic. Why, why, why, do these villainesses always fall for the most obvious person? He's the male lead! That's like jumping off a cliff, expecting a soft landing, and forgetting the cliff is made of angry Alpha werewolves.
She tried to rationalize her immediate escape, but a quick glance out the window at the high, secure walls of the Blackwood estate told her all she needed to know. The only way out right now was with her parents, straight into the main conflict.
She had about four hours until they had to leave.
The time melted away in a blur of frantic research. Ava frantically searched Lila's room, not for cash, but for anything that could act as a shield or a distraction. She found a school directory—a thick, embossed book—and quickly memorized the general layout of the Academy and, more importantly, the location of the first-year Omega dorms. She needed to know exactly which floor Rose Williams would be on.
As the sun began to dip, Lila and her parents were ready to travel. Ava descended the main staircase, feeling like an actress walking onto a set for the first time. Outside, an absurdly luxurious carriage awaited them. It was a sleek, black vehicle, too long and polished to be called a mere car. The Blackwood Pack name—engraved in fine, silver script—was inlaid proudly on the door. It was a moving statement of dominance and wealth.
The Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, her father, received bows and nods from the staff as they departed.
The journey was long but quiet. Ava stared out the tinted windows, watching the suburban landscape melt into thick, ancient forest. When they finally arrived, she gasped, the terror briefly overwhelmed by sheer awe.
The Academy was not just a building; it was an enormous, ancient edifice of grey stone that had clearly witnessed centuries of different tales. Its gothic spires reached toward the twilight sky, imposing and silent. Guards, whose immense size hinted at their werewolf nature, stood at attention, bowing low as the Blackwood name was recognized.
They were immediately escorted to the Omega dorms. The dorm building itself was grand, yet slightly segregated from the rest of the campus. Her parents, desperate to ensure their daughter was comfortable, helped her quickly set up her elegant dorm room despite the presence of several servants.
"We won't be able to see you for some time, baby," her mother said, her voice laced with genuine sadness. "Focus on your studies. No drama, understood?"
If only you knew, Mom, Ava thought wryly. Avoiding drama is my one and only objective now.
After her parents were settled into a temporary visitor's room to get ready for the festival, Ava locked her dorm door. She stood alone, heart pounding. She had successfully navigated the arrival without bumping into the heroine. Phase One: Avoid Rose's Initial Wrath – Complete.
"I can do this," she whispered, trying to psych herself up in front of the ornate mahogany wardrobe. "No one can defeat me. I've read so many of these novels, I know every cliché. I know the plot armor and the foreshadowing. I can survive this easily… I… guess?" The last word came out as a pathetic squeak.
Now came the most difficult task: dressing up.
She retrieved the massive, wine-red gown. It was a masterpiece of tailoring, the silk heavy and cool against her hands. It was a deep, rich claret color, and it was definitely not cut for an introverted girl who preferred to hide. The bodice had a deep, elegant sweetheart neckline and a delicate cut at the center of the chest, revealing just the slightest hint of cleavage. While classy and far from vulgar, it was absolutely revealing by Ava's old standards.
She reluctantly put it on. The dress zipped smoothly, instantly hugging every curve in exactly the right, powerful places. It made her look taller, sharper, and dangerously beautiful.
A maid knocked and entered discreetly, already holding a brush and a case of makeup. As the maid expertly styled her voluminous coffee-colored hair into an elaborate updo and applied sophisticated makeup—enhancing the sharpness of her eyes without making them look cruel—Ava watched the transformation in the mirror.
The finished product was breathtaking. She looked like a woman born to walk the red carpet, a villainess in her prime, ready to dominate any room.
"This," Lila mumbled to her reflection, a genuine, albeit conflicted, smile spreading across her lips, "is the only advantage of being transmigrated here. I finally have a body worthy of surviving."
With her parents waiting, Lila (Ava) put on a pair of slightly too-high heels and joined them. They climbed back into their luxurious Blackwood carriage for the short, final drive to the Academy's Main Hall, the enormous building where the festival was being conducted.
As she stepped out of the carriage, the sound of music, laughter, and the low, powerful hum of a thousand werewolves in one location hit her. The Main Hall was massive, its ceilings lost in shadow, lit by hundreds of glittering, enchanted lights. Werewolves of all ranks and packs moved through the room, their expensive clothes and jewelry flashing under the lights. It was a terrifying, beautiful, and utterly overwhelming sight.
Ava took a deep breath. She was here. Rose and Harry were here. The villain who would eventually kill her was somewhere in this room. The Wine Red Countdown had officially begun.