I woke up with a start, coughing so hard my chest ached. Water burned up my throat as I gasped, dragging in huge gulps of air like I'd never breathed before.
Where was I?
The world around me swam in soft light and the faint scent of herbs. The ceiling above was made of smooth white stone, carved with faint runes that glowed softly—healing wards.
A gentle hand touched my shoulder.
"Easy now, dear," a woman's voice said.
I turned my head. A healer stood beside the bed, her eyes kind, her white robes faintly shimmering with protective magic. She patted my back as another fit of coughing racked through me.
"You're alright," she murmured, her voice a balm against the chaos still ringing in my head. "You're safe now."
She rubbed slow circles on my back until my breathing steadied.
Warmth enveloped me, Not the freezing bite of the lake, not the crushing weight of water—just warmth, soft and steady, wrapping around me like a blanket.
"Almost drowning tends to do that," she said with a soft, sympathetic smile. "You'll feel weak for a while, but you'll be fine. It'll just take a bit of time."
I nodded weakly, my throat raw and my body heavy. But even as her words tried to soothe me, a chill crept up my spine.
Almost drowning.
It hadn't been a nightmare.
The memories crashed over me all at once—the lake, the hands holding me under, the black wolf, the face.
I wonder who that wolf was. It saved me.
The realisation that i would be dead if not for that wolf sank into me heavily.
"Oh look, the principal is here," the healer murmured softly.
I turned my head toward the doorway.
Striding into the infirmary was a tall, thin warlock, his robes flowing behind him like drifting smoke. His hair was streaked with silver, though his face didn't seem old—just lined with the weight of knowing too much. His eyes were sharp, wise, the kind that seemed to look straight through you and into the truth you were trying to hide.
You'd have to be like that, I supposed, if you were the one running an academy full of supernatural teens with more power than sense.
"Miss Selina," he said, his voice calm but carrying a quiet authority that filled the room. "I hope you're feeling better?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but he didn't wait.
"How did this happen?" he asked, his tone now edged with steel beneath the calm..
"I…" I started, my voice barely above a whisper. But then I froze.
Behind the principal, standing tall and calm, was him.
My breath hitched. My chest tightened. I couldn't look away.
"He's Elijah Ashfang," the principal said, when saw my attention shift, "The student who saved your life."
I stared at him, mouth slightly open, frozen in disbelief.
Saved my life?
The words rang hollow in my mind.
The student who saved me…more like the person who almost erased me from this world.
I wanted to scream. To demand an explanation. To run. And yet, part of me—the part that my mind which knew better—made me stay silent.
"I'm going to kill her." His shout from earlier rang in my ears. I wonder why he left me alive.
"She must still be in shock, Principal," he said, stepping forward to stand beside the principal. His gaze flicked to me, sharp and unyielding. "I saw her slip and fall into the lake."
"You shouldn't go near water if you don't know how to swim," he added, his voice dropping a notch, low and dangerous. His eyes pinned me in place, dark and unrelenting.
A shiver ran down my spine, crawling up my neck, as if his stare alone could reach inside me. I tried to shift away, to look anywhere but at him, but I couldn't.
Something about the way he stood there—so calm, so controlled, so dangerous—made my pulse race and my thoughts scatter.
Why?
Why did he try to kill me?
What have I ever done to him?
I know for a fact that I have not seen him outside.
I turned toward the principal, breaking away from Elijah's piercing gaze.
"I… I don't remember what happened," I said, my voice steady despite the whirlwind in my head.
The only way I can save myself is if deny it.
Elijah Ashfang. He belongs to a powerful pack Ashfang, if he decides to kill me infront of everyone I bet he will be able to get away without any consequences.
I forced a small smile, turning to him. "Thank you… for saving me."
His eyes narrowed, sharp and questioning, as if my words were a puzzle he wasn't willing to solve.
"I… I'm feeling a little dizzy," I added, swaying just slightly to sell the effect.
"Please let me know when you remember anything," the principal said, his tone calm but watchful.
Thankfully, they left the room, and I sank back into the soft pillows of the infirmary bed, letting out a shaky breath. My mind was still racing, but for the first time that d
ay, I felt a sliver of control return.