***ALICE***
"Hey, new girl… it's your turn." Finger pointing at me.
The lecturer's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, sending shock to my chest. I blinked, confused—still halfway stuck in the dream-images that played in my head, still hearing my father's voice echoing somewhere far in the back of my mind. The entire circle directed their gazes at me, and I could only stare back, lost.
"She looks like she just saw a ghost," a guy on the opposite side muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear. A faint grin on his face.
The whole group bursted into laughter—brief but sharp, echoing through the quiet night. My cheeks burned instantly. I didn't even know why, but when I looked at the guy who said it… damn. He was handsome. Stupidly so. Great, just what I needed—an attractive idiot laughing at me.
The lecturer raised a brow, his voice firm, but not unkind. "Alice," he said quietly, "where is your mind? You haven't been with us for a while."
My stomach dropped. I sank my palm on the floor, struggling to get up. "I… I was just— I mean— I'm here," Unable to mouth the right words, feeling the back of my throat ache. The words tangled up with my tongue, messy and embarrassing.
Beside me, Rita brushed my leg softly, whispering, "Breathe. It's fine." She made a calming gesture with her hand, and somehow, that helped.
The lecturer sighed, repeating himself slower this time. "Calm your breathing. Focus. And this time—only your claws. Nothing else. Just call them out and pull them back. Do not attempt to shift beyond that."
Only my claws. That should be easy… right?
But the moment I tried to steady myself, my heartbeat grew stronger—uneven, so loud that I could hear it in my ears. The air felt heavier than before. I lifted my gaze to the moon hanging above us, steadying my eyes—unblinking. Something inside me stirred, deep and instinctive.
Breathing became harder by the second.
Everything flipped.
Instead of just my claws coming slipping out… a sudden sensation shot through me—fast, wild, uncontrollable. My bones shifted sharply, a burning rush of heat spreading under my skin. White fur sprouted along my arms, growing up my shoulders, my chest. The edges of my vision started to get blurry.
No—no, no, no—this wasn't what he asked for—
Gasps bursted out around me. People shifted back. Fear flashed in their eyes—real fear. And somehow, that only made the feeling worse.
Before I could completely give into the shift, a figure quickly shot up before me.
The lecturer.
He moved impossibly fast.
A tiny object flashed before my eyes, sending a loud thud at the side of my head—his cane, landing sharply against my ear. Pain jolted through me, snapping the wild surge growing inside me.
My knees buckled. The transformation stopped abruptly—fur retracting, bones returning to its normal size. I was left trembling, breath escaping my nostrils in shallow bursts.
Everyone around us was halfway to bolting, their faces—like frightened prey ready to take off.
The lecturer's tone dropped low, deadly. "If you had finished that shift, you could have lost yourself entirely." His eyes held something heavy—a memory that contains regret. "We've seen it before. Years ago, a student shifted out of control during training. He became rogue in minutes. We lost our finest gamma that night."
My breath caught. My mouth went dry.
Lost… someone died?
Because of something like this?
The thought wrapped cold fear around my chest, pressing hard.
He gestured for me to sit back down. "Go. Settle down. Breathe. We'll end it here for tonight."
The lecture ended abruptly. No one protested—they were too shaken. The group slowly dispersed, quiet murmurs following like they were scared to speak.
As soon as the circle began to break apart, Rita slid beside me and gently patted my back. "Hey," she whispered, warm and steady, "you did fine. Really. You just need control—that's all."
I shrugged, a shaky breath coming out of my chest. But she continued before I could argue.
"My first night?" She grinned innocently. "I couldn't shift at all. Not even a claw. Nothing came out. Then on the way home, one of the guys annoyed me so much, I almost shifted in the street. I nearly ripped his head off."
I snorted—unexpectedly, because despite the situation—her experience seemed funnier.
And in no time…
The same guy who'd made the ghost comment earlier walked up to him, hands shoved in his pockets, pride practically dripping off him.
"You have a beautiful wolf," he said, eyes raking over me with that wild confidence. "If you learn to control it, maybe I'll mark you as my mate."
His friends chuckled behind him.
My jaw dropped slightly. I tilted my head to the side, but before I could respond, Rita made a loud hiss that echoed through the dark.
A small smile curled out of his lips as he shifted his gaze on Rita and he left—his friends following behind him.
"Don't mind him," she muttered. "He's my ex. Let's just say he gets… intense. And he enjoys pushing people around. I wasn't sticking around for that."
"Oh," I said, my lips parted. "Makes sense."
When I finally stood to leave, still feeling the leftovers of fear and embarrassment brewing inside me—I saw him.
Lancelot.
Standing a short distance away, half-hidden in the shadow, like he'd been there for a while.
His expression—calm, unreadable. But something kept telling me that he saw everything. Every second. Every slip.
My breath caught as he moved closer. Heat rushing to my face. "You… saw all of that?"
"Yes, I did." Not even an attempt at a lie. His honesty made it worse somehow—yet, weirdly comforting.
We both laughed under our breaths—quiet, soft. But it eased the nerves growing inside me.
Rita gave me a quick side hug before heading off. "See you tomorrow, Alice." She muttered, her voice soft and steady.
Then it was just me and him, walking side by side down a lonely path. Silent, but not uncomfortable.
Lancelot walked me all the way home.
And though my heart was still beating too fast from everything that happened—I realized something.
I didn't feel alone. Not anymore.
"Goodnight," he said, "I'll see you tomorrow." A gentle smile flashing on his face before he slowly turned his back to leave.
"Wait…" I muttered abruptly, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Everything." I mumbled as I moved closer to him, pressing my lips against his cheek.
Surprise flickered on his face, and he instantly withdrew his gaze. "I… I'll see you tomorrow." He stuttered, as he turned his back—his steps quickened.
A soft chuckle escaped my throat, as I watched him slip through the darkness hurriedly.
I turned towards my room, and just there in the quiet of the night—a familiar voice called my name. I froze at first before finally glancing over my shoulder.
My breath caught—
The past I thought I'd left behind, had somehow followed me here. Cold sweats ran down my spine as I slowly walked towards the voice.
It was Xander, Diacam by his side.
Whatever brought them here, I'll stand my ground and make sure they see me differently this time.