Chapter 1 Skyla's POV

My heart pounded as I stepped through the towering gates of Starlight Shifters Academy.

The sheer size of the place stole my breath away, gothic arches, sprawling courtyards, and shimmering glass windows reflecting the golden morning sun. I had dreamed of this moment for years, and now I was finally here.

"Your mum loved it here." My dad's voice from behind cut through my thoughts. I turned to him swiftly, smiling because he had made the right decision to bring me here, though it took a lot of convincing.

"And I'll love it more." I replied to him, giving him the last hug, it was the last hug because I wouldn't be going back home until after a session.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. And if anything goes wrong here," he paused, glancing at the towering building with suspicious eyes. He looked at me again. "Call me right away, okay?"

"I will, dad."I assured my old man but he didn't look convinced. He kept darting his gaze towards the school building like it inhabited some bad stuff I didn't know about.

"Dad!" I called him out of his trance. "If there's anything you've not told me yet about this school or mum..."

"There's nothing else, Sky. I told you everything already. I just want you to promise me, you'll be safe."

I nodded. "I promise." I said, standing there as he stroked my hair gently with his hand. I lifted my luggages, one on my left hand and another on my right and then a pack bag hung on my shoulders.

"Sky." My dad called again. "You won't go around searching for anything about your mum. Promise?

"I won't." I said and turned around. I had just lied to my father. Searching for my mum's history in starlight shifters academy was one of my goals, I had no idea why my father was against it.

What was he hiding?

A swirl of emotions tightened in my chest, excitement, nervousness, and something else. Determination. I wasn't just here for classes or to make friends. I was here to find answers about my mother. Her past at this academy was a mystery, and I intended to uncover it.

The crowd of students buzzed around me, everyone finding their way to classes. Shifters of all kinds, wolves, bears, and even some rare avian types, moved together, laughing and chatting like they already belonged.

I felt small, invisible, but a flicker of pride kept my shoulders straight. You made it, Skyla.

The first few classes went by in a blur of introductions and syllabus handouts. I barely remembered anyone's names; my head was too full of wonder about the academy's secrets. When the bell rang for lunch, my stomach growled in agreement.

The cafeteria was massive, rows of long tables, the air rich with the scent of fresh bread, roasted meat, and something sweet I couldn't place.

I grabbed a tray, piling on some pasta and a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. Finding a seat seemed impossible until I spotted an empty corner table.

I turned too quickly, my tray tipping forward. My heart dropped as my entire plate of pasta collided with someone's chest.

A low, dangerous growl met my ears. "Seriously?"

I froze, eyes snapping up to meet an infuriated glare. The boy towered over me, his muscular frame tense with barely restrained anger. Pasta sauce dripped down his designer shirt.

"I-oh, gosh, I'm so sorry!" I stammered, panic rising. "It was an accident..."

His icy-blue eyes narrowed. "An accident?" His voice was sharp, biting. "You've got to be kidding me."

Whispers rippled through the cafeteria.

"It's Adler Fenwick," someone said in excitement.

"Son of the academy owner."

"And a Lycan," another added, their voice hushed with awe and fear.

My stomach knotted. Adler Fenwick. The heir to starlight shifters academy. I swallowed hard, my voice tight but sincere. "Look, I'm sorry. Let me..."

But he wasn't interested in apologies. His eyes flicked to the dessert section behind me. Before I could react, he snatched a bowl of chocolate pudding from a nearby table.

"Here," he said with a cold smirk. "Let me return the favor."

I barely had time to gasp before the pudding landed, thick, sticky, and cold-right on my head.

The room erupted with laughter.

My cheeks burned with humiliation as the chocolate dripped down my hair and onto my uniform. I clenched my fists, my throat tight with shame. I had apologized, but he still chose to humiliate me. On my first day of school.

"Oops," he sneered. "Guess we're even."

The laughter from the tables felt deafening. I blinked rapidly, my vision blurring with tears. But no, I wouldn't cry. Not here. Not in front of him.

Something inside me snapped.

A pulse of energy surged through my body-hot, raw, and uncontrollable. My palms tingle, and the air around me seems to shift. I felt the power before I saw what it did.

Adler's mocking grin vanished, because his body flew backward.

With a deafening crash, he slammed into the cafeteria wall, the impact so hard that trays clattered from tables, and students gasped in shock. Plates shattered on the floor.

Silence.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to me.

My breath hitched. My hands, still trembling, glowed faintly with a strange, flickering light. I stared at them, my heart pounding. What...what did I just do?

Adler groaned from the floor, his friends rushing to his side. Shock and confusion flashed across their faces.

The fear hit me all at once. My stomach dropped. My pulse raced. This isn't possible.

I felt the heat of their stares, their whispers, their fear.

And then, I ran.

I shoved through the double doors, my shoes slapping against the polished floors. My breath came in gasps as I darted into the nearest bathroom, locking myself inside a stall.

The cool tiles pressed against my back as I slid down to the floor, my chest heaving. My hands were still shaking, still tingling from whatever I had done.

"What...what was that?" My voice trembled. I stared at my palms, turning them over as if they held the answer. But they didn't.

I didn't understand.

I wasn't a Lycan or a powerful shifter. I wasn't anything.

So what the hell had I just done with my hands?