Chapter 3 Strange school

** Freya **

The moment I stepped through the door, the world shifted.

One second, I was standing in a dark alley, my breath heavy from chasing the striped stray cat. The next, I was somewhere...else.

The air was filled with an energy I had never felt before. It wasn't cold, it wasn't warm-just different. My feet landed on solid ground, yet I wasn't sure if it was stone or something more alive. The scent of damp earth and ancient wood filled my lungs.

I looked around , trying to grasp where I had ended up. The sky above me wasn't the dull grey of the city but a deep shade of violet.

The cat sat a few feet ahead, tail flicking, watching me with knowing eyes.

"What is this place?" I whispered, more to myself than to the animal.

I stepped forward, my heartbeat loud in the silence, and as I did, a low hum filled the air. It was coming from something. From everywhere.

Then, the door behind me-this impossible, floating door-vanished.

I sucked in a sharp breath.

No way back.

No turning around.

I was here.

And whatever this place was, it felt like it had been waiting for me.

"This is a dream," I whispered to myself.

"I have to be dreaming. Freya, you need to wake up. Soon."

Then I heard a strange noise.A clang-metallic and rhythmic-like the sound of a gate.

I followed it, my worn-out shoes sinking slightly into the damp earth with every step.

The fog cleared just enough to reveal large set of iron gates, with the image of a falcon carved into the center.

They were as tall as the trees around them-and twice as scary.

Something deep inside me screamed to turn back.But curiosity...Curiosity made me walk closer.

With a shaky hand, I touched the gate.To my surprise, it groaned and creaked-then slowly swung open on its own.

I hesitated.

"Is this some kind of bad dream I'm stuck in? This can't be real... right?"

But the cold felt real.And so did the tight knot twisting in my stomach.Before I could decide whether to run or step through, two massive figures emerged from the fog.They didn't look human.

Too tall.

Too broad.

Glowing tattoo-like marks covered their bare arms.Their eyes held no warmth-just endless darkness.One of them grunted something in a language I didn't understand.

Then the other grabbed my arm. Not violently, but firm enough that I knew resistance was pointless.

"Hey!" I protested, struggling.

"Where are you taking me?"

They didn't answer.The one on my left muttered something again, and I thought I heard a name-something that sounded ghostly...

"Let's go!" the other one barked.My heart pounded. Everything was happening too fast.They dragged me forward, toward a structure just beyond the gates.

It looked like a building, but not any kind I had ever seen.It had spires like a castle, towers that clawed at the sky.The stones were dark. The windows are strange.Vines twisted up the walls, but they weren't green. They were coal-black.

It reminded me of those ancient hunted castles from storybooks.

I swallowed hard.

"This has to be a dream," I whispered."There's no way this is real."The inside wasn't any more comforting.

The doors slammed shut behind us with a thunderous boom.They led me down a hallway lit by flickering torches-yes, actual torches-and strange runes that shimmered faintly on the walls.

The hallway stretched endlessly. With every step, the air grew heavier, like the entire building was watching me.Finally, we reached a door carved with the same falcon and runes I'd seen on the gate.One of the guards knocked three times."Enter," said a voice. Soft, but commanding.

The door swung open on its own.

Inside sat a woman behind a desk.She looked no older than thirty.

But her eyes...Her eyes weren't like anything I had ever seen.-They were sharp and violet-her eyes.

Her auburn hair was tied in a neat bun, and her deep green robe shimmered with moving symbols."I'll take it from here," she said calmly to the guards.

They released me and vanished without a word.I rubbed my sore arm and looked around. The office wasn't too bright-dimly lit, with three walls lined with floating books and scrolls that organized themselves in mid-air.

The ceiling was a swirling vortex of stars-an illusion, but mesmerizing nonetheless."Freya Moore," the woman said, looking directly at me. "Welcome."

I blinked.

"You know my name?"She smiled gently, like a teacher pleased with a child's curiosity. "I'm Eva Morgen. Dean of Admissions and Orientation. You've arrived at Moon claw university."I stared at her. "Moon claw-what? I... I didn't apply to any-wait. No. That was a throwaway option. I only submitted an application because I needed four."

Eva nodded, hands folded neatly on the desk. "Yes. The last option. The one you didn't want to accept."

"How do you know about that?"

"Oh, Freya," she said softly. "I've always been watching you. Monitoring your activities in the human world. And I must say-you weren't treated well there."

"Is this some joke? Or a dream?" My voice trembled. "This isn't real. I'm stuck in some kind of trance, right?"

"Oh, it's very real," Eva replied, her eyes glinting strangely. "You were always meant to arrive here. As per the terms of the binding-once you turned eighteen, the portal would find you. And here you are."I blinked rapidly. "Portal? Binding? I didn't bind anything with anyone! I'm... I'm just human!"Silence stretched between us like cracking ice.

Eva tilted her head, studying me. "You think you're just human."

My chest rose and fell quickly. "I am human. I go to high school. I work at a café. I take care of my foster family. I've never even been on a plane-and now I'm in some gothic wizard Hogwarts knockoff being told I was meant to be here?"

"You may feel human now-or think you are-but you're not," Eva said quietly. "You are more than that, Freya. What you are has simply been... dormant."

Without realizing it, I dropped into a chair across from her. My hands trembled in my lap."This is insane," I muttered.

Eva didn't respond right away. She reached for a quill and scribbled something into a floating book."It will take time for you to adjust," she said finally.

"Your powers will begin to awaken. It starts with small-unusual dreams, accidental manipulation of emotions. Soon, the human shell will fall away. Your true essence will emerge."

I stared at her like she'd grown horns."Why now?" I whispered. "Why when I just turned eighteen?"

"Because a binding spell to the human world was placed on you," Eva answered. "It was only broken when you turned eighteen. Like I said, I've been watching you. You weren't cursed, Freya. But the suffering you experienced in the human world-that was part of the calling. You were placed in the wrong world... temporarily."

"Everything was for a purpose," she continued. "This is your purpose."

I stood up abruptly. "This is too much. I need to wake up from this dream."

"Freya, this isn't a dream," she said firmly."What about the cat?"

"Well," she said, with a faint smile, "I sent him to bring you here."

"What!" I shouted. "Okay, that's enough. All of this is too much. You've got the wrong girl. I need to go back to the human world. I'm sure my father-"

"Must be worried sick?" Eva finished for me, cutting me off. "He doesn't care anymore, Freya. There's nothing left for you in that world. This is your home now-whether you like it or not."

"If you won't take me back, then I'll find a way myself," I said, voice shaking.She laughed softly. "Leaving this college isn't possible until you've fully graduated. So don't bother trying."

"I'm dreaming," I whispered, pressing my fingers to my temples. "Please let me wake up."A knock interrupted us."Come in," Eva said.

I turned, blinking twice as a tall, beautiful figure stepped inside. No-not just beautiful. He was breathtaking."Hello Dean ?" You asked for me."

"Freya Moore," Eva said, standing from her seat, "meet your new mentor-Kristen Blackwood. He's a wolf shifter and just transferred to this school... because of you."

"Me?" I echoed, startled."Yes, Freya. You."I looked up at him. His golden eyes glowed, and something shimmered beneath the surface. There was a pull-something I couldn't explain, something that tightened in my chest."Mate," his wolf muttered in his mind, his eyes wide as he stared at me.