Chapter 4: The Arrival

The bus skipped right in front of a giant gate, which carried a big write-up: All-Male Alpha Academy. Angela got dowoffe bus, and it left right away. She looked back and forth and found out that the road was quiet. The school had been isolated from society. If anything were to happen here, it would take a long time before an outsider would find out. Angela sighed as she held on to her bag. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. There was still time to go back home and continue living as Angela. But what life awaits her? Her uncle won’t stop trying to sell her off to any rich alpha, and her mother? She will switch on her as soon as she sees more money. This academy was the only option for her. Angela was about to go inside when a car stopped right beside her. A cold shiver ran down her spine. Could it be her uncle chasing her? She wondered. "Do you want a lift?" a male voice asked. It wasn’t her uncle. She turned and met with the cutest blue eyes she had ever seen. The guy was a student. His long hair was as white as snow. He had a smile on, revealing his sharp incisors, which means he was a werewolf. "No, thank you," Angela shook her head and moved towards the gate. If she keeps looking at the guy, she will lose her mind. He was handsome. If there was any more of him inside the academy, then she was going to be doomed. "You will have to walk a long way if you don’t accept my offer, boy," he insisted. Angela gave it a thought. Her bag was too heavy to carry for long, and if the buildings were as far away as they looked, she would die of exhaustion before reaching her destination. "Fine," she muttered, pulling open the car door and sliding into the seat beside him. The boy — no, the werewolf — gave off an energy that didn’t fit a normal student at all. Confident. Relaxed. Dangerous. "I’m Taros," he said as he steered the car smoothly through the gates and into the school grounds. Angela kept her eyes outside the window. He was right — the road stretched long, lined only with trees and endless fields of flowers. No buildings in sight yet. After a while, the Academy finally came into view — massive, ancient, and intimidating. "You are?" Taros asked, flashing a glance at her. "Angel," she replied quickly, keeping her voice low and steady. She didn’t dare meet his eyes. He was too much. Too handsome. Too dangerous. "Angel, huh? Strange name for a guy," he mused, a smile tugging at his lips. "But it’s cool." He pulled the car to a smooth stop in front of a towering building. The Academic Building, a sign read. "Welcome to the Alpha Academy," Taros said with a slight bow of his head. "Hope you survive it." Angela swallowed hard. She was about to thank him when he suddenly ruffled her hair. "Be a good boy. Stay out of trouble," he grinned. Angela stiffened. She had spent hours on the train fixing her disguise, and now — in one second — he had messed it up. "Thank you," she mumbled, quickly smoothing her hair again. "In case you do get into trouble," Taros said as she climbed out of the car, "you can find me." Angela frowned. "How?" He chuckled, revving the engine. "Don’t pray for trouble, boy. Just ask for Taros. Everybody knows me." With a wink, he drove off — not back toward the gates, but deeper into the Academy grounds. Angela turned to face the building towering above her, her bag heavy on her shoulder. The doors loomed like the mouth of a beast. There was no turning back now. At the entrance, a man attended to her. He showed her where the other new students were so that she could join in the orientation. As she walked down the passage, Angela could not help but look at the beautiful view of the school. She never thought she would ever see such beauty in her life. From what she had seen, the people who spoke about the Alpha academy did not do justice to the beautiful sites she had seen. In fact, it left her speechless. The more she realized this, the more she was scared. What if she finds out that the students were more dangerous than the rumours? How was she going to cope living with boys who behave like animals? "Are you a new student?" an elegant lady dressed in a black suit asked. Her long blonde hair was pulled back. She was soft, yet her expression carried a tough aura. "Ye,s ma," Angela answered, struggling to hold her huge bag. "Welcome and follow me." Angela did as she was told, and in no time, they got to the hall where the orientation was held. There were over seventy students, standing in straight files in five different lines. They were all new students because they all wore their personal clothes. "Welcome to Alpha Academy," the lady who walked with her was now on the stage. "I am Principal Valois." After the introduction of the teachers, a long speech was given to them about the dos and don'ts of the school. Angela listened carefully and made sure that she took notes of each of them. It would be bad if she defaults on any. After the long orientation speech, they were asked to check their houses on the notice board. The academy had five houses, which were gold, black, blue, whit, and red. As Angela searched for her name, she found out she got the gold house. Some old students had joined them, helping the new ones find their houses and rooms. One of them, a boy named Stales, walked up to Angela. "Which house did you get?" he asked. "Gold," Angela said. His eyes lit up. "That’s the best house! I wish I had gotten it when I was new. What about your room number?" "Fifty-six," she answered. Stales froze. He stared at her like she had just grown two heads. "You’re lying," he said, his voice low. He leaned in closer. "Seriously, what room?" Angela pointed at her name on the notice board. It was there, clear as day: Room 56. Stales gasped and slapped a hand over his mouth. "No way," he whispered. Angela’s stomach twisted. "What’s wrong with room fifty-six?" she asked, though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Stales lowered his voice. "That’s Kaito’s room. The Alpha from the West. He’s your roommate." Angela felt the ground sway under her feet. Her bag slid from her shoulder, landing with a soft thud. The Alpha from the west? The one she had run away from. How had she ended up right beside the danger she feared most?