Mary adjusted her bag strap and tried to look like she wasn't afraid.
One of the men opened her trunk and lifted her luggage with ease, as if it weighed nothing.
"Follow," the other escort said, his voice deep and flat.
Mary followed.
The front doors opened before they touched them.
Warm air rolled out. The inside was even more unreal—marble floors with black-and-gold patterns, chandeliers that looked like dripping stars, and walls lined with portraits that didn't sit still.
Mary slowed when one of the portraits turned its head.
The painted figure's eyes tracked her.
Mary's stomach flipped.
Nope.
She kept walking.
A woman in a sleek black suit waited in the entrance hall, posture perfect, hair pulled back tightly. Her smile was polite in a way that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Mary Marvin," she said smoothly. "Welcome to Obsidian Moon Academy."
Mary's throat tightened. "Thanks."
The woman gestured. "I'm Administrator Vale. You'll call me Administrator, or Ms. Vale. Come with me for intake."
Mary walked beside her, trying not to stare at everything at once.
They passed students—some human-looking, some not. A boy with eyes too bright to be normal. A girl whose nails looked just a little too sharp. A group of students laughing together, their voices carrying a strange echo like the hall amplified certain tones.
Mary's skin prickled.
Ms. Vale led her into a sleek office with dark wood furniture and shelves lined with thick black books.
On the desk sat a folder with Mary's name already printed.
Mary lowered into a chair.
Ms. Vale opened the folder. "You'll receive your full schedule, dorm assignment, and campus access credentials today. Books will be issued from the Academic Hall."
Mary nodded, forcing herself to breathe evenly.
Ms. Vale's eyes flicked briefly to Mary's hair, then away.
"Our records indicate your guardian is Marvin Davenport."
Mary blinked. "Davenport?"
Ms. Vale looked up. "Yes. Marvin Davenport."
Mary's heart stumbled. She'd always been Mary Marvin. People called her Mary Marvin like it was a joke. Like Marvin had stamped his name twice just to be stubborn.
She'd never questioned the last name.
Never thought to.
Mary's voice came out smaller than she wanted. "I… thought my last name was Marvin."
Ms. Vale's smile didn't shift, but the air felt subtly tighter.
"Marvin is his surname as well," she said smoothly, as if correcting a child. "Davenport is the legal family name associated with his accounts. You'll be registered as Mary Davenport-Marvin while enrolled here."
Mary's stomach twisted.
Why didn't he tell me?
Ms. Vale slid a paper across the desk—account information.
"Your guardian deposited funds for your expenses during your stay."
Mary stared at the number and nearly choked.
It was… a lot.
Enough that she could've paid for college twice over.
Her throat tightened.
He really does love me.
Even if he showed it like a grumpy brick wall.
Even if his hugs felt like accidental collisions.
Ms. Vale continued, "Your luggage will be taken to your room. You'll be issued technology from the Davenport Collection and welcome resources."
Mary blinked again. "The—what collection?"
Ms. Vale tapped the folder. "Our sponsor provides new students with electronics—laptop, tablet, and communication device for academic access."
Mary hesitated. "I already have a new phone."
Ms. Vale's eyes flicked up. "From Marvin Davenport, yes."
Mary's stomach dropped.
So he didn't just buy that phone because he felt like it.
He bought it because he knew she'd need it here.
A chill slid down Mary's spine.
Ms. Vale pressed a button on the intercom. "Send in her kit."
A moment later, another staff member entered carrying two sleek black boxes and a smaller one.
He placed them on the desk with a careful reverence.
Mary stared at them.
The first box opened to reveal a laptop so thin and polished it looked expensive enough to belong in a museum. The logo was a crescent moon made of silver.
The second box held a tablet that shimmered faintly, screen dark but somehow… awake.
Ms. Vale's voice was calm. "The tablet supports interactive coursework, language translation, and specialized programs. The website-building suite is standard."
Mary's eyebrows lifted. "It can build websites?"
"It can do more than that," Ms. Vale replied, lips hinting at something almost like amusement. "But you'll learn."
Mary touched the laptop carefully like it might bite her.
A third box was slid toward her—student credentials, campus map, and a bracelet-like band that looked like jewelry but felt heavier.
Ms. Vale pointed at it. "This is your campus access band. Do not remove it unless instructed. It tracks entry points, curfew compliance, and emergency response."
Mary's skin prickled.
Tracking.
Great. Definitely not a kidnapping.
Ms. Vale slid the final packet toward her.
"Dorm assignment. Crescent Wing, Room 3C."
Mary's breath caught.
That was the same room number she'd been given by the principal.
She opened the packet quickly.
And froze.
Roommates listed beneath her name:
Jada Lane
Avery Chen
Miles Carter
Mary let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
Relief hit so hard her eyes stung.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
Ms. Vale's gaze sharpened slightly. "Your roommates arrive tomorrow. Due to transportation scheduling, your escort brought you first."
Mary nodded, hugging the packet closer.
She wasn't going to sleep alone tonight.
She wasn't going to sleep beside strangers.
She wasn't going to sleep beside a potential murderer.
That mattered.
Ms. Vale stood. "Now. A brief orientation tour."
Mary followed her out, clutching her new things like a shield.
They walked through the main hall, past floating candles and moving portraits, down a staircase that opened into a courtyard surrounded by archways.
Ms. Vale pointed as she spoke. "Academic Hall. Library. Dining wing. Club lodges. Training grounds."
Training grounds.
Mary's stomach tightened.
Ms. Vale's expression stayed neutral. "Rules. Curfew is midnight for all first-year arrivals."
Mary blinked. "Midnight?"
"Yes." Ms. Vale walked as if curfew was a casual suggestion. "This is not a human school, Mary. We trust our students to behave responsibly. The campus is monitored. If you are caught breaking curfew repeatedly, your privileges will be restricted."
Mary glanced around. "So the rules are… lax?"
Ms. Vale gave her a look. "The academy is strict where it matters."
Mary didn't like the way that sounded.
Ms. Vale continued, "There are sanctioned gatherings—what you might call parties. Bonus events. Attendance can earn points and benefits. Participation is optional but… socially encouraged."
Mary swallowed.
So the academy basically rewarded students for being brave enough to throw themselves into the deep end.
Ms. Vale handed Mary a schedule card.
Mary scanned it, eyes widening.
INTRO TO WOLF ANATOMY
POTIONS & PRACTICAL ALCHEMY
FOUNDATIONS OF MANA THEORY
COMBAT READINESS (HUMAN TRACK)
HISTORY OF THE PACK & COVEN
Mary stared at Combat Readiness.
Human track.
Her throat went dry.
"I'm taking combat?" she asked quietly.
Ms. Vale's eyes flicked to Mary's face.
"Every student learns how to survive here," she replied. "Especially humans."
Mary didn't miss the emphasis.
Especially humans.
Ms. Vale led her down another hallway toward a staircase marked CRESCENT WING.
The halls here felt quieter, dimmer, the air cooler.
Mary's skin tingled as they walked, that strange sensation returning—like something in the walls recognized her.
Ms. Vale spoke without turning. "Your dorm is co-ed. Male and female residents share the wing, but bedrooms are assigned per room."
Mary blinked. "Co-ed?"
"Yes." Ms. Vale's mouth curved slightly. "We find it fosters… social development. Obsidian Moon Academy is designed for interspecies unity."
Mary swallowed hard.
Interspecies unity.
She didn't like how much that sounded like mate hunting grounds.
They turned a corner.
And Mary collided with something solid.
A body.
A chest.
A presence.
She stumbled back automatically, hands lifting—
But the person she bumped into didn't move an inch.
Mary's gaze snapped up.
And her breath stopped.
Three young men stood in the hallway like they belonged there more than the stone and gold did.
They were taller than anyone Mary had ever seen in her life.
And they didn't look like high school boys.
They looked like—
Kings.
The first one had hair the color of midnight and eyes like silver blades. His face was sharp, almost regal, his expression cold enough to freeze blood. He wore the academy uniform like it was a crown.
His gaze locked onto Mary.
Not curious.
Assessing.
Like he was deciding whether she was a threat.
The second was chaos wrapped in beauty—ash-blond hair that fell into his eyes, a lazy smile that didn't match the predator energy rolling off him. His eyes were gold.
Wolf-gold.
He looked at Mary like he'd already found something interesting.
And the third—
The third made Mary's skin heat under her clothes.
Dark brown hair, slightly longer on top, eyes a rich, impossible green. Calm. Controlled. But his gaze held weight, like he could see through her and into the parts of her she didn't understand.
Mary's heartbeat stuttered.
A pulse of warmth flickered beneath her ribs.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something older.
Something that recognized them the way her dream had.
Ms. Vale's voice sharpened beside her. "Alphas."
Mary went still.
The silver-eyed Alpha's gaze narrowed slightly.
"You're early," he said, voice deep and clipped.
Ms. Vale nodded politely. "Schedule adjustment."
The blond Alpha tilted his head, smile widening. "And you brought us a human."
Mary's spine stiffened.
The green-eyed Alpha stepped forward—just one slow step.
And Mary's entire body responded like a struck match.
Heat.
Awareness.
A sharp, strange pull in her chest.
His eyes flicked to the platinum streaks in her hair.
Then back to her face.
His voice was quiet.
"Mary," he said, like he'd been expecting her.
Mary's stomach dropped.
Because she hadn't told him her name.
And in that moment, standing in the shadow of three Alphas…
Mary knew with cold certainty—
Her life had officially stopped being her own.