Chapter 6
*Aria*
"You're blocking the corridor." He said coldly. The words were calm, yet they landed like a command.
I realized then that I had frozen in front of him.
I stepped aside immediately, my pulse misfiring. "I didn't see you."
He didn't even look my way once and just walked ahead, dusting his robe slightly, like i was just a dirt that had almost ruined his clothing.
I clenched my fist, but at the same time my mind reeled with thoughts. How was he related to the royal family. Who did he think he was. Damn it I could just break his fucking skull.
Right then, Lina and Mira rushed to my side. They must have been wondering why I decided to return to the dorm, although I couldn't even make it there thanks to the collision which now left me trembling like I'd just encountered the angel of death.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Lina scolded, grabbing my arm and pulling my after her as they headed back to the assembly.
"My necklace, I can't find it."
"And you planned to ruin our records just because of a stupid necklace?" Her grip tightened on my arm, making me wince slightly.
"It's not stupid." I shot back. "And can you stop pulling me so hard damn it?"
"You mean this necklace?" Mira asked quietly, lifting up a silver necklace with a blue glowing gemstone as it's pendant.
But suddenly, as soon as my eyes locked with the gemstone, my y breath snagged.
A sharp, violent pulse tore through my chest, like something inside me had slammed against my ribs. Heat flooded my veins. My skin prickled like it was on fire. What in the world was happening.
The corridor tilted, sound dulled, then amplified. I could hear everything. Footsteps echoing floors away. The frantic flutter of Mira's heartbeat. Lina's grip on my arm, and...
'What's wrong with her?why isn't she saying anything?'
I clearly hear Mira speaking but her lips weren't moving. What the actual hell?
My fingers twitched. A low vibration rolled through me, deep and unfamiliar, rising from somewhere buried in my core. My teeth clenched as pressure built behind my eyes. My muscles tensed, coiling, straining.
"Aria?" Mira's voice wavered.
The gemstone burned brighter.
And something inside me answered.
A surge of raw, feral energy exploded outward.
My vision sharpened unnaturally, colors slicing into painful clarity. My pulse thundered, wild and erratic. My nails bit into my palms as my body trembled, caught between control and explosion.
"Aria!" Lina's voice snapped.
For some reason I couldn't respond. My bones ached, like they were being pulled apart from the inside. A growl clawed at my throat, then—
"Oh!"
The glow vanished. Mira fumbled, the necklace slipping from her fingers. The pendant hit the floor with a small metallic clink, skidding across the polished tiles.
The gemstone rolled out of sight.
And just like that, everything stopped.
The pressure, the heat, the noise.
My knees nearly gave out as I sucked in a ragged breath, everything now back to normal. My heart still raced, but it wasn't as chaotic as before.
Lina steadied me instantly. "What the hell was that?"
"I…" My voice came out hoarse. "I don't know."
Mira stared at me, wide-eyed, then quickly bent to retrieve the necklace. This time she didn't lift it up.
"You looked like you were about to shift," Lina muttered.
Shift? A chill slid down my spine.
"I've never—" I swallowed. "it was nothing." I quickly said.
Lina studied my face with suspicion and concern. After a tense second, she clicked her tongue.
"Great. First week at the academy and you're already malfunctioning."
"I'm not malfunctioning," I snapped weakly.
"Could've fooled me."
Mira stepped closer, her voice softer. "Are you okay now?"
I flexed my fingers. The change feeling was gone now, but I suddenly felt so drained. "…Yeah, I'm fine."
Miraa exhaled. "Good. Here you go, it fell of from you while you ran off. I figured you might be looking for this so I came after you. Lina only followed when she sighted you bump into her all time crush."
"Shut up." Lina hissed, glaring at Mira.
I raised a brow in disbelief. "You mean that guy who just left here?…" I muttered.
"Do you have any idea who THAT guy is?"
I shook her head slowly, "He's royal, right? I know that much"
Lina grinned, her cheeks heating up. She didn't even bother to hide her infatuation. "Not just any royal."
I blinked. "What does that mean?"
She leaned slightly closer, lowering her voice even though the corridor was loud.
"That," Lina said, "was the Next heir to the throne,Prince Kael."
My steps faltered, my heart racing…"What?"
"I don't get how someone could be that breathtaking and scary at the same time. Too bad he hasn't gotten to know me, I would have melted his icy heart."
I almost gagged, the fuck! She really was pathetically in love. "You must read too much romance novels."
Mira seemed quiet, not chipping into the conversation. I turned to her, curious. "And what do you have to say about this umm...royal Prince?"
I instantly noticed her muscles tensed, like she dreaded something. "You know I'm a sensory wolf type right?" She asked quietly.
"Yes?"
"Well," she continued. "I can't explain it but...I always get this weird vibe whenever he is close by. My wolf is... freaking scared of his wolf. She once tried reaching out to his wolf on my request, well it was Lina that actually requested a favor. Long story short, I lost consciousness almost as soon as I tried. His wolf tried to disable my ability."
Her steps stilled as she paused and turned to me. "You're new here so I'll give you a friendly warning, whatever you do, avoid him and don't dare piss him off. He is one hell of a scary prince."
My stomach dropped as I recalled my encounter with him. The cold, the command in his voice, the way he'd walked past me like I was nothing. I clenched my jaw.
"…I should've broken his skull.", I muttered under my breath.
"Are you fucking insane or didn't you hear what I just said?"