Eleanor

What the hell was his problem?

Alpha Ezra was had and would always be a pain in the ass.

Only one person on earth, called me Beetle.

And it was the man who had stormed out of the library, clearly enraged because his uncle had asked him to look after me in a school he clearly did not want me in.

I refused to allow my thoughts to wander to how good he looked, and how piercing his eyes were.

Gosh, the last time I had seen him, we had had a fight because I had insisted on going to a pack party for young adults.

And then Ezra had gotten into a fight with a young wolf who had pulled me against him while we were dancing.

I had never been so embarrassed like I had that day. Especially when I had been about to handle it on my own.

Now he was against me going to the academy.

Why did he always feel like he had a say in my business?

I pushed Ezra out of my mind and picked up my pen and notepad, taking note of the things I needed.

I had exactly one week before the academy resumed, and that was a really short time to prepare.

I still couldn’t believe Carden had agreed to let me go, despite Liv disapproving. After trying to get her to accept and she remained adamant, he had sent me to my room and picked her bridal style to their bedroom.

Yes. Liv and Carden were a thing.

They were not fated mates, but they did love each other.

I climbed onto my bed and got to work.

~

The sound of the window shifting had me sitting up, and my wolf alert. I was almost out of the bed to attack whoever or whatever it was, when I smelled him.

“What are you doing in my room?” I hissed, aware of how intoxicatingly good he smelled.

There was a hint of alcohol though, and something...metallic_ “Oh my goodness, are you injured?” I switched on the bedside lamp but Ezra scoffed.

“Calm down, Beetle. It’s not mine.” he said casually, his tall frame occupying so much space in the room, that it made my room look too small, and warm.

Had he really gotten into a fight on his first night back into the pack?

It was not rare, and at a point, I had learned to mind my business.

I sat back in my bed, watching him with narrowed eyes. “What are you doing in my room?” I asked again, peeping at the bedside clock to see I had slept till it was almost time for dinner.

“It’s my house.” he shrugged and moved to my reading table, picking up a book. “I can be wherever I want.”

The thick hair on his head fell forward, in a way that made my hand itch to touch it.

Jeez, Eleanor! Cut it out! I scolded myself.

I searched for a retort, but came out empty. So I kept quiet instead, watching him.

“You can’t go to the academy, Beetle. It doesn’t suit you.” Ezra said after a moment, placing my book back on the table.

My ears rang at his words.

He turned so his eyes were now on me, and I was suddenly aware of them.

“Why?” I asked, swallowing my annoyance. I was on the brink of losing it, though.

“Because I said so.”

My mouth gaped open. “You don’t get to decide that!” I snapped, getting off the bed. "It is my decision to make!"

Ezra growled, moving with the speed of light until he was inches away from me.

His icy blue eyes flashed and pierced into mine. “Well I am telling you the truth, Beetle. Why not go to the other schools? There are a few out there that would be suitable for you. Why do you have to come to the one I am in?” He sounded pissed.

But his words hit me. And I actually felt a sliver of hurt slide up my spine.

We had never gotten along.

For the years since I got into Nairethorne, Ezra had mostly avoided me. And in the times where we couldn’t avoid each other, it had been a tug of war.

I blinked, his scent hitting me as I inhaled sharply. “Do you really hate me that much, that you can’t stand to be in the same school as me?” A hard lump formed in my throat.

My voice was way too small and shaky for my liking.

I saw his blazing eyes dim slightly at my words, before he broke our gaze, slipping his fingers through his thick hair. “Eleanor, I don_It’s not like that_I just..” he sighed. “I just_fuck!”

I was right.

He didn’t want me with him.

I took a step back, and Ezra flashed me a look. “I have made my decision. And Carden has accepted. So whether you refuse or not, it’s none of my business.”

He looked at me for the longest time, his eyes hardening.

Had he been expecting me to say I wouldn't go again because he didn't want me there?

“Fine. But once we cross those gates, you stay the fuck away from me.” he advanced towards me, and instinctively, I took a step back. “I don’t want you in my space, Beetle. And I mean it.” my back hit the wall, and Ezra stalked nearer, placing a hand on the wall over my shoulder. “You want to be at Moonlight? Fine. But know that you are on your own.”

There were very few times I had been up close with Ezra. But not like this.

This was too much.

This was sending a huge swarm of butterflies fluttering low in my belly.

His face was barely two inches away from mine, and I could feel his breath on my lips. His lower chest grazed the tips of my breasts, and I fought a gasp as my nipples instantly hardened.

Oh dear. What was happening to me?

I blinked rapidly, forcing myself to think.

“Ezra Nairethorne, Even if I am paid ten million dollars, I wouldn’t still want to be in your space. I have no business with you, so quit being a cry baby and man up to the fact that I was able to get into the best academy for our kind.” I heard myself say, still painfully aware of him.

His eyes fell to my lips, and flashed red, then back to their original color. A smirk formed on his lips, and he raised his gaze back to mine. “Okay then. Goodluck at the academy.”

And then he was gone, taking his warmth with him and sliding back out of the window from where he had entered.

A heavy gasp left my lips, and my heartbeat accelerated, making me slide down the wall until I was sitting on the floor.

What the hell!

Since when did I care about Ezra Nairethorne’s hair, eyes or lips?!

And since when did he have any kind of effect on my body?!

And why was that so hot?!!!

Eleanor

“Get down.”

The order was curt and cold, just like the source.

I blinked at Ezra, who had his eyes trained ahead of him, his fists wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.

We had driven in quietness with him ignoring me the whole of the four hours it took to get to the academy. We had only spoken when we got to a gas station and he nonchalantly asked if I needed anything.

Now though, four hours later, we were parked a small distance away from the entrance of the Academy.

“Why? Did something happen to your car?” I asked, even if I already had a sinking feeling of exactly why he was asking me to get down.

“I will not repeat myself, beetle.”

I swallowed. “I know you said to stay out of your way, but this is too much, Ezra. You don’t expect me to walk all the way in there_”

The slamming of the car door was what alerted me to the fact that he had gotten out and was now walking towards the back.

I got out of the car in time to see him pull out my suitcases from the trunk.

“You wanted to come to Moonlight.” He slammed the trunk shut. “Welcome to the Moonlight Academy for Gilded Bloodlines, Beetle.”

And then before i could come up with a reply, he had gotten into his car and zoomed off, leaving me standing there, my mouth hanging open in awe.

For the one week before we went back, Ezra had steered clear of the mansion, and while I knew it was just him being himself, this time, I knew he was going out of his way to avoid me.

The car currently disappearing from sight was evidence.

I fought the urge to kick and scream about how much I hated him.

Gosh, I hated him!

Instead, I huffed in annoyance and eyed the two heavy suitcases I had packed.

Forty-nine minutes and over six hundred silent curses later, and I was rolling the suitcase into the reception of the academy.

With no one but my map to guide me, I had gotten the direction wrong, twice!

“Your name?” The woman at the reception asked, not lifting her eyes from her computer for even a second.

I looked at her name tag to see the name ‘Cassie’, written boldly on it.

“Eleanor. Eleanor Grayerh.” I answered, stammering slightly.

The movement of her fingers across her keyboard stopped, and she raised her gaze to me. “What did you say your name is again?”

I frowned, seeing an odd expression cross her face. “Eleanor Grayerh.”

Cassie’s expression turned blank for a few seconds before she turned away and typed in my name into the computer.

She reached under her desk and produced a file. “You have been assigned to Red towers. Your room number, keys, id card, and everything you need is in there.”

I mumbled a thank you as she went back to her computer, gesturing for the next person to come.

As I walked away, I felt the urge to look back, but still saw her gaze trained on her computer, and frowned.

“Watch it!” A voice sneered, but it was too late as I crashed into a body, the envelope in my hand flying and the contents falling to the floor.

I gasped, steadying myself, and looked up to see a blonde staring daggers at me.

She was dressed head to toe in the lightest shade of blue, resembling a character straight from a barbie movie.

“A perfect example of what we do not need at Moonlight.” she hissed, dusting off invisible dirt from her jacket where I assume my body had touched. “You are lucky I’m in a hurry or I would have thought you a lesson, clumsy bitch!”

I just stared, dumbfounded as she turned and strutted away, clutching a small channel purse, while two girls hurried after her with her suitcase.

Great.

Just what I needed.

Running into queen bee on my first day.

I dropped to the ground, gathering the contents of my envelope and sighed when I spotted my key on the far left.

I crawled to it, only to stop when a pair of shiny black heels stopped next to it, and when I thought the owner would kick it or something, a small hand reached downwards and picked it right up.

“I guess you are not exactly having a good first day now, are you?” A sweet voice asked, and I looked up to see a face I could only describe as front page magazine-worthy, looking down at me with a sweet smile.

Unlike the blonde, she was dressed in a very short black skirt, and a brown leather jacket with a small white top inside. Her brown hair was tied in a high ponytail that fell in waves down her back.

She had the prettiest hazel eyes I had ever seen that was framed with equally pretty dark brown lashes.

“You guessed right.” I answered with a smile of my own and allowed her pull me to my feet.

“I can imagine.” she said. “I’m Ava.” she handed me my keys. “And judging by the room number on that, our rooms are opposite each other.”

“Eleanor.” I replied, sightly regretting the fact that she was not my roommate.

Why couldn’t it be like those books or movies where the girl who saved you gets to be your roommate!

Ava, despite my protests, took my suitcase and led me towards our tower.

“I mean, it’s just a tall ancient building, but for some reason, they decided to call it a tower.” she was saying, as we made our way through the surprisingly scanty hall.

Turns out I was quite late, even without Ezra dropping me off outside the academy.

“Maybe to sound cool?” I offered, actually impressed by the environment.

Ava laughed in agreement.

It was really a school for the Elites.

And considering the amount paid to get in, they did a great job preserving the old structures which gave it a cooler and more mysterious vibe.

“Mind you, the girl you bumped into back there, that’s Jasmine. She’s a hybrid princess and the queen bee as you may have guessed.” I wasn’t surprised. “I personally do not give a fuck about people like that, but if you do, then she is one you have to stay away from.”

I scrunched my nose. “Nahh.. I really do not care about any queen bee, Ava.”

And it was true.

Zach was the last person I was every going to let walk all over me.

Ava raised a surprised brow. “Now I definitely like you and know we would be friends.”

We got to the door of my room and I turned the key, still smiling at Ava, but what greeted me wiped the smile off my face.

Eleanor

Pink and blue suitcases were arranged to the side, ready to be unpacked.

But that was not what set me off.

It was the owner, who stood with her hands on her waist, barking orders at the girls that were with her.

The moment Jasmine’s eyes met mine, they turned thunderous.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” her voice was a biting whisper. “You?”

Just like her, I almost laughed at fate playing a cruel joke by making us roommates.

“There is no way in hell I’m sharing a room with you!” Jasmine screeched, her voice annoying and way too unattractive for my liking. “I asked for the most expensive suite in the tower, and it certainly can’t be the best if I have to share it with a clumsy b_”

I didn’t let her finish. “Now I may have let you insult me earlier. And that was because I was partly at fault for bumping into you.” My tone was low. “But I won’t let you call me names for no reason at all. If you do not want to share a room with me, then you can take it to the admin, or the student council.”

Alpha Carden, being one to always spoil me, had payed for the best, even complaining when he found out that for a new student, I had to share a room.

We only got privileges of having a solo room from the third year. Which was where Ezra was at.

Jasmine looked like she could burst at any minutes as we both stared each other down.

It was Ava who butted in. “Look, Jasmine. My room is opposite, and it is the exact replica of this one. We could switch place_”

She didn’t wait, clapping her hands together as she ordered the girls to move over to Ava’s room.

The moment the door shut behind her, Ava let out a sigh. “My roommate is insufferable and a fan of Jasmine’s. I’m sure they would be a good match.” she then screeched in excitement. “I can’t believe we are now roommates.”

I hugged her, silently thanking the goddess for whatever it is that just happened.

We spent the next couple of hours unpacking, and getting a lot of work done in our room since it was both of us working together.

Jasmine had Ava’s things sent to our room by her minions, citing how generous she was for not tossing it in the trash, but I heavily suspected she won’t dare.

Ava was badass. And it took a lot not to be scared of her.

“So, you are the daughter of an Alpha.” Ava asked, smiling as she sat on my bed, picking a romance novel from the stash I had come with.

I shrugged. “Yeah, unfortunately.” she scrunched her nose at my answer, making me laugh.

I knew I couldn’t tell her of my real story, but still, it wasn’t a lie.

It was actually unfortunate, who had birthed me.

“How about you? Alpha? Beta? Delta?” I couldn’t smell lycan blood on her, but she smelled strongly of something supreme.

Ava smirked. “Hybrid. I’m a mix of Beta and Fae.” at my surprised gasp, she wiggled her brows. “Yes. My father thought it romantic to go usurp a fae princess from her people and make her his. It would have been sweeter, if I didn’t have to learn to alternate between having wings and having a wolf!”

My mouth dropped open. An occurrence that was happening way too often in one day. “I’m sorry but that is the coolest thing I have ever heard!” I breathed. “Your parents must really love each other.

It wasn’t unusual for my kind to mix with other kinds, but I was yet to see one. Especially one like hers.

“Oh, that they do, and don’t fail to show it off at any opportunity they find.” she fake gagged. While my smile was still on my face, I couldn’t help but imagine what it would been like if my parents had loved each other.

I had been five when we had left, with a whole lot of memory missing, but I the few I had, had been brutal, and no matter how much I tried to forget, they stayed, haunting me day and night.

Ava pulled herself off the bed, pulling my attention back to see a sleek smile on her face. “You want to see something cool?” she asked, her brows raised in excitement.

I narrowed my eyes at her, unsure of what she wanted to show me. “Depends on what your definition of ‘something cool’ is.”

She laughed and smacked my arm.

Then turned and began to lift the hem of her small white top.

When we had started earlier, she had taken off her jacket and I had been awed at how toned her body was.

Even I, with all my workouts, was not even close to her.

Ava lifted the top up and off her body, throwing it to the bed.

My eyed immediately zeroed in on what looked like a tatoo, but was a thick dark line that ran from between her shoulder blades, down to her mid-back.

I instantly knew what it was.

She flexed her back, and then I watched in awe as the line gave way, and the most beautiful set of wings made it’s way out of the space created by the line.

“Wow.” I whispered, taking a step back when she flexed her wings which were longer than I expected, then lifted herself off the ground and turned to me. “You were right. That is something cool.”

Ava batted her lashes at me, holding her hands over her naked breasts. “At your service my luna roommate.” she teased, making me roll my eyes at her.

As the daughter of an Alpha, I had an Alpha wolf, which in female terms, was called Luna.

It was the first time anyone apart from Liv was referring to me as that, and while Liv’s was a reminder of who I am, I did like it coming from Ava.

A bell rang, causing Ava to come back down, her eyes wide. “Shit! We have two hours to get to the orientation ground.”