The next morning, I was just pulling on my shoes when I heard a knock at the door. I ran over, secretly hoping it was Theo. I was a little disappointed to find only a white envelope with my name on it.
I ripped it open and found my schedule inside. I was so curious, what did werewolves even study? And more importantly, which professors did I have? I was hoping I would have Theo for at least one class.
8 a.m. – The Art of Shifting with Professor Rhys Anderson (Descendants Room 101)
9 a.m. – The History of Werewolves with Professor Aiden Flores (Descendants Room 102)
10 a.m. – Taming Your Dark Wolf with Professor Theo Rossi (Crescents Room 101)
11 a.m. – Weaponry with Professor Colton James (Crescents Room 105)
12 p.m. – Lunch
1 p.m. – Lunar Magic 101 with Professor Mindi Lee (Descendants Room 103)
2 p.m. – Werewolves and Dark Magic with Professor Caroline Wickburn (Crescents Room 104)
I frowned. Theo teaching a Crescents class surprised me, I had assumed he only taught Descendants' classes. It made me wonder: what had each of the guys' houses been when they were students? Could Theo have been a Crescent? It would have surprised me, but then again, I was a Crescent too. Nothing should have surprised me anymore.
Could I really trust him? And how could I know if I could be trusted? Had I been Sorted into the Crescents for a reason? What if I really was bad? Maybe I belonged there. How did a single strand of hair determine a potential "bad wolf," and how had I ended up in two Houses?
Maybe it was in my DNA, a chance I could be good or bad. Perhaps there was still a way to rid myself of the bad part… or maybe it wasn't even real, just a possibility.
I sighed. It was way too early for this. I needed breakfast. The pantry was stocked, but I felt social, I wanted friends. Sure, I had the Darken pack, but it wasn't the same.
The thought of making new friends made me miss Maddie. Did she miss me? And Uncle Ryan… they probably thought I had run away or worse, that something bad had happened. I should write them a letter to let them know I was okay.
Could Uncle Ryan know the truth about me and my parents? Was he a werewolf? I'd have to ask Theo.
As if on cue, Theo's familiar voice said, "Morning, sunshine."
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Don't you have classes to teach?"
He glanced at his watch. "There are no classes at seven a.m. I figured I'd walk you to the Dining Hall, so you don't get lost. The others are already waiting."
"Thanks," I said. "That's really thoughtful of you."
"First days can be nerve-wracking. I still remember my own first day at the Academy." He glanced at me. "I was a Descendant, by the way. I overheard you wondering."
"Seriously? You can hear my thoughts even when you're not near me?" I asked.
"Yep. So if you think anything bad about me, just know it gets back to me," he chuckled.
"I'm sure I could never think anything bad about you," I said softly.
"Oh, I don't know. We've only just begun. Let me know how you feel about me in ten years."
"You're assuming we'll even be in touch in ten years."
"We will."
"You don't know that," I said.
His blue eyes met mine. "Actually, I do."
I didn't know how he could be so sure. Not that I wanted to picture a life without Theo, it probably sounded crazy. I'd only met him twenty-four hours ago, but he already felt like such an important part of my life.
We walked in silence, the kind of comfortable silence that felt natural, all the way to the Dining Hall.
Theo led me to the breakfast buffet. I piled scrambled eggs, bacon, and three pancakes onto my tray. Ever since arriving at the Academy, my appetite had been insane.
"That's because you've shifted for the first time, which officially activated your werewolf gene," Theo explained, packing food onto his tray. "Welcome to a life of constant hunger."
"So… we eat food, though? In werewolf TV shows and books, they sometimes eat… animals."
"You don't think animals can be food?" A hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
"Not while they're still alive. Nope. They need to be dead and pre-packaged," I said, shuddering at the thought of chasing a helpless little bunny.
"Actually, we can eat human food or living animals," he said, trying not to laugh.
I shuddered again at the thought. No way I could eat a deer leg, or a whole chipmunk.
Once our trays were loaded, Theo led me to a corner table where Rhys, Colton, and Aiden were already sitting. People were staring. Part of me wondered if it was because I was part Crescent, but it was more likely they were surprised I was sitting with the Darken pack. Especially after all the girls had gone crazy over them the night before, jealousy was probably swirling.
"Good morning, Raven," Colton said as I slid into my seat.
"Morning," I replied with a smile.
"Excited for your homeroom class with yours truly?" Rhys asked, his dark blue eyes locking on mine.
I laughed, sipping orange juice. "Yes! I'm excited for all my classes, especially the ones with you guys."
"Well, don't get overly excited for mine," Aiden said. "History of Werewolves is a snooze, but every student has to take it."
"Don't students have to take all these classes?" I asked.
"No. Your course load is customized to your abilities," he replied. "You'll get more electives over the next three years. In the first year, we figure out your strengths and weaknesses."
"I see."
As the bell rang, signaling class, I wondered what my strengths and weaknesses were. Guess we were about to find out.