Morning came slowly to Blackridge.
The fog that had covered the town the night before still lingered between the trees, though the rising sun pushed faint streaks of pale gold through the gray sky. Pine Street was quiet except for the distant sound of a truck passing somewhere beyond the forest.
Inside House 17, Aria Vale lay sprawled across her bed, half buried under a blanket she had found in one of the boxes. She had fallen asleep almost immediately the night before, too exhausted from traveling to think about anything else.
But her sleep had not been peaceful.
Dreams had chased her all night.
In the dream, she was running through a forest.
Her feet hit the ground hard and fast as she moved between towering pine trees. The wind rushed past her face, carrying the scent of earth, leaves, and something wild she couldn't quite name.
Her heart pounded in her chest, but strangely, she didn't feel afraid.
She felt powerful.
Free.
The forest seemed alive around her. Every movement of the leaves, every shift of the wind felt like something she could understand without words.
Then suddenly she wasn't alone.
Someone else was there.
A presence.
Strong.
Dangerous.
Watching her.
She turned in the dream, her breath catching in her throat.
And that was when she saw him.
A massive black wolf stepped out from the shadows between the trees.
His fur was darker than the night sky, and his golden eyes glowed with intelligence and power.
The wolf didn't attack.
It simply watched her.
But the moment their eyes met, something inside Aria's chest burned.
A strange warmth spread through her body, deep and intense, like a fire waking up in her blood.
The wolf took a step toward her.
Then another.
Aria's heart pounded harder.
She wanted to run.
But for some reason, she couldn't move.
The wolf stopped just a few feet away, towering over her with silent strength.
Its golden eyes locked onto hers.
And then—
Aria woke up.
She sat upright in bed, breathing hard as sunlight poured through the window.
Her heart was still racing.
"What… was that?" she whispered.
The room was quiet except for the ticking of the wall clock.
7:43 AM.
Aria rubbed her face and let out a slow breath.
"It was just a dream," she said.
But something about it didn't feel like a dream.
It had felt too real.
Too vivid.
And those eyes…
She shook her head and climbed out of bed.
"First day at a new school," she muttered. "Great timing for weird nightmares."
After a quick shower and a search through several boxes for clean clothes, Aria finally left the house. The fog had mostly lifted now, revealing more of the town than she had seen the night before.
Blackridge looked slightly less creepy in daylight.
The streets were lined with small shops and cafés, and people moved slowly along the sidewalks, greeting each other like everyone knew everyone.
It felt like one of those small towns from old movies.
Still strange.
Still quiet.
But not quite as unsettling.
Aria followed the map on her phone toward Blackridge High School, which sat on a hill just beyond the town square.
The building itself was larger than she expected. Red bricks, wide windows, and a tall flagpole in front of the entrance.
Students gathered in small groups near the stairs, talking and laughing.
Aria hesitated for a moment at the bottom of the steps.
"Here we go again," she murmured.
New school.
New people.
Same awkward introductions.
She walked up the stairs and pushed open the front doors.
Inside, the hallway buzzed with conversation. Lockers slammed shut, students moved from class to class, and teachers stood near the doors of their classrooms.
Aria headed toward the main office to collect her schedule.
The secretary handed her a paper and smiled politely.
"Welcome to Blackridge High," she said.
Aria returned the smile, though she still felt slightly nervous.
Her first class was English.
Room 204.
She followed the hallway signs until she reached the classroom door.
The moment she stepped inside, something strange happened.
The entire room went quiet.
Every student turned to look at her.
Aria froze.
"Uh… hi," she said awkwardly.
The teacher, a middle-aged woman with glasses and curly hair, looked up from her desk.
"Oh! You must be the new student," she said. "Come in."
Aria walked slowly toward the front of the room, feeling dozens of eyes on her.
"This is Aria Vale," the teacher said to the class. "She just moved here from the city."
A few students nodded.
Others continued staring.
Aria quickly took the empty seat near the back of the room.
She tried to ignore the strange feeling in the air.
It was like everyone was… studying her.
Whispering.
Watching.
A girl sitting beside her leaned slightly closer.
"You're new," she said quietly.
Aria turned toward her.
The girl had long brown hair and kind eyes.
"Yeah," Aria replied. "Just got here yesterday."
"I'm Maya," the girl said.
"Aria."
Maya smiled slightly.
"Well, Aria, you picked an interesting place to move."
"Why's that?"
Maya hesitated.
"Blackridge is… different."
Before Aria could ask what she meant, the classroom door suddenly opened again.
Three boys walked in.
The moment they entered, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Students immediately moved out of their way.
Whispers filled the air.
Aria frowned slightly.
"What's going on?" she asked Maya.
Maya lowered her voice.
"That's the Alpha's group."
"The what?"
But Maya didn't answer.
Aria watched as the boys took their seats.
One of them immediately caught her attention.
He was tall, with dark hair and sharp features. His expression was calm but intense, and there was something about the way he moved that felt… powerful.
Like he owned the room.
Like everyone else knew it.
Then suddenly—
He looked straight at her.
Their eyes met.
And the world seemed to stop.
A strange heat rushed through Aria's chest, the same burning warmth she had felt in her dream.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Across the room, the boy went completely still.
His golden eyes widened slightly.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Neither of them looked away.
Something invisible passed between them.
Something ancient.
Something undeniable.
Then the boy slowly stood up.
The classroom fell silent again.
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
And filled with disbelief.
"Mate."
Aria's breath caught in her throat.
Because at that exact moment—
Her vision suddenly blurred.
A sharp pain exploded inside her chest.
And somewhere deep within her mind…
A wolf growled.