Bewitched: A Paranormal Academy Romance

by Victoria Mercier

  “Is she the one?” another girl from her ring asked quietly.

  “Yeah, Ashley, she’s the one,” the blue-haired said.

  A part of me itched for a fight. Luckily, that part didn’t get a say, and I steeled myself for more. But more didn’t come in the form I’d had expected.

  “What’s your name, girl?” Eureka asked. “Eureka is mine! Isn’t this fancy? My parents smashed their heads and lost their canines when they come up with my name.”

  “Cora,” I replied and seethed inside because it came out so timidly in comparison to Eureka.

  “Ashley,” said the mousey blonde with a blue-ish hue.

  “Ava,” the blue-haired introduced herself and extended her hand. There was something similar between Ava and Ashley. Not their faces, these were quite different. Ava had sharper features that I imagined were preferred by guys, while Ashley’s face was more oval. No. What they shared was their scent. Miraculously, I could pick it up here.

  “We’re sisters,” Ava said and pointed at Ashley. “Frostbolt Clan.”

  She said it in such a way as if she expected me to know what was special about her clan. I nodded and noticed that another two girls who had been with them earlier withdrew now.

  “Eureka from Silkblood,” Eureka said with a manic satisfaction. “Isn’t that poetic?”

  “Nice to meet you,” I told them.

  “Is it…” Ashley started, but her voice trailed off as the crowd rippled and murmur spread out. Ashley and Eureka were short and so no amount of craning their necks helped. Ava was taller even than me and her rapidly widening eyes warned me of something.

  Or someone.

  The wall of students around us suddenly moved aside and Rocco in the company of three stupid chicks stopped before me. He was generous with disdain. Fuck. Why did he need to look so delicious? I’d stare like an idiot, so well the suit lay on him, showing off his muscles and other features but Ashley’s stupid gaping face sobered me up.

  “I’m sorry but our party is closed,” I said before I could rein my outspoken mind. It was something about him that always set me off. I’d rather ignore him but couldn’t do it. I had that itch to be a blip on his radar, one way or another. How was this different from those three stickers around him? Those girls looked idiotic.

  “Did you say something, moonless?”

  “No, I didn’t,” I snapped and he took my reaction for his victory, fucker.

  “Don’t be jealous. If you behave, you’ll get a chance to…” He didn’t finish but his eyes lit up with green power. I smelled his wolf, as he kept himself close from shifting for whatever reason, and a phantom howl unfolded in my chest. Then I registered the meaning of his words…

  “Dream on.”

  He shivered and the crowd rippled around, those who heard my words looked shocked. Most girls snarled, Eureka complimented me though.

  “Good aim,” she whispered. She seemed unperturbed by Rocco’s presence. Even Ava barely held herself. I get you, girl. I know what you’re feeling right now. “Now, do it again.”

  I offered Eureka a smile, I had nothing else left. In front of Rocco and without his brothers, my world trembled, threatening to shatter my resolve.

  “Don’t be so full of yourself, moonless,” he snarled.

  I almost called him a loser. I was glad I didn’t do it. We had the attention of the balconies and the stage and—

  I stopped dead. Everything lost meaning. I stood facing the stage. On the stage stood … my mother. She looked immaculate in the black knee-long dress. I didn’t remember her wearing anything so exquisite. Rocco was saying something and then Eureka whispered into my ear. I had no idea what they were saying. I didn’t care.

  My mother lived.

  Chapter 18

  For the next few seconds, I blindly cut through the crowd toward the scene. Eureka, Ashely, and Ava remained with Rocco. Or so I thought. Someone’s hand yanked me and I turned to find Eureka. She said I’d pissed off Rocco turning my back on him. I told her that my mother lived. She looked confused because how could she know that my mother had died giving birth to my youngest brother. I’d been 11 years old and had seen my mother’s dead body. Then how is she standing there?

  My mother opened her mouth, her attention at the something at the back of the chamber. Another ripple spread throughout the crowd. My heart instantly picked up the pace because I thought it might be Hunt who entered. Why did I think of him out of all the brothers, I couldn’t tell. While there was the aura of domination around him … and he was devilishly handsome but he was too intense, Rocco too much of an asshole. Ryder was Ryder. I should be focused on Gabriel…

  “What are you talking about?” Eureka asked and we were joined by Ava.

  “What’s up?”

  “She’s talking nonsense.”

  “Can’t blame the girl, Rosemore and Venturo are here.”

  Those were the clans they’d spoken earlier. I still couldn’t see what was so special about them. My mother! I need to speak to her. I turned around and found her looking at me. My legs went limp and if not for Ava's surprisingly strong arms, I’d fall.

  Everything with my mother’s eyes was wrong. She didn’t look at me as if she saw her daughter. She seemed disgusted. I opened my mouth to speak…

  Commotion exploded all around us. I was so stupefied that it took a pinch from Eureka to bring me about. And bright moon, it was a madhouse already. Asshole Rocco followed me with his entourage of jealous groupies. But he wasn’t alone anymore. Two female shifters got my attention immediately. The first one, a pretty blonde with a stick in her ass stood watching us as if we were bugs. When her eyes met mine, her nose twitched with disgust and her gaze slid off me. The other one stood closer to Rocco and seemed shier. She was the first shifter I’ve seen who had ginger hair. I took her for a timid person until she noticed me. She darted forward with surprising agility that stiffened Eureka and Ashley—who appeared at some point. Ava held herself much better than her friend and sister.

  “You!” The ginger shouted. The room grew instantly quiet. “Aren’t you the moonless chick?”

  Suddenly, the attention of a hundred students and twice the number of older shifters was on me. This is great, father. I’m already the local attraction. But no matter what she was going to throw my way, I’d send it back right into her face. The alpha king was a man I couldn’t challenge but it didn’t mean, I was going to let other bullies walk over me. Even Rocco would feel my sting at some point.

  “Who’s asking?” I asked with my fists buried into my sides and a fake smirk. In truth, I wasn’t in the mood. My mother stood ten feet from me and what was I doing? Getting into a fight…

  It seemed that my question deeply wounded the ginger as she stammered something under her nose and then she looked up to Rocco. To his credit, the green-eyed shifter didn’t offer her help. He gave me a stern, annoyed look with his arms folded across his chest. At least, he didn’t enjoy it.

  “What about you, Atarise?” the ginger chick asked. “Are you going to do nothing while the moonless standing in front of us?”

  “This is below Rosemore Clan,” Atarise puffed, an expression of disgust present on her too pretty face. I had every urge to slap that expression off. “Don’t bother me with your petty matters.”

  It, of course, set a fire under the ginger chick. She grew red—while everyone watched us—and cursed too quickly to understand her words. Rocco who stood next to her grabbed her arm and whispered something harshly into her ear.

  “Don’t worry about me, Goldfury. I can take care of myself. A mere glamor cannot harm me.” That self-important tone was driving me crazy and I wasn’t the only one.

  “This is amazing,” Eureka muttered.

  “I hope it won’t escalate,” Ava added. “Rosemore, Venturo, and Goldfury are the most powerful clans on the island. If this drags on, someone may decide to shed some blood.”

  Luckily or not, nothing of that sort happened. My mother’s amplif
ied voice cut through the conversation between Rosemore and Venturo.

  “I warmly welcome scions of Rosemore, Venturo, and Goldfury clans. We’re truly blessed to witness our three most prominent clans at the shifter academy this year. I also welcome everyone else.” While she kind of looked our way, she seemed to avoid gazing at me. This was getting infuriating. She was my mother!

  “But before we proceed with the ceremony, allow me to introduce myself. I am Headmaster Mara from Thundersky Clan. While we’re sharing pleasantries here and there, let me assure you, I won’t warn you twice. If you step out of the line, you’ll be severely punished.”

  The room grew so quiet I thought I could hear a drumbeat of a hundred hearts. Ashley’s face was ashen and even Ava seemed uncomfortable, on the other hand, Eureka looked totally excited. She’s crazy. Headmaster… wait. She said, her name is Mara? My mother’s name is Mira. Has she changed her name? What the hell? And why is she the freaking headmaster?! Only the intensity of the room kept me in place. Striding onto the stage might not be the best idea. I was going to have a word with her after this ceremony was over. And it won’t be anything nice.

  With these angry thoughts, the ceremony finally started. A massive stone goblet was magically transported onto the scene. I remembered the old hag and the golden sheet that had burned. So it was the moment of the allocation. I knew where I belonged – dominant shifter. Still, nerves claimed every cell of my body. It’s because of all those people.

  The flame that came to life danced with a strange … pattern. Holy shit! This is like my dream. Except it wasn’t the same flame. My wolf’s instinct just knew it somehow and warned me to not jump to a conclusion. That was odd. My wolf was usually the reckless one.

  I expected an alphabetic order but was sorely disappointed. A piece of slightly burned paper jumped out of the flame, my mother caught it and spoke up.

  “Rocco Goldfury. Dominant Shifter.”

  The applause he received … it was ridiculous. Didn’t they know how he was like? I glanced up at him and regretted it instantly. A genuine smile on his face had a way of melting me from inside out. My body screamed to get closer, to sniff him, the way Gabriel had sniffed me. I couldn’t do it. Still, he was hot. I hated to admit this.

  Rocco strode onto the stage and extended his right forearm. My mother’s long fingers played in the air, causing it to change color and warp. Then a circular pattern appeared. At that moment, she touched Rocco’s forearm. I could see the stellar focus in his eyes and yet, he shivered.

  A complex mark bloomed on his forearm. It had to be a new thing as father hadn’t mentioned it nor had had it. When my mother was finished with Rocco, she called Atarise Rosemore. A giggle escaped Eureka’s mouth and it earned her a gentle punch from Ava. I sided with Eureka on this. Atarise’s gait was so stiff she should be classified as a stone statue. She was a Dominant Mage. There was no applause, the blonde took it with a disgusted face, or maybe it’s always been there.

  The third person turned out to be Anaise Venturo. While there was no applause either, some people raised their hands in the air, making strange gestures with their fingers – the three middle fingers straight, while thumb and pinky were folded. I tried to mimic, but couldn’t.

  “Are you one of them?” Eureka hissed.

  “One of them? One of what?”

  She looked up at Ava who shrugged, then turned to me.

  “The Three Pillars.”

  The Three Pillars was an obscure religion amongst shifters. Father had mentioned it once or twice because it was unimportant faith with barely a few practitioners. The number of hands in the air told a different story. Almost half of the crowd seemed to follow this ‘insignificant’ religion. But weren’t they had a strong connection with the alpha king? And what did that get to do with Venturo chick?

  “She’s the daughter of the important church freak…”

  “Eureka!” Ava hissed.

  “Yes. Yes. I know,” she giggled like a madman and I couldn’t blame her. Calling her name sounded so out of place.

  “You should be careful with your words,” Ava’s stern voice didn’t leave illusions. This wasn’t something to joke about and it seemed to make Eureka even more offensive.

  Venturo shifter was a Dominant Shifter like Rocco. There was something to her, certain aggression in the way she moved and regarded others. It was said that two dominant shifters of the same sex would always clash. Our primal instincts pushed us to determine who was the strongest.

  “What’s the order?” I asked.

  “Dunno,” Eureka replied as if Ava didn’t berate her right now for ridiculing the Three Pillars. “Some say it is about the importance, while others claim it is based purely on the basis of strength.”

  “More like the former,” Ava added.

  “Then I’d have to wait till the end,” Eureka said sounding depressed, but when I glance at her, she seemed anything but depressed. “Silkblood lost its importance ages ago.”

  “Cora…”

  I didn’t register my name being spoken. At first, I thought it was Ava or maybe her shy sister Ashley. But they said nothing and their faces looked bone-pale.

  “Cora…”

  Only when Eureka’s wide eyes pointed behind me, I realized what was happening. My mother was holding her throat as she sputtered my name over and over. What the fuck does that mean?

  “…Diremoon,” she finally spat with disgust and anger. “High-Rank.”

  I shook from the shock. It had to be an elaborate joke on the part of Ryder or someone. I couldn’t be a High-Rank. My magic was on the shite level. Eureka’s eyes tried to get out of their sockets. Ava’s hands found me and gave me a good shove toward the scene.

  “Accept it with pride.” As she whispered these words, I noticed her scent, full of awe and respect. Another thing I noticed was deadly silence. Every pair of eyes was on me. Worse, some on the balcony stood, glaring at me with hostility. What have you done, father?

  I got to the stage where my mother tried to hide her trembling hands. Rocco stood next to her, unable to decide where to look, at me or the piece of paper in my mother’s hand.

  “This must be a mistake.” I expected these words from him, but they came from Anais Venturo. For some reason, none of the three left the stage. I didn’t understand why but I was about to find out the truth. “Diremoon clan was exiled and renamed to Moonless. Why does the flame call her Diremoon?”

  “I don’t know,” my mother said weakly.

  I made the decision then.

  “Don’t you recognize your own daughter?” I snapped.

  She blinked, so shocked that she dropped the paper sheet. Rocco snatched it before it touched the floor. His roar filled the chamber. He held the hand that touched the sheet and cursed.

  “What the fuck was that?”

  My mother ignored him, a glimmer of understanding appeared in her blue eyes. Blue eyes. Mother … had green eyes.

  “I am not your mother, girl.”

  But she looked exactly like her. Did they wipe her mind? Maybe she was under a spell? I was grasping at the straw. I wanted to believe…

  She opened her mouth and I knew I’d hear the explanation, but no explanation came forth. Instead, she instructed her assistant to finish the ceremony while the fivr of us left the chamber. Only then I heard the eruption of chatters.

  Chapter 19

  “Can you do something about the burn?” Rocco barked.

  “Who would guess that Goldfury can be such a whiner?” Atarise said with absolute seriousness.

  “This isn’t a normal burn!”

  The woman who looked like my mother but wasn’t her led us deeper into the building.

  “My father will be furious when he learns about it,” Venturo said. She was fuming. In the corridor without the crowds, I could smell them. A mixture of shock, anger, rage, and a bit of … hope. Where does it come from?

  We ended up in a nicely furnished room with food and drinks. I didn’t exp
ect that.

  “The four of you,” the headmaster said in a quiet voice. “From now on you will be known as the Top Four. You’re expected to best everyone in the academy. While their job is to beat you up. You can win by either working together or trying your best alone. The academy doesn’t care what choice you’ll make.”

  “My hand!” Rocco took a jug of water and poured it onto his hand. A huge cloud of steam exploded above him. He isn’t joking. The headmaster did something and Rocco’s pained expression vanished. “You could do this on the stage.”

  “You needed a lesson.”

  “I am the son of the alpha king!”

  Atarise rolled her eyes, looking around the room. Venturo’s glare was on me all this time.

  “It is time to think about how do you want people to remember you, Rocco Goldfury, as someone important or as a son of someone important.” I smelled his wolf and the fur on my neck bristled in answer.

  “You didn’t explain!” I snapped, taking advantage of temporary silence.

  “I told you, girl. I am not your mother.”

  “But you look like her! Why?”

  “Mira was my twin sister.” To be honest, this piece of information made me speechless. I was a High-Rank adept? Whatever. But this? My mother had a twin sister… She had never as much as whispered about it. To think of this now, I didn’t know what my mother’s clan had been before she’d married my father.

  The headmaster seemed to read my thoughts because she grabbed my arm and led me out of the room into the corridor. There she used magic to call a barrier and said.

  “Mira is a girl who chased very dangerous dreams. They’re going to doom her in the end. She went against the order of our alpha and married your father.”

  “I don’t … understand.”

  “So your parents didn’t mention what was so special about Diremoon Clan?”

  I shook my head.

  “Descendants to terrible dire wolves that are destined to bring ruin to Shifter Island. That what your clan is.”

  “When and if you survive the academy, girl, tell your mother that father has never forgiven her what she had done.”