and reverberated around the training fields. Victor felt the weight of these invisible eyes as he moved through the hallways, the nagging mistrust that trailed him

ay into the trials." Fuelled by doubt and anxiety, the rumours spread throughout the academy like wildfire. A flurry of rumours had been sparked by Victor's outstanding performance on

into a shape-shifter, a sorcerer, and an unnaturally powerful rogue wolf. He was a danger, a mystery, a disturbance of the status quo. A little kid whispered, "I heard he can shift into any animal," their eyes wide with both interest and horror. "Even the creatures of legend." Another sneered, "Don't be ridiculous," but their tone was unconvincing. "But theres definitely something strange about him. I saw the way he moved,

was aware that he needed to exercise caution in order to keep his disguise intact and prevent any more mistakes. He needed to establish his value, gain their confidence, and put an end to the gossip. He was aware that he couldn

ened, his movements silent, followed them. He had seen them before, a close-knit group of senior pupils, their eyes shining with an unflinching focus, their cheeks toughened by years of intense training. They differed from the other kids in that they moved with a feeling of purpose and a common

ells of wolfsbane and old parchment filling the air. The flickering light of a solitary flame revealed the faces of the students as they stood in a circle. At the middle of the circle appeared their leader, a tall, commanding figure with a grim face. His authoritative, low voice dominated the room. He said, "The time has come," hi

that had been used to defend his own pack's patriarchal system. He observed the same anger, anxiety, and desire to hold onto power. He came to see that these traditionalists were more than just a group of irate kids. They posed a challenge to the academy's basic underpinnings and were a formidable force. They had something planned that would interfere with the experiments and put the new order to th

was taking a huge risk. Victor started to move slowly and cautiously away as the meeting started to end. He tripped on a loose stone as he started to move, and it slid across the floor. T