Royal Academy: The Beginning

Chapter 14

Eliza's POV

As I run down the hallway towards the main door I can still feel the warmth from Luca's embrace. The feeling of being in his arms for that brief moment made me forget my panic and fear. I mentally chided myself for breaking down like that. Now was not the time to be weak. My family needed me to be strong. Ethan needed me to be strong. With a renewed resolve I pushed the main doors with force and continued down the front stairs.

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I pull it out. I see a brief message from my mother saying they were almost here and that a car would be waiting for me at the entrance. Still looking at my screen I step onto the driveway path and look up. There was no car in sight.

I read the message again and pause. Thinking back to the previous message from my parents, I stand there slightly confused. When my mother called me she said that they were coming to Crystal Lakes with my grandmother. About 15 mins later I got a message saying I should head home.

In my panicked state I didn't really think about it at the time. My mother hardly ever messages me, she prefers to call. And it made no sense that they would ask me to go home by myself. I decided to call my mother when a menacing growl had my head shooting up.

From across the lawn, three huge black wolves come out of the nearby trees. They prowl slowly out of the thicket and separate in three different directions. Their main focus was in my direction, causing me to take a few nervous steps back.

As they approached slowly, I could see their glowing blood red eyes and foaming nozzles. Their gazes seem feral and their mouths showed long sharp canines ready to tear someone to pieces. My hands shake slightly as their formation changes and they are now closing the distance towards me.

I hear movement behind me and I turn my head slightly. The sight of Luca slowly approaching me has me releasing the breath I was not aware I was holding in. Relief washes over me seeing him there. Within a few seconds he's standing at my side and grasps my hand in his warm one.

"Main entrance, like my life depends on it" Luca says quietly and I look up in time to see him quickly put his phone back in his pants pocket. He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze while keeping his eyes on the wolves infront us.

"How did rogues get past security?"

Luca's question brought some clarity to my otherwise muddled head as I watch the wolves stop a few feet from us, growling and shaking their heads fiercely.

The rogue positioned directly infront us takes a step forward and his body starts to contort and c***k. He shifts back to human form in the nude but his eyes are still blood red and his crude features look at us in a crazed rage.

"Step aside pup. We only want the girl" he shouts angrily.

Luca pulls me behind him just as we hear the main doors open and close behind us. Not taking the chance to look back, Luca keeps himself positioned infront of me with a firm grip on my hand.

"She's not going anywhere with you" Luca shouts back as Stefan comes to a stop on his right followed by Alexis on his left. They both stand ready at Luca's side and I can't help but feel alot better with them here.

Alexis turns her head slightly towards me to give me a reassuring wink before looking back at the rogues.

"Your funeral" the man replies before throwing his head back and a deathly scream escapes his lips before he shifts back to his wolf form.

Luca and his siblings take a crouched fighting stance before each pulling out short blades from sheaths at their waist. Alexis and Stefan fan out slightly while Luca keeps me behind him.

"I can fight Luca. My dad trained me" I say while releasing his hand and stepping up beside him. He looks down at me briefly before giving me a slight nod and putting another small blade in my hand.

"Watch your back. Aim for their throats or their heart" he says to me before turning his back to me. I do the same as we begin to circle each other in a defensive stance.

The rogues are now running at full speed towards us. The two on the sides each go for Alexis and Stefan while the leader runs at full speed towards Luca and I. He howls loudly before leaping high and aiming down at us.

Luca and I separate briefly and then circle the rogue. He rushes towards Luca who side steps him and maneuvers himself back to my side. We stand together facing the rogue head on as he comes at us again.

Luca takes off in a run and slashes fiercely at the wolf's face before crouching low and sliding himself between the wolf's legs and swiping his blade again. I take that opportunity to lunge at him while he's distracted by Luca's movements.

I catapult myself high over his head and straddle his large shoulders. Wrapping my legs in a vise like grip, I raise the blade over my head and plunge it forward with as much force as I could. As the blade sinks in the sinewy muscles, the rogue let's out a menacing howl as he bucks and throws me off his back.

I tuck and roll and take a guarded position infront him as Luca charges at him from the rear. He launches himself onto the wolf's back and puts his arms around it's throat in a headlock. The rogue thrashes fiercely as Luca tightens his grip.

I look to my left and see Alexis and Stefan holding their own with great effort. I'm about to run around to them to help when I hear howling coming from the distance. A group of wolves make their presence known running up the driveway towards us.

A smile break out across my face when I recognize my father's brown wolf flanked by his beta and my mother. Running to their side is my grandmother and one other of my father's guards.

The group splits apart to assist Alexis and Stefan while my parents and grandmother run towards me and Luca. With a large leap, my father throws himself at the rogue while Luca rolls off him and positions himself infront me again.

My father sinks his large teeth into the rogue as he tears at the muscle and fur. The wolf slumps to the ground, blood oozing from the wound. The body contorts back to a naked figure bleeding out on the ground. My father looks back to see that the other rogues have been successfully subdued. Stefan has one of them with his arms locked behind his back and he struggles against his hold.

My father glances back at me and looks at Luca. After a solemn nod, he and the rest of my family run to the side of the building to shift back and change. My mother emerges after changing and she runs towards me and embraces me.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" she asks as she runs her hands all over me looking for injuries.

"I'm ok mom, dad trained me right" I look over her shoulder and wink at him as he approaches us, smiling back at me. My grandmother comes behind him and I run towards her with a hug.

Pulling away from her embrace I look her over.

"You still got some fight in you grandmother" I let out a laugh and she joins in.

"Age is just a number child. I could kick ass any day" she chortles

"Mother!" my mother admonishes her but smiles along with us.

"What? I do not speak lies to my granddaughter" my grandmother lifts her chin proudly while my mother shakes her head.

My father approaches Luca and shakes his hand while introducing himself.

"I'm Alpha Henry Cade from the Thornhill Crest pack. I'm also Eliza's father. Thank you for helping her today"

Luca shakes my father's hand and then looks across at me and my grandmother.

"You look vaguely familiar" he says to my grandmother and she responds with a soft smile.

"You haven't changed in all these years cub. Your grandmother and I were very close friends. I am Georgina White"

Luca's face shows shock before looking at me briefly and then my parents. He then quickly bends a knee and bows to my grandmother. Stefan and Alexis take their positions at his side and do the same.

" It is an honor and privilege to be in the presence of an elder" they keep their heads bowed until my grandmother waves a hand at them.

"Enough of that, I'm an old lady now. Stand"

They all stand and Luca's gaze clashes with mine. He looks at me from head to toe as though assessing me himself. Seeming pleased that no injury was present, he turns to my father and addresses him again.

"I'm Luca Pierce. These are my siblings Stefan and Alexis"

My father looks at them and a broad smile crosses his face.

"You're Caleb and Leah's kids? Now I know why you fight so well even though you haven't gone through the change yet" my father responds with admiration.

My mother walks towards my father and loops an arm around his waist while smiling at Luca and his siblings.

"Your parents grew up with us. We lost touch after they moved here years ago after you were born Luca" my mother told them.

"Alright, enough small talk. I have a son to get back. Let us go see Alpha Caleb and reconvene" came my grandmother's voice at my side.

Luca nods and proceeds to lead us back around the building to the carpark with the one surviving rogue as our captive.