Moonlit Desires: The Alpha's Awakening

“There they are!” “They’re coming! Hurry!” “Oh, how I wish Bilal would glance at me. He’s so ethereal.” A couple of girls screamed as they ran past Adora, wanting to be at the front to get a closer look as a group of boys walked down the hallway. Upon hearing their words, Adora, still new to the academy, turned around to follow after them to see what was causing the commotion. Who was pulling such a crowd of attention to themselves? She wondered, making her way to the front. As her eyes fell on the object of attraction, a soft smile appeared on her lips. There he was, the reason for her coming to the academy. How could one be so stunning and alluring at the same time? Her eyes followed him as he walked past with a group of boys, when, all of a sudden, he stopped. Confused, Adora stumbled backwards slightly, bumping into a few people. Does he recognize me? Is he going to move towards me? No way! That didn’t happen though. The boy she had her eyes on frowned, then continued walking. A breath of relief came from Adora. He didn’t recognize her. That was good. Although she’d only ever attended typical human schools, and this was her first time at an academy solely for training young Alphas, Betas, Gammas, and Priestesses, she knew how it worked. If the popular guy paid attention to the new girl, it was going to cause a lot of trouble for the new girl. And that was one thing she desperately wanted to avoid. “Hmmm.” Adora flinched as she felt a touch on her shoulder, and turned back to see an unfamiliar face staring back at her with a blank expression. Her first thought was that she’d done something wrong without knowing. Maybe she had hit her when she moved backwards earlier. Leaning away, she apologized, “I’m so sorry. Did I step on you?” Unexpectedly, the stranger’s face brightened with a smile, and the girl stretched her hand towards Adora. “No, no. I wanted to introduce myself to you. Hi, I’m Naya Sanchez.” A few seconds were spent looking at the hand in confusion. Why was this strange beautiful girl introducing herself to her? Was there something different about her? Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, Adora grabbed the waiting hand lightly with a smile of her own. “Nice to meet you. I’m Adora.” “Adora, hmmm. A beautiful name just like the owner.” Naya’s soft tone made Adora turn bright red. It was only her first day of school, but here she was, being complimented by one of the most beautiful girls she’d ever seen. “Did I scare you?” Naya laughed. “Sorry if I did. I noticed you were new and wanted to introduce myself to you. Trust me, I know what it feels like to be alone on your first day, and I would hate for you to go through that. So, what do you say?” Still in awe of her, Adora was unable to answer. Unlike the girls she’d ever seen, Naya looked like her face had been sculpted by a world-class artist. Realizing a minute had passed, and she still hadn’t answered, Adora quickly spoke. “Thank you so much! I thought I was going to be alone on my first day.” She was aware of how hard she was smiling, but she couldn’t help herself. “Move out of the way. They’re coming back!” A girl brushed Adora and Naya as she ran to the middle of the hallway, followed by another crowd of people. Adora turned around to see what the fuss was all about yet again. She couldn’t blame the girl when she saw who it was. Bilal Howl. His family owned and ran the place. Outstandingly gorgeous, he had a strong and confident presence and striking features. His face housed a sharp jawline, and his eyes were as expressive, seemingly holding a world of emotions. In his gaze was a sense of mystery and depth that drew one in, bringing up feelings of curiosity. His smile lit up his face and radiated warmth. Bilal was a true masterpiece of self-expression. The tattoos on his arms created a captivating visual story that one would kill to learn about, with each design representing a chapter of his life. Adora knew all this because of how much she’d studied about him. He was the sole reason why Adora agreed and couldn’t wait to come to the academy. She didn’t care about anything other than being in the same vicinity as Bilal. “That’s Bilal Howl,” Naya whispered to Adora. “The one to his right is Elio Freeman Armani, and the one to the left is Ares Smith. They’re called the elites of our academy.” “Why are they called that?” A wild smile appeared on Naya’s face, and she leaned closer to Adora. “By his surname, you should have an idea who Bilal is.” Adora did, but she didn’t say anything and waited for Naya to continue. “His parents are the head Alphas of our clan, the most powerful family, and they wield the authority that any Alpha and clan wish to have. As for Elio, his parents are Oliver Freeman and Labyrinth Armani. You must have heard about them. The Alpha who got married to a mafia human? Elio’s family is one of the most powerful families in the United States. Last but not least, Ares is the son of the Alpha couple. Alpha Airen and Alpha Ariel. He is their only heir, and we all know how powerful the Alpha couples are in our world.” Adora gave a nod to show she was following. “They are the most respected Alphas in our world and their clan is the strongest as well. Now you get why they are called the elites?” “I do.” She understood the dynamics and roles that each boy’s family played in their world. “What about Bilal’s twin? Bella? Doesn’t she come here?” “Of course, she does.” It didn’t skip Naya’s attention that Adora seemed to know more than she was letting on. Wiggling her finger playfully, she said, “I see you did your findings before coming down to the academy. Bella is the IT girl of our academy and the only girl among the elites. She doesn’t have any other friends apart from Ares, Elio, and her brother. Speaking about her, there she comes.” Adora’s gaze went in the direction Naya’s finger was pointing at, and saw Bella appear from down the hallway. Adora wore a small smile as Bella drew closer. More or less like a big sister to her, Adora knew she was going to stop to say hello. It went exactly as Adora knew it would. “Adora.” A murmur rose up in the hallway as the other student watched with wide eyes. This was the first time they’d ever seen Bella interact with anyone other than the elites. Even Naya was shocked. “Adora,” Bella called out cheerfully, snapping her fingers at her in Adora’s face. “Why didn’t you wait for me to pick you up? I just came back from your place, and your mama said you had left for the academy. Are you that excited about attending this Academy?” An apologetic look crossed Adora’s face. “I’m so sorry Bella. I didn’t want to stress you, which was why I insisted on coming on my own. I thought I sent you a text.” As she spoke, she pulled out her phone to confirm. “No need for that, Adora. I don’t check my phone often. What about your stuff? Have they been put in my dorm? You are aware we are sharing a dorm, right? I can’t allow my little Adora to share a room with someone else when I’m here.” Just as Adora was about to respond, the boy, whom Naya had called Ares, called out to Bella. “Hey!” Bella started to wave. “I have to go now. I’ll see you later at the dorm.” The silence that followed the exit of the elites was almost deafening to Adora. Without having to look, she felt stares making holes in her skin. She knew what they were wondering. How does the new girl know Bella Howl? Before she could think of what to do, Naya grabbed her hand, and the two of them scurried into the restroom. Once in the safety of the toilet, Adora was immediately met with an onslaught of questions from her new friend. “Bella Howl? You’re on a first name basis with Bella Howl? How? Also, why didn’t you mention that during our introduction?” Naya grabbed onto Adora’s shoulder lightly, so she had no way to escape. Adora chuckled nervously as she thought of how to explain herself. “We just met, so I didn’t think it was wise of me to start saying who I share a close relationship with. Moreover, I didn’t know Bella would want the whole Academy to know that we knew each other. I’m sorry.” There was really no need to apologize, but Adora felt the need to. This was enough to calm Naya down. “No need for that. You are right, we just met, and I understand where you are coming from. Come on.” The girl linked her arm with Adora. “Let me show you around the academy. It’s the first day of resumption, which is basically for settling in.” ******************* On the other side of the academy, Bilal and Bella were having a heated argument about Adora. “Why the hell did you do that? I thought we agreed to keep our relationship with Adora a secret. So why did you just speak to her in front of the whole academy? Now everyone knows that she’s close to us.” There was anger in Bilal’s voice as he spoke to his sister. “Why shouldn’t I?” Bella was unmoved. “You suggested it, but I never agreed to it. Also, why do you hate Adora? You’re like a big brother to her, Bilal. We are five years older than her, and she has just reached eighteen, so why do you feel hostility towards her? Why?” It was something that had confused her for a long time. “I don’t hate her. I said that because I wanted to protect her. Now the whole Academy is aware of our relationship with her, some might want to hurt her, B. Forget about the unity Mama constantly preaches about, you and I know that a lot of these people in this academy are jealous of us, and some whose family are vying for the title of head Alpha. Do you think a lot of them come to this academy because they want to learn and improve their skills and abilities?” “I do.” This earned her a scoff of disbelief from her brother. “Wow, Bella, you really amaze me.” Bilal sat down, done arguing with his sister about Adora. He knew he was just wasting his time. “You’ve always had this loathsome feeling toward her ever since Mama introduced her to us, but bear in mind that she is your high priestess. So, whether you like it or not, she is a part—” Before Bella could finish her statement, Bilal cut her off. “Need I remind you that I also have powers and I can cast whatever spell I want? I don’t need her or any other high priestess. The sooner you and Mama get it, the better for all of us,” Bilal warned sternly. Bella let out an unamused laugh. “You’re so full of yourself, and that is what will ruin you, brother. Oh, and before I leave, you should know that Adora will be staying in my dorm, which means she’ll be in the same building as you. So you should start getting used to the idea of seeing her every day.” Without waiting for a reply, she stood and stormed out of the room, leaving Bilal, Ares, and Jason behind. “Why do you hate her, B?” Ares asked. “Yes, why do you hate her?” Elio questioned as well. Feeling a headache coming on, Bilal rubbed the middle of his forehead. “You guys wouldn’t understand even if I explained, but just know that girl is bad news.”