The force of Master Corvin’s command vanishes as suddenly as it came, leaving them gasping like fish dragged onto shore. No one dares to try again.
Halric, who is unbothered, continues smoothly as if there hadn’t just been a near riot. "As I was saying, we thank you for your service. Now, listen carefully. Instructions are vital."
Every student straightens up. However, their obedience doesn’t stem from respect, but because they’re too afraid not to.
"The labyrinth is... different. Time works strangely inside. What may feel like days, weeks, even months for you will only amount to twenty-four hours here. The portal you enter today will reopen exactly then."
He pauses, letting the words settle like poison dripping into water.
"If you see the portal, you must run for it. Get there before it closes. If you fail..." His gaze sweeps slowly over the crowd, lingering long enough to make Heidi’s stomach knot. "...you will remain trapped until the next mission that requires the labyrinth’s opening. That could be weeks and it could be years."
Another wave of whispers ripples through the Moon Blessed. Heidi’s hands ball into fists. They’re treating this like a school trip with strict pick-up times, except if you miss the bus, you don’t just walk home... You rot in a nightmare dimension.
She thinks wildly: We’re prisoners, not students.
Halric’s voice softens, though not kindly. "I know this may seem harsh. But countless wolves have gone before you, and this is the tradition. Only the strong endure. That is why you are chosen."
"Chosen," Heidi repeats bitterly in her head. Like a chicken chosen for slaughter.
Then, unexpectedly, a voice rises from the crowd.
It’s a Moon-blessed boy who obviously is shaking but defiantly lifts his chin. "With respect, Headmaster," he says, voice quivering but clear. "We’ve received no training. Only a handful of us even awakened our wolves last night. We don’t know how to control them. We’ve only sat through one mate bond class, nothing about combat or survival. How are we supposed to live through this?"
The air holds its breath.
For a second, Heidi dares to hope the question might actually force an answer. A reasonable one. Something that proves the school isn’t fully deranged.
But it isn’t Halric who replies. It’s a teacher. A tall man with thinning hair and sharp spectacles.
He throws his hands in the air. "You were blessed with the gift of the wolf by the Moon Goddess herself. It is her responsibility to watch over you, not ours. The pack provides only for pure-blooded wolves. Moon Blessed survive—or don’t by the Goddess’s will."
The boy stares at him, aghast. Around him, voices burst in outrage.
"So we’re disposable?"
"That’s what this is?!"
"Pure-bloods get protection but we don’t?!"
The protest builds, louder and louder. Everyone feels the rage, fear, and pure betrayal of the school.
Heidi joins in, but not with words. She lets her nails bite deep into her palms until she smells blood. She steals a glance at the line of the Bellamys and pack heirs.
It is Lucan who meets her gaze first. He sighs and shakes his head disapprovingly as if he’s telling Heidi; I told you not to do it.
Then Corvin steps forward again. And uses his sound manipulation ability yet again.
A crushing weight pins Heidi’s shoulders and buckles her knees. She feels it in her marrow, an iron command to kneel, yield, and obey. Her wolf snarls against it, teeth snapping in the back of her mind, but even she is forced to bow.
Corvin’s voice rumbles like thunder. "You will not insult this school again. If you value your lives, you will learn your place."
The pressure eases just enough for them to breathe, but no one dares speak. The boy who had asked the question is hunched, trembling, and has a face pale with shame.
Halric clears his throat softly, reclaiming attention. "As I was saying. You will remember: the labyrinth does not follow the rules of our world. Time may stretch. Reality may bend. It might seem like a day, week, or even a month in there, but after twenty-four hours here? The portal will open once more. Look for it. Rush toward it. And do not be late."
Heidi stares at him with a dumbfounded slackening of her jaw.
Do not be late. As if lateness means detention, not a lifetime trapped in hell.
Her wolf whispers fiercely inside her: Prisoners. That’s all we are.
The murmurs are still crawling across the hall like restless insects when Headmaster Halric lifts his hand. His smile is tight and politician-slick. It’s the kind of smile that says I know something you don’t.
"Before we proceed to the portal," he announces, "you should be honored. Today, you will meet a guest. An acquaintance of the pack. Someone whose power makes this mission possible."
Every Moon Blessed stiffens. Heidi feels the tension swell through the room like a wave at sea. Her stomach lurches. A guest? As if this nightmare isn’t bad enough, they’re wheeling out outsiders to make it worse?
Halric’s smile deepens. "She is not a wolf, but a fairy. Her magic is ancient, her kind’s affinity with portals unparalleled. Without her, the labyrinth would remain locked. With her... You may enter and..." his eyes glint cruelly, "if the Goddess wills it, return."
Heidi’s throat dries. A fairy? The species that gave up their realm for the demons to be trapped? The real owners of the labyrinth?
A door at the side creaks open.
And in she walks.
She doesn’t arrive in glittering gowns or glowing robes that one could expect of ancient creatures like herself. No... her style is disarmingly modern. A tailored blazer in muted cream drapes casually over her shoulders, the kind of cut you’d see in high-end fashion week photos. Slim black trousers flow into sleek ankle boots polished enough to catch the light.
At first glance, she could be any impossibly stylish woman in Madrid or Milan. Someone sipping espresso at a café table, scrolling her phone while the world slows to watch her.
But then you notice the details...