Chapter 154: The New Rules

Chapter 154: The New Rules

POV: Astrid Vale

The main hall filled quickly the next morning, students crowding together as Aldric took his place at the front, waiting for the murmurs to settle before speaking.

"Moonshade and Blackthorn’s academic programs are now permanently integrated," he said. "This is not a temporary arrangement. Students previously classified as transfers are now full members of this institution, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails. Moonshade remains, at its core, a Lycan academy. However, every student will now have the opportunity to study disciplines traditionally restricted to other supernatural groups."

The room buzzed with reaction, and Ivy leaned toward me, whispering, "This is either going to be amazing or an absolute disaster."

"Possibly both," I said.

We received our new schedules shortly after, and immediately the hall erupted into a low murmur of complaints and comparisons. Core subjects remained mandatory across the board, but beyond that, each student now had to select electives from an expanded curriculum, alongside a compulsory sporting activity.

"I got assigned History of Supernatural Law," someone nearby groaned. "That sounds miserable."

"I got Advanced Combat," another voice said, considerably more pleased.

A cluster of Moonshade students near the front started grumbling more pointedly, one of them loud enough to carry across the hall. "Why do we need witches teaching us anything? We’re wolves."

Eliza, standing close enough to overhear, answered without missing a beat. "Studying another discipline doesn’t mean abandoning your own nature," she said. "It means understanding the world you actually live in now."

"And mind-reading training isn’t about invading anyone’s thoughts," Criston added, his tone calm but firm. "It’s about learning mental boundaries. Consent. Something that would benefit literally everyone in this room, wolf or otherwise."

Aldric cut off the brewing argument before it could escalate further. "This decision has already been made," he said, his voice carrying easily across the hall. "I expect every student to approach this transition with the maturity this academy prides itself on."

The grumbling died down, though I suspected it hadn’t disappeared entirely, just retreated into quieter corners of conversation.

A group of Blackthorn students standing near the back exchanged their own quiet glances, clearly picking up on the same tension. One of them, a girl I didn’t recognize, murmured something to her friend about hoping the year wouldn’t turn into a constant negotiation over who belonged where. I caught her eye by accident, and she gave me a small, uncertain smile, like she wasn’t sure whether I’d be one of the students who resented her presence here. I smiled back, hoping it read as reassurance rather than pity, and watched some of the tension ease from her shoulders before she turned back to her own conversation.

I looked down at my own schedule, several unfamiliar subjects listed alongside the required core classes. Witchcraft Fundamentals caught my attention immediately, something tightening in my chest at the sight of it. My mother had spent her entire life hiding that part of our history from me, protecting me from something she’d clearly believed was dangerous. Now, for the first time, I had the chance to actually learn about it properly.

"You have to pick a sport too," Ivy reminded me, glancing over my shoulder at the list.

"I know."

"Pick something fun," she said immediately. "Something we can do together."

"She should pick something competitive," Xander said, appearing beside us. "Combat training, maybe. Or archery, since apparently you have hidden talent."

"I don’t have hidden talent," I said. "You made that up."

"Details."

Reed’s suggestion, when it came, carried more thought behind it. "Something that helps with control," he said. "Physical recovery, coordination. You’re still adjusting to everything Sapphire brought with her."

I considered all three suggestions, torn between wanting something enjoyable and something practical, and eventually settled on a combination that satisfied at least part of everyone’s advice.

Around us, the established transfer students were already discussing their own choices with clear excitement. Eliza practically vibrated with enthusiasm about advanced spellcraft, already listing spells she hoped to master by the end of the semester. Criston mentioned wanting to strengthen his mental defenses, something about building stronger shields against unwanted intrusion, a skill he clearly took seriously given his own abilities. Estelle spoke quietly about advanced illusion work, her eyes carrying something thoughtful I couldn’t quite read.

Josh, standing nearby, laughed a little too loudly at his own joke. "Everyone’s got some special ability except me," he said. "I’m just here for moral support and comic relief."

The room laughed along with him, but I caught something underneath the humor, a flicker of genuine frustration he was working hard to mask. I made a mental note to check on him properly later, once the chaos of scheduling had settled.

Over the following days, the academy’s rhythm shifted noticeably. Students moved between buildings I’d never seen this much traffic through before, a werewolf heading toward the witchcraft wing with obvious nervousness, a witch joining a combat class with equal uncertainty on her face. Somewhere near the eastern courtyard, a cluster of mind-reading students practiced mental shields together, their concentration visible even from a distance.

Moonshade suddenly felt larger than it had before, its boundaries stretching to accommodate an entire spectrum of abilities and disciplines that had never coexisted this openly within its walls.

I looked over my elective list one final time before submitting it, my finger hovering over Witchcraft Fundamentals. It wasn’t a decision born from some sudden certainty about hidden power waiting to be unlocked. It was simpler than that. For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to understand the part of my heritage my mother had spent years protecting me from, the part that had gotten her killed, the part that had somehow led me to Elaris in the first place.

I submitted my choices, watching the confirmation screen load, and as the final schedule populated across my page, something caught my eye that I hadn’t expected to see listed anywhere.

Advanced Wolf Training.

I stared at it for a long moment, uncertain how it had ended up on my schedule at all, given that until recently I hadn’t even known I possessed a wolf worth training.