Zodiac Academy: The Awakening As Told By The Boys

I had a little bluebird in my grasp and I was excited to see how well it could fly when I clipped its wings. Damn the moon, this bluebird is pretty though.

I led the Aer freshman across campus towards my House and my pack grouped around me, brushing their fingers over me as I picked up the pace and offered them a few smirks. Darcy was among the new pledges, my prey. Everyone here tonight was at my mercy and it was giving me a power high that had my head spinning.

We passed through The Wailing Wood and adrenaline coursed through my limbs as moonlight spilled through the branches, kissing my flesh. The moon winked at me through the branches and I winked back at her, sharing our little secret. She knew the deal, I’d be Alpha dogging tonight and she had my back like always.

We emerged from the trees and headed onto the sprawling clifftop where the huge tower stood, stretching up high above us, the dark grey bricks ancient and weathered. Vertical windows were built into the walls and at the very top was an enormous rotating wooden turbine which moved in a magical breeze cast there by the Fae who’d built it hundreds of years ago. Supposedly my great, great, great, great Uncle Felps had helped build those turbines and his power still resided within the eternal magical wind that turned them.

As we reached the entrance, I turned to face my victims beneath the arching doorway and they stared at me with excitement and nerves warring in their eyes. I raised a palm and cast air at the triangular symbol above the door, making it glow before the iron door unlocked.

“Freshmen, get your asses in front of me because I’m only gonna say this once,” I called, my pack mates looking to me with a keen energy burning in their expressions.

I took in the new power at my academy as my pack surrounded me, their hands sweeping over me and their heads bowed in respect to their king. I could feel the stars watching this interaction and I knew it was important, especially as my gaze settled on the girl who’d just blasted one of my best friends across The Orb. A growl built in the back of my throat, but I didn’t let it show on my face. No one hurt my friends and got away with it. Especially not a girl fresh from the Mortal Realm with big innocent Bambi eyes. She looked like prey in every way, and I’d be sure to make a slow and torturous meal of her.

“You don’t get into Aer unless you use your power on that symbol.” I pointed to the triangle above the door which was the sign of my dominant Element. “As it’s your first day, I’ve already opened it but as of tomorrow if you can’t conjure air, you don’t get a bed in my House.”

A flicker of determination crossed Darcy’s features as she rubbed her fingers together to feel the magic within them, then she shared a smile with a beanie-hat-wearing boy beside her.

“Now.” I smiled wide, showing rows of shiny teeth that could eat them all up if they ever crossed me. “Let’s get on with it.” I looked to Darcy, curling my finger to beckon her closer, needing to assess my enemy. Maybe I could make her submit to me, force her into the bottom feeders of my House and make her serve me like an Omega. Yeah, I liked the sound of that. A pet Vega.

She frowned, hesitating for one second before walking up to me and I slung an arm over her shoulders, tugging her hard against me. I breathed in the scent of her, finding I liked the sweetness around this girl as I stroked my fingers along the bare skin of her arm. She tried to pull away, but she was in my trap now and I held her tighter, reaching my fingers up into her hair instead. All of this goodness wasn’t what I’d expected from a Vega. I’d pictured sharp teeth, claws and her father’s angry face. But she was a red and juicy apple on a tree where all the others had grown black. Perhaps her darkness lived on the inside…

“Initiation!” I called and the swarm of older students behind the freshmen descended on them, shoving black linen bags over all of their heads.

I continued to paw at my new pet before leaning in and inhaling the sugary sweetness of her hair. Submit, little pup. I’m your Alpha. And you’re all mine.

She shuddered, trying to push me back again but there was no magic in her attempt and I almost laughed as I kept hold of her. I ran my tongue up her cheek, tasting my enemy and finding her far more appetising than I wanted her to be. I really could eat this one up. Bite by delicious bite.

“Ergh!” She brought her hand up to slap me, but I caught it with ease, grinning at the defiance in her eyes. Yep, this girl was blackened on the inside just like her Daddy. And that darkness was going to spill out once she learned how to control her power. But if she was my little bitch at that point, then it wouldn’t really matter.

I laughed at her furious expression. “Chill out, babe. This is how I say hello.”

I cocked my head, showing her I meant no harm, when I really meant the exact opposite. She frowned, seeming to buy my puppy dog act and my heart jumped faster in excitement.

“Right,” she said uneasily. “I’m just still trying to figure this all out.”

I laughed then turned back to the crowd, my arm still locked tightly around her. You’ll figure it out soon enough.

“What’s your Order, babe?” I nuzzled against her ear and she stiffened from the contact. This Vega needed a long, hot bath and a chill pill. But I supposed she’d have to settle for a dip in utter humiliation. The other freshmen were getting nervous as they waited for something to happen, the bags over their heads blotting out all the light. But I was cool with them waiting. Waiting would only make them more afraid.

“Err.. what?” Darcy asked. Holy shit, she doesn’t even know about Orders?

“You know…Siren, Vampire…Werewolf?” I asked curiously as Ashanti moved up behind her and started braiding her hair. It looked quite good in a braid actually. But this wasn’t a besties hair styling party, this was a dominance move, and Ashanti was styling it just how she liked it to look, not how the pretty little Vega wanted it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Darcy said as I pressed my nose to her neck and breathed in deeply. She was appetising. Like strawberries and the gilded blood of a princess. Maybe I’d dom her down and mark her with my own scent.

I chuckled, pulling away. “You really are from the mortal world. Don’t worry, babe, those powers will surface soon.” I nodded to Ashanti, and she stuffed a linen bag over Darcy’s head, making me grin like the Wolf I was. She steadied herself against me and I loved that she thought I was the person to place her faith in right now. My friendly act had paid off. But she was about to meet the monster beneath my flesh.

I let go of her so she was left with nothing to hold onto and my pack grouped around me with excited smiles, waiting for my next move. Kylie was among them, supressing a giggle as she watched the games play out and I knocked my knuckles against her cheek with a smirk.

“If you don’t pass my initiation you don’t stay in Aer, got it?” I barked and half the freshmen flinched. Not my Vega though.

A murmur of ascent went up that made me scowl. I was an Alpha. Their House Captain. And they would show me more fucking respect than that.

“You will reply with ‘yes Alpha’. Let’s try again,” I commanded. “Have you got that?”

“Yes Alpha!” the freshmen called but my eyes were on Darcy who remained resolutely silent. I ground my jaw, my instincts blazing, telling me to put her in her place.

I yanked her against me once more and felt her muscles go rigid in my arms. “Answer me, pledge.”

“Yes Alpha,” she said, but it sounded forced. It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as I would have liked, but it was a start.

I released her and she stumbled backwards, almost knocking into Frank who stepped casually out of her way with a mocking grin.

“MOVE!” I bellowed like a drill sergeant and my pack and any older students here surrounded the freshmen, dragging them after me as I led the way inside. Kylie jogged to keep pace with me and I slung my arm around her shoulders as she gave me a mischievous smile, batting her lashes at me. I silently slid a pair of scissors from my pocket, passing them to her with a wink.

“Gimme those when I ask for them, kay babe?” I whispered and she nodded eagerly, pocketing them for me.

A few of my pack mates kept close to me, brushing my arms and pushing their fingers into my hair, causing Kylie to pout. I definitely needed to have a chat with her now she was at Zodiac. I didn’t really do girlfriends or boyfriends because exclusivity was dumb to me when I was used to nightly orgies with my pack. Why go monogamous with one Fae when I could have three taking turns sucking my cock? Kylie had been a great distraction over the summer, but she was less distracting now I was back here. Like, not really distracting at all actually. I’d forgotten that she was gonna be Awakened tonight. Anyways, maybe she was down for pack life. Maybe she’d enjoy being bent over while Frank pounded her from behind and I watched her across the room while fucking Alice. Guessed we’d find out.

I increased my pace up the winding white stairway that circled higher and higher into the tower, adrenaline buzzing through my body and making me want to start yipping like a pup. But I kept that shit in check. I was in cool mode now. And I didn’t let anyone see that mask slip except the Heirs.

Eventually, we reached the top where the common room was located and all the freshmen were panting, not used to the daily climb yet. This tower was home to the best asses on campus because there was nothing better for your glutes than stair climbing. Fact.

“Forward,” I commanded as I guided them into the common room and we had to weave through the grey stone lounge filled with woollen rugs and cream armchairs. I flicked my fingers, sending a cold wind through the room that gusted around the bag-headed freshmen, making them believe we were outside. A few murmurs of fear reached me from the pledges and Kylie supressed a laugh while a vicious grin curled up my lips. I didn’t make her participate in the initiation ‘cause I was nice like that. Her tits looked top dollar tonight too which helped. And I considered this my apology for the rampant sex party I’d had the moment I got back to the academy.

“You’re now at the top of Aer Tower,” I announced and some whimpers left the freshmen. “Line them up on the edge.” Let’s see if I can make the Vega squeal.

I moved to stand before the step where the freshmen were all forced to line up and a bunch of the older students had to cast silencing bubbles around themselves to stop their laughter from being heard. I folded my arms as I fixed my gaze on the one who had the blue tips of hair hanging from her hood, ready to see her grit. A few of the freshmen called out pleas and I gave them dry looks. Darcy’s feet were the first to reach the edge of the step while others were wrestled into place beside her.

I ran my tongue over my teeth, my gaze not wavering from her as she lurched backwards in fright and Alice shoved her back into place.

When the struggling stopped, I circled around them all, moving to stand at the back of the line as I assessed their quaking little knees.

“You are air born, pledges!” I shouted. “The wind is your ally. If you can’t harness it, you don’t deserve to live here. Or at all for that matter.”

Darcy shook her head and a murmur of fear escaped her that sent a ripple of satisfaction through me. I had a Vega princess frightened and at my mercy. And all I’d done was shove a bag on her head and place her on a step. Getting her to bow to me was gonna be as easy as finding the moon in the sky. I bounced on the balls of my feet as that thought washed through me. I couldn’t wait to tell the other Heirs how snappable Darcy Vega was. She was gonna be my new chew toy. My little Aer House servant. Yes! This was gonna be so much fun.

I nodded to my pack mates who knew my plan and they hurriedly cast silencing bubbles around all the freshmen except Darcy, dragging them off to one side of the room and leaving her alone.

Kylie sniggered as she appeared beside me, following me like she was on a leash and I ignored her as I raised my hands at Darcy’s back, air magic still blasting around her and making goosebumps rise on the exposed skin of her arms. Her hand reached out to find someone beside her, but there was no one there. She was a lonely duck and I was going to make her quack for help.

I let the silence ring for a second as people fought to contain their laughter at her standing there, teetering on the edge of the step.

“Wait,” Darcy choked out. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You’ll figure it out, girl,” Kylie called in encouragement.

Darcy started trembling and a vicious smile pulled at my mouth as I fell into the darkness within me, enjoying every second of this. Vega Princess? More like Vega mouse. It was going to be far too easy to break them, and I was kind of disappointed they weren’t going to be more of a challenge.

“On the count of three you’ll jump and if you don’t stop yourself from hitting the ground, then you’re gonna go splat. And if you don’t jump, you’ll be pushed,” I explained in a bright tone.

“What the fuck?” she snapped, finally losing all politeness.

“One!” I called, ignoring her as I waited for her to back out of the jump and start pleading. “Two!”

She stopped shaking and I frowned. “Three!” I cried.

She jumped, making my eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

Her feet hit the floor and Ashanti ripped her hood off, everyone dropping their silencing bubbles as raucous laughter filled the air. I didn’t laugh, caught off guard by her jumping from that edge. She’d believed that was the top of the tower…

“So funny, Sethy,” Kylie said, nudging me and I finally let out a low laugh, enjoying Darcy’s embarrassment as even the freshmen joined in laughing at her. But they were wrong to laugh because she hadn’t failed here, she’d won. And that just wasn’t gonna work for me.

I walked around her, assessing her as I slapped on a grin, not liking the writhing feeling in my chest that told me she wasn’t a complete mouse after all.

“That’s not funny,” Darcy blew out, her hair all fucked up from the hood and looking sexy as hell. She smiled, fucking smiled like she found the joke amusing and that wasn’t gonna do. She was meant to be the butt of it, not part of it.

I caught her wrist, dragging her forward as I assessed her, my hands skimming along her chin then into her hair as I hunted her eyes for what I knew was lurking in her. And there it was, hidden deep, but I could see it. Her Fae, burning in the depths of those dark green eyes. And it wasn’t even close to innocent. Hello, Savage Princess.

“What’s really not funny is you and your sister showing up here to steal our throne. We’ve worked our asses off to earn that right. Our four families have ruled for nearly twenty years since the fall of King Vega and Solaria has been much better off for it. Our parents divide the power between themselves and as the sons of the Celestial Council, we will soon take that responsibility from them. So we don’t intend to just sit back and let you take the throne from us and return Solaria to the shitheap it was when your father ruled,” I snarled, holding on tighter to her as my Alpha told me to force this girl beneath me before she got any ideas about trying to do the same to me.

Her face twisted in anger. “I don’t want your throne.” She tried to wrench her wrist free from my grip but I wouldn’t let go. Bullshit.

I needed to push her further. Needed to break her before that animal in her eyes sprouted wings and realised how high it could soar.

I turned her to face the crowd in front of me. “Who says we really throw her off the tower this time?” My heart beat to a powerful, hungry tune. I loved raising the stakes of this power play and she was the one who’d jumped in the first place, so it wouldn’t be that hard to do it again now, would it?

“What?” she gasped as the whole of House Aer roared their ascent. “Get off of me!” She threw her shoulder back at me but I didn’t let go, hauling her toward the huge set of glass doors that led onto the balcony. I hesitated for a second, wondering if I was going too far. But then I remembered my mother’s words to me. Don’t ever let your enemies see you have a heart.

I’d always been the cruellest of my pack, it was what made me such a powerful Alpha. She’d encouraged my ruthlessness, showered me with gifts every time I showed no mercy to Fae who tried to challenge me. It was what I was best at, what I was honed to do. And yet some small part of me occasionally rose its head and told me to stop. But I couldn’t listen to it. When I’d told my Mom about it, she’d said that voice was weakness and that I should never let it affect my decisions. If I was going to rule the kingdom one day, I needed to be cold, detached, make choices for the greater good without latching any emotion to them. But as a shiver ran through Darcy’s flesh into mine, that little voice grew louder and told me to stop. So I did what I always did when that voice got too loud, I shut it out, let myself drift into the calm, dark waters of my inner Fae and let it take over every part of me. I was numb here, draped in cruelty, and that was where I belonged.

I dragged Darcy up to the stone wall at the edge of the roof and the students crowed excitedly behind me, while others murmured in concern.

“Are you crazy?!” she yelled desperately as she fought to get my hands off of her. But the wheel was in motion and there was no going back. I had to do this. To show her who was boss, to keep that Fae lurking in her crushed down.

My pack started howling as the light of the moon washed over us and I tilted my chin up to it, bathing in its silvery light. Then I shoved Darcy firmly up onto the wall and she looked back over her shoulder, finding the whole House watching her through the glass windows.

I glared coolly up at my enemy, ready to break her in front of everyone. They’d see her crumble and beg and plead. And only when she was on her knees for me would I let her off this wall.

“Please, just let me down,” she whispered, her voice quavering with fear.

I smirked, enjoying having this so-called powerful princess begging me for mercy already. Kylie pushed through the crowd, appearing beside me again and taking my hand in hers. Her clinginess was starting to get to me which was odd considering how clingy I could be sometimes with my pack and the Heirs.

“Jump,” Kylie said and a growl built in my throat. This is my circus, babe, don’t start talking for the ringmaster or I’ll crush you too.

Darcy searched for a friendly face among the crowd, but came up short, looking back at me.

“Let me down,” she demanded, almost forcefully enough to have a ring of Coercion to it.

I released Kylie and moved right up to the wall, gripping Darcy’s ankles to show her I could launch her off this tower at any second.

“Alright,” I said after a long pause, ready to immortalise this night as the one where Seth Capella broke a Vega. “But you can only get down when you’ve cut off all of your hair.” 

Kylie passed me the scissors I’d given her and I took them, brandishing them for the crowd to see.

“What?” Darcy gasped in horror. Yup. They’d call her Darcy Egga after this on account of her bald head. Or maybe Baldy Vega, or…something better, I didn’t have time to decide that right now anyway.

“It’s that or jump.” I shrugged and laughter rang out from every direction.

I held out the scissors to Darcy and she clenched her jaw, determination roaring in her eyes. No, no, back down, babe. Show the world you’re not fit for the throne.

Give me your dignity, hand it over and prove who the real Heir here is. Prove you’re just a mouse who couldn’t even rule a kingdom of fleas.

Her fingers flexed and the wind picked up under her power. Was she going to fight me?

I quite liked the idea of that. I could force her to her knees and beat her as easily as breathing. She wasn’t even trained. It would be idiotic, but I’d be happy to rise to any challenge she threw at me.

She glanced over her shoulder at the drop from the tower and a frown pinched my brow as I realised she wasn’t about to fight me, she was thinking of doing something far more dangerous.

She turned and I stepped forward, my lips parting as I was about to shout out and tell her to stop, but she was already jumping, diving off the fucking tower in a move I hadn’t thought she’d ever even consider.

I leapt up onto the stone wall as screams and gasps of shock swallowed up the curses leaving my lips. She fell at a furious pace, falling through the air with her hair streaming upwards behind her.

She was gonna hit the ground, she couldn’t cast air magic on command like that, she’d only just been Awakened. Fuck – holy shit on the moon – fuck!

My fingers twitched as I prepared to catch her with my own air magic, my heart drumming furiously against my ribcage.

“She’s gonna die!” Ashanti gasped.

“Oh my stars,” Kylie said as she recorded the whole thing on her Atlas, her eyes alight.

I was about to stop Darcy from impacting with the ground when she caught herself on a gust of air and came to a sudden halt.

My shoulders sagged and I carved a hand over my face, my relief dying a fast death as a bunch of students around me started whooping and cheering her on. My teeth locked as she won the favour of so many people at once and I turned and shoved my way back through the crowd, pissed as all hell. I needed to talk to the other Heirs, but first I needed a friendly blowjob and a head massage. So as I howled for my pack to follow and Kylie was nearly knocked down beneath them as they ran after me, I led them away to my bedroom and fell onto my bed with a huff.

“It’s okay, Alpha,” Ashanti purred, straddling my lap and I grabbed her hands, putting them in my hair.

“Stroke me.” I pouted and she nodded, getting to work teasing her fingers through my hair.

Frank started kissing my neck and I let out a breath as they worked to tease the tension from my body. But the blue haired Vega was firmly on my mind when Ashanti started riding my cock and when I shut my eyes, all I saw was Darcy in her place, working to please her superior. I got the feeling that was a fantasy that wouldn’t be as easy to make into reality as I’d first thought. But maybe it wasn’t all bad. It definitely made things interesting anyway. And if I had to destroy her bite by bite, then I’d at least get time to enjoy the meal I made of her.