THE AUREUM TRIAL: BLOOD OATH

the right hallway, my mind was still trapped in the shadows of

about? Who was "the girl" th

ughts aside just as I reached th

l and poised, their confidence carved into every movement, their very pres

to let the weight of their gazes sink beneath my skin. But I could feel them judging me. I did

sn't bel

mega?

e some

an Ome

me. As if the very idea of me standing in this p

, keeping my feet still even when every part of me

ower, aubrey. Sometimes, it

wed the lump in my throat, and endured. I looked up just as the oak doors of the office opened. A woman stepped out wi

damp where they had been presse

arrington, the dean of Student Affairs." She said, though her words were polite, but there was no real remorse behind them. As if my time,

e scent of aged parchment and polished wood. Bookshelves towered against the wa

r, her fingers skimming the yellowed pages. I stood stiffly before her, waiting for her to say something,

n. Resides in Ravenshire with

assessing me before it

e an iron weight. She didn't say it with disdain, b

tion: None. Magic affinity: N/A. Speed, endurance, stamina-" She sto

, but I forced myse

y-six percent on the Ashwood Entrance Exam. Strength, intelligence,

nce. "I st

ing the register

Miss Sinclair, even fewer have been granted a full

wed. "Ye

longer. Then, she leaned back in her c

nd excellence this academy is known for." A pause. Then, a sharp look. "This i

t the moment I stepped through th

as Ashwood academy's rule book, and she started reading to me, and twelve pages after

stricted archives without express permission. No unapproved interactions between certain ranks outside aca

of Ashwood that breaking even one seemed like it would bring about something far worse than a simple punishment.

, exhaling through her nose a

ng a set of keys from the desk. "Dormitories at Ashwood are assigned based on

er fact, like the sky was blue or that the sun rose in the east. But t

Betas with betas, deltas with deltas and alphas...they tend to stay alone.

f pause before

a Delta until a more suit

w Betas-a middle ground where students who weren't born into power but weren't

office. I hurried to keep up as she led me through the dim corridors of Ashwood, th

, she contin

e your dormitory by ten o'clock sharp. Any student found wandering af

y, my grip tigh

" she went on. "Failure to maintain a pa

dn't want to find out what they were. She stopped before a tall wooden door, and pulled a si

, N

me regret this place

and slow, as I slid the key into the lock

arge window overlooked the courtyard, where the mist curled lazily around the ancient statues below. The scent of fr

ered in silver thread over the left breast. I reached out, running my fingers over t

tled the door bef

see what we're

, blinking at me like I was an unexpe

nked

ail swishing over her shoulder. "Huh.

ea what to

grace, " Ingrid Morrow from Sky Night Pack. I am a Delta, daughter of Kendrick Morrow council member. And I am an occasional troublemaker,

f my bag. "Aubrey Sinclair," I off

lips, her eyes widened. The

e Omega everyone's

my arrival at the Ashwood aca

d screamed into it before looking back up at me, eyes practically sparkli

y thrown off. "You'r

ing their minds!" She sat up suddenly, crossing her legs. "Tell me, do you have some secret royal lineage? Are you s

stare. "I passed

ng back onto the be

he wasn't looking at me like I was something strange and out o

ough trauma for one day. So, here's the plan: You're going to put on that uniform, and I'm

niform. "I was goi

a dismissive hand. "And considering they'll probably kick

wn at the uniform in my

rinning as she pointed dramatically to the bathro

ight about one thing: I needed to understand Ashwood if I was going

nce-over. "Not bad. You al

n eyebrow.

you stand screams ne

ether to thank h

and yanked me out the door. "Alright, tour

f its ancient grandeur. She led me through it with the ease of someone who had walked these

ows," she explained, gesturing to the towering portraits lining the walls. "The strongest blo

ings, the ivy-draped pillars that framed the open courtyard. Every inch of A

mic studies. East is combat training and strategy. West holds the restricted archives and faculty quarters...don't ev

I echoe

ry rule in that twelve-page handbook

kind of rules are

o, is our little Omega afraid of breaking the rules?" She gave

rang through the air. A voice crackled

report to the Assem

her nose. "Guess the

th amusement. "Come on, Sinclair. Ti