Chapter Three — The Dream Made Real
The gates of the Impossible Academy opened like the mouth of a myth.
Avery leaned forward in her seat, eyes wide, breath caught somewhere between wonder and disbelief. The campus shimmered in the valley below, towers of stone and glass rising like a city carved from starlight. Bridges arched between buildings, glowing softly with enchantments. The air itself felt alive — humming with magic, possibility, and something else.
Belonging.
She didn’t know how she knew it. She just did.
Her mark pulsed faintly on her arm, like it recognized the land before she did.
“This is…” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
Auron didn’t respond. He turned the car away from the main road, veering off toward a smaller path that curved into the trees.
Avery blinked. “Wait — aren’t we going to the Academy?”
He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. “Not yet. There’s someone waiting for you. Somewhere safe.”
Her pulse jumped. “My parents?”
“Yes.”
Relief hit her so hard she nearly gasped. “They’re okay?”
“They’re fine. They’ve been waiting for you. We all have.”
She stared at him. “Why didn’t they come to get me?”
“Because it wasn’t safe. And because there are things you need to hear — things that will make more sense with them there.”
The car wound deeper into the forest, the trees growing taller, older, their branches thick with moss and memory. The road narrowed until it felt like they were driving through a dream.
And then they arrived.
The cabin stood in a clearing bathed in soft golden light, its wood rich and warm, its windows glowing like lanterns. Ivy curled around the porch railings. A small garden bloomed beside the steps, wildflowers swaying gently in the breeze.
Avery’s breath caught.
She knew this place.
Not from photos. Not from stories.
From dreams.
She’d seen it a hundred times — in flashes, in fragments, in moments that felt like memories she wasn’t supposed to have.
“I’ve… I’ve dreamed of this,” she whispered.
Auron parked the car and turned to her, his voice low. “That’s because it’s part of you. Your mother chose this place. She wanted you to feel it, even if you didn’t know why.”
Avery stepped out of the car, her legs shaky, her heart thudding like a drum.
The air smelled like cedar and lavender. The wind whispered through the trees like it was welcoming her home.
She climbed the porch steps slowly, her fingers brushing the railing.
The door opened before she could knock.
Her mother stood there — tall, graceful, with eyes like twilight and a smile that trembled at the edges.
“Avery,” she said, voice breaking.
Avery froze.
She didn’t know this woman. Not really. But something inside her did.
The woman stepped forward, arms open, and Avery let herself be pulled into the hug.
It felt like falling into a memory she’d never lived.
Behind her, Auron stood quietly, watching.
Her mother whispered, “You’re safe now. And we’re going to tell you everything.”
Avery didn’t speak. She couldn’t.
She just held on, letting the warmth of the cabin, the scent of the garden, and the truth she hadn’t yet heard wrap around her like a promise.
Auron and Remy told her the story of their love. And how they saved her from scrutiny. Remy is one of the royal seers, and she took a vow to never mate. Auron is the brother of the current King of all werewolves. When they found each other it was illegal for them to be together. So when they found they were expecting, Auron built this cabin, and told his brother, they were told what to do. When Aurons father died in an attack and his brother took over, their relationship was approved. Auron was friendly with Mark and Elena, Humans who worked with the council to help the supernatural realm blend with the human realm.
They agreed to take her, when Auron brought her to them as a baby, and raise her as their own.
She was always meant to come back to the supernatural realm and take her place amongst the heirarchy, of whereever she belonged.
But as she grew up, and her powers remained dormant, they allowed her to stay in the human realm.
