Chapter 3 CHAPTER THREE
ASHLEY'S POV
I dropped the bag immediately, stepping back as my heart slammed against my ribs like it wanted to escape.
Has he come back?
I waited, frozen in place, waiting for another knock, but nothing came after.
The silence that followed was worse than the pounding. It pressed down on me, thick and unnatural.
Slowly, I crept toward the door, every step hesitant, half-expecting it to explode inward, I really hope father hasn't run mad fully.
I pressed my eye to the peephole. No one was there. Empty hallway.
My frown deepened. I dropped my bag with so much caution, afraid that I would break the silence.
Who knocks and just disappears?
I swallowed hard, unlocked the door, and cracked it open.
The hallway was deserted. No footsteps. No voices. A cold breeze slipped past me, raising goosebumps along my arms.
I stepped out, glancing around. The entire house sat eerily quiet—too quiet. Father’s servants were always busy at this hour: cleaning, gossiping, clattering in the kitchen.
But now? Nothing moved. And nothing in sight.
I turned. Walking down the stairs slowly, I glanced down, the front door stood wide open.
That is not possible, it was locked yesterday since five p.m. That is the usual time the front door locks, that was the reason I passed the kitchen yesterday leading to yesterday's event.
A strange, crawling dread slithered down my spine. I walked towards the open door.
“Hello?” I called softly.
No answer. I got into the living room. The night-shift maid lay sprawled across the couch, dead asleep.
In the dining room, another servant had his head slumped on the table, breathing slow and deep.
I hurried upstairs. Every servant I passed was the same—lost in unnatural, heavy sleep. None of them stirred.
“What the hell?” I whispered.
Even Freda had gone completely silent. That's not unusual actually.
I turned, suddenly feeling painfully alone in my own home. I walked back to my room to pick my bag and was ready to leave this house for good.
I genuinely have had enough.
I got back to my room, the strange feeling still clung to me like the second skin.
Then my eyes landed on it.
My breath caught and a frown formed again.
A sleek black envelope rested directly in front of my bedroom door. It definitely hadn’t been there before.
The paper looked expensive, almost silky under the dim hallway light. A silver wax seal gleamed in the center—an intricate crescent moon wrapped in twisting vines.
No way.
Every supernatural child knew that signage.
The academy that never accepted applications yet chooses its students. The academy whose invitations appeared under impossible circumstances.
Nocturne Academy.
My hands shook as I bent down and picked it up. The envelope was ice-cold, like it had been pulled from the depths of winter.
I flipped it over. Elegant silver ink spelled my name:
Miss Ashley Sanders.
My breath hitched. I glanced down the empty hallway, skin prickling.
Someone had been here. Someone had slipped into the house, walked past every sleeping servant, climbed these stairs, and left this at my door.
Or worse the person caused the deep sleep and entered and left without being noticed. And I also didn't hear any sound.
That aside, my brain finally began to register what the letter meant.
Nocturne Academy.
I stared at the envelope, my fingers trembling so badly I almost dropped it.
Hold on. This had to be some kind of joke. People didn't get invited to Nocturne Academy. They were chosen. I had heard the stories growing up.
The mysterious academy hidden deep in the mountains. The school that accepted only a handful of students every year. The school that never asked for applications, recommendations, or entrance exams.
It simply… chose.
And when it did, the invitation always found its owner. Always. No matter where they were. No matter who tried to stop it.
I swallowed hard. What does that mean?
I was a wolfless omega. A fat, useless, unwanted omega. I couldn't even shift. Why would a school filled with future Alphas, Betas, warriors, and prodigies want me?
My gaze slowly swept through the empty hallway again. Someone had unlocked the front door, climbed these stairs, and left this envelope at my feet.
The realization sent a chill down my spine. Whoever they were… they knew exactly who I was. And somehow… they wanted me.. in a very elite academy. I was the Omega for this year.
Does that mean I don't have to be homeless? I don't have to sleep on the streets?
I don't have to keep begging for scraps or endure another day under this roof?
I can finally dine with the elite. I kept on staring at the letter in my hands, my heart hammering painfully against my ribs. Hope filled my heart again in full force.
I was the lucky one. I really am. A breathless laugh escaped me.
Then another. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my cheeks.
"Me?" I whispered, my voice breaking. "They chose… me?"
I clutched the letter to my chest so tightly that the expensive paper crumpled slightly beneath my fingers.
A place I had only heard about in stories. For the first time in years, hope stirred inside my chest.
I laughed again, half-sobbing, half-giggling.
This felt unreal. As though the Moon Goddess had finally remembered I existed. I looked around the empty hallway.
I should leave.
Right now.
Before Father woke up. Before he found a way to take this from me too. The thought alone sent panic rushing through me.
I hurried into my room and grabbed the old bag I had dropped earlier. There wasn't much left to pack anyway. Most of my precious belongings were now ashes.
I looked around my small room one last time. The peeling walls. The broken lamp. The tiny bed. A big contrast to the entire mansion, this room was made specifically to inconvenience me.
I had cried enough tears in this room to fill a river. And now… I was leaving. I didn't bother writing a letter. There was nothing to say.
No goodbye. No explanation. No thank you.
This house had stopped being a home years ago.
I clutched the invitation in one hand and my bag in the other before quietly making my way downstairs.
Every servant remained asleep. Even the night maid hadn't moved an inch. The entire house looked frozen in time. I stepped through the open front door. A cold breeze greeted me immediately.
I didn't look back.
Not once. Past the iron gates. Past the place where my belongings had burned only hours ago.
I kept walking. I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I couldn't stay. The adrenaline that had carried me this far suddenly began to fade.
My body ached. My stomach hurt where Father had kicked me. My head spun from exhaustion and hunger.
I blinked.
The world tilted.
Another step.
Then another.
My legs buckled.
"Oh…" I whispered weakly.
The black envelope slipped from my fingers.
The last thing I saw was the silver crescent moon gleaming beneath the porch light.
Then everything went dark.
“Why does it take time for the spell to work on her?” I heard a voice before I blacked out finally.
