Nate tried to stop them mentally, but by then, another had shape shifted. Ookashi was stunned. What was happening? What was she seeing? This was perhaps the weirdest day of her life! Did she just see a wolf turn into a human? Her mouth was wide open and she couldn't understand what was happening. Nate looked at her, feeling extremely worried that she might faint again. And she did!

When Ookashi opened her eyes, she found herself in a different surrounding. She was on a bed and the room was well lit. It looked extremely luxurious. She wondered where she was and looked to her side. So much had happened that day. Whatever happened today – was it just a dream? She saw that Nate was looking at her intently.

​​

As soon as he saw that she had opened the eyes, he was relieved. He bent down and hugged her.

"Sorry Ookashi…" he mumbled. "I don't know what to say."

"Did those wolves become humans, or am I dreaming?" asked Ookashi pushing him away from her. "Where am I? Am I trapped in some magical world? I only see those kinds of things in movies." She was dazed.

Nate became silent.

"Nate, answer me." She demanded an explanation.

"Ookashi, I am a werewolf…" he replied as softly as he could.

Ookashi's eyes widened as her whole face went blank. "Werewolf?" It took a while before she spoke again. "I want to go home."

Nate's world fell. He had known that she would reject him the moment she came to know about him, but the reality still hurt.

"What about Dmitri and Adrianna? Does Adrianna know?" she asked him, feeling very worried about her friend's safety.

Nate nodded. "Both Dmitri and Adrianna are werewolves."

For Ookashi, this was so much information at once that she didn't know how to react. She didn't know whether or not she should be scared. She felt lost and confused, like a ball of tangled yarn. Everything in front of her eyes was a mess, and the mess felt endless and unyielding.

She controlled her emotions and decided something she should have done long back. She said, "I would like to hear all the details Nate. You wouldn't have brought me here and expose your secret if you didn't have feelings for me. So I am going to stay with you tonight and you have to tell me everything."

Nate was surprised, but was ecstatic. It only meant one thing – she wanted to take the step and further their relationship.

"You've got one long night ahead of you mister," she declared as she crossed her arms across her chest. "By the way, whose house is this? This looks like a mini palace!" she asked, looking outside the window into the gardens.

"It is my mansion," he replied.

---

The next day, Adrianna woke up and rushed back to the academy. Dmitri had been extremely demanding the night before. She had to push him away several times as she was exhausted. She slept late and woke up late. Somehow, she managed to get dressed and walked through the portal just in time.

She headed to her class and noticed that all of the students who met her in the hallways were looking at her with awe. She was slightly embarrassed. When she reached her class, some of the witches sniggered. They were Zola's friends. They started chatting amongst each other, but they were loud enough for Adrianna to clearly hear their conversation.

"She murdered Zola and the ministry has let her go scot-free. She should be punished," said one of them.

"I asked my father to take action against her. He is in the law and order department of the ministry. I am sure she will be behind bars soon."

"Do you know that she broke Lia's wand? She's scary."

"Poor Lia. She is in jail because of this bitch!"

"I miss Zola so much."

Adrianna was again left with a sense of guilt. Kayla, Lia, Zola… all of them landed in jail or died because of her.

"By the way, Professor Ziu is the next headmaster of the academy!" said one of them, clasping their hands. "He is so cool. I totally love him!"

"How do you know?"

"Well, my father is in the ministry. He informed us yesterday. The notice will come out soon," she replied smugly.

At that instant, Ziu arrived. All of them were shocked. He looked at all of them and said, "Even if I am your headmaster, I am still choosing to continue teaching all of you. Now, take out your notebooks and start studying the spells which I will be teaching today. Professor Lane will be joining us later to teach you all about potions."

Learning about how to make potions was optional. Not many were interested in making potions or magical elixirs, but there were some who loved the chemistry involved in it. Professor Ziu looked at Adrianna and said, "It is mandatory for you to learn how to make them."

Before he could finish saying all that he wanted to say, an announcement was made.

"The winner for the first stage of the competition will be announced soon. All of you, gather in the academy gardens after an hour."