Initiation (My Harem Academia, #1): My Harem Academia, #1

By Xya Olsen

Some rules are made to be broken.

My name is Lucian Luck—but don't let it fool you. Fortune rarely smiles upon me.

I've survived my hard-knock existence by the skin of my teeth. When a mistake puts me at death's door, I'm spirited away to Nitehelm's Wilderness Academy for shifters. The Wilds are a carnal place and the academy is no exception. Divided into four houses, the students make the rules—and here, only the strong survive.

I can't tell if starting over in this strange world is a blessing or a curse. Yet when three powerful, handsome men from rival houses get their hands on me, I feel my luck start to change.

There's only one problem: dating between houses is forbidden.

Saber, Renard, and Tiberius are hotter than I can handle, and when we collide, rules are broken and sparks fly. Each of them wants a piece of me, and I'm more than happy to share. But their companionship—and devotion—puts a target on my back.

What's worse, I learn my mortal life was a lie—and unsurprisingly, the truth isn't any better.

There's a monster inside of me, and if I don't learn how to control it, I can kiss my men and my new life goodbye.

INITIATION is the first novella in Xya Olsen's My Harem Academia series. Follow Lucian and his mates as they claim and fight for their happily ever. This story is filled with love, magic, action, steamy m/m(+) scenes, and features harem and (in later books) mpreg. (Suitable for ages 18+)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xya Olsen
• Release date: May 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393332503

Xya Olsen

Xya Olsen is a MM author who writes wholesome paranormal harem romance. Her stories are filled to the brim with love and magic and features fated mates, harem, mpreg, and of course, lots of strong heroes yearning for their happily ever afters. To sign up for Xya Olsen’s newsletter for release updates, go to https://www.xyaolsen.com/newsletter

Book preview

LUCIAN’S PRELUDE

IWAS SUPPOSED TO DIE—STRANDED OUT THERE ON THAT SLICK, DESOLATE ROAD.

When the tires lost traction and sent the car spiraling toward a snow-laden ditch—I kissed my sorry ass goodbye.

I just prayed the aftermath wouldn’t hurt too badly.

The brunt of the crash rattled me to my core and wrecked havoc on the car’s exterior. The hood and front bumper crunched toward the dashboard like an accordion. The windshield shattered from the force, allowing the frigid snow outside to spill into the vehicle.

The driver slumped against the steering wheel as the straps of the seatbelt cut into my skin. As I dangled there, helpless, I called out to the man in the front seat but received no answer.

Not long after, I succumbed to the bitter darkness.

As I waited for certain death, I wondered about the hand fate had dealt me.

If I didn’t freeze to death, the blood loss would take me out. It was only a matter of which happened first.

I could have blamed the Uber driver, the bald looking tires they pulled up with, the weather, or my boss’s ridiculous scheduling tactics—but none of them would have explained the strange flash of light that caused the crash.

When no other cars were anywhere in sight—where had it come from?

Without an answer, I speculated while the frigid cold nipped at my fingers and toes.

As the interior lights flickered out, a realization spawned from the depths of my mind.

I could die here, I thought. No one will know.

In such dire circumstances, I needed to be realistic.

No one would come to the rescue—not on a forgotten road in this kind of weather. And with no one at home waiting for me, I was like a man lost at sea without a life vest.

Should I consider it a strange twist of fate—a blessing, even—that my death wouldn’t worry a soul?

The cold seeped into my bones as I turned the thoughts over in my hazy mind.

No one would cry over a nobody like me.

No bereaved family; expensive funeral; or regrets.

Just a forgotten name on a tombstone.

Somehow, the thought brought me some peace. But what about the Uber driver? Surely an attractive man like him had someone waiting at home...

I tried to will myself to move so I could save him, but my body refused to respond. Even my attempts at stretching my fingers to the lock for the seatbelt failed. The cold and pain numbed everything.

Hey, I tried once more. If only I could wake the driver, they may at least be able to save themselves.

No response.

I stared helplessly down at the body slumped over the steering wheel. Are you dead?

As I waited for an answer, something caught my eye.

The driver’s skin—what I could see of it at least—changed color. His skin turned white as a statue.

Summoning the last of my strength, I forced my leg forward and kicked the back of his seat.

Just like a statue, the man’s finger cracked and fell, swallowed up by the snow which filled the cabin.

My eyes must have been playing tricks on me, I decided.

Time stretched on until the last of my consciousness waned. In my last moments, I remembered the angelic face of my late mother.

Maybe we’ll finally meet again.

I smiled weakly, fond of the thought.

But with my luck, I’d probably end up in hell.

On that dreary night, darkness blanketed all of my senses until the void of nothingness swallowed me whole.

LUCIAN

ISHOULD HAVE DIED—FROZEN TO DEATH, EVEN—BUT I DIDN’T.

The stream of consciousness I’d clung to since birth returned like a flash of lightning—awakening my brain in a matter of seconds.

I bolted upright, gasping for air.

The scenery blurred, and the room spun. A wave of nausea crashed over me like a tsunami, and a low groan escaped my parched lips. I crumbled, grabbing my stomach as pain coursed through it.

The bed beneath me creaked in response to such hasty movements. A sick coldness crept up my arms and spread throughout my body. Sweat beaded on my forehead, soaked up by the messy strands of hair that clung to my face. It felt like a bird’s nest as I raked a hand through it.

You’ll undo all their work if you keep that up, someone blurted. Took the magic of several people to patch you up—but they only catalyzed your healing. You’ll still feel sore for quite a while, I imagine.

I turned my head toward the corner of the room, where a young man about my age sat with his nose buried in a large tome.

He dressed fancy-like—in a black, formal uniform with a red, long-sleeved undershirt tucked beneath a dark jacket. The jacket split into two coattails below the waist, secured to his lithe figure with a black belt buckle. Three red buttons along the outer edge of the jacket snapped together, connecting both sides of the garment. Long black pants, military-style boots with red laces, and a flowing red cape clipped to his jacket completed the look.

The even blending of red and black simultaneously looked badass and intimidating.

Just who was I dealing with?

He glanced up at me, then returned his gaze back to whatever he was reading.

You’ll probably feel nauseous, the stranger continued, but it will go away with time—once the healing magic kicks in and you’re more accustomed to being here.

Something about the way he said ‘here’ made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

A stream of sunlight shone down from a skylight above the bed, casting shadows along the walls. They darkened what I could see of his face as sparkling specks of dust fluttered about the compact room.

Cabinets filled with a variety of bottles lined the back wall across from the bed. Books with worn spines were stored on a shelf to my right, next to the primary entrance. The wall beside the doorway was decorated with diagrams of different kinds of animals alongside a replica of the human form.

Judging from the room’s appearance, we were in an infirmary. One that lacked the technological sophistication of many I’d been to back on Earth.

To my left, a long window showcased one of the most beautiful backdrops I’d ever seen. Sprawling mountainous slopes stretched far into the distance, encircling a grand, sparkling lake that was so close, I could touch it if I leaned out far enough. The morning sun shone against it as fog rolled over the surface of the water, causing the light to flicker like a disco-ball.

The scene took my breath away.

At that moment, the only thing I wanted to know was...

Where are we?

The stranger glanced up from his reading material again. With a sigh, he closed the book and placed it on a small table beside his chair. Then he leaned forward and stared at me with pity, his hands pressed together as though he were about to deliver unwelcome news.

Leaned into the sunlight, the stranger’s strawberry blond hair shimmered white—and the blueness of his eyes glistened like gems. His raw beauty took me by surprise—so much so I almost didn’t hear what he said next.

The Wilds’ Wilderness Academy. Nitehelm. But none of that’s going to make sense to a human like you. With how long you’ve lived on the other side, I doubt you know much about your powers.

His words made little sense.

The Wilds’ Wilderness Academy? Nitehelm? A human like me? Living on the other side? My powers?

None of it seemed right when put together like that. Like a puzzle, too many pieces were missing.

Come again?

He chuckled and leaned back against his chair. "Like I said, none of that was going to make any sense to a human like you. Well, half-human."

I glanced down at my body, but it looked the same as it always had. No. They don’t. Is this some kind of sick joke? I... I should have died. Wait. Maybe I am dead.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The stranger’s eyes flashed with a glint of recognition, as if he could hear how fast my heart was beating. He got up and dragged the chair to the edge of the bed before plopping down once more. Then, in one quick motion, he leaned over and pinched my wrist.

What was that for? I snapped, yanking my hand away.

That pain is proof you’re not dreaming. You’re alive, he responded calmly. "And now that you know that, I’m going to tell you everything. It’s a lengthy story, though. Do you mind, uh...