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Maria_starling
Maria_starling
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Novels by Maria_starling

Alpha Academy: The Omega in Disguise

Alpha Academy: The Omega in Disguise

Elias has lived his whole life as a lie. Born a male Omega in a world where his kind are owned, traded, or bred, his only chance at freedom was to disappear behind a forged identity. Now he’s “Eli Arden,” Rank 2 at the most ruthless Alpha academy in the nation. No one suspects the truth; Not the instructors. Not the students. Not even the wolves who want to beat him. Only one person watches too closely. Ronan Vesper: Rank 1, cold-blooded, terrifying, heir to an Alpha dynasty—and the one Alpha Elias can’t afford to provoke… or attract. But suppressants are failing. Instincts are waking. And when Ronan catches Elias mid-dose, something shifts between hunter and prey. He should have exposed him. He didn’t. Now Ronan is circling him like a secret he wants to own. And Elias is running out of time to keep his body and identity under control. In a school where the weak are erased and the powerful take what they want… What happens when the deadliest Alpha discovers his greatest rival is an Omega?
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Chapter: CHAPTER 90: The Walls Start To Close In
Ronan’s POVElias looked like he was trying to hold himself together with shaking hands.I walked him back to the room, but even after we stepped inside, even after I locked the door, I could still feel that fear hanging in the air. It was heavy. It stayed between us like a shadow that refused to move.He sat on the bed slowly. His shoulders were stiff. His eyes were far away.I hated seeing him like this.“Do you want water?” I asked.He shook his head.I sat beside him. Close, but not too close. Elias did not like being crowded when he felt scared. I learned that weeks ago.For a full minute, he did not say anything. He just stared at his knees. I waited. He would talk when he was ready.“Ronan,” he finally whispered.“Yes.”“I really don’t know who that man is. I swear.”I believed him. Every bit of him looked honest. His voice, his hands, the way he kept taking small breaths like someone trying to steady himself.“I know,” I said. “You don’t have to convince me.”He looked up at m
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
Chapter: CHAPTER 89: The Question I Cannot Escape
Elias’s POVI did not sleep well.I lay awake most of the night, staring at the ceiling, my heart beating too fast each time I remembered the voice of the man who broke in. Even with Ronan beside me on the floor, even with his calm breathing in the room, I still felt like someone was standing outside the door waiting for me to blink.When morning came, my eyes hurt. My head felt heavy. I wanted to stay under the blanket and pretend the day did not exist, but someone knocked on my door.It was not loud, but it was enough to make my whole body stiffen.Ronan sat up fast, already alert. “Stay behind me,” he said quietly.I did.He opened the door.Vale stood outside with a tired look in his eyes. His clothes were clean now, but I could still tell he had not rested. There was a tightness in his posture that made me nervous.“Good morning,” Vale said. “Director Hale wants both of you.”Ronan’s jaw tightened. “For what?”“He wants to speak with Arden again,” Vale answered. “And he asked for
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
Chapter: CHAPTER 88: The Quiet After the Storm
Elias’s POVRonan did not leave right away. Even after he walked me into my room, even after he told me he was not going anywhere, he just stood there for a moment, watching me like he needed to make sure I was really breathing.I sat on the edge of the bed. My hands were still shaking a little. My chest felt tight from everything that had happened. The room felt too quiet, almost heavy.Ronan stepped closer and lowered himself to sit beside me. Not too close, just enough that I could feel the heat from his body.“You should lie down,” he said softly.I shook my head. “I cannot. My mind is too loud.”He nodded like he understood. His eyes stayed on me, steady and calm.“Do you want water?” he asked.I shook my head again.“Food?”“No.”He let out a small breath. “Then talk to me.”My throat tightened. I looked down at my hands. “I do not know what to say.”“You do not have to tell me everything,” he said. “Just tell me how you feel.”I swallowed. “Scared.”“That is normal.”“Not for p
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
Chapter: CHAPTER 87: After the Breach
Elias’s POVThe moment they opened the safe room door, everyone rushed out like the air inside was choking them. My legs felt weak, but Ronan kept his hand on my back, guiding me through the hallway. The red lights were gone now, replaced with normal white ones, but it didn’t make the fear leave my chest.Students whispered everywhere. Some talked too loudly, trying to sound brave. Some looked pale. Some kept saying the same things again and again.“What happened?”“Did you hear the voice?”“How did one person break in?”“Who was he talking about?”Ronan kept me close enough that our arms touched. I could feel how tense he still was. His jaw was tight, his steps sharp. He wasn’t calm yet, even though he looked like he was.My heart was beating too fast. Every voice in the hall felt like it was talking about me. Every look felt like it was searching for me. The words of the intruder were stuck in my head.You have been hiding for a long time.Come out, little one.My stomach twisted ea
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
Chapter: CHAPTER 86: The Breach
Elias’s POVRonan held my hand the whole way through the hallway. His grip was firm, steady, warm. Mine was shaking. Not because of the alarm alone, but because of what Hale had almost made me say.If the alarm hadn’t gone off, I would have told him everything.That thought made my legs feel weak.Students were rushing out of their rooms, some confused, some scared. The lights in the ceiling had turned red. A heavy, slow pulse filled the hall, like a warning heartbeat.Ronan moved us through the crowd easily. Everybody got out of his way. Even the alphas who usually acted bold kept their heads down and pushed themselves to the side.“What if it’s rogues?” I asked breathlessly.“It might be,” Ronan said. “But we don’t know yet.”“Ronan… if they came for me—”“They didn’t,” he said quickly, looking at me. “And even if they did, they won’t get anywhere near you.”I nodded, but fear still crawled under my skin.We reached the safe wing. The instructors were guiding students inside, pushin
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
Chapter: CHAPTER 85: Questions With No Safe Answers
Elias’s POVThe walk to Director Hale’s office felt longer than it ever had. Even the air felt heavy, like the walls were listening. Ronan walked beside me the whole time, close enough that our arms brushed with every step. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. His presence alone kept me from shaking too much.Vale walked ahead of us, his hands behind his back, calm as always. He didn’t look tense. He didn’t look curious. But he kept glancing back at me every few steps, like he was checking to make sure I wasn’t about to run.When we reached the door, Vale stopped.“He is inside,” he said. “He is in a patient mood today. Do not panic.”I looked at him sharply. “Do not panic? That is the worst thing to say to someone who is panicking.”Vale sighed. “Fair point.”Ronan squeezed my hand before letting go. “I’m right here,” he whispered.That alone helped me breathe.Vale knocked twice. A calm “Come in” followed from inside.He opened the door and stepped aside so we could enter.T
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
Forbidden Christmas

Forbidden Christmas

Three years ago, Maya felt something she shouldn't have for Derek Hayes. He's her best friend's father. Eighteen years older. Completely forbidden. She's avoided him ever since. But when Sophie invites Maya to spend Christmas at Derek's Colorado estate, two weeks of forced proximity ignite everything they've both been fighting. Secret glances become stolen kisses. Innocent touches turn into something neither can resist. They tell themselves they'll end it before Sophie finds out. But some loves refuse to stay hidden. When their secret is exposed, Derek loses his daughter. Maya loses her best friend. And both face an impossible question: is love worth the destruction it causes? A forbidden Christmas romance about the space between right and wrong, where the heart wants what it shouldn't have and family is both the greatest gift and the highest cost.
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Chapter: CHAPTER 15: Breaking Point
Maya's Pov I sat on my bed at eight forty-five, car keys in my hand, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it.In fifteen minutes, I was supposed to meet Derek at the construction site. Alone. Away from the house. Away from Sophie.My phone buzzed. Sophie."Movie night! We're watching Home Alone. Get down here!"My stomach dropped. How was I supposed to sneak out during movie night?I texted back: "Headache. Think I need to sleep it off."Sophie: "Want me to bring you Advil?"Maya: "No, I already took some. Just need to lie down in the dark."Sophie: "Feel better! Love you!"The guilt was crushing. I turned off my bedroom light and waited, listening to the sounds of the movie starting downstairs. Laughter. Sophie's voice. Home.At eight fifty-five, I crept down the back stairs and out through the mudroom. My car was parked on the side of the house. I'd purposely left it there this morning instead of in the garage.The drive into town took twent
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 14: Ice and Intimacy
Maya's Pov I barely slept after the kitchen conversation. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Derek's hand on my face, heard his voice saying "tomorrow." When my alarm went off at eight, I'd maybe gotten two hours of actual sleep.Sophie burst into my room at eight thirty, already dressed for skiing."Come on, lazy! We're hitting the slopes. Dad even said he'd come with us today instead of hiding in his workshop."My stomach flipped. Derek. On the slopes. Teaching me again with his hands on my waist.After last night, after what we'd agreed to, everything felt different."I don't know if I'm up for skiing today," I said."What? No! You're getting so good. And Dad specifically said he wanted to work with you on turning technique." Sophie threw ski clothes at me. "Get dressed. No excuses."Twenty minutes later, I was in the SUV sandwiched between Melissa and Jason in the back seat. Derek drove, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. Just a glance, but it sent heat through my ent
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 13: Three AM Confessions
Maya's Pov I couldn't sleep. Again.Three nights in a row now, I'd lain in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying that conversation in the snow. The way Derek had looked at me. The things I'd almost said before he walked away. The way my chest still ached every time I thought about it.The clock on my nightstand read 2:47 AM. I gave up on sleep and climbed out of bed, pulling on my robe. Maybe tea would help. Maybe sitting somewhere that wasn't my bedroom would help. Maybe anything would help.The house was dark and quiet as I crept downstairs. Everyone else was asleep, probably dreaming peaceful dreams, not torturing themselves over impossible situations.I flicked on the small light over the stove and filled the kettle with water. The sound seemed too loud in the silent kitchen. I grabbed a mug from the cabinet and a tea bag from the canister Sophie had left out."Can't sleep either?"I jumped, nearly dropping the mug. Derek stood in the doorway in sweatpants and a t-shirt, his hair
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 12: Baking and Breaking
Maya's Pov Sophie pulled out every baking ingredient in the kitchen like she was preparing for war. Flour, sugar, butter, chocolate chips, sprinkles in six different colors."Okay, we're making three kinds of cookies," she announced. "Sugar cookies, chocolate chip, and snickerdoodles. Maya, you're on sugar cookies with me."I tied on the spare apron Sophie tossed me and washed my hands. Baking. I could handle baking. Staying busy. Not thinking about Derek, who'd been avoiding me for three days straight."So," Sophie said, measuring flour. "You've been super quiet lately. What's going on?""Nothing. Just tired.""You keep saying that. But I know you, Maya. Something's wrong." She looked at me directly. "Is it your ex?""No. I'm fine. Really.""You don't seem fine. And Dad's been weird too. He's been sleeping in his workshop. Did something happen between you two?"My heart stopped. "What? No. Why would you think that?""Because you guys were getting along great and then suddenly you ca
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 11: Building Something for Her
Derek's Pov I woke up before dawn with sawdust in my hair and a crick in my neck from falling asleep in the workshop chair. Again.The bookshelf I'd been building for Sophie sat half-finished in the corner, mocking me. I'd been working on it for three nights straight now, throwing myself into the precise cuts and careful measurements. Anything to avoid thinking about Maya sleeping in the house across the yard.Anything to avoid thinking about the look on her face at dinner two nights ago when I'd used that neutral, distant tone. Like I was talking to a stranger instead of the woman who'd made me feel alive for the first time in five years.I stood and stretched, my back protesting. The workshop was freezing. I'd let the small heater die hours ago. Through the window, the sky was just starting to lighten, that pale gray that comes before sunrise.Maya's window was dark. She was probably still asleep. Probably dreaming about anything other than me.Good. That was good. That was what I
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: CHAPTER 10: Cold Distance
Maya's Pov I woke up with swollen eyes and a headache that felt like someone was hammering nails into my skull. Crying yourself to sleep will do that.I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. 6:47 AM. Way too early, but I knew I wouldn't fall back asleep. Not after last night.I opened my messages and stared at Derek's text for probably the hundredth time."Can't meet tonight. This was a mistake. I'm sorry."A mistake. That's what I was. What we were. A mistake he was sorry for.I threw my phone across the bed and pressed my palms against my eyes. This was stupid. I was being stupid. We'd barely done anything. Some loaded glances. A few text messages. Holding hands for like five minutes.But it had felt like everything.And now Derek was pulling away. Going cold. Probably realizing that I was just some girl his daughter dragged home for Christmas. Not worth the complication. Not worth the risk.Just like Jake. Just like every other guy who got close enough to see the real me and decid
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
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