ログインALEC This was a mistake. That thought enters my mind approximately half a second after I step into Kaia Mercer’s room. My wolf loses his fucking mind. Not aggressively. That I could handle. I’ve spent years learning to control him. Blackwoods don’t get the luxury of losing themselves to their wolves whenever something pisses them off. Control was drilled into me before I was even old enough to shift. This is different. He surges forward so violently that for one terrifying second, I think he’s going to force the shift. Here. In her fucking bedroom. I lock every muscle in my body. Stop. He doesn’t listen. Instead, he pushes. Toward her. Closer. Mine. The word isn’t really a word. Wolves don’t think the way we do. It’s instinct. Possession. Need. So strong that it nearly knocks the air from my lungs. Behind me, Kaia’s breathing changes. Fuck. She feels it too. I turn. She’s still standing beside the open door, one hand wrapped tightly around the handle. Her g
KAIA By the time class ends, I’ve learned two things. One: Alec Blackwood is annoyingly good at hand-to-hand combat. Two: Asher is a terrible spectator. The second Alec dismisses us, the training field erupts into noise. Everyone starts gathering water bottles, towels, and discarded sweatshirts from the edge of the mats while loudly comparing bruises like they’re trophies. My entire body aches. Not the bad kind of ache. The satisfying kind. The kind that tells me I’ve actually done something. I roll my shoulder as I grab my water bottle from the grass. “You’re going to feel that tomorrow.” I don’t even have to turn around. Asher. “I’m fine.” “That’s what everyone says before they wake up unable to move.” I take a long drink. “I run every day.” “Running and having Alec Blackwood throw you onto a mat aren’t exactly the same thing.” I lower the bottle. “He threw me once.” Asher raises an eyebrow. “Twice.” “The first one barely counts.” “It definitely counts.” “I p
ASHER I don’t like him. There. I’ve said it. Well, thought it. Same thing. There’s something about Alec Blackwood that gets on my nerves, and I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s a junior teaching a class he only got because his family practically owns the Academy. Okay. Maybe it has a little to do with that. “Atwood.” I drag my eyes away from Kaia. “Your partner is waiting.” Blackwood is looking at me with the faintest hint of amusement on his face. Asshole. “Yeah. Got it.” I walk toward the guy I’ve been paired with—Mason something—but glance back one last time. Kaia is standing across from Blackwood on the training mat. And he’s looking at her. Really looking at her. I don’t like that either. “Ready?” I turn toward my partner. He’s tall, broad, and built like someone who’s spent the last five years lifting anything heavy enough to impress people. “Sure.” Blackwood begins explaining the exercise from the center of the field. “Three-mi
ALECBeing a Blackwood comes with certain advantages.Actually, that’s an understatement.Being a Blackwood comes with a ridiculous number of advantages.For starters, I’m only a junior and already have a seat on Blackwood Academy’s board of directors. The position is mostly symbolic for now—I’m expected to listen more than I speak—but my opinion still carries considerably more weight than that of any twenty-year-old probably should.Then there’s the guaranteed teaching position waiting for me once I graduate.Blackwoods have been involved in running this Academy since Walter Andrew Blackwood first opened its doors more than two hundred years ago. My family built this place. Our name is carved above the entrance, stamped across every official document, and embroidered onto the crest every student wears over their heart.So when I told the board I wanted to start teaching hand-to-hand combat this year, no one exactly rushed to tell me no.And when they asked which class I wanted…Well.
ALECThe only time Kaia is truly alone is when she runs.The rest of the time, she's surrounded by the other Betas—or, more accurately, by Asher Atwood.He follows her around like a damn lost puppy.They walk to class together. They sit beside each other. They eat together. I've even seen him disappear into her room with his books tucked under his arm, only to emerge hours later.And for some reason, my wolf fucking hates it.Every time Atwood gets too close to her, he starts pacing beneath my skin, restless and irritated, urging me to do something about it.Which is ridiculous.She's a Beta.And whatever exists between her and Atwood is none of my business.At least, that's what I keep telling myself.When her file first landed on my desk, I knew we'd made the right decision by admitting her to the Academy.Kaia Mercer wasn't supposed to be here. Blackwood Academy has spent more than two centuries educating Alphas, not Betas, and granting exceptions isn't something we make a habit of
KAIAWhen I can't express what's really on my mind, my solution is always the same.Run.I've been doing it for years.Whenever my thoughts become too loud or my emotions threaten to spill over, I lace up my running shoes and keep moving until the noise inside my head finally quiets.But this time...There was nowhere to run.Not from Professor Matthews.Not from Deborah.Not from the whispers that had followed me through the hallways after class.I should have kept my mouth shut.Instead, I'd let my pride answer for me.I'd held everything in for so long that, the second class ended, I'd practically sprinted back to the dormitories just to change into my running clothes.It was only the first day, and I already had assignments waiting for me, so I promised myself I'd keep it short.Thirty minutes.Just enough to clear my head.The late afternoon air had cooled since morning, carrying the earthy scent of damp pine needles and freshly cut grass. The Academy grounds stretched endlessly







