Morning came too soon.
The academy bell rang through the halls, signaling the start of training.
Her first night was rough. She had barely slept, and it wasn’t the stiff academy mattress or the unfamiliar scent of the dorm—it was him.
Lucian Wolfe.
His presence across the room was impossible to ignore. Even in sleep, he carried an aura of quiet dominance, something primal and unrelenting.
She turned onto her side, staring at the ceiling.
This wasn’t just about surviving Blackmoon Academy anymore. She had to navigate Lucian’s presence without drawing attention.
The last thing she needed was the strongest Alpha in the school noticing her.
But fate wasn’t that kind.
As Rayne rolled out of bed swiftly, expecting to have the room to herself. Instead, she found Lucian already awake, standing shirtless at the sink, splashing cold water onto his face.
She paused.
His reflection in the mirror was sharp, unreadable. Silver eyes met hers through the glass.
“Morning, Valen.” His voice was rough with sleep, but his smirk was all amusement.
Rayne quickly looked away. “You wake up too early.”
Lucian chuckled, grabbing a towel. “Disappointed?”
“Annoyed,” she muttered, heading toward her bag to grab fresh clothes.
Lucian leaned against the counter, watching her. Watching too closely.
“I’m still curious about something.”
Rayne didn’t look at him. “That’s unfortunate.”
He ignored her. “You fight like someone trained outside the usual Alpha hierarchy. Efficient, controlled. Almost… refined.”
Rayne’s fingers clenched around her clothes. “Is there a point to this?”
Lucian tilted his head, a slow smirk curling his lips.
“You don’t fight like a future Alpha. You fight like someone trying to prove they belong here.”
The air in the room grew heavier.
Rayne turned to him, forcing a lazy smirk. “And here I thought you were just admiring my technique.”
Lucian chuckled darkly, stepping closer.
"Maybe I was."
Rayne kept her posture relaxed, even as her heart pounded, and her pulse thrummed in her ears.
Lucian was too close.
The heat of his bare skin radiated between them, his scent—a mix of fresh pine and something darker, something purely Alpha—filling the air.
She shouldn’t be affected. She couldn’t be affected.
And yet… her stomach twisted in a way that had nothing to do with fear.
Lucian’s silver eyes flickered with amusement as if he sensed her hesitation.
"You're tense," he murmured, voice low and edged with something dangerous.
Rayne forced a scoff, crossing her arms despite the flutter in her chest. "I just don’t like people invading my space."
Lucian smirked, clearly unbothered. "That’s a problem, considering we’re roommates."
He didn’t move away. If anything, he leaned in slightly, testing. Pushing.
Rayne swallowed hard, cursing her own body for reacting—to the way his breath ghosted over her skin, to the way his muscles shifted when he moved.
He was teasing her. Testing her.
She had to regain control.
With a slow exhale, she tilted her chin, meeting his gaze with forced nonchalance. "If you’re waiting for me to blush and stammer, you’ll be disappointed."
Lucian let out a quiet chuckle, the sound deep and amused.
"Noted," he said, stepping back—but not before letting his fingers graze her arm, just briefly, just enough to make her breath hitch.
Then, just like that, the moment was over.
Lucian grabbed a fresh shirt and pulled it over his head, his smirk still lingering.
"You might survive here after all, Valen."
Rayne forced herself to breathe.
She had bigger things to worry about than butterflies.
She was here to prove herself—to become Alpha.
But as she watched Lucian stretch, utterly unbothered by the tension that had just crackled between them, she had one thought:
This is going to be a problem.
----
The academy’s first trial took place at dawn, the field stretching wide under the pale morning light.
Rayne stood among the recruits, keeping her posture relaxed, blending in. Around her, the air pulsed with energy—future Alphas eyeing each other, silent challenges exchanged.
Lucian stood off to the side, effortlessly commanding attention without trying.
Rayne exhaled. Just avoid him. Stay low. Focus.
But then—
“Incoming!”
A sudden force slammed toward her from the right.
Rayne reacted instantly.
She twisted, caught the movement—a training dummy hurled straight at her—then crouched and spun with calculated speed. The dummy crashed onto the ground beside her.
Silence.
The recruits stared.
Rayne straightened, masking her instincts behind a calm shrug. “That wasn’t very subtle.”
Kade Ashford, another top-ranked Alpha, smirked from a few feet away. “Didn’t think you’d dodge it that fast.”
Rayne resisted the urge to curse. So much for staying unnoticed.
She forced a casual grin. “Better luck next time.”
Laughter rippled through the group, but one gaze burned hotter than the rest.
Lucian.
He hadn’t moved. Hadn’t even blinked.
But there was something in the way his silver eyes tracked her—like a wolf watching its prey shift in unexpected ways.
It wasn’t suspicion.
It was interest.
Rayne’s pulse kicked up, but she forced herself to look away first.
Lucian was too perceptive. Too in tune with the energy of those around him.
And now, she was on his radar.
“Today’s test is simple,” the instructor announced. “One-on-one combat. Submission or knockout determines the winner.”
The recruits lined up, waiting for their matchups.
Rayne focused on her breathing. She needed to be good—but not too good. Strong enough to hold her ground, weak enough to remain unremarkable.
The screen flickered with the first matchups.
Her name appeared.
Rei Valen vs. Kade Ashford.
A low whistle sounded from the crowd.
“Damn, fresh meat’s about to get wrecked,” someone muttered.
Rayne suppressed a groan. Of all people.
Kade rolled his shoulders, grinning. “Let’s see what you’re made of, Valen.”
Rayne forced a smirk. “Try to keep up.”
Lucian was watching.
The other Alphas were watching.
And Rayne had no choice but to fight.
Without exposing herself.
The night of the ceremony arrived with the brilliance of a thousand torches. The courtyard of Wolfe Keep, vast enough to hold an army, was transformed into a sanctum of celebration. Braziers burned with resinous flame, their smoke curling into the sky like offerings to the gods. Wolves prowled at the edges of the gathering, their silver eyes gleaming as if they too bore witness to something sacred.The Highland clans had come—warriors, elders, children with garlands of mountain flowers in their hair. From the farthest peaks to the river valleys, every loyal heart had answered the Alpha’s call. Tonight, history would not merely be told. Tonight, it would be lived.At the center of the courtyard rose a stone dais, carved centuries ago for such rites. Upon it lay a basin of pure silver, brimming with water drawn from the Moon’s Spring—the holiest source in the Highlands. Around it, runes glowed faintly, etched with the blood of Alphas past.The chants began low, a thrum of voices and dru
The moon had barely risen when word spread across the Eastern Highlands: the Alpha had summoned an emergency council meeting.The call was unexpected, yet none dared refuse. Cloaked figures emerged from the mountain passes and river valleys, their banners carried by warriors as they approached the heart of the Highlands—Wolfe Keep, the ancestral stronghold of Lucian’s bloodline.Inside the great hall, the fire blazed high in the stone hearth, casting long shadows across carved wooden pillars etched with the symbols of the wolf packs who had pledged loyalty to the Wolfe line for centuries. The air was thick with anticipation, whispers of speculation curling through the gathered elders.Why had the Alpha summoned them so suddenly?What decree could not wait till morning?At the head of the chamber, Lucian stood tall, his dark presence commanding instant silence. The weight of his power pressed into the air—an Alpha at the height of his authority. Yet, there was something different tonig
Rayne’s voice trembled as she pulled away from Lucian’s kiss, her palms pressed against his chest, feeling the thunder of his heartbeat. His hands lingered on her waist, unwilling to let her go, but his sharp eyes immediately caught the shift in her tone.“There’s something I need to tell you, Lucian.” she said again.His gaze searched hers, fierce and unyielding, though soft with the tenderness he only ever showed her. “What is it?” he asked, his voice low, carrying both command and concern. “Whatever it is—you can tell me.”Rayne’s lips parted, then closed again, as nerves twisted inside her like a storm. She had faced enemies on battlefields, stood before councils who doubted her, defied fate itself—yet here, with Lucian’s piercing eyes fixed on her, she felt stripped bare.Her fingers trembled as she clasped his hand, placing it gently over her stomach.At first, he didn’t understand. His brow furrowed as his thumb brushed across her abdomen. Then her whisper broke through the sil
The winds of the Eastern Highlands carried with them the crisp bite of autumn, sharp and unforgiving, yet Lucian Wolfe hardly noticed. He stood at the threshold of his stronghold, his gaze fixed on the valley below, where the shadows of twilight stretched long and restless. His people had seen him endure wars, betrayals, and even the death of his father—but nothing had ever truly hollowed him the way losing her had.Rayne Valen.Her name was a wound he never allowed to heal.He told himself she had chosen another life, another future, that her silence was final. Yet in the quiet hours of night, when the world slumbered and duty released its grip, he still found himself staring at the empty space beside him, hearing her laughter like a ghost that would not fade.He had vowed never to wait for her again. But when the horn at the gates sounded, announcing a visitor from beyond Valen borders, his heart betrayed him with a violent thrum.Lucian moved fast—too fast for an Alpha trying to ke
Rayne’s heart thudded painfully, memories crashing into her all at once—the night she left Lucian behind, the agony of seeing the pain her decision brought him. All this time she had thought herself too late, that destiny had chosen another mate for him. But Cain’s words ripped that belief out by the root.She shook her head, though the tremor in her hands betrayed her. “No… no, you don’t understand. Lucian—he—” Her voice broke, and she pressed her lips together hard, swallowing the rest.Cain’s eyes softened, but his tone remained firm. “I understand more than you think. I saw the way you looked at each other back then. I also saw it at the inn, in the battles, even when you tried to bury it beneath anger and pride. Love like that doesn’t vanish, Rayne. It burrows into your bones, whether you acknowledge it or not.”Rayne closed her eyes, the truth of his words scraping against the walls she had built. She remembered Lucian’s steady hand catching hers when her mask threatened to slip
Garran remained still beside Rayne, his arms at his sides, his expression calm though his heart pounded like a drum inside his chest. He had never sought the crown, never dreamed of standing where he now stood—yet Rayne’s words, Cain’s defense, and the eyes of the council bore down on him like a mantle already placed upon his shoulders.Elder Marrow, whose silver hair gleamed in the torchlight, rose next. He had been the fiercest supporter of Rayne’s father, and his gaze cut like steel as it moved from Rayne to Garran. “You would give us a foreigner to lead us, Rayne Valen? A man who was once nothing more than a sword at your side? Leadership is more than battle scars. It is bloodline. It is history. It is legacy.”Rayne’s chest tightened, but she met the elder’s glare unflinchingly. “Legacy is nothing if there is no one left to carry it.” Her voice rang across the chamber, unwavering. “I have given you my bloodline. I have given you my legacy. But if you cling to it, if you refuse to