Chapter Three: A Dangerous Proximity

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.