Chapter Ten — When the Moon Watches Back

Third Person Limited POV — Bella

The scream cut through the training grounds before anyone could stop it.

Bella barely had time to register the sound before the Alpha who attacked her collapsed completely, clawing at his own chest like something inside him was trying to tear its way out. His body hit the ground hard, dust flying up around him.

No one moved.

Not the instructors.

Not the students.

Not even the healers standing at the edge of the ring.

Bella stood frozen, blood still dripping from her arm, heart hammering so loudly it drowned out every other sound.

“What did I do?” she demanded, her voice shaking despite herself.

The Alpha convulsed once, then went still.

Dead silence followed.

Jake was already beside her.

He didn’t touch her. Didn’t even look at the fallen Alpha. His eyes were locked on Bella’s wound, jaw tight, fists clenched like he was holding himself back from doing something reckless.

“Cover it,” he said quietly.

“I what?”

“Your arm,” he repeated, sharper this time. “Now.”

Bella looked down. The blood had soaked into her sleeve, darker than it should’ve been. Thicker. It pulsed once before settling.

Her stomach twisted.

She tore a strip of fabric from her shirt and wrapped it tightly around the wound. The moment the blood was hidden, the strange pressure in the air eased just a little.

Too little.

Instructors rushed in then, barking orders. The fallen Alpha was lifted onto a stretcher and carried away, his face already pale and wrong.

Students backed off, whispering loudly now.

“That wasn’t normal.”

“He went feral.”

“No, he reacted to her.”

“What is she?”

Bella felt every word like a slap.

Jake stepped in front of her slightly, not shielding her fully, but making it clear he was there. The gesture grounded her more than she wanted to admit.

“Both of you,” Master Halric snapped, approaching. His eyes flicked from Bella to Jake, then narrowed. “You’re coming with me.”

“Why?” Bella asked.

Halric’s gaze lingered on her bandaged arm. “Because things like this don’t happen by accident.”

They were escorted through the Academy halls at a pace that made it clear this wasn’t a request. Bella noticed details she’d missed before doors that were always locked, corridors that curved strangely, symbols carved into the walls that seemed older than the building itself.

The Academy wasn’t just a school.

It was a cage.

They were led into a council chamber smaller than she expected. No grand seats. No ceremony. Just a circular room and three elders waiting in the shadows.

Bella’s spine stiffened.

Elder Morvain stepped forward first. His eyes glowed faintly silver as they fixed on her.

“You bled,” he said simply.

Bella didn’t answer.

“And an Alpha lost control,” Elder Kael added. “That has never happened during sanctioned sparring.”

Jake shifted. “He attacked her without cause.”

Morvain raised a hand. “We know.”

That didn’t make Bella feel better.

“You were evaluated yesterday,” Elder Lysa said, her tone unreadable. “The chamber shut itself down.”

Bella swallowed. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“No,” Lysa agreed. “You didn’t.”

That word echoed in Bella’s head.

Didn’t.

Morvain circled her slowly, like a predator sizing up prey. “Your blood reacted to the chamber. Your presence destabilized a trained Alpha. And your bond”

Jake’s head snapped up. “Her bond is none of your concern.”

The elder smiled thinly. “Everything about her is our concern now.”

The pressure under Bella’s ribs tightened sharply, like something inside her didn’t like that answer.

She clenched her fists. “If you’re accusing me of something, say it.”

Morvain stopped in front of her. “We are not accusing you.”

He leaned closer.

“We are observing you.”

The elders dismissed Jake first.

He didn’t go willingly.

“Don’t leave her alone with them,” he said flatly.

“She is not alone,” Kael replied. “She is with us.”

Jake looked at Bella then, really looked at her. Concern flickered across his face, followed by something darker.

“Be careful,” he murmured.

The door closed behind him.

Bella resisted the urge to panic.

Morvain turned to her again. “You will undergo another evaluation.”

Her heart dropped. “I just did one.”

“This will be different,” Lysa said. “Tonight.”

Bella’s breath caught. “That’s not standard.”

“Neither are you.”

They didn’t explain further.

They never did.

The second evaluation chamber was underground.

Bella knew immediately the moment they descended the stairs. The air was colder. Heavier. The stone walls here weren’t carved smooth they were scarred, claw marks gouged deep into the surface.

“What happened here?” she asked quietly.

“No one you need to worry about,” Kael replied.

That was not reassuring.

The door closed behind her with the same final sound as before, but this chamber was different. Smaller. Darker. The moonlight didn’t reach the floor this time.

Instead, the symbols glowed white.

Bella stepped forward cautiously.

The pressure hit her instantly, stronger than before. Her knees nearly buckled. She braced herself, breathing through it, refusing to fall.

“This is just another test,” she muttered.

The floor shifted.

Chains burst from the walls without warning, wrapping around her wrists and ankles before she could react. She cried out as cold metal bit into her skin.

“Hey!” She struggled, but they held firm.

The elders’ voices echoed from everywhere and nowhere.

“Remain calm.”

“Do not resist.”

“This is necessary.”

Fear surged through her.

“For what?” she shouted.

The pressure inside her snapped tight.

Then something answered.

Not from the chamber.

From her.

Warmth spread through her chest, slow and steady, pushing back against the panic. The pressure eased just enough for her to breathe again.

Bella froze.

“That’s not me,” she whispered.

The chains rattled.

The symbols flared brighter.

Her blood began to hum under her skin.

She gasped as heat rushed through her veins, sharp but controlled, like a power that knew exactly how far it could go without breaking her.

The elders went silent.

Bella lifted her head slowly, eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

“You shouldn’t have done this,” she said, voice steady despite the fear clawing at her insides.

The chains cracked.

Not fully.

But enough.

Morvain’s voice returned, tense now. “Fascinating.”

That word made her blood run cold.

Because whatever they were trying to test

She was starting to realize

They were no longer in control of it.

And neither was she.

The chamber shook violently.

Above ground, the moon slid fully into view.

And somewhere in the Academy, Jake felt the bond tighten like a warning scream.