Chapter 8

After spending the afternoon exploring club booths with Emma, I felt surprisingly lighter than I had in years. The campus was alive with energy students laughing, demonstrating skills, and recruiting new members. Emma and I had tentatively signed up for the moon studies club together, drawn by the promise of learning more about our wolves and the lunar cycles that governed us. For the first time, the academy felt less like a prison and more like a world full of possibilities.

But the day wasn’t over. Combat training had left me sweaty and sore, so I decided to head back toward the dormitories through the quieter paths behind the training fields. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting long golden shadows across the grass. I walked with my notebook tucked under my arm, replaying the day’s events in my mind. Adrian’s relentless teasing, Rowan’s thoughtful observations, Kael’s quiet intensity… and the way all three of them seemed to keep finding their way into my orbit.

I turned a corner near the outdoor changing areas attached to the main training field and collided straight into a solid wall of muscle.

“Oh….!” I stumbled back, but strong hands caught my arms to steady me.

My eyes widened as I realized who I had bumped into. Kael Draven. He had clearly just finished an intense training session himself. His jet-black hair was damp with sweat, and he was in the middle of pulling on a clean shirt, the fabric still only halfway down his torso. My gaze involuntarily dropped to his exposed abdomen rock-hard abs carved from years of disciplined training, defined lines of muscle that spoke of raw power and control. A faint sheen of sweat glistened on his skin in the fading sunlight. Heat rushed to my face. I knew I was staring, but for a second I couldn’t look away. The man was built like a weapon intimidating, precise, and undeniably attractive in a way that made my pulse stutter..Kael noticed, of course he noticed. A slow, rare smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, transforming his usually cold expression into something dangerously teasing. His emerald green eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach flip.

“See something you like, Ashwyn?” he asked, voice low and slightly rough from exertion. He didn’t bother pulling his shirt down immediately. Instead, he held my gaze, clearly enjoying my flustered reaction.

I forced myself to look up, cheeks burning.

“I…I wasn’t…. You were in the way,” I stammered, trying to regain my composure. “And put your shirt on properly. No one wants to see that.”

Kael’s smirk deepened. He took a small step closer, still holding my arms lightly. “You were staring long enough. If you want to feel it, all you have to do is ask.” His tone was calm, almost casual, but there was a challenge in his eyes that sent warmth spreading through my body.

I pulled back slightly, folding my arms to hide how affected I was. “You’re incredibly arrogant, you know that? Just because you’re a prince doesn’t mean every girl wants to… touch your abs.”

He raised an eyebrow, the smirk never fading. “Not every girl. Just you, apparently. Your eyes said otherwise a moment ago.”

I huffed, refusing to back down even as my heart raced. “My eyes were surprised by how much space you take up. Ever heard of personal boundaries?”

Kael finally tugged his shirt the rest of the way down, but the image was already burned into my mind. He crossed his arms over his chest, studying me with that same piercing focus. “You’re different from the others here. Most would have apologized and run. You argue instead.”

“Maybe because I’ve dealt with worse than a shirtless prince,” I shot back, though my voice lacked its usual bite. The memory of his hands catching me earlier during the wall climb flashed through my mind, along with the strange warmth I had felt both times we’d been close.

He tilted his head slightly. “Your adoptive family?”

The question caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected him to pick up on that. “It’s none of your business,” I said quietly, looking away toward the training field. “I survived it. That’s what matters.”

Kael was silent for a moment, the teasing edge fading from his expression. “You moved well today. Better than most first-years. Speed and intelligence instead of relying on brute force. That’s rare.”

The unexpected compliment made me glance back at him. “You were watching?”

“I notice things,” he replied simply. His voice dropped lower. “Especially when they involve you.”

The air between us felt thicker suddenly. I took another small step back, needing space to think clearly. “Why do you and the others keep… appearing wherever I am? It’s unnerving.”

Kael’s emerald eyes held mine steadily. “Our wolves seem to have taken an interest. Yours especially.” He paused, then added with the faintest hint of that smirk returning, “Or maybe it’s just me. You’re not as unaffected as you pretend.”

I rolled my eyes, though my cheeks were still warm. “Keep dreaming, Draven. I have enough chaos in my life without adding arrogant Shadow princes to it.”

He let out a low, rare chuckle the sound sending an unexpected shiver down my spine. “We’ll see about that.”

Before I could come up with a sharp reply, voices approached from the path. Adrian and Rowan were walking toward us, likely finished with their own training. Adrian’s face lit up with amusement the moment he saw us standing close together.

“Well, well,” he called out. “What’s this? Kael actually smiling? Seraphina, what magic did you use on him?”

Rowan observed us quietly, a knowing look in his dark brown eyes, but he said nothing.

I seized the opportunity to escape.

“Nothing. I was just leaving.” I gave Kael one last pointed look. “Keep your shirt on next time.”

As I walked away, I could feel all three of them watching me. Adrian’s laughter followed me down the path, and I caught Kael’s quiet response to his friend.

“She’s trouble.”

I smiled to myself despite everything. They were infuriating arrogant, persistent, and far too intense. But as I headed back to the dormitory with the memory of Kael’s smirk and those rock-hard abs lingering in my mind, I had to admit the academy was becoming far more interesting than I had anticipated.

That evening, as I sat with Emma in the common room reviewing club information, I pushed the encounter to the back of my mind. But I couldn’t quite forget the way Kael had looked at me like he saw far more than I wanted anyone to see.

The three princes were dangerous in more ways than one. And I had a feeling they weren’t going to make ignoring them easy.