Chapter Four

The rest of the morning settled into its practiced rhythm, noise contained within order rather than chaos. Boots struck polished stone in measured waves. Locker sigils dimmed as students sealed them with a brush of their palms. Voices rose and fell beneath the vaulted ceilings, layered but disciplined.

Elora moved through it beside Kailee, offering nods where required and returning greetings without lingering. The hall carried the scent of warmed stone and oiled metal, of fabric and steel and youth trained to hold themselves upright before they were fully grown.

Usually, the familiarity steadied her.

Today, it pressed against her skin.

They entered the lecture chamber with the others, tiered rows rising in gradual arcs toward the rear wall. Polished wood desks were anchored into carved stone foundations, copper inlays tracing deliberate patterns across their surfaces to stabilize the crystal plates set neatly at their center. Cushioned benches softened the structure beneath, worn smooth by generations of Upper Ring students expected to sit long and listen well.

Elora slid into her seat beside Kailee and rested her palm against the crystal inset before her. The etched runes warmed beneath her touch and lifted into pale script, sustained by crystal charge threaded quietly through the copper beneath the wood. The light held steady, ordered and contained.

She preferred that steadiness.

At the front of the chamber, the instructor tapped her stylus against the lectern’s embedded crystal. The rear wall responded, rune-work flaring in layered sequence before settling into clean geometry.

“The Fourth Creed,” the instructor began, voice precise and unwavering. “Loyalty above self. Strength tempered by restraint.”

Elora fixed her attention on the illuminated lines. Her stylus moved across the crystal surface automatically, annotations inscribing themselves into its memory.

Across the room, Gregory Forstfang sat in composed stillness, shoulders squared in the quiet precision expected of a future Alpha King. The script above his desk shifted in disciplined lines of light, yet his gaze did not follow it.

It rested on her.

Elora felt the weight of it before she allowed herself to confirm it. When she lifted her eyes, his were already fixed on her, steady and unwavering. The rest of the chamber seemed to narrow, the illuminated Creed dimming at the edges of her awareness as his focus held.

She did not look away.

“Elora,” Kailee murmured beside her, voice low enough to avoid carrying. “You’re staring back.”

“He started it,” Elora replied quietly.

Only then did she lower her gaze to the crystal inset before her, allowing the runes to sharpen again as her stylus resumed its steady motion across the surface.

Her wolf remained alert beneath her ribs.

When the instructor called her name moments later, Elora straightened without hesitation and recited the requested tenet in an even voice. A ripple of attention passed through the chamber before settling again. Gregory’s gaze did not waver.

As students rose at the bell and the rune-light folded neatly back into its etched channels, Elora closed her desk panel and stood.

Gregory stood when she did.

She did not turn to confirm it. The shift in space behind her was enough.

In the corridor, Kailee slipped into step at her side, brushing her shoulder once in passing.

“You held it longer than usual,” she observed softly.

“He wouldn’t look away,” Elora answered.

Kailee glanced back once, quick and assessing.

Zayden emerged from the intersecting hall just as they reached the widening arch, falling easily into place beside Kailee. Their hands found each other without thought, fingers interlacing in familiarity. He brushed his thumb once across her knuckles, a small gesture that softened the line of her shoulders.

“You look serious,” he said quietly, glancing between them.

Kailee leaned into him without breaking stride. “We were discussing life-altering decisions.”

“This early?” he asked, mock-disapproving.

She tilted her head toward him. “Some of us are ambitious.”

His mouth curved as he nudged her shoulder lightly with his own. “You’re terrifying before midday.”

“I prefer efficient,” she replied.

The ease between them settled into the space around them, steady and unforced. Elora felt it and allowed herself a brief, private softness before her awareness sharpened again.

“Elora.”

Gregory’s voice slipped in behind them, steady and measured.

She slowed just enough to acknowledge him and inclined her head with the respect owed to the Crown.

“Your Highness.”

His gaze settled on her fully, unwavering. “You seemed distant in class.”

“I was listening to the lecture.”

He studied her a moment longer, composure intact. “Evaluations are approaching,” he said. “Clarity will matter, particularly if you intend to pursue The Academy.”

“I have not made that decision.”

“You won’t make a choice that limits you,” he said. “I wouldn’t allow that.”

The words were delivered evenly, as though he were stating something practical.

Zayden’s smile held, though it tightened at the edges.

“She’ll choose when she’s ready,” he said lightly.

Gregory did not look at him.

They reached the side corridor leading toward the commons, and Elora altered her course slightly.

“Kailee.”

Kailee understood immediately. “Bathroom,” she announced toward Zayden with exaggerated solemnity. “Try not to start a food fight again while we’re gone.”

“It was one time,” Zayden said.

“Actually twice,” Kailee corrected. “Don’t forget the Founding Feast.”

“You started that one with the bread roll.”

Kailee gasped. “I did not.”

Elora caught Kailee’s sleeve and tugged her toward the corridor, laughter slipping free before she could contain it.

The bathroom door swung shut behind them, muting the corridor to a distant hum.

Elora crossed to the sink and rested her hands against the cool stone. The mirror’s rune-strip cast an even light across her reflection. Her breathing had already leveled. The heat in her chest had cooled into something sharper, more defined.

Kailee lingered near the door a moment before crossing the room. She did not lean casually this time. She came to stand beside Elora instead of across from her, close enough that their sleeves brushed.

“He’s always strange about you,” Kailee said after a moment, watching their reflections instead of Elora directly. “But that wasn’t the same.”

Elora’s gaze remained steady on the mirror. “No.”

Kailee shifted her weight, folding her arms loosely. “He’s usually just intense. Hovering.”

Elora drew a slow breath. “He always speaks like he owns the ground he stands on,” she said evenly. “Which he does.”

Kailee’s mouth tightened slightly. “That doesn’t mean he owns you.”

The words settled between them.

Elora’s fingers pressed faintly against the cool stone. “He’s never said anything like that before.”

Silence followed.

Kailee stepped closer, shoulder brushing hers in quiet solidarity. “Maybe don’t be alone with him,” she said.

Elora met her eyes in the mirror.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she replied.

They stood there for a breath longer before Elora straightened fully and lifted her hands from the counter. The coolness lingered against her palms.

When they stepped back into the corridor together, Kailee did not drift a half step ahead as she usually did, talking over her shoulder or scanning for Zayden.

She stayed firmly in step beside Elora.