Chapter 4: Cold Eyes (Kairos’ POV)

Did I truly have my mind on the training I was spearheading or was my mind truly on the human girl?

I stood on the elevated platform overlooking the elite training grounds, arms crossed as the morning sun beat down on the wolves below. Drills were in full swing and my wolf, Klyrax, stirred restlessly beneath my skin, always hungry for the fight.

“Again!” I barked. “You call that a formation? The Devourer would tear through that without hesitation.”

Of course, the entire point of the Academy and the insistent training of all werewolves by the Elders was to ensure we were ready for the coming of the Devourer. No one knew what shape it will take or when it would come to be. It was just a prophesy for now but when he did come, we were going to be ready.

Draven, one of the Seven, lunged forward in the spar, his aggressive posturing on full display as he overpowered a younger elite.

“This is how it’s done, Kairos. Real strength. Not whatever games the others are playing.” His eyes flicked toward Silas, who watched from the sidelines with that subtle, scheming smile of his.

Silas didn’t rise to the bait. He never did.

But I could also perceive Draven’s subtle challenge towards me. The tension among the Seven was thickening by the day. All of us vying for dominance of the entire Academy to become the true Alpha and take over from the Elders. They were all waiting for me; waiting for the next move that would shift the balance of being the leader of them all. And how I enjoyed watching them wait.

I tuned them out and retreated to the strategy room briefly, pulling out the contract Harlan had delivered. The parchment felt heavy in my hands.

The prize.

A mate of unparalleled strength, promised to seal my claim as the next Alpha. I scanned the clauses again—blood-bound, unbreakable. Harlan’s seal was clear. This was mine. And I intended to collect.

Satisfied, I headed out for patrol. The academy’s halls were alive with the usual bullshit: students posturing, whispers of curses and bad luck swirling around that human girl. Irrelevant.

Until I turned the corner near the grand hall after last night’s feast.

There she was—Elara, as I had heard thanks to everyone who wouldn’t just shut up—on her knees, scrubbing the floor where wine and food scraps had been spilled the previous night. Lila stood over her like a queen, flanked by her pathetic little clique. The human’s hands were raw, her simple dress stained, hair falling messily across her face as she worked in silence.

But I goddamn didn’t need those details.

“Scrub harder, maid,” Lila snapped. “You missed a spot. Or are humans too weak even for this?”

The other girls laughed. Elara kept her head down, jaw tight, but said nothing. Weak. Pathetic. A human in a world of wolves. She had no place here. She should have just… disappeared.

Yet as I approached, Klyrax surged forward with a low growl inside my chest.

Her.

Something about the human girl... I couldn’t place it. A scent? A pull? My blood heated unexpectedly, and irritation flared hot in my veins.

Shut it down, I snarled internally at my wolf. She’s just a human. What we need is a wolf. A proper mate.

I tried to suppress it, but then it hit me—an unusual aura flickering around her. Faint, buried, but wrong. It didn’t scream human frailty. It felt... ancient. Dangerous. Powerful. What the hell was that?

Lila spotted me and her face lit up. She saw an opportunity. Before I could pass, she grabbed Elara by the hair, yanking her up roughly. “See this, Kairos? This is what happens to strays who don’t know their place.” Then she added smoothly. “To strays who try to pull me from you.”

Elara winced but met my eyes for a split second. That spark again—damn it.

Lila pressed her advantage. She stepped into my space, her body flush against mine, and before I could react, she kissed me hard in front of everyone, her lips demanding, possessive, putting on a show for the gathered students.

I played along for a heartbeat, gripping her waist to maintain control and save her the public embarrassment, feeling the human girl watching. No need to cause unnecessary drama in the halls. But when we broke apart, I pulled her aside into an empty side chamber, slamming the door behind us.

“Don’t YOU ever do that again without my permission, Lila,” I warned, my voice low and dangerous. I backed her against the wall, towering over her. “I’m not one of your toys. Push me too far, and you’ll regret it. I’m dangerous.”

Her eyes darkened with lust instead of fear. My warning had the opposite effect. “Gods, Kairos... that’s exactly what I want,” she purred, her breath quickening. She reached for the laces of her dress, letting it slide off her shoulders in one smooth motion. The fabric pooled at her feet, revealing smooth skin, full breasts, and the curve of her hips. She stood there bare, nipples hardening in the cool air, pressing herself against me. “Take me. Claim me right here. Show me how dangerous you can be.”

Heat stirred despite myself. I grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head as my other hand trailed down her body—cupping her breast, thumb brushing the peak roughly, then sliding lower between her thighs. She was already wet, arching into my touch with a needy moan. I stroked her once, twice, feeling her tremble, her lips parting in desperate gasps as I teased her entrance.

But this wasn’t what I wanted. Not her.

I released her to her dismay. “Get out.”

“Kairos—” she protested, voice husky, reaching for me again.

“You disgust me.” My tone was ice. I turned away, adjusting my clothes as she scrambled to cover herself, frustration and lingering desire etched on her face.

I left the chamber, Klyrax still restless. The human’s aura lingered in my mind. That contradiction. What was she hiding?

My communicator buzzed. Kane, one of my most trusted men.

“Kairos,” his voice came through, urgent and low. “We’ve got a problem. I saw a contract identical to yours in the hands of another of the Seven. Harlan’s playing games—selling the same ‘prize’ to multiple bidders. He might be setting us against each other.”

Rage boiled up instantly. That scheming bastard.

“Find out everything,” I ordered, my voice lethal. “Track the prize. I don’t care what it takes. That mate is mine, and I will have what was promised.”