Chapter 3

DEVIKA

I didn’t look back. Not once.

I ran down the hall like the walls were closing in on me, like someone was chasing me. My feet hit the floor hard, my heart louder than my footsteps. I didn’t stop until I reached my dorm, slammed the door shut behind me.

My hands shook as I stood there, breathing fast.

They hadn’t hurt me. I was lucky. But even if they had, no one would’ve done anything. Vance was Alpha Jaxson’s son. 

The school heads wouldn’t dare get involved, not when it meant crossing the future Alpha of the strongest pack in the region. I pushed off the door and went straight to my drawer. 

My fingers fumbled as I pulled it open, tossing books aside until I found the small silver bottle. The scent blocker I had gotten before I left Wolfsgate.

I sprayed it over my sweat pores and the inside of my shirt. So if Cole came back from the ball he wouldn’t be able to get my scent. I facepalmed hard, groaning against my palm. “What was that, Devika?”

I had kissed Vance. Or had he kissed me? I couldn’t even tell anymore. The same lips that were supposed to curse him, not taste him. I was supposed to kill him, not fall into whatever that moment was. 

And yet his scent… it was like nothing I’d ever felt before. It pulled me in so deep I couldn’t breathe.

“What does that mean?” I whispered. And I’d missed the damn ball party too. 

One night I thought I could be normal, just for a moment. I wanted to enjoy the night, feel free. But somehow, even then, trouble still found me. “Don’t get distracted, Devi.” His voice hit me softly, but sharp enough to make my eyes sting. 

“I’m not, Hunter… it’s just…” I turned to face him as he talked. 

“We have a goal,” he said gently, his voice so close to my ear it made me shiver. “And we’re going to accomplish it. We can’t let them go unpunished.”

“I know. I’m trying,” I whispered. “I’ll do this for you, Hunter.”

“Do what for who, Devika?”

I jumped.

Cole stood at the door, his brows pulled in. “Who are you talking to?” I froze. “No one. I’m just… practicing a speech from literature class.” He looked at me strangely but nodded. “Okay, weird. But alright.” 

I’d been seeing Hunter since he died. Talking to him. My mum would say I was losing my mind, but I knew I wasn’t. He was real to me. He always would be.

Hunter had been everything. Strong. Kind. Chosen to lead. But everything went wrong. Vance accused Hunter of treason in the AlphaForge Academy. He was executed with Alpha Logan. Half our pack wiped out in a single night.

And now, I was here at AlphaForge for one reason.

To make them pay. Alpha Jaxson and his bastard son would bleed for what they did.

And I wouldn’t stop until they did.

“Why are you avoiding me, Cole?” I asked, standing still as he walked past me. “They asked you to, right?”

“I’m not, Devan,” he said without looking at me.

But it was a lie. I could see it in the way his hands tensed by his sides and how he wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“It’s fine,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. “If lying to yourself helps you sleep better at night, then by all means.” He paused. For a second, I thought he would say something. 

His lips even parted like the words were trying to crawl out, but then he turned around and walked out without a word. I stood there, the silence heavier than it should’ve been.

My only friend was slipping away from me, and I could feel it—Vance and his friends were pulling the strings, and no one was brave enough to cut them.

I shook off the ache in my chest and grabbed my towel and toiletries. Since Cole was out, I could quickly shower without worrying about him walking in on me. I locked the bathroom door behind me and ran the water, letting it hit my skin fast. 

I scrubbed quickly, not wanting to stay long in the steam, and once I was done, I dried off and stepped back into the room. Cole had already returned and was sitting on his bed. 

I didn’t say a word. I just dropped my things and crawled into mine, turning my back to him. My chest throbbed again from the tight binder I wore under my shirt. It always hurt worse after a long day. 

I curled into myself and closed my eyes, letting sleep drag me away.

-

“Ouch,” I groaned, sitting up. My head pounded so hard it felt like something was hammering from inside. My shoulders and arms ached like I’d been thrown around all night. 

I glanced over to Cole’s bed. He was gone again. Of course he didn’t wake me. But when I looked at the clock on the wall, my heart stopped. 9:00am. Class had started by 8:30.

“Shit!” I cursed, scrambling out of bed. I dashed into the bathroom. After that I pulled on my uniform in a rush and ran to class, praying I wouldn’t be locked out. 

Mr. Grayson was already teaching when I opened the door. “Good morning, Mr. Grayson,” I said quickly.

“You’re late, Devan.”

“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again,” I murmured and bowed slightly.

“Go in,” he said with a wave of his hand. I scanned the room. The only empty seat was next to Vance.

“New day, new trouble,” I muttered under my breath as I walked toward it.

“Good morning, Devan,” Vance greeted, leaning toward me with that same irritating smirk on his lips.

I ignored him.

“Hope you didn’t wake up with lots of body pains?” he whispered again, clearly enjoying himself. I did wake up with body pains and it’s all thanks to him. My silence only made his grin widen.

“We’ll, just a gentle reminder,” he leaned closer. “I don’t want to hear anything about yesterday from anyone. Get that?”

Still, I didn’t respond.

“When I talk to you, you reply me,” he snapped and banged the table hard, drawing the attention of the whole class and even Mr. Grayson.

“Yes,” I whispered, just loud enough to calm the storm rising in his eyes. Because the last thing I needed today was more pain.

“Good boy” he smiled while sitting properly.

The rest of the class passed in a blur. I didn’t hear a word Mr Grayson said. My mind was too full, spinning with thoughts of Vance and his father. My chest still hurt from the binder, and now my head was joining in. 

I barely noticed when the bell rang. “Our next lesson will be sparring training. Grab your bags and move to the training room,” Mr Grayson’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I blinked and grabbed my bag. As I walked out, I caught Vance staring at me again. It felt like he was planning something. Something I wasn’t going to like.

When we got to the training room, we were told to change into our training outfits. I pulled mine on quickly, making sure my scent blocker was still in place even though it was starting to fade. 

I could feel the sweat gathering on my back and neck. “Get up here, Devan,” Mr Grayson called out making my head jerked up.

Then he turned to Cole. “You too.” I frowned. Was this some kind of sick joke? He knew we shared a room. Why make us fight? I could beat Cole easily, but if I did, he’d hate me even more. 

And I didn’t want to lose on purpose. The match began, and in under a minute, I had Cole flat on his back. I didn’t even have to try. He didn’t look at me when he got up. I swallowed hard, feeling a pinch in my chest.

Two more matches came and went. I was fine, still standing, but I could feel my scent blocker breaking down. Then Mr Grayson called out again, and this time, it was the name I had been dreading.

“Vance, get in the ring.”

Why him?

My legs felt shaky, but I forced myself into the center of the ring. Vance didn’t wait. He launched at me like a storm. His first hit slammed into my shoulder so hard it knocked me back. 

He was fast. Too fast. Every time I tried to strike, he dodged like he knew my moves before I made them. His hits came one after the other, sharp and mean. I couldn’t even catch my breath.

Then came the final blow. He swept my legs from under me, grabbed me mid-fall, and slammed me into the floor. I gasped as the air left my lungs. He pinned me down, his body heavy on mine, eyes locked with mine.

And then something shifted. Deep inside me, my wolf stirred, wild and restless. His scent wrapped around me like heat, pulling at something ancient and raw in my bones. 

I could feel his heart racing against mine, feel the tremble in his hands where they held me down. His eyes darkened, lips parting slightly like he had just realized something too.

No.

No, this couldn’t be happening.

Not Vance.

But my wolf was howling now, clawing to the surface with a word that echoed through my entire body like thunder.

“Mate.”

And in that moment, Vance’s eyes widened too.

He felt it.

But instead of softening, something darker flickered in his eyes—a mix of rage, shock, and something else I couldn’t name.

Then he leaned closer.

“Say a word,” he whispered, voice like ice, “and I swear I’ll make you regret ever being born.”