Mag-log inThe Council Chambers were designed to intimidate.High ceilings. Formal seating. The full five-person panel arranged above the single chair where the subject sat. Everything about the room was built to make whoever sat in that chair feel small.I sat in that chair in my uniform and Cassian's jacket, and I composed myself.The jacket still carried a faint trace of his scent. It was a small comfort, but I needed it.Five council members watched me from above. Their expressions ranged from bored to suspicious. Maren Solace sat in the center, her hands folded neatly on the table in front of her.She looked at me as if she had already found something wrong.I refused to look away."State your name and bloodline," the council secretary said."Val Rhen.""Pack?""Ashgrave.""Rank?""Alpha."A pause followed.The secretary looked toward Maren.She nodded once."Begin the verification."The panel ran the bloodline verification.Questions about Ashgrave Pack leadership. Ceremonial history. Spec
The night before Val's hearing, I couldn't sleep.Not the bond-dreams this time. Just my mind running scenarios. Every possible council question. Every possible answer. Every possible way the hearing went wrong.My wolf paced. The bond was warm and steady in my chest, which was more comforting than it should be and less calming than I needed.I stared at the ceiling and counted the cracks.One.Two.Three.I lost count somewhere around twelve and started again.Tomorrow, Val would stand before the full council and answer questions about her bloodline, her abilities, and everything she had spent months hiding. One wrong answer could expose her. One suspicious council member could demand another examination. One mistake could give Cain exactly what he needed.I turned onto my side, then onto my back again.This was pointless.I'd faced combat evaluations, political threats, and opponents who wanted to see me fail. I knew how to handle danger when it came at me with a weapon in its hand.
We worked in the dorm after curfew.Door locked. Voices low. Notebooks spread across both desks, pushed together to form one surface. The plan was simple in theory and complicated in execution: continue feeding Lyra false information to buy time, use the window to find evidence of Cain's experiments solid enough to bring to Soren officially, identify who else might know the extent of what Cain had done.It was not a good plan in the sense of being comfortable. It was a good plan in the sense of being the best available option.Cassian stood over the map with his arms crossed while Ronan checked the notes we had gathered. I sat beside the desk, studying the marked corridors and possible escape routes. Every line on the map represented a risk. Every name we wrote down could become a problem if Cain discovered what we were doing."We need evidence that can't be dismissed as a misunderstanding," Ronan said. "Rumors won't be enough. Even Lyra's behavior might not prove anything if Cain cla
Stage Two of the Ascension Trials was combat evaluation.The arena was already crowded when I entered. Students from all four houses filled the viewing galleries, their voices mixing with the sound of boots against stone and the occasional cheer from the competitors warming up.The rules were simple. Three opponents. Three consecutive fights. No weapons, no killing blows, and no outside assistance.The panel would evaluate technique, control, adaptability, and endurance.I had trained for this.I knew exactly what the judges expected from me, and I knew most of the competitors had studied my previous performances. That meant I couldn't depend on the same techniques twice.The first opponent was a Ferox brawler who relied on brute force. He charged the moment the signal sounded, swinging hard enough to crack bone.I stepped aside, caught his arm, and used his momentum against him. He stumbled forward, and I drove my elbow into his back before sweeping his legs out from under him.He hi
The Iron Circle closing ceremony was a Dominion social event.Formal dress. All four houses in attendance. The kind of occasion where political positioning happened during dinner and everyone pretended it was just a celebration.I arrived with Ronan. He'd handed me the suppressant compounds that morning with one quiet instruction: cycle properly."Ready?" he asked as we walked through the doors."No.""Good. Me neither."I almost smiled.Ronan adjusted the collar of his formal jacket as we entered the assembly hall. "Remember what Jane said. Don't take more because you're nervous.""I'm not nervous."He gave me a look."Fine," I admitted. "I'm nervous.""That's different.""How?""At least now you're being honest."I shook my head and followed him inside.The assembly hall was packed.Solas sat on one side. Vesper on the other. Ferox and Umbra filled the back. The tables were draped in Dominion colors, the candles burning low.The entire room looked polished and expensive, but beneath
The Umbra wing was quiet at this hour.I moved through the corridors alone, deliberately without Cassian or Val. Two people from Solas visiting Umbra at night drew more eyes than one. One person could be anyone. The Umbra dormitory was different from the others. Darker. Older. The students here kept to themselves, their doors closed, their eyes averted. This was where alphas came when they had something to prove or nothing left to lose.I kept my hood low as I walked, though I wasn't sure it would have made much difference if anyone recognized me.Ronan Calloway wasn't exactly a stranger at Vesper, but Umbra operated by different rules. People here noticed outsiders. They noticed footsteps, faces, and who visited whom.More importantly, they noticed secrets.That was why I had come.I found Jane's room at the end of the hall.She opened the door before I knocked. Small, sharp-eyed, with the kind of watchful stillness that came from years of surviving in the shadows of the academy's h
The silence that hung between us wasn’t peaceful. It was thick, stiff and heavy in the very corners of the room like dust no one dared to sweep.Val didn’t answer my question.Didn’t even flinch.Just climbed into bed and pulled the blanket up like I hadn’t asked a damn thing.And that pissed the h
Raven tasted like cherry lip balm and something feminine. She was soft in the way I liked as we locked lips.Her fingers tangled in my hair, her body warm against mine as she shifted on my lap, lips trailing down my jaw. I let my head fall back against the wall, exhaling through my nose as her han
The training grounds were alive with tension. Everybody seemed uneasy on the field. They were about to be introduced to something they've never undertaken so their worry was expected. But weakness was not tolerated.Dominance challenges weren’t just a tradition at Dominion Academy—they were law. I
The grand hall was suffocating.Rows of wolves in formal attire stood along the edges of the large room, their whispers moving through the air like a curse I couldn't shake. My father, Alpha Rhen, stood tall at the head of the room, his sharp gaze scanning the gathered pack members before settling







