LOGIN"Val!”She collapsed.One second she was fighting the restraints, breathing through the pain, still glaring at the world like she refused to lose—The next, she went limp.And something inside me snapped.Not broken.Locked.Like a chain slamming into place so hard it shook everything attached to it.Pain flooded through me—not physical, not clean. It ripped through my chest and skull and spine all at once. For a second, I couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t see.Couldn’t breathe.Mine.The word crashed through me like thunder.Mate.My wolf surged so violently the silver cords dug into my skin hard enough to burn.“Val!”My voice came out raw.Across the room, Cain looked up from his clipboard, calm as ever. “Remarkable.”I saw red.“What did you do to her?” I snarled.“She is experiencing overload,” he replied smoothly. “Though your reaction is proving far more interesting.”I yanked against the restraints.Silver bit deep.The cords tightened.“Cassian,” Cain said almost conversationa
The doors opened with a low metallic groan.Cold air hit me first.Then the smell.Burned fur. Chemicals. Something sharp that stung the back of my throat.I stopped for half a second.“Move,” the enforcer said behind us.I stepped forward.Cassian came in right after me. I felt it more than saw it—the way he shifted closer without thinking, just enough that our shoulders almost brushed.The bond reacted instantly.A low, tight pull.I ignored it.The lab stretched wide, nothing like the classrooms above. Metal tables lined the walls, each one marked with carved runes that pulsed faintly under dim light. Chains hung from the ceiling in neat rows. Glass containers sat on shelves—some empty, some… not.I looked away from those.“Ah.”The voice slid across the room, calm and pleased.Professor Cain stepped out from behind one of the tables, sleeves rolled, gloves already on. He smiled like we’d just arrived for a scheduled lesson.“Right on time,” he said. “I was hoping they’d bring you
Cassian didn’t hesitate. “I requested a room transfer.”The words barely landed before it hit.Pain.Sharp. Sudden. Like glass slicing through my chest.I flinched.So did he.At the exact same time.His hand shot to his side. Mine pressed against my ribs. For a second, we just stood there, staring at each other, both breathing a little too hard.“Yeah,” I said under my breath. “That’s working great.”His jaw tightened. “It will.”“Is that what you call this?” I gestured between us, forcing my hand to steady. “Because it feels like we’re getting ripped apart.”“It’s temporary.”“Stop saying that.”He didn’t answer.Something snapped.“Come on,” I said, grabbing his wrist before I could think better of it.He tensed instantly. “What are you—”“We’re not doing this in here.”“Val—”“Move.”I pulled him toward the door. He resisted for half a second, then followed, his grip tightening on my arm like he was about to stop me again—but didn’t.We moved fast through the halls, and past stude
The board kept growing.I stood in front of it, fists tight at my sides, eyes locked on the names carved into black stone. Marcus Fell. Petra Wynn. Now another fresh mark.Missing.Again.“You’re early.”Soren’s voice came from behind me, calm as always. I didn’t turn.“Couldn’t sleep,” I said.“That makes two of us.”I let out a short breath. “Another one.”“Yes.” He stepped up beside me, hands folded behind his back. “Patterns are forming. That’s rarely a good sign.”I nodded once, jaw tight.Silence stretched for a moment before he spoke again, quieter this time. “Are you ready to do what it takes to protect what’s yours?”The question hit harder than it should have.“Yes,” I said.No hesitation.Because in my head, there was only one answer.One person.Soren didn’t respond immediately. I felt his gaze shift to me, heavy, knowing. Like he could see straight through the word and into what I meant.“You’re certain?” he asked.“I don’t have the luxury of being uncertain.”“Hm.”I tur
The book slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a dull thud.I didn’t pick it up.My eyes burned from reading, but I reached for another one anyway, dragging it off the shelf with shaking fingers. Dust scattered as I flipped it open, scanning lines too fast to fully process.“Severed bonds often result in—”I slammed it shut.“Useless,” I muttered, tossing it onto the growing pile at my feet. Another book followed. Then another. Titles blurred together—Fated Pairings, Ritual Disruptions, Wolf Instinct and Divine Order.None of them said what I wanted.None of them gave me a way out.I grabbed a thinner text, flipping straight to the marked section.“Rejected mates experience—”I forced myself to read this time.“—intense physical backlash, including—”I stopped.My hand tightened around the page.Fatal.The word sat there, bold and clear, like it had been waiting for me.“Of course,” I whispered, letting out a weak breath. “Of course it ends like that.”I dropped the book and lea
"Move.”I didn’t wait for her to respond. I grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the Ritual Hall before anyone could stop us. Voices rose behind us but I didn’t turn back. I couldn’t.“Cassian—wait—what just happened?” she stumbled beside me, nearly tripping as I pulled her down the corridor.“Not here,” I snapped, tightening my grip when she tried to slow down.“You’re hurting me.”“Good. Then keep up.”She yanked once, hard. “Stop—!”I shoved open a side corridor door and pushed her inside. The door slammed shut behind us, cutting off the noise. For a second, neither of us spoke. My chest was rising too fast. My wolf wouldn’t shut up.Her scent was everywhere.Damn it.She stepped back, rubbing her wrist, eyes wide. “What was that back there? The ritual—why did it react like that?”I turned away, running a hand through my hair. “It didn’t matter.”“It does matter,” she shot back, voice shaking. “Everyone saw it. That wasn’t normal.”“Nothing about you is normal.”Silence dropped
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 great hall buzzed with conversations. It seemed everybody was curious about who they were about to be sharing a room with.And from the look of things, I wasn't the only fresher. There were some people with bags. Obviously they didn't have to run away from their homes to be here.Students gathe







