CHAPTER 2

Ayla's pov

As I walk through the halls of Oak Shade High between classes, warriors-in-training nod or call out to me.

“Hey, Little Reaper!”

I groan. “Stop calling me that,” I mutter, waving at Logan and the others.

Jason jogs up beside me, barely winded. “You better get used to it, Ayla. You earned that name after wiping the floor with Caleb in front of the whole combat squad yesterday.”

“He underestimated me,” I shrug.

“Exactly. And now the entire squad’s both impressed and terrified. You’ve officially gone from ghost girl to warrior icon.” He slings his arm across my shoulders. “You should be proud.”

I shoot him a look. “I’m not sure being called ‘Little Reaper’ is something to celebrate.”

“Well, it is when you’re 5’4 and choking out a guy six inches taller and built like a linebacker.”

I laugh despite myself. Jason’s been my best friend since we were pups. Loyal, smart, irritating. Everything you want in someone who always has your back.

We round the corner, and that’s when I spot him.

Kieran Vale. Future Alpha. Walking down the hallway like he owns the ground beneath his feet. Which, technically, he kind of does. Surrounded by his usual entourage of girls, mature she-wolves, most of them unmated, he barely glances at anyone who isn’t falling over themselves to impress him.

“The harem grows,” I mutter, nodding toward the swarm orbiting him.

Jason snorts. “Think he’s breaking some kind of record?”

I don’t answer.

I’m too busy trying to keep my face neutral as my gaze lands on him. Broad shoulders, sharp jaw, midnight black hair falling just past his collar. His stubble always looks like it’s sculpted on purpose. And those eyes are icy blue, cutting, ancient. Like they belong to someone who already knows your secrets.

Every she-wolf over sixteen would crawl through glass to get picked as his Luna. Hell, even girls from other packs throw themselves at him during inter-pack events. The Vale bloodline has always ruled Moonridge. Alpha Dorian, his father, is a living legend. Kieran? He’s still… under review.

No one questions his strength. I’ve seen him spar. He fights like a weapon drawn in anger quick, vicious, relentless. His alpha blood gives him power. Raw, commanding. He barely has to try.

Unlike me.

I don’t get to rely on genetics. I train harder. Think smarter. I don’t have broad shoulders or brute force. I have speed, precision, and the element of surprise. That’s how I win. That’s how I earn respect.

Every warrior in this school has taken a hit from me. Some still have the bruises to prove it.

But he doesn’t even know who I am.

Kieran Vale the boy whose life my mother died protecting. The boy whose family my father was with was paralyzed defending himself. The one I’ve trained my entire life to serve.

He doesn’t know my name.

And I’m supposed to be his Guardian.

What a joke.

“Still staring?” Jason teases, elbowing me.

I blink, realizing I’d zoned out. Again.

“Sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was asking what you’re doing after school,” he repeats, dragging out the words like I’m dense. “And before you say training, just admit it you’ve got secret super lessons with your badass ex-Guardian dad.”

I smirk. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not. I’m jealous.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Kieran turning his head. For a second, his eyes lock on mine. Blue meets brown. There’s a flash of something. Recognition? Confusion? A pull in my chest makes my wolf stir.

Artemis growls low and satisfied. “Finally. He noticed.”

Seriously? Don’t start, I snap.

“I’m just saying, it wouldn’t kill us to get closer to that.”

That being the massive, arrogant, overly admired future Alpha whom I’ll eventually be stuck protecting.

“I am not interested in being part of the fan club,” I mutter under my breath.

Jason raises an eyebrow. “Talking to your wolf again?”

“She’s getting mouthy.”

“I’d be concerned if she wasn’t,” he grins.

We pass a few more students, and sure enough, the nickname follows.

“Little Reaper!”

“Damn, Ayla!”

Jason leans in. “It’s official now.”

I sigh. “Fine. Not like I had a say.”

“That’s the spirit.” He swings open the door to our shared history class. “Anyway, back to my question. What are you doing after school?”

“Right.” I nod. “Same routine. Training with my dad. Then dinner. Alpha Dorian comes over on Thursdays.”

Jason’s eyebrows go up. “Dinner with the Alpha. You’re not going to casually drop that like it’s not a big deal.”

“It’s not. He’s been coming for years. Ever since… You know.”

Since my father lost everything.

Alpha Dorian didn’t let him slip into the Shadows. He built us a house near the north ridge close enough to remain on pack land, far enough to stay out of sight. My dad still helps guard the northern boundary. He monitors patterns, checks in with scouts. The Alpha made sure he stayed part of the pack. Gave him a purpose.

It’s the only reason my dad didn’t leave.

Jason nods quietly. “Still. It’s a big deal.”

“He’s just showing respect.”

“And he should,” Jason adds. “Your dad’s a legend.”

I shrug. “He’s also quietly the ass when I slack off in drills.”

Jason grins. “And yet, somehow you keep getting stronger.”

The bell rang and the class dragged. I’m restless. Thinking too much. Not just about Training or school but about what’s coming.

My eighteenth birthday is less than three weeks away.

Once I shift and complete the Guardian ritual, my life changes.

Unless…

Unless Artemis and I find our mate.

Then everything could change. If my mate is from another pack, like Shadow Falls, my allegiance shifts. Guardian bond or not? Mate bonds are sacred. They come first.

That’s why Alpha Dorian is hoping my mate is from Moonridge. Preferably someone loyal. Someone like Kieran.

That thought makes me scoff internally. Kieran Vale doesn’t even see me.

But Liam does.

Alpha Liam of Shadow Falls has been flirting with me for almost a year. He’s older, 24, strong, and careful with his words. He knows I haven’t turned 18. He knows I’m waiting. And he’s been respectful. Patient. Persistent.

He says he wants to court me if I’m not mated. He says he sees more than a warrior in me.

ArteMis has opinions about him, too.

“He’s nice. I don’t hate him.”

High praise from you.

“He’s not our mate.”

We don’t know who our mate is yet.

“Exactly. So don’t get attached.”

After class, Jason and I walk toward the east wing, still talking about Friday night’s bonfire.

“Still down for the bonfire?” he asks.

“Absolutely. I need to blow off some steam.”

“Same.”

I smile, relieved for something normal. Something not tied to destiny or duty or bloody legacy.

We stop outside my next class. Jason gives me a lazy salute. “Later, Little Reaper.”

I fly him off. “Later, pain in the ass.”

As I walk into the classroom, I steal one last glance down the hallway. Kieran is gone. But the buzz from his stare hasn’t left my chest.

I shake it off.

This is all temporary. All noise. What matters is what’s waiting in three weeks.

I’ll shift.

I’ll awaken.

And then fate gets its turn to speak.