AmayaToday's combat felt different. I’d just been paired with a guy who looked like he ate bricks for breakfast.Twice my size. Covered in muscles that screamed gym obsession. And of course, full of himself.He looked at me like I was a joke. I smiled sweetly and stepped into the ring anyway.The moment the match started, he came at me hard. I ducked under his punch, barely missing his elbow as I twisted my body away. The impact of his foot slamming into the sand where I'd stood a second ago sent grit flying into my face.The first few minutes, I let him think he had me and played up the dodging. It wasn’t about showing off. It was about surviving the beast.Then I flipped him.One clean move. My leg swept behind his knee, my elbow jabbed into his shoulder, and the next thing I knew, the air cracked with the sound of his body slamming into the ground.Cheers and gasps echoed around me. People from nearby squads rushed to the edge of the ring. The guy’s face twisted in disbelief.Swe
AmayaThere’s a certain kind of satisfaction that comes from knowing you’ve successfully ruined a male’s peace, and I had just served it to Wesley on a silver fucking platter.I caught him watching. I knew what I was doing. And I knew he’d come back for it.He didn’t waste time either.It was during our squad meeting. The air was hot with the scent of sweat and perfume. We were gathered under the shade near the west wing courtyard, where announcements and decisions were made.And Wesley, of course, stood front and center like the crowned bastard he was.Squad Captain. Obviously. No one even challenged it. The moment the instructors asked for leadership volunteers, everyone looked at him like he was the second coming of the Moon Goddess.He soaked it in, but something in his jaw said he hated it. Still, he stood tall in that smug way that screamed he’d been born to command.“Now,” he announced. “We’ll need an Assistant Captain.”Immediately, the girls around me lost their damn minds.
WesleyMy mother hadn’t messaged in two days, which meant she’d be expecting a report any moment now. She didn’t like silence. Silence, to her, meant weakness, or worse, disobedience. And even though it had barely been five days since I got here, I already felt like I’d been playing chess against shadows nonstop.I sat on my bed, scrolling through the names I’d saved discreetly in my private notes folder.King Justin’s two daughters were here, Amaya and Amber. One a quiet storm, the other a polished blade. His niece, Riley, too, entitled brat with teeth coated in sugar. There were others. Noble sons and daughters from strategic houses across the South. Alphas-in-training. Heirs of politicians and power-brokers who thought their legacies were safe in books and bloodlines.My parents had made one thing clear: the goal was infiltration. To study them. Map their faults. Play nice, smile when needed, and report back every weakness that could bring the Southern region to its knees.But they
My gaze stayed locked on Wesley’s retreating back. He looked pissed. I almost laughed.Next to me, Xavier nudged my arm.“What?” I muttered, still watching Wesley disappear into the crowd.Xavier’s grin widened. “That boy walked off like he just found out Santa’s fake.”I cracked the smallest smile. “I had to do something to scare him off.”“There’s something about that guy that screams danger. The kind of danger that makes you wake up handcuffed to a headboard with no memory of how you got there. You see how girls fall over him? I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts charging people just to breathe his air.”I smirked. “Exactly why I need to stay far, far away.”Xavier looked at me with a raised brow. “Right. And that’s why you just made us a couple in front of him?”I wrinkled my nose. “Never.”“But we’re pretending now? Like… for real-for real?”“We’re pretending until Mr. Popular finds a new toy.”The gravel crunched under my boots as we walked. My thoughts were louder than our foot
Wesley The sun hung low over the training field. Whistles split the air, followed by the thuds of instructors’ boots. Cadets dropped to the gravel in unison for push-ups. I stood near the back of Squad 4, my shirt damp with a light sweat. Not from exertion, but the weather. I wasn’t even tired. Just bored.I had better things to do than waste time at this Academy. It wasn’t just pointless, it was claustrophobic. Everywhere I turned, girls stared. Some looked at me like I was dinner. A few even faked clumsy falls to get my attention. Others giggled like it was a sport every time I breathed. It was fucking exhausting.Being this desirable should’ve been illegal.I ran a hand through my hair, irritated. I was tired. Tired of the worship. Tired of the expectations. Tired of being treated like a god in a world where I never asked to be one.Then I saw Amaya. Cold, distant Amaya. The only one who didn’t seem affected by me. Or pretended not to be. It was a strange relief. She was crouche
AmayaI got to the field. It was easily the biggest I'd ever seen. Students stood in rows, each section marked by a colored flag. Apparently, our rank didn’t determine the squad we’d be placed in; the last digit of our registration number did. Mine was four, so I was in Squad 4.I headed toward them, and a commotion broke out near the end of the row. Girls were whispering, giggling, and some were even trying to switch squads. All of them were losing it over Prince Wesley.I spotted him through the bodies. He stood tall, calm, and absurdly good-looking in that annoyingly self-aware way. Of course, it was him—Mr. Dangerous Smile himself.I stayed where I was, a good three feet away, not sparing him a glance.The director waddled onto the field, and silence fell immediately. The man looked like he’d swallowed a sofa cushion. His round belly bulged under a tight shirt, the buttons clinging on for dear life. But his voice could scare someone o
AmayaI stood stiffly in front of the full-length mirror bolted into the closet wall, tugging at the collar of my uniform. It was stiff, sharp-edged, and reeked of control—black with silver piping and that damned touch of red on the crest.Why red, of all colors? I hated red. Wore red when enemies were near. I used to cry at the sight of it as a child.I turned sideways. The outfit clung tighter than I liked, and the boots made me feel like I was about to salute someone I didn’t respect.The hostel was divided strictly by rank. Sector 1 belonged to the Alphas—sons and daughters of royalty. Their rooms were spacious with private lounges. That was my hostel.Section 2 was for Betas and hybrids. More like a glorified commune.Section 3 was for kids like Xavier—scholarship students and low-rank trainees. Ten to a room, if they were lucky.This wasn’t a school. It was a polished boot camp.Drills at 5 a.m. Combat formations at six. Breakfast at 7:30.Lectures from eight to two.Weapons tra
Amber“My mom is so overprotective of me, it’s sickening,” I complained, sprawled across Riley’s bedroom floor.Her room looked like a makeup tornado had touched down. Lipsticks, palettes, and gloss tubes that were enough product to paint a thousand faces, scattered everywhere. Even the carpet was stained with last week’s highlighter explosion.Riley was my cousin, my best friend, and my other half in everything chaotic. Born the same year, reckless in the same way. We had a combined follower count that scared influencers twice our age, and wherever we went, people noticed. We were the girls other girls wanted to sit beside, the ones guys texted and never forgot. So, the fact that she was going to the Academy without me felt like a betrayal.She kept opening and closing her lip gloss, making that irritating swish-pop sound.“Well, maybe you should talk to your dad,” she said casually.I scoffed. “As if you don’t know my mom has him wrapped around her thumb. He’d jump into a volcano if
Amaya I sat cross-legged on the floor beside my open suitcase, with clothes scattered like a crime scene as I tossed them in.My dad and Marissa didn’t say it, but I knew. They were sending me away because I was a burden. They didn't have to say it when their energy screamed it loud enough to bruise.I didn’t want to go to the Academy. A place where my life would be regulated down to what time I could breathe. But this was the Lycan world. The closer you were to the throne, the tighter the leash.Most packs didn’t even want royal blood hanging around because it made them nervous. Royal drama caused wars. And the one person who could’ve taken me in, my mother, chose a man over her own daughter.I sighed. These thoughts were toxic, but they never left. I shoved a rolled-up T-shirt into my bag and yanked my phone from the nightstand.Text to Xavier:Guess what. I'm going. Sunday.His reply came instantly.XAVIER: Hell yeah! I knew you'd cave. You and I are gonna rule that place.I snort