Chapter 4

Drake Harrington 

Mornings are hectic. 

They’re rarely quiet. Always chaotic, always noisy. And I hate that. I crave quiet. Quiet means control, and I thrive on control. Mornings, for me, usually begin with an alert on my phone: rogue sighting on the eastern border. Then come the countless messages from council members, demanding updates I haven’t even had time to draft. It’s not easy juggling both roles. Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack and a student at the academy. 

I’ve been Alpha since I was seventeen. My parents were killed in an accident, and their deaths forced the title onto me. I was supposed to graduate from the academy two years ago, but something happened. Something I’m not ready to talk about. According to the clues I found, this should be the best time. So, here I am, back at the academy. 

Fortunately, the tradition of completing my studies at the Shadow Academy can help me conceal my intentions. It’s what our kind lives by. Every Alpha, every werewolf, must complete their education at the academy. It’s been that way for generations. And we don’t break tradition. 

I spend most of my days indulging in academy activities, and then I spend my nights reviewing reports from my head warrior about how things are going in the pack. I've instructed both my warriors and council not to disturb me during the afternoon unless it’s an emergency that requires my presence. Thankfully, Dark Shade Academy isn’t far from the Silver Moon Pack. 

I move through the academy corridor like I own it. My boots strike the tiled floor with sharp, deliberate clicks…loud, commanding. I don’t have to say a word. People see me coming and step aside, heads lowered, eyes averted. No one dares block my path. 

I pause in the middle of the hallway, tugging at the edge of my black leather jacket. Everything I’m wearing is black…my jacket, my pants, my T-shirt, even my boots…just how I love it. I draw in a deep breath and lift my gaze to the ceiling, trying to steady myself before I step back into the mess. 

Girls try to catch my attention. They flip their hair, bat their lashes, lean a little too close. But I don’t flinch. I don’t slow. I keep walking, eyes forward, posture firm. 

I have no time for distractions. No space for weakness. Not anymore. 

“Drake.” 

I don’t break stride. 

Only one voice dares to call me out like that in public. And that’s because I let her. In the pack, it’s Alpha. Nothing less.

Lilith. She's my Beta—two years younger than me. I personally chose her for the role, even though she hadn’t graduated yet. But she had the strength, tenacity, and mentality for it…just like her father, who had served as my father's Beta. 

She jogs up beside me, breath slightly uneven, but that familiar smirk is still etched on her lips. “Skipping breakfast again?” 

“I don’t skip,” I mutter. “I fast.” 

She tosses a protein bar my way. I catch it without even glancing. 

“Fasting,” she says, matching my pace, “makes you cranky.” 

I shoot her a sharp look. “You’re confusing me with yourself.” 

Lilith chuckles under her breath but says nothing. She knows the rules. Tease lightly. Never push. She’s one of the very few who can get away with testing the line. That doesn’t make her immune. It just means I allow it. 

We reach the lounge in the upper echelon. My unofficial territory within the academy. It’s nothing extravagant…black couches, black tiles, black glass tables, and a long shelf of old books no one touches. Everything black. Everything is clean. Just the way I like it. 

Dirt and disorganization irritate me. They slow everything down. 

I drop the protein bar onto the table and sit. Exhale. 

Lilith drops into the seat across from me, pulling out her phone. Here, in the academy, she can sit across from me. But in the pack? Business. A Beta stands unless given permission to sit. 

This place is where I come to hide from all the childish drama of the academy, to clear my head and steal a moment of peace before I’m dragged back into the chaos. 

“You look worse than usual,” she says. “Is it because of that Beta girl?” 

My jaw tightens. 

“I saw how you stepped in when she was getting cornered with her friends. Since when do you care about that?” 

“Rock,” I mutter. “She’s his mate. Second chance mate.”

Lilith sets her phone down slowly. “Seriously? I thought second chances were rare. Almost impossible.” 

Exactly. So did I. 

Lilith says. “I wasn’t there. What happened?” 

“She smelled like... rain, roses, vanilla…and danger.” 

Lilith blinks. “You’re poetic when you’re spiraling.” 

“I’m serious.” 

Rock surged to the surface the second her scent hit me. I haven’t felt him like that since her…the only woman I'll ever love. 

My fingers curl into fists. 

“You’re shaking,” Lilith says quietly. 

I rise abruptly, pacing the length of the room. “I need a barrier. I need her…this Raine… to stay the fuck away from me.” 

Lilith lifts an eyebrow, watching me. “You want to scare her off?” 

“I want you to fake-date me.” 

She laughs once, brief and disbelieving, but I do not return the smile. I meet her eyes, steady and unflinching. 

“You're serious?” 

I face her completely. “I’m not asking. I’m telling.” 

She leans back in her seat, crossing her arms. “And this plan includes what exactly? Me holding your hand while you glare at her from behind me?” 

“If it works, then yes.” 

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “This is going to be insane. Are you sure about this? Emotions are involved, Alpha.” 

Emotions are liabilities. I learned that the hard way. 

I tug at the edge of my leather jacket, drawing in a deep breath as I lift my gaze to the ceiling, trying to steady myself. 

“I’m not losing control again,” I say. “The last time I loved someone, she ... .you know what happened. And I don’t want to replace her. I want her to remain the only one in my heart.” 

Lilith’s expression softens, but she keeps silent. She knows better than to speak when I am like this. 

‘Mine.’

Rock’s voice again. This time louder. This time desperate. 

“She’s triggering something in me I thought was long gone.” 

Lilith comes to stand beside me. “Maybe it’s not all bad.” 

“It is,” I answer sharply. “You don’t understand what I become when I let the wolf take over. And I will not go through that again. Not for anyone. This girl even belongs to someone else. That’s what I heard.” 

Lilith’s gaze holds mine. “Yes. Alpha Jason of Night Thorn. But he rejected her. She just refuses to accept it.” 

Most alphas would react the same way he did. She is not an alpha shewolf. She is a Beta. Just a Beta. 

Rock is no longer a whisper in the back of my mind. He is pacing in my chest, snarling at anything that dares to come between us and the girl who smells like danger. 

“She’s not ours,” I say aloud, though it feels hollow. 

‘She is,’ Rock growls back. 

“I can’t protect her.” 

‘You were made to.’ 

I turn sharply. “Enough.” 

Lilith flinches slightly. I am not talking to her, but the tension in the room makes it irrelevant. 

I pick up the protein bar I left on the table and crush it in my fist. The sound is loud in the silence. 

“Let’s start today,” I say firmly. “You and me. Make it real enough that she believes it.” 

Lilith’s voice is quieter now, cautious. “But she doesn’t know. She’s still bonded to Alpha Jason and refusing the rejection.” 

I glance at her over my shoulder, letting my mask of control slip for just a moment. “Do as I say. Don’t question me.” 

“Yes, Alpha,” she replies softly, lowering her head instantly.