005

Lyra’s POV.

The gates of Alpha Academy were massive. Towering. Iron bars twice my height, lined with scars from past battles. I stood in front of them with my hood pulled low, my chest bound so tight I could barely breathe. My heart slammed against my ribs, over and over, like it wanted out of this body.

Guards stood the entrance, all muscle and menace, with eyes like they saw straight through people. They wore no uniforms...just black, battle-worn clothes and a scent that said one wrong move, and I’d never breathe again.

‘You still want to do this?’ Nira asked, low in my head.

She already knew the answer.

I didn’t reply. I kept my jaw tight, voice buried deep. I adjusted the straps under my hoodie, pulling it closer to my skin. Every inch of me was Rowan now. I held out the forged crest, heart in my throat.

The guard raised a brow. "Name?"

I dropped my voice. "Rowan Thorne."

He stared for a second too long. Then nodded.

"Welcome to Alpha Academy."

The gates opened with a loud groan. My feet moved before my brain caught up.

Inside wasn’t a school. It was a warzone. Open yards stretched out in every direction. Warriors...real ones...moved in packs. Some trained with live weapons. Others fought in their wolf forms in rings carved into the ground. The air smelled of sweat, blood, fury. And dominance. Too much dominance.

My wolf shrank. Silent.

‘This place… it’s not for us,’ she murmured.

But it had to be.

I clenched my fists and moved like I belonged. Broad shoulders. Long strides. I kept my head down, my eyes locked on the dorm number printed on the paper in my hand.

Room 113.

I was here.

And I had to survive.

The dorm room was small. Two bunks, one trunk, and a single cracked window. I unpacked Rowan’s clothes quietly, stuffing them into the drawer. My roommate hadn’t shown up yet. I didn’t know if I wanted him to. My voice wasn’t ready. My lies weren’t ready.

A bell rang outside...sharp, blaring.

Then came the yells.

“Someone shifted in the hall!”

“Move! Out of the way!”

I ran out with the others. The building shook with noise...feet slamming against floors, roars in the distance. People were sprinting toward the eastern yard. I followed. Couldn’t help it.

A crowd had formed, boys circling like vultures. At the center...chaos.

A boy, fully shifted into a wolf, snapped at instructors with bared fangs. His fur was soaked with sweat, mouth foaming, red eyes wild. A rogue shift. It was rare, but not impossible. At Alpha Academy, shifting was normal...controlled, trained, sharpened. But this… this wasn’t that.

Two instructors were bleeding. Deep cuts on their arms, one clutching his ribs.

"Step back!" someone barked. “He’s in rage mode!”

The others obeyed. I didn’t.

Something pulled me forward. Maybe my wolf. Maybe instinct. Maybe the fact that I knew that look...the look of someone who had lost everything.

I stepped forward.

“Rowan! What the hell...” a voice hissed behind me.

I didn’t stop.

My aura snapped before I could pull it back.

I felt it hit the air, sharp and loud. My wolf broke through for a second, rising just enough to push power into the ground.

The rogue froze.

He whimpered. His claws scratched the dirt. Then...he lowered his head. Tail tucked in. Submission.

Silence.

No one breathed.

Someone muttered, “What the...”

I blinked. My heart thudded in my ears. Nira growled inside, ‘What did you just do?!’

And then… I felt him.

The air changed before he stepped in. Like the entire field bent under pressure.

He walked through the crowd like he didn’t need space...like space made itself for him.

Tall. Cold eyes. Hair short, jaw sharp. He wore all black, sleeves rolled up, scars peeking from his forearms like they had stories I didn’t want to hear.

Alpha.

Not just any Alpha.

He was the heir from the capital. Sent by the High Council. I’d heard rumors...about how he took down a rogue pack by himself. How his wolf was nearly feral when provoked.

His power pressed against mine the second our eyes met.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t breathe.

My wolf whispered, ‘Mate.’

No. No, no, no...

Not here. Not now.

My mouth dried. My hands shook. My fake mustache peeled slightly from the sweat.

His steps slowed.

His eyes narrowed.

He didn’t say a word. Just stared.

Like he’d seen something he wasn’t supposed to.

I looked away fast.

My wolf whimpered. She didn’t understand. I didn’t either.

How could the Moon Goddess give me a second chance mate so soon? And why now...when I was impersonating my sick brother?

The Alpha walked to the rogue. Everyone stepped aside. No one dared get close.

He didn’t shift. Didn’t roar. Didn’t bare fangs.

He just stood over the boy, grabbed the back of his neck.

"Enough."

The rogue’s wolf collapsed to the ground. Whined. Rolled over.

Just like that… it ended.

People started clapping. A few boys laughed in awe.

I couldn’t hear them.

I could only hear my pulse.

He turned again. His eyes locked with mine.

And he didn’t look away.

My stomach dropped. My legs moved on their own, backing up into the crowd. I forced my body to vanish between them.

I didn’t stop moving until I was back in the dorm.

I slammed the door shut. Locked it.

“Please, no,” I whispered. My breath shook.

My wolf was pacing. ‘He felt it. He knows. He felt it.’

“He doesn’t know anything,” I snapped.

But deep down, I didn’t believe it.

…

It didn’t take long.

Not even an hour later, there was a knock on the dorm door.

Not a knock.

A bang.

I stood. Opened it.

And there he was.

Up close, he was worse. Tall. Eyes that burned into mine. His face gave nothing away.

"You. With me. Now."

I didn’t argue.

We walked across the training field, silent. Every guy we passed stepped aside. Some looked confused. Others curious. All of them knew this wasn’t normal.

He led me to an empty sparring ring. He stepped in. Waited.

I followed.

"You’re not who you say you are," he said flatly.

I froze.

"That thing you did back there… no ordinary Alpha heir could pull that off. And definitely not a first-month."

I kept my head down. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Don’t lie to me."

His voice dropped.

"You’re hiding something. Your aura. Your face. Your scent. I don’t know what the hell you’re doing here, but I don’t trust it."

My hands curled into fists.

"I don’t need you to trust me," I said quietly. "Just let me stay."

"Why?"

I hesitated. My chest burned. My wolf clawed at my insides.

"I have my reasons."

He stared at me for a long time. Then leaned in slightly.

"I don’t know who you are, Rowan Thorne. But I’ll find out. And when I do… if you’re a threat, even a little...I’ll end you."

He turned and walked away.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. My legs shook.

This wasn’t just about surviving anymore.

It was about not getting exposed.

And trying not to fall for a mate I wasn’t even supposed to have.