LOVE AND SPORT

There are three rules for surviving college. One: keep your grades high enough to impress the elders, two: avoid drama at all costs, three…and this one is non-negotiable, never date an athlete.I learned the third rule the hard way.The holidays had only just ended and still the quad was silent but a group of stragglers were coming in with suitcases and coffee cups.I’d come back earlier than most—barely a week after a pack run to mark the New Year. Duty never waits, not when you’re the Alpha’s only child. Responsibility sticks to me the way a shadow does, reminding me of what I’m meant to become.At Mystic Falls University, my name arrives before I do, whispered like a warning. Second semester, freshman year, and already the wolves know better. I see it in the way their eyes drop when I pass, in the way they slide out of my path without a word, in the way my name slips from their tongues like it carries fangs.Respect. That’s what I told myself it was.But maybe it was something els

Chapter 3Sienna povMonths later…It's safe to say I'd finally found my standing in my new school and honestly, I was living my best life. New friends. New cheer squad. New everything. At Northgate, nobody whispered behind my back about Crescent Moon. Nobody cared that I was the Alpha’s daughter. Nobody looked at me like I was just “Troy’s girlfriend.” Here, I wasn’t anyone’s shadow. I was simply Sienna Carter — and I liked the sound of that.Cheer practice became my sanctuary. The rush of tumbling, the sting of chalk on my palms, the satisfying crack of sneakers hitting the floor in perfect unison — that was where I thrived. By the end of my first month, I’d worked my way up from “new girl” to captain. (Yes, captain. Try not to sound too shocked.)My squad was solid. Harper, my roommate turned partner-in-crime, was my second-in-command. The rest of the girls trusted me, actually listened when I called counts, and for once, there was no cattiness about who got the top of the pyramid

Sienna's POV If there’s one thing I’ve learned about college weekends, it’s that they’re sacred.They’re for sleeping in, binge-watching shows, maybe dragging yourself to brunch if you’re feeling ambitious. For me? They’re for catching up on reading before cheer practice, avoiding unnecessary drama, and—if the universe is kind—spending at least a few hours not thinking about Scott McCall.Spoiler alert: the universe is never kind.I was sprawled across my bed, psych textbook open in front of me, highlighter in hand, and a mug of coffee teetering way too close to my comforter. Harper was glued to the Korean drama on her laptop, earbuds in but eyes wide, fully immersed. The dorm was blissfully quiet—just me, my notes, and the soft hum of the heater.Then came the knock at the door.I frowned. “If this is a sales pitch for Girl Scout cookies, I’ll take five boxes of Thin Mints and one of Samoas.”No answer. Just another knock.I padded over and pulled the door open—then froze.“Dad?”Yi

Love?It was overrated. It was never in my dictionary again. Not after what my ex and my best friend did to me. As I walked down the hallway, my mind went back to what Scott had told me. His emerald eyes and pointed nose were shoved into my very face, asking me to be his girlfriend. Fake girlfriend. Who does that? Like I was some cheap commodity he could just acquire because he wanted to feel special and probably have a chance in some football team I know nothing about. My wolf giggled. I could feel she liked the offer. “Can you stop it?” I said "stupid" abruptly, like I was in a fight with my ex. My hands were slightly clenched in anger. I don't know why I was feeling this way. Was it because he wasn't really going to ask me to be his girlfriend, or was it because I expected more? “Oh please. Who is going to want to be Scott McCall's girlfriend?” I was the one answering the questions and also giving the answers, which was kind of lame if you ask me, but I don't care. My mi

Sienna's pov I don't know if it was jealousy in Harper’s voice or if she was being truly nice to me. A part of me wished that she was nothing like her.Amber. My mind still went back to how we do things together. She was like my second skin, and I didn't hide anything from her. When I love someone, I truly care with everything I have got. Or maybe I have to stop doing that shit. Maybe all I need to do is to stop caring so much that I become an easy target. Scott could have gone for any lady in the school, but he chose me, and I kind of feel a little upset about it. If he wanted something with me, then it would be real. I can't have my father driving another round of hours to give me another prep talk. I know he cares, but when it comes to anything that was going to soil that man's name. My father was never going to take it easy on me. I looked over my bunker, and I saw she was asleep. Harper lay with a gentle smile over her face. I wonder if she was dreaming and why an Omega