Masked Desire

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, my hands trembling as I applied the scent-masking formula to my neck. The clear liquid felt cool against my skin but I knew the protection it offered was far more important than any momentary discomfort."Jason, are you almost done? The car will be here in twenty minutes." My father's voice carried through the door; his tone was tight with worry."Almost," I called back, my voice steadier than I felt.This was it. After years of hiding, of being trapped within the confines of our family's remote property, I was about to walk into the wolf's den-literally. Blackmoor Alpha Academy awaited, and I, a male omega masquerading as an alpha, was willingly entering a school filled with the most dominant werewolves in the country.I stared at my reflection. At twenty, I had the build of a beta, lean but muscular enough to pass casual inspection. My dark hair fell just below my ears, and my green eyes—my mother's eyes—stared back at me with a mixture of de

My first day of classes passed in a blur of anxiety. Every time someone looked at me too long, every time a professor called my name, I feared exposure, the incident with Ivan had made me notorious overnight, the new student who had challenged an established alpha and been put in his place. Some viewed me with contempt while others with amusement but one thing was sure, they all remembered my name, the exact opposite of what I'd wanted.By late afternoon, my nerves were frayed to breaking. After Advanced Pack Dynamics class, I desperately needed solitude to reapply my formula and collect myself. The dormitory would be crowded with students returning from classes, so I headed to the library, hoping to find a quiet corner.The Blackmoor library was housed in one of the oldest buildings on campus, three stories of dark wood, stained glass and the musty scent of ancient books. Under different circumstances, I might have appreciated its grandeur bur now, I just wanted to disappear among th

Avalon’s POVAs soon as we were far enough from Blackwood's door, Kaelen grabbed my arm, yanking me into an empty study room. The door had barely closed before he rounded on me, eyes flashing with barely contained fury."What the fuck was that?" he hissed, keeping his voice low despite his obvious rage. "Touching him like that? 'Little wolf'? Are you serious, Avalon?"I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms as I studied my beta. Jealousy looked good on him—his gold-silver eyes practically glowed with it, his body tense and ready to fight. It was almost cute how possessive he could be."Are you done?" I asked calmly."No, I'm not fucking done." He paced the small room like a caged animal. "We came here for one reason—to strengthen our packs' alliance and increase our political power. Not for you to get distracted by some fallen alpha from a disgraced bloodline."I let out a low chuckle. "Is that what you think is happening?""I know what I saw," Kaelen snapped. "The way you touched

I walked around my room like a trapped rat, pulling my hair over and over. Three days at Blackmoor Academy and I'd already gotten more eyes on me than most kids do in all four years."Dumb, dumb, dumb," I said, kicking my bed.The plan was easy. Stay quiet. Fit in. Be nobody. Instead, I'd somehow got caught between three of the strongest alphas in school. Ivan wanted to wreck me, Avalon wanted to own me, and Kaelen... well, I didn't know what Kaelen wanted, but it couldn't be good.I looked at my watch. 7:30. Class starts in thirty minutes, and I needed my books from my locker. I'd stayed away from the locker room when it was busy, but I couldn't skip class on my second real day.After putting on my scent blocker real careful, I grabbed my bag and went to the door. My hand stopped as my dad's words hit me."Four years, Jason. Just four years of keeping your head down. Is that so hard?"Guess it was.~~~The locker room was pretty empty, just a few kids getting stuff before class. Stil

I stand frozen, my back pressed against the cold tile wall of the changing stall. My heart hammers so violently I'm certain Ivan can hear it from the other side of the door. Sweat trickles down my spine, each droplet releasing more of my natural scent into the air. *What the hell is Ivan doing here?* The thought races through my panicked mind. Basketball was supposed to be safe—the domain of betas and weaker alphas. Ivan Volkov plays hockey, where alphas could legally draw blood and call it sport. That's his territory, not this. Then it hits me with sickening clarity—Ivan is here because of *me*. Because I stood him up last night in the library. Because in the unforgiving hierarchy of Blackmoor Academy, no one defies an alpha like Ivan without serious consequences. I should have known better. And now my clothes are missing, along with the elixir. The carefully crafted facade I've maintained for exactly one week was about to come crashing down around me. Everything I've worked for