002. The Silver Threat

Blake’s POV:

The halls of Midnight Academy smelled the same as every elite institution I had ever imagined. Expensive stone. Old power. The faint scent of polished wood that probably came from floors scrubbed by trainees trying to earn extra credits. Eyes followed me as I walked through the west corridor, and they did not try to hide it. Some pointed. Some whispered. Some straight-up stared like I had grown two heads.

Silver Pack. Unwanted guest. Trouble maker.

Pick whichever title you prefer. It all fits.

A group of second-year girls slowed down as I passed them. I caught a few words floating in the air.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah. The Silver boy."

"Heard they almost shut their territory down after the alpha died. His father."

"Should we be scared?"

I kept walking. I told myself their gossip did not bother me, but the heavy feeling in my chest said otherwise. They did not know my pack. They did not know my father. They only knew the stories that made the Thornes look clean.

I reached the main rotunda and froze.

Of course, he would be here.

Alex Thorne stood in the middle of the room like he owned it. His uniform fit too well. His posture was perfect. Even the sunlight from the tall windows seemed to find him on purpose. He laughed at something the girl beside him said. Maya. Everyone knew her too. Sweet smile. Gentle eyes. Perfect match for a perfect future alpha.

Alex’s hand rested on her waist in a way that looked easy. Natural. Claimed. Who cares? I just know I hate him. I hate him the way I never felt to hate anyone else.

My jaw tightened before I could stop it. His presence gave me the flashback of my father’s dead body.

Alex saw me. His smile faded a little. Not gone, just… altered. Something sharp replaced it. Something that felt like a challenge.

Great. Exactly what I needed on my first day.

Coach Vega appeared from a side hallway with his usual worn expression. His dark hair was tied back, and his eyes carried the weight of a dozen battles he probably never talked about. He looked from Alex to me, then back at Alex.

"Thorne. Silver. With me."

I followed him down the corridor, hating how close Alex walked behind me. His footsteps were steady and confident. Mine felt louder even though I tried to make them quiet.

Inside the training room, Vega stopped and turned. "New term. New partners."

"Partners?" I asked, waiting for the joke.

He nodded. "You two will spar together all week."

Alex groaned under his breath. "Coach, you cannot be serious."

"Do I look like I am joking? I want you guys to be stronger. During the face off earlier, you both used different strategies. So, be a team to adopt." Vega crossed his arms.

Alex shot me a look like I had crashed his birthday party. I gave him a smile that showed teeth. A polite one. The annoying kind.

On the inside, I cursed every moon in the sky. Sparring with Alex meant physical contact. Physical contact meant trouble. I did not know why yet. It just did.

Vega clapped once. "Thorne, hand Silver the training schedule for the week."

Alex pulled a folded sheet from his pocket and tossed it my way. I caught it, but our fingers brushed for half a second.

A tiny shock went up my arm. Like static. Like a spark from nowhere. I hoped he did not feel it too.

I looked at him and forced a smirk. "Shockingly neat handwriting for someone who probably grew up with ten assistants."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Keep talking and I will put you on cleaning duty for the lower rings."

I laughed once. "You wish you had that authority."

He stepped closer. "Try me, Silver."

Maya, who had followed him to the doorway, cleared her throat. "Alex, we are late for lunch."

He turned his head, but his eyes remained on me for one more second. Not friendly. Not curious. Something else. Something I could not name.

When he finally left, Maya gave me a small polite nod. I nodded back. She did not seem bad. Too bad she was dating a Thorne.

Vega dismissed me after a short lecture about discipline. I tuned out half of it. My mind kept going back to Alex’s face. The way he looked at me in the rotunda. The spark when our hands touched.

I hated that I kept thinking about it.

I walked toward the dorm wing, trying to study the training schedule. My eyes drifted over the words, but my focus kept breaking. My wolf shifted inside me, restless. Not angry. Not territorial. Just uneasy, like it kept trying to speak with a voice I was not ready to hear.

"Not him," I muttered.

The wolf quieted but did not settle. It paced in the back of my mind like it was waiting for something.

I stopped at the window overlooking the academy grounds. The arena lay in the center, still dusty from the morning drills. I remembered the moment Alex pinned me there. His breath warm on my jaw. The strange tightness in my chest. The heat that made no sense.

I hit the frame lightly with my palm. "Get out of my head, Thorne. I know the hatred is getting fueled. But I have more things to focus on for now."

My reflection in the glass frowned back at me.

I made myself leave the window. I needed a distraction. On the way to my dorm, I passed Liam, my beta and closest friend. His blond hair stuck up in every direction as if he had run through a storm.

"Blake!" he said, jogging over. "I heard you nearly tackled the Thorne heir on day one."

"Please. I tackled him with grace."

Liam snorted. "You always say that before you get detention."

I pushed him lightly. "Relax. It was just a spar."

"Sure. And I am the Moon Goddess in disguise."

I sighed. "He already hates me. And the feeling is mutual."

"Good. Makes life interesting."

"Too interesting," I said.

Liam frowned at my tone. "Blake, you have this weird look. Did he do something? Should I claw him? I can claw him."

I laughed. "No. He did not do anything. That is the problem."

Liam squinted. "That made zero sense."

"Good. I am not trying to make sense."

Liam followed me down the hall. "So you are fine?"

"Yes."

"Are you lying?"

"Yes."

"Good. At least you admit it."

We reached my door and Liam paused, more serious now. "Do not let him get to you. He is a Thorne. They think every problem can be solved by flexing or glaring."

"Sounds like you are describing me."

"Yes, but you do it with style."

I shoved his shoulder again, and he walked off laughing.

Inside the dorm, I threw my bag on the bed and sat down. The room smelled clean and new. Nothing familiar. Nothing home. I leaned back, staring at the ceiling, letting silence wash over me.

I hated Alex Thorne.

I hated his confidence.

I hated his perfect posture.

I hated the way my skin still tingled from one stupid touch.

And I hated that part of me that wanted to face him again just to feel that spark one more time.

"No," I whispered. "Not happening. I will make him taste the dust the way he did to me."

My wolf did not agree. It paced again, slow and steady, like footsteps moving in circles.

I forced myself to read the training schedule one more time. My eyes caught the note at the bottom. Sparring with Thorne. Every morning. Every afternoon.

Perfect.

A whole week of torture.

I dropped the schedule on the floor and closed my eyes. This academy already felt like a storm, and I had only been here a few hours. I knew things would get worse before they got better. I just did not know how much worse.

One thought kept coming back, curling around my mind like fog.

Why him?

Why now?