003. When Bloodlines Clash

Blake’s POV:

The sun was too bright for how little sleep I had. I walked across the academy grounds with a dull ache behind my eyes and a heavier ache in my chest. I kept replaying the whispers I heard last night. Some students talked about why a Silver was even allowed to enter Midnight Academy again. They remembered last year. They remembered the scandal.

I remembered it too.

My father’s cousin, Rowan, came here for advanced training. He was hot-headed. Reckless. He liked to flirt. Sometimes too much. He got close to a Thorne beta girl. At first it was harmless. Then she ended up pregnant. She insisted he tricked her. He insisted it was mutual. No one knew the truth because the Thornes controlled the story. Rowan was suspended. Sent home in shame. After my father’s sudden death, everyone relied on Rowan Silver to take the lead but all were destroyed. “I wish you weren’t dead, Dad.” Why am I saying it was a death. Precisely, he was murdered.

And then. The Thornes climbed higher. The Silvers fell lower.

So yes. I knew why they hated my bloodline. And I knew why I hated theirs.

I shoved the thoughts aside as I reached the training field. Maya, Alex’s girlfriend, stood near the stone arc used for agility practice. She looked small from far away, but as I came closer I saw how focused she was. She climbed the wooden platform without fear. Her brown hair bounced as she jumped to the next beam. She was quick. Light. Confident.

Five other trainees trained near her. None looked surprised to see me. The rumours from yesterday spread fast.

I was about to head toward my sparring section when I heard a sharp crack. The wooden beam under Maya’s foot split. It happened in a blink. One moment she was mid jump. The next she was falling backward toward the stone path below.

I did not think. I just moved.

My legs pushed off the ground with full force. I ran faster than I should. Even my wolf stirred inside me, urging me on. Maya’s eyes widened as she fell. I reached her right as she hit the air between the platforms. I grabbed her waist. The force pulled us both down. The world spun. Dirt rushed up to meet us. We hit the ground and rolled three times before stopping.

She landed beneath me, my hands braced on the stone close to her head. My breath came in short bursts. So did hers. Her heartbeat raced under my palms. If I had been one second late, her skull would have smashed against the corner of the stone arc.

She stared up at me, stunned. “You saved me.”

I opened my mouth to answer, but a shadow fell over us.

Hands grabbed my collar and yanked me off her so hard my back hit the dirt. The air punched out of my lungs. Alex stood over me with fire in his eyes. He had not even looked at Maya yet. His anger was pointed only at me.

He shoved me again. “Stay away from my girl.”

I pushed up on my elbows. “I was helping her.”

He ignored that. “She is the future Thorne Luna. Do not ever touch her again.”

Maya sat up, rubbing her wrist. “Alex, wait. It was not his fault. If he did not catch me I would have cracked my skull.”

Alex did not listen. His lip curled. “Not surprising. A Silver boy on top of a Thorne girl. Your bloodline always finds a way to trap someone. First Rowan. Now you.”

Heat exploded in my chest. My claws pushed through my fingers before I could stop them. My vision sharpened. The world grew louder.

“Say that again,” I warned.

Alex stepped closer. “I do not know why they let another Silver inside the academy. Maybe they forgot what happened last year.”

My rage boiled. “And your bloodline always attacks from the back. Never brave enough to face someone head on.”

His jaw clenched. “Did you forget that I made you taste the dust yesterday? You are a loser. Just like your father.”

Every sound around me became white noise. My wolf slammed against my ribs. I saw nothing but red.

I lunged.

My fist hit Alex’s jaw so hard the crack echoed between the stone walls. He stumbled but did not fall. He swung back. His knuckles hit my cheek. Pain shot across my face. The crowd gasped. Someone shouted for Vega, but I was too far gone to care.

Alex grabbed my shirt and slammed me back. I twisted and locked my arm around his neck. We rolled across the dirt. Students scattered around us. Maya tried to reach Alex. Liam ran toward me, but he stopped as soon as we crashed into another practice post.

Alex hit my ribs. I hit his stomach. We barely felt the pain. Our wolves pressed near the surface. Not fully awake. Not fully silent either. They pushed us to tear each other apart.

Our fight turned into a storm. Dust burst around us. Grunts filled the air. Alex’s lip split. My eye stung. I tasted blood in my mouth. I did not know if it was mine or his.

Then a roar cut through the chaos.

“Enough.”

Coach Vega stepped between us with a speed that made both our heads snap up. He slammed a hand on each of our chests. The force was so strong that Alex fell backward four feet, and I fell three. My back scraped the ground.

Alex pushed himself up first. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. I wiped mine with the back of my hand and stood too. My body throbbed. My pulse hammered in my ears.

Vega glared at both of us. His voice was louder than any growl. “You two were supposed to team up today. Not try to kill each other.”

Alex looked away. I kept my chin up even though my head pulsed.

Vega’s eyes landed on me. “What is this behavior?”

I opened my mouth. “It wasn't my fault.”

“Shut up,” Vega snapped. “I defended you yesterday when people talked about Silvers. I said you were not like the others. Now I see I was wrong.”

The words hit harder than Alex’s punch.

Maya stared at Alex with shock. Liam rushed to my side, his eyes full of worry. Other students whispered behind their hands.

Alex noticed all of it and still managed a small, satisfied smirk.

Vega pointed to both of us. “Follow me. The Principal will hear about this. Maybe even the Dean.”

My stomach dropped. Suspension was possible. Expulsion too. I swallowed the spike of fear and walked after him. Pain shot through my jaw with every step. My hands trembled, and I curled them into fists so no one would see.

Alex walked beside me, just close enough that I could feel his anger like heat on my skin. Maya and Liam followed behind us. Neither spoke. The other students cleared a path.

Alex leaned in slightly and whispered so only I could hear.

“Get ready to be rusticated, Silver.”

I looked at him with every ounce of fury inside me. My footsteps stayed steady, but my heart shouted one clear thing.

Tear this Thorne’s head off.