LOGINBlake's POV:Morning at the academy no longer feels like morning.The sun rises the same way it always has, pale gold slipping over stone towers and training grounds, but everything else feels altered. Heavier. Like the air itself is aware of what I am becoming and has decided not to make things easy.I walk across the yard with my hands clenched at my sides.People move out of my way.Not openly. Not in a way the council would ever admit. But it happens. Conversations lower. Steps slow. Some students glance at me and then quickly look away, as if eye contact might invite something dangerous.My wolf notices.It does not roar. It does not snarl.It watches.Calm. Present. Patient.That is what scares me the most.“Blake.”I turn at the sound of my name.Liam stands near the weapon rack, arms crossed, eyes sharp. Leo is beside him, leaning back against the wood with a look that is too relaxed to be real.“You feel it too, right?” Liam asks quietly.“Everyone staring?” I reply.Leo lets
Maya’s POV:The lake is quiet.Not silent. Just calm in a way that feels rare.The water reflects the moon in soft ripples, not full, not bright, but enough to paint silver lines across the surface. Trees lean around the shore like they are guarding the place. Crickets hum low. The air smells like wet leaves and cold earth.I sit beside Lyra on a smooth rock near the water. My legs are folded close to me. Her knees are bent, drawn up at first, arms loosely around them. We are close but not touching. Close enough to feel her warmth. Close enough to feel safe.“It is so peaceful,” I say without thinking.My voice sounds different here. Softer.Lyra turns her head slightly and looks at the lake. “It is. I find the same though.”I breathe in deep. My chest feels light. For once, my thoughts are not racing ahead. No duties. No rules. No expectations.“I never had a moment like this,” I add. “Not like this. So calm. So quiet. It feels like the world stopped for a second. No other tension. N
Maya's POV:I say goodbye to Lyra near the stone path, where the lantern light fades into shadow. She gives me a short nod, calm as always, then turns back toward the main buildings. Her steps are quiet. Controlled. Like she belongs to the dark and it listens to her.I wait until she is out of sight.Then I turn toward the academy forest.The trees here grow thick and close. Their branches lock overhead, making the path narrow and dim. The air smells damp. Leaves crunch under my boots, loud enough to make my nerves jump. Midnight is not a good hour for secrets, but the message said now. It said to come alone.I tighten my jacket and keep walking.My phone buzzes once in my pocket. I stop near a bend where the trees lean inward like they are sharing a secret.“Maya,” Aaran’s voice says through the call. “Is it not risky to come here at midnight after getting a message from a stranger?”I close my eyes for a second. Of course, it is him.“I know what I am doing,” I say. “You should not
Lyra's POV:Silver wolves are trained to watch before they move. That is the first lesson we learn. Watch the land. Watch the pack. Watch the wolves who think they are hiding something.Tonight, Blake is not hiding well.I stand at the edge of the upper training ground, far from the lights of the academy towers. The stone beneath my boots is cold. The wind carries the scent of pine, iron, and something new. Something heavy.Blake’s awakening still hums in the air. Not loud. Not wild. Controlled. And that is what makes it dangerous.He moves across the field alone. No partner. No instructor. Just him and the night. His strikes are clean. Strong. Too strong. The practice post cracks under his grip, wood splitting like it was already tired of standing.He exhales slowly, forcing his wolf back down.It listens.That alone tells me everything.Most newly awakened wolves struggle. They fight their instincts or drown in them. Blake does neither. His wolf sits inside him like a king waiting f
Alex's POV:I wake before dawn with my chest tight.Not pain. Not fear exactly. Something else. The bond feels wrong.Blake is close. I know that instantly. The bond still tells me where he is, like a low pull under my ribs. But it is quiet in a way it has never been before. Not gone. Just… careful. Held back.I stare at the ceiling and press my palm flat against my chest.“You awake?” I whisper into the empty room, more habit than hope.Nothing answers.That hurts more than I want to admit.It should feel good. Blake is alive. I am cleared. The academy stopped watching me like I might snap. My name is clean again. Everything should be lighter.Instead, it feels like standing beside a door that is slowly closing, and I am not allowed to touch it.I sit up and swing my legs over the bed. The bond tightens just a little, like Blake noticed me move. Then it eases again, like he pulls away on purpose.I hate how much that affects me.I hate that I want to go find him.***The academy feels
Blake's POV:One week can change how the world looks at you.I feel it the moment I step into the academy grounds.Nothing dramatic happens. No one bows. No one moves out of my way openly. But eyes lower. Conversations stop half a second too late. People pause before speaking to me like they are measuring every word.Power does not announce itself loudly. It settles. And once it does, everyone feels it.I walk through the main corridor, boots echoing softly against stone. A group of second years stands near the notice board. They stop talking when they see me. One of them swallows and nods quickly. I nod back without thinking.They leave.My wolf shifts inside me, calm and steady. Present. Always present.It is not restless anymore. It does not surge or pull. It simply exists. Heavy. Like a second spine running through my body.I hate how natural it feels.An instructor crosses my path and hesitates. Just a breath of a pause. Then he inclines his head slightly before continuing on.I