Rhea

The SUV rolled to a smooth stop at the edge of the academy courtyard, sunlight glinting off the polished black hood like it wanted to blind me before class. Figures. Even the damn car had dominance issues.

Seth leaned back in the passenger seat, smirking at me like he had all the time in the world. “Don’t do anything stupid, snowflake.”

I shot him a look. “Define stupid.”

“Breathing near another male without supervision,” Rory chimed from behind him, grinning way too wide. He leaned forward between the seats, his hair falling into his eyes like he’d styled it that way on purpose. “Or, you know, smiling at someone who isn’t me. Tragic.”

“Tragic is you talking this early,” I muttered, shouldering my bag.

Callum’s voice came from my left, steady as a wall. “Enough.” His storm-grey eyes flicked to me, unreadable but heavy with all the things he didn’t say. “We’ll be here after your classes.”

Jaxon didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. His gaze was heat on my skin, steady, dark, possessive. He just reached over, brushed a strand of my silver hair off my shoulder, and muttered, “Sunshine.” Like it was both a warning and a promise.

My chest tightened. I shoved the door open before my heart could betray me. “See you later,” I said quickly, stepping onto the stone courtyard.

Every head turned. Students shifted uneasily at the sight of me walking away from the Ridge Storm Alphas’ SUV, their whispers snapping like sparks in the crisp morning air.

“Little Luna.”

“Goddess, she’s insane.”

“She won’t last a week.”

I lifted my chin and kept walking. If I stopped to listen, I’d shatter.

My friends were waiting by the fountain. Lila spotted me first—of course she did, hawk-eyed and impossible to miss anything. She waved me over like I hadn’t just been dropped off by her terrifying brothers.

“You look alive,” she said, grinning. “Barely, but alive.”

Bree leaned against the stone edge of the fountain, her arms crossed. “You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. Showing up after yesterday?”

Nora looked more hesitant, her gaze flicking between me and the SUV still idling at the curb. “They’re… intense.”

Theo’s hand brushed mine as I reached them, a quiet anchor. “Ignore the whispers. They’ll find something else to chew on by next week.”

“Doubt it,” I muttered. But I forced a smile anyway. “Morning, guys.”

Before anyone could answer, a voice cut through the air.

“Well, if it isn’t our future Luna.”

Tessa. Of course.

She stepped forward with her little pack of followers, her uniform skirt hiked a little too high, her smile sharpened into something predatory.

“What’s it like?” she asked sweetly, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Having four Alphas dragging you around like their favourite toy?”

Heat climbed my throat, but I refused to flinch. “Better than being one,” I shot back, nodding toward her simpering friends.

Gasps rippled through the courtyard.

Her eyes narrowed. “Careful. They might think you bite back.”

I leaned in, my voice low. “They already know.”

Bree snorted. Lila outright laughed.

Tessa’s smile cracked, but before she could fire back, the bell rang, sharp and merciless. Saved by the wards.

“Class,” I said simply, brushing past her.

* * *

Inside the lecture hall, the air was cooler, thick with the faint hum of rune wards etched into the walls. Professor Brannick stood at the front, tall, broad-shouldered, his salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in a tie. His gaze swept the room like a hawk circling prey.

“Seats,” he barked. “Now.”

We obeyed. Even Tessa slunk into her chair.

I dropped into my usual spot with Lila, Bree and Nora forming our little shield around me.

Brannick flicked his fingers, and the wards along the chalkboard flared to life in silver script. “Today we discuss bond resonance and its impact on partial shifts. Specifically, when resonance exceeds standard levels.”

My stomach dropped. Of course.

He continued, voice cutting like a blade. “Most bonds rate at a six or seven. Rarely an eight. Nine has been recorded twice in this academy’s history. Ten—” He paused, his eyes landing on me like a hammer. “—has never been documented. Until this week.”

Whispers exploded around me.

“She’s the ten.”

“No wonder the wards almost broke.”

“She won’t survive it.”

I froze, my throat closing.

Brannick raised a hand, silencing the room. “Bond resonance at ten does not mean weakness. It means potential. It means danger. And it means the Goddess has taken a personal interest. For some of you, that’s inspiration. For others—fear.”

His gaze flicked to me again, sharp. “Miss Morgan. Stand.”

Shit.

I pushed to my feet, ignoring the way my knees shook.

“Tell the class,” he said, “what you felt during the resonance flare.”

Every eye burned into me. My wolf pressed at my chest, restless, ashamed, desperate to be acknowledged.

“It felt like…” My voice cracked. I forced it steady. “Like being ripped open and stitched together at the same time. Like I was too small for my own skin. Like I could burn the world down if I breathed wrong.”

Silence.

Brannick nodded once. “Exactly. That is the power of resonance beyond nine. It is not a gift. It is a responsibility. The last time such strength emerged, the Supreme Alphas themselves oversaw its training.”

Gasps echoed again.

Supreme Alphas. Isaiah and Josiah Stark. Names heavy with legend.

“And,” Brannick continued, “should it spiral beyond control, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Lycan Kings themselves. Remember that when you gawk.”

The room went dead silent.

I swallowed hard, my pulse a frantic beat in my ears.

Supreme Alphas. Lycan Kings. My bond wasn’t just unusual—it was a political landmine.

Brannick’s gaze lingered on me for another beat before he finally waved a hand. “Sit.”

I dropped back into my seat, my hands trembling under the desk. Lila brushed her knee against mine in silent support. Theo’s hand rested briefly over mine.

But my mind was a storm.

Ten.

Supremes.

Kings.

And the Quads—my Quads—at the center of it all.