Chapter 5

"You watched him fumble around training, goof off — you never knew that every time he disappeared, the Alpha King was the one calling him away."

"He didn't just get me around the blood seal."

"He took a look at the application records while he was at it. At yours."

"Want to guess what he found?"

Julian's pupils shrank.

He lunged and grabbed me by the collar. His voice cracked with panic.

"What did he find? What did you do?!"

I pulled his hands off.

And wiped the spot he'd touched, like it disgusted me.

"Nothing much."

"Just that while you were so busy staying behind to train with Celeste, you didn't apply to the Royal Academy."

"And you didn't apply to any of the backup academies either. All your forms were left blank."

His face went the color of bone. My smile widened.

"Julian. You're so very devoted."

"So stay. Stay in the pack and train."

He looked like he'd been struck by lightning.

He staggered back and knocked over the chair behind him.

"No… that's not — that can't be —"

He yanked his phone out with shaking hands and jabbed at the screen.

Trying to log in to his application account.

No matter what he did, it kept flashing: Account locked.

"Damien! This is Damien's doing!"

He flung the phone against the wall.

It shattered.

Celeste huddled into the corner, shaking. She didn't even dare sob.

"Ivy! You set me up!"

Julian's eyes were bloodshot. He lunged at me.

His hand came up to strike.

In the split second before it landed —

Someone kicked the dining hall door open from the outside.

The slam of it shook the room.

Damien walked in.

He caught Julian's raised wrist and twisted.

A scream.

Julian dropped to his knees on the floor.

The strength in Damien's grip was unbelievable.

Julian was an Alpha. To everyone in the pack, Damien was "the one with the failing wolf spirit" — a defect.

But in this moment, the Alpha couldn't even stand up under the "defect's" hand.

Every servant in the hall froze.

Damien looked down at him. His eyes had gone glacial.

"Touch her again. Try it."

He lifted his foot and kicked the back of Julian's knee.

Julian went down with a muffled grunt, flat on the floor.

"Damien! You dare hit me?"

Julian struggled to get up. Damien pinned the back of his neck and held him there.

"What about it."

Damien's laugh was soft and dangerous.

"Julian. You've played heir for so long, you actually think you're untouchable?"

He crouched down and patted Julian's cold, sweating cheek.

"You thought you could control Ivy by stealing her blood?"

"You thought you'd move heaven and earth by leaving your applications blank?"

Damien's eyes turned dark and cruel.

"Father passed a new rule at the elder council last night."

"Whoever gets into the Royal Academy becomes the sole heir of the Thorne pack."

"You were too busy buying Celeste her dessert to show up. So of course you don't know. Father has completely written you off."

"Also, Julian — don't even think about reporting me for touching the application system."

Damien's voice dropped. There was pleasure in it now.

"I already handed the evidence to Father and the elder council. Evidence that you siphoned silver from the Thorne war-reserve to buy Celeste that rare moonstone jewelry. You want a fight? We go down together."

Julian's body locked up.

The war-reserve was the fund that paid for the pack's defense against black-market traders and rogues.

Siphoning from it was a death-sentence offense in any pack.

He lifted his head, unable to believe it, and stared at Damien.

"You… what did you just say?"

Damien straightened up and adjusted his cuff.

"A pity, Julian."

"You're not just a failed applicant now."

"You're a piece of garbage the family has completely discarded."

He turned his head toward Celeste, curled up in the corner.

His mouth curled.

"As for Celeste."

"Want to guess whether she'll stand by you 'through thick and thin' once she finds out you have nothing?"