Chapter 4: He has arrived

Vae

"I’m serious, Vae. This place is rough on omegas. Really rough. Back home my pack at least pretended we mattered. Here? The alphas act like we’re dirt. Training classes, meal times, even the dorms, omegas always get the worst of it. Last year some girl got shoved around just for sitting in the wrong seat. And if you look at the wrong alpha the wrong way? Forget it.”

Nyx talked the whole way, voice sharp but low.

I nodded like I was listening. I asked her a simple question about how the school hierarchy worked, and she took it to heart, debating and arguing like her life depended on it.

Prince Ryker– three days in and still no sign of him. Time was running out.

“Vae.” Nyx tapped my arm. “Are you listening?”

“Yh, yh. I heard. Omegas get treated like garbage here. We’ve got each other’s backs, right?”

She sighed, then nodded. “Yh. We have to. This academy will eat you alive if you're alone”

I nodded and forced something close to a smile.

We reached the academy’s auditorium for the new-student orientation. It was wide and open, rows of chairs facing a raised platform. Tall banners with the Ironfang wolf symbol hung from the walls. Students were already filling seats. Alphas claimed the front rows like they already belonged to them. A specially designed section in the corner caught my eye, it had to be for the crown prince.

Nyx pulled me toward a cluster of chairs in the middle. “Not too close to the front, not too close to the back. We don’t need trouble on the first day.”

She sat. I sat beside her and scanned the hall. Luxurious, of course. What else would you expect from a school full of royalty?

A girl walked in like she owned the place, tall, long golden-blonde hair, uniform that looked tailored just for her. Whispers spread fast. The way she carried herself, she had to be the queen bee of this place.

“That’s Seraphine,” Nyx leaned in and whispered. “Heir of the Bloodpine pack. Crown Prince Ryker’s sweetheart. There’s a rumor they’re already engaged. She’s basically the future queen.”

Seraphine smiled at a group of alphas who dipped their heads slightly, not full bows, but enough to show respect. A teacher even stepped aside for her. She took a seat near the front, dead center, and people shifted to make space like it was nothing. Girls watched her with envy. Guys with admiration. She waved at someone and they lit up like she’d handed them gold.

I watched her. Beautiful, sure. Poised. The kind of wolf who’d never had to fight for scraps. If she was going to be Ryker’s mate, that made my job harder. Getting close to him might mean going through her. Or around her. Or using her. I noted the way she held her chin high, the way others reacted. Weakness? Maybe that confidence made her blind to threats.

The principal, an older werewolf with gray streaks in his hair, stepped onto the platform.

“Welcome back to Ironfang Academy,” he boomed into the mic. His voice carried easily. “This year brings new students and new challenges. Remember your places. Strength above all.”

Nyx shifted beside me. “See? Places. That’s code for stay down if you’re an omega.”

I barely heard her. Something was stirring inside me. A warmth in my chest. A flicker. My wolf? No. The guild had locked her away with their alchemical serum.

I hadn’t felt her since last year, after my first shift. The Black Lotus Guild suppresses the wolves of their agents by injecting the serum into new recruits. It causes reactions that make you want to die. After that, the assassins depend on the guild for survival. The wolf is always suppressed, or worse, disappears completely. To stay alive before it kills you, you live on daily pills.

But right now… a tiny shift. Like paws padding softly in the back of my mind.

Lora? I thought, testing it. My wolf’s name. I hadn’t said it in so long.

Nothing at first. Then a small sound. Not words. A soft whine, then a purr. Warmth spread through me.

Lora… I called again inside my head. Is that you?

Another noise. Quieter this time, but it felt like reassurance. Like she was saying, I’m here. I’m still here. Faint, like she was behind a thick door, but the door had cracked open. Excitement rushed through me so fast I almost smiled. After all this time, my wolf was waking up. The suppression was fading here at the academy. Maybe the air, or the other wolves, or something. I wanted to laugh. To run. To shift and feel the wind in my fur again.

I breathed slow, keeping my face blank. Can’t show it. No one can know. If the guild found out my wolf was stirring, they might pull me out. Or worse.

“You okay?” Nyx asked, glancing at me.

“Yeah. Just… excited for the year,” I lied, forcing a small smile.

The principal kept talking about school rules, kingdom politics, the training schedule. I half-listened, still feeling my wolf, praying silently for the event to end so I could get outside and feel the breeze on my fur again.

Lora was there, but not fully. Still, it was the best thing that had happened in a long time. If she was appearing, whatever brought her back existed and I had to find the cure.

I was still celebrating when the principal announced the prince’s arrival.

“…Let’s welcome our crown prince, Ryker of Ironfang.”

Cheers and howls rose all at once. Students stood. Nyx stood. I stood with them.

Then the scent hit me before the owner even appeared. I forced myself to bow so I wouldn’t blow my cover.

It came on the breeze first. Deep and clean— rain-soaked cedarwood touched by something unexpectedly sweet… wild honey warmed by dark amber. My nose pulled in a full breath before I could stop it. Tingles raced down my spine and out to my fingers. My skin felt too tight. Heat rose in my face. The scent grew stronger with every second, wrapping its tempting hands around my senses.

Lora surged forward in my mind. She made a low, restless sound that echoed in my head. My heart started beating faster. The pull was sudden and strong. It tugged at my chest, at my legs, at everything. I wanted to move toward the platform. I wanted to find the source of that scent and stay near it. My hands shook a little. I locked my knees so I wouldn’t step forward.

Everyone around me bowed their heads as the prince entered. I saw movement near the platform, but the scent filled my whole head. It drove me half crazy. Every breath made the feeling worse. Stronger. Hotter. My wolf pushed against the inside of my skull, excited and urging me toward him. I had never felt anything like this in my life. Not from training. Not from any job. This was pure and wild and it made thinking hard.

I forced myself to look.

There he was. Crown Prince Ryker stood on the platform now. Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair. The kind of presence that made the air feel heavier. His aura rolled out over the hall. Strong. Commanding. Alphas and nobles straightened. Omegas lowered their eyes even more. But the pull toward him did not stop. It only grew. My feet wanted to close the distance. Lora kept making those soft, urgent sounds. The scent of him was everywhere now, and it made my pulse race so hard I could hear it in my ears.

And then, just as if he felt it too, he turned and his eyes found mine across the rows of bowed students. Storm grey eyes. Steady. They locked onto me like he had been searching for something and finally found it.