LOGINRONANThe roar of the crowd follows me even after I leave the arena.It crawls in my ears, seeps into my bones, and leaves echos.Cheers for Kieran, for him dominating me, for him making a joke out of me there.I keep my head high as I walk, my shoulders squared,my steps equal to an Alpha of my standing, every inch the Alpha they expect me to be.But my body doesn't believe the lie, my wrists still ache from where his hand held mine. My stomach still remembers the heat of him on me.The weight of him pinning me down, not brutally or carelessly,but with a lot of measured control, like he knew exactly how much pressure to use and when to stop, that makes the whole situation even worse.I enter the locker room, and try to scrub my hands and wrists clean of his scent, scrubbing hard enough to burn.His scent clings to my skin, sharp, commanding and filled with comfort, it makes my stomach twist, i drag my palms down my neck trying to clean the scent of me.It won't leave.He was trying to
KIERAN THE TWIN FANG DUELThe roar of the crowd swells before the first horn sounded to signal the beginning of the match.The sound of the ceremonial horns rolls across the fields, Every swat is filled, every gaze is sharp and high, to show this is not just a trial this is an event, a reminder of who holds power and who is allowed to bleed.I stand at the edge of the ring, my back straight and shoulders locked, every muscle held in a tight tension. My ribs throb beneath my uniform. But I don't let it show.Above us again, the commentator's voice booms with the magically amplified sound.“Honoured guests, and esteemed families and representatives of the Federation, please rise for the arrival of her Lunar Highness, Princess Lyra Lionstead.” The crowd rises in reverence, and she steps into view like she owns the light.She's the moon touched Omega, pale silver hair braided with gems that catch the sun, her eyes look wrong, sharp , calculating and bored. She smiles like she's won som
RonanAs boots run down the corridor, after the announcement the school has been abuzz with the thought of our parents being here,and they also raised the stakes by letting Omegas in.Someone slams into a door down the hall,someone else laughs high and nervous.“ The families are here!” The words echo like a crack of thunder.I'm sitting on my bed, half laced boots forgotten in my hands. For a second I don't move. The air feels heavier.Families, the trial events, tomorrow.Across the room, Kieran straightens slowly from where he'd been checking on the straps of his wrestling gear. His movements are precise, controlled, but he looks nervous before he masks it.He doesn’t look at me. That shouldn't sting, I tell myself, we've perfected not speaking to each other in the room over the last few days just sharp looks and clipped words.But knowing we'll be seen tomorrow, watched and dissected like gladiators in a ring, it makes my stomach twist.The door bursts open and Dax leans in,with h
KIERAN The word LIAR is burnt into the back of my eyelids, when I see it.I didn't watch the workers erase it from Ronan's locker, I didn’t need to , the way they had written it was so thick I could smell it halfway from the hallway, the chemical, sharp , ugly smell.Someone wanted it to last, someone wanted everyone to see.As I walked away, the bell rings for strategic theory class, in the east wing of the college, all the stone and chalk boards with Alphas and Dominance on it.The room is designed to make you feel that power is just physical and at the same time nothing. It's political, theoreticalI take my seat, in the second row, my movements stiff because of the ache under my shirt when I breathe or exert too much energy, but Alphas heal faster.Every bruise Magnus left is wrapped tight, hidden under my uniform and a boatload of discipline.Across the room, Ronan sits three rows away. Too far for my liking. He doesn’t even look at me.That shouldn't matter, I tell myself, it
RONANThe Evaluation hall feels too crowded, I could see some lesser Alphas chewing their nails at the door , scared to enter, it feels like an execution chamber.Rows of students fill the bleachers, buzzing with nervous excitement and curiosity. The banner and decorations have been put up with a black and red flag with a blue flame in the middle with a red moon over it, fluttering.Everything feels too bright and loud, my skin hasn't stopped prickling since this morning.Dax stands at the administrative table with Finn on one side and Rhea on the other, shuffling papers as our eyes make contact he shifts his eyes and starts shuffling papers with his trembling hands.He avoids my eyes at first. I know he doesn't want to be seen with the guy who hit his friend in public.As I step further into the hall, the tension in here is suffocating. They are all tense about the trials and they ignore me or pretend to.Kieran enters the hall a few moments later. I feel him before I see him, his sc
RonanHis throat bobs as he swallows. “I didn't lie.”“You didn't tell the truth either.”He flinches again, like the words were punches on him.‘ I couldn't.” He said in a low rasp. “ You don't understand what he….”“I don't care,” I cutting him short, stepping back and pulling my palm from his hands. “ You made your choice,Kieran.”Something flashes across his face, panic, frustration, something ugly.“Ronan, wait.” “No.”I turn away. Again.But he moves forward fast, before I can take another step, his hand catching my wrist, gentle, careful, like touching me wrongly might shatter something.“Please, listen.” The way he says the word doesn't sound like him. I look down at our fingers, how he is touching my hands.My heart starts beating fast, but I pull my hand free again,as his breath hitches.Then I look at the long stretch of hall and walk away from him, never glancing back, because if I do, I might stop.++++++++++++++++++++++++++I didn't get far, as I turned into the school