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Rowan’s Pov

People like me aren’t supposed to dream this big.

I’ve heard those words in different forms for as long as I can remember.

“You’re an Omega.”

“Know your place.”

“Hockey isn’t for girls like you.”

Every time someone said it, I smiled politely on the outside while making myself another promise on the inside.

I would prove them wrong.

The bus rolled through the massive iron gates of Silvercrest Academy, and my heart beat so hard I thought everyone around me could hear it. I pressed my forehead against the cool window as towering stone buildings came into view.

The campus looked nothing like the schools back home. It was enormous, almost like a castle, surrounded by forests that stretched farther than I could see. Students crossed the courtyards carrying hockey bags over their shoulders, laughing with friends as if this place belonged to them.

I tightened my grip on the duffel bag resting on my lap.

Maybe one day it would feel like home to me too. If I didn’t ruin everything first.

The bus came to a stop in front of the administration building, and students immediately began filing out. I waited until the crowd had thinned before stepping onto the pavement.

Cold mountain air brushed against my face, carrying the familiar scent of fresh pine and ice.

Perfect weather for hockey, and I couldn’t help smiling.

No matter what happened today, I had made it.

Silvercrest Academy. The school every young werewolf athlete dreamed about.

The place where future Alphas trained, where national champions were made, and where legends began.

I wasn’t supposed to be here, not because I wasn’t talented but because I was born an Omega.

I lowered my eyes as a group of students walked past me.

Even without looking closely, I could tell who they were. The confident posture, expensive uniforms, and easy laughter gave them away. Most of them were Alphas. A few were Betas.

I wondered how many of them would look at me differently if they knew the truth. Probably all of them.

I adjusted the collar of my jacket and took a slow breath.

You’re Rowan Hayes.

You’re a Beta.

You’ve been a Beta your whole life.

The lie had become something I repeated so often that sometimes it almost sounded believable.

A flash of memory stopped me before I reached the academy steps.

“Keep your head down,” Aunt Ivy had whispered while helping me pack the night before. “Don’t give anyone a reason to question you.”

I could still picture the worried look on her face.

She had raised me after my parents died when I was only eight years old. She worked two jobs just to keep food on the table and somehow still found time to drive me to every early morning practice. She knew exactly how much hockey meant to me.

She also knew what would happen if Silvercrest discovered my real rank.

Expulsion would be the least of my problems.

“I’ll be careful,” I had promised.

She smiled, but it never reached her eyes.

“I know you will.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I wasn’t just here for myself. I was here for her too.

Inside the administration building, dozens of new students stood in long lines waiting to receive their schedules and dorm assignments. The marble floors echoed with excited conversations, and banners celebrating last year’s championship hung from the ceiling.

I stared at the giant trophy displayed in the center of the hall.

One day…

One day I wanted to help win one just like it.

“Next.”

The woman behind the registration desk barely looked up.

“Name?”

“Rowan Hayes.”

She typed quickly before her fingers suddenly stopped moving.

Her eyebrows pulled together.

“That’s strange.”

Every muscle in my body stiffened. Had they figured it out? Had someone discovered my forged records?

The woman frowned at her screen before shaking her head.

“Looks like there was a last-minute housing change.”

“Oh?”

She handed me a room key. “Your assigned roommate requested a private suite last year, but due to an administrative error you’ll both be sharing it this semester.”

I blinked. “I’m sharing a suite?”

“That’s correct.”

“I thought first-year students stayed in the Beta dormitories.”

“They usually do.”

Usually. That wasn’t reassuring.

I looked down at the room number written neatly across the key card.

North Tower. Suite 301.

The receptionist smiled apologetically.

“I’m sure you’ll work things out.”

Something told me those words would not age well.

After collecting my luggage, I made my way across campus toward the North Tower.

The further I walked, the quieter everything became.

Unlike the busy freshman dorms, this section of the academy felt almost intimidating. The buildings were newer, larger, and noticeably more luxurious.

Even the hallways smelled expensive. Whoever lived here definitely wasn’t an ordinary student.

I climbed the stairs until I reached the third floor.

Suite 301.

I stood outside the door for several seconds, trying to calm my nerves.

Maybe my roommate would be nice.

Maybe we’d barely see each other.

Maybe—

I laughed softly. Who was I kidding?

Nothing in my life had ever been that easy.

Taking one final breath, I knocked.

Footsteps approached from the other side, and the door swung open.

The first thing I noticed was how tall he was.

The second was the icy blue eyes staring at me with obvious annoyance.

He looked like he had just stepped out of a magazine cover, his dark hair slightly messy as though he’d just finished training. A Silvercrest hockey shirt clung to broad shoulders, and there wasn’t the slightest hint of welcome on his face.

“Can I help you?” he asked flatly.

For a second, I completely forgot why I was there.

Then I held up my key card.

“I think I’m your new roommate.”

Silence.

He looked at the key. Then at my suitcase. Then back at me.

“No.”

I frowned. “No?”

“No.”

He folded his arms across his chest.

“I don’t have a roommate.”

“I think you do.”

“I think you don’t.”

I held out the assignment letter. “They gave me this room.”

He didn’t even look at it.

“They made a mistake.”

“I figured that much.”

His jaw tightened. “Go tell them to fix it.”

I couldn’t stop the tired laugh that escaped me.

“I’ve been traveling for seven hours. The office is already closing, and I’m carrying my entire life in this bag. I don’t exactly have another place to sleep tonight.”

For the first time, something flickered across his expression, not sympathy. Resignation.

Before either of us could say another word, another student walked past the suite, noticed us standing there, and froze.

His eyes widened.

“Dude…”

He looked at the guy standing in front of me.

“Captain… why is there someone outside your room?”

Captain?

The word immediately caught my attention.

The student looked between us before noticing my luggage.

“Oh…”

His expression shifted into complete disbelief.

“No way.”

He pointed directly at me.

“You’re the one they assigned to Captain Asher Knight?”

Captain Asher Knight.

The name hit me like a slap.

The captain of Silvercrest’s hockey team.

The future Alpha of the Nightfall Pack.

The most famous student in the entire academy.

And somehow… I had just become his roommate.

Asher closed his eyes for a long second before muttering under his breath.

“This is going to be a disaster.”

Looking at the annoyed future Alpha standing in front of me, I couldn’t help thinking the same thing.