Chapter 4

(ISOLDE)

I woke up the next morning, full of energy. If anything, having my family back, complete and whole gave me a renewed energy. I'd fight the whole world to keep them like this. 

My mother's bubbly laugh was still ringing in my ears. In this life, I was determined to keep that laugh no matter what it takes.

My mother soon came to wake me up, but I was already up. Soon I was done getting ready and found my way into the pack academy. 

I headed into my classroom, took my seat, waiting for Freya and Bryan to come confront me about leaving the school without them yesterday. They both soon arrived, but the confrontation never happened.

Freya kept her distance from me all morning. She hovered near her usual friends, occasionally glancing my way, biting her lip like she was working up the courage to approach me and then thinking better of it. 

Bryan also didn't come near me either. He sat two rows over me in the first period, his jaw tight, refusing to look in my direction even once.

It should have satisfied me, watching them tiptoe around me for once. Instead, it only made me more alert. 

Sitting there and not bothering to go to them either, Kairos walked into the class. Glancing at me once and looking away before going to take the seat on the last row. My eyes wandered to him every now and then.

“Why wasn't he approaching me?” 

In my past life, he'd found reasons to be near me constantly, starting from the very day he transferred. I'd push him away, warning him to stay away from me, telling him that I already have a mate and intend to marry him.

However, apart from that one glance while walking into the class, he never looked at me.

Whatever happened to him after my death? Was he killed trying to save me? Maybe Bryan and Freya got to him… and he was the one reborn with me? Was that why he changed?

I couldn't reach a conclusion. Still lost in my thoughts, the bells that announced the start of the combat class sounded. 

I rose from my seat, alongside the other students and headed to the combat hall.

The combat teacher was already waiting by the time we all walked in. He wasted no time calling out the pairings.

“Declan Briggs and Vivian Holland…” he called out pairs of students who immediately took positions. 

When he got my name, he paired me with Bryan, the same as he had every single class for the past years. Bryan and I were the school's golden couple, after all. Future Alpha and future Luna. So, we naturally got paired together in every combat class.

"I'd like to switch partners," I said before the combat teacher could move on.

The whole room went quiet. Bryan's head snapped toward me.

“Isolde, we have limited time for this. Settle your couple fights between yourselves and don't disrupt my class,” the teacher warned.

But I stood my ground. When he saw I wasn't relenting, he sighed.

"Who would you like to pair with?"  He asked, brow raised.

I looked past Bryan, toward the far side of the training ring. "Kairos."

Whispers broke out immediately. I kept my expression calm, refusing to give anyone the satisfaction of a reaction. 

Staring at Kairos's face, he gave nothing away. His face remained calm. I couldn't figure out what was going on in his mind. He simply nodded once in silent agreement.

“Seems like the future Alpha position will be going to someone else now,” one of Bryan's friends said out loud, earning a laugh from other students.

“Don't be so disheartened, Bryan. Just buy her chocolates…” more laughs resonated. 

Bryan's face went red with rage. The exact reaction I wanted. My lips pulled up in a satisfied smile.

"Freya," he snapped, turning toward her without so much as a glance in my direction. "You're with me." 

But I didn't care one bit.

The training match began minutes later. I stood at the end of the hall beside Kairos, watching Bryan across from us, his shoulders tight with barely restrained anger.

The match started. It immediately became clear almost immediately that this wasn't going to be a normal sparring match. Kairos and Bryan sparred first. I stood by the side, watching. 

Kairos moved first, fast and precise, each strike landing precisely.  

"Careful," he said, deflecting a wild swing from Bryan with ease. "Wouldn't want the future Alpha to embarrass himself." Each word from him was calculated to needle at Bryan's pride further. He spoke in low teasing tones. I could hear as I stood close enough but the teacher at the other side of the hall couldn't.

Bryan roared, throwing himself forward with more force than required. Kairos sidestepped him easily, landing a blow that sent Bryan stumbling. The students around us immediately went silent, watching in stunned disbelief as the pack's future Alpha, the golden boy of the academy, got outmatched again and again.

By the fourth exchange, Bryan was bleeding from a cut above his brow, breathing hard, humiliation written plainly across his face. The whispers grew louder.

That was when he lost it completely.

His claws extended past the training limits, his eyes flashing gold as his control slipped entirely. He lunged at Kairos. Tearing his claw across his arm. Kairos just let him! 

“What the heck is he doing?”

"Enough!" The teacher's voice resonated. He stepped between them, forcing Bryan back. "Thorne, that was an illegal strike. You know the rules."

Bryan's chest heaved, his eyes darting toward me like this was somehow my fault.

"Report to the disciplinary committee immediately!” The teacher ordered, his voice sharp with disapproval. "You've violated the rules.”

Just like that, Bryan was taken out of the hall. 

After Bryan was led out, I sat on a bench by the side of the hall, pressing a cloth against the small scrape on my arm I got from shielding myself from Bryan's wild swing. 

“Kairos, go get your wound treated at the infirmary. The rest of you, keep sparing.” The teacher barked instructions, his eyes flashing with irritation.

“I got an injury too,” I called out to the teacher before he could turn away.

“Go to the infirmary with Kairos then," the teacher waved me off.

I trailed behind him in an uncomfortable silence. Followed him inside, taking the seat beside him while the healer looked him over. 

This was my chance, finally, to ask him the question that had been eating at me the whole day.

I opened my mouth, ready to ask if he remembered anything from before, anything at all-

The infirmary door slammed open.

Bryan stood in the doorway, chest still heaving, blood dried along his brow, eyes locked on the two of us sitting side by side.