Say My Name, Alpha

The scent of iron and rain clung to the courtyard like an omen. Every breath I took tasted metallic, sharp, and cold—just like this place.Ironclad Academy.Built on the bones of an ancient fortress, it was where the nation’s future Alphas were forged. Warriors, leaders, executioners. They trained us to dominate, to kill, to conquer anything that threatened the pack. And in this world, the greatest threat of all was an Omega.Which was why no one could ever know that’s what I really was.The marble statue of the nation’s founder loomed over the gathered students, his stone eyes carved in eternal judgment. Rain traced paths down his blade, pooling at his feet as if even the sky bled for him. Around me, rows of Alpha cadets stood at rigid attention, heads high, expressions cold. The top one percent of the country’s elite. The strongest of the strong.And me—the imposter among them.“Gentlemen,” Headmaster Kael’s voice boomed through the courtyard, echoing off the old walls. “Welcome to

The rain finally stopped before dawn, leaving the air thick and cold. I hadn’t slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him—Xander Vale, standing too close, voice curling around my secret like smoke.Stop pretending, Omega.The words echoed through me long after he was gone.By morning, the injector lay in pieces on my desk, the scent of suppressant still faint in the air. I scrubbed the traces away until my hands ached, but nothing could wash off the fear clinging to my skin.If Xander decided to talk—if he told anyone—I was finished. My life, my mother’s safety, everything I’d built to survive in this academy of monsters would collapse.But he hadn’t said a word. Not that night. Not when we passed each other in the corridor before the Trials.He just looked at me. Once. Long enough to remind me that he knew.The rest of the world didn’t notice. Ironclad Academy was too busy with the Dominion Trials—the annual bloodsport designed to test an Alpha’s dominance and ruthlessness. Surviv

The academy never truly slept. Even in the dead of night, the echoes of footsteps, the distant clang of training weapons, the low hum of power and aggression lingered in every hallway. But last night, none of it had mattered.All I could feel was him.Xander Vale.The memory of his lips pressed to mine replayed over and over in my mind, searing itself into my senses. It had been a mistake—a collision, a stumble—but my body refused to see it that way. Every nerve had screamed at me then, and every fiber of me had betrayed my control. I had to stop thinking about it. I had to convince myself it meant nothing.And yet, as I lay in the darkness of my bunk, my pulse racing, I knew the truth. The kiss had changed everything.******The rain had stopped, but the academy felt colder than ever. The morning sun barely pierced the thick clouds over Ironclad, leaving everything in a gray, metallic haze. The air was heavy with anticipation. The Dominion Trials had just escalated, and the echoes of

The academy was silent. Too silent. By morning, Ironclad felt like a graveyard. The courtyard, usually loud with sparring Alphas and shouting cadets, was locked down under strict orders. The banners were half torn, the training field scattered with debris from the night before — broken spears, scorched ground, and the scent of iron thick in the air. They said it was a “containment breach.” They said the intruders had been neutralized. They said no one had died. They lied. I saw the blood stains behind the main gate before the guards covered them up. I heard the whispers that an entire squad from the eastern division never checked in. And most of all, I felt the eyes — heavy, watchful, waiting for someone to make the wrong move. Someone like me. I tightened my gloves and kept walking, forcing my breathing to stay even. Every muscle in my body still ached from the fight. I hadn’t slept — not properly, not with Xander’s words echoing in my mind. “They’re hunting you.” That wasn’

The morning light cut through the dormitory windows in cold, gray streaks. Even the sun seemed reluctant to rise over Ironclad Academy, casting long shadows that made the halls feel like corridors of judgment rather than education. I moved silently through the dorm, every step measured, every breath controlled. Today wasn’t just any day. Today was the Purity Test — the faculty’s method of rooting out anomalies, unauthorized enhancements, or cadets who couldn’t control their instincts. For most, it was a formality. For me… it was a sentence waiting to be passed. I tightened my fists as I passed the cafeteria, avoiding the gazes of curious cadets who whispered under their breath. Word had already spread about last night’s breach. Some of the more daring Alphas would have laughed if the academy hadn’t been under lockdown. But no one dared laugh at me today. Not with the inspectors in the wings and the threat of discovery looming. By the time I reached the testing chamber, the line of c