Chapter 2 – His Dangerous Eyes

The main arena was a massive pit of sand and jagged rock, surrounded by towering stone walls. High above, rows of metal benches were filled with senior students and faculty members. The air smelled of dry dust, sweat, and the sharp scent of anxious Alphas.

At the center of the pit stood Instructor Reyne. He was a broad-shouldered man with a scarred face and a cold, dark uniform. He held a heavy leather whip in his right hand, tapping it against his tall leather boots with a slow, threatening rhythm.

"Welcome to your first physical evaluation," Reyne’s voice echoed across the dirt walls. "Ironclad Academy does not care about your wealthy families or your noble names. We only care about strength, speed, and endurance."

He pointed his whip toward the far side of the arena. A terrifying obstacle course stretched across the dirt.

It began with a high wall covered in thick mud, followed by a dark tunnel filled with sharp wooden stakes. After the tunnel came a set of heavy iron bars suspended over a pit of jagged stones, and finally, a steep thirty-foot rope wall that led to the finish line.

"Half of you will fail this course," Reyne said coldly. "The last ten students to cross the line will be sent straight home. Line up!"

Zade stepped toward the starting mark, his boots sinking slightly into the soft sand. He flexed his fingers, making sure his muscles were warm.

The medicine in his stomach was still burning, keeping his true Omega nature buried deep beneath a wall of numb exhaustion. He had to rely purely on his learned physical skills to win today.

To his immediate right, a heavy shadow fell over him. Zade did not need to turn his head to know who it was.

Xander Vale stood beside him, effortlessly relaxed. He adjusted the leather gloves on his hands, looking over at Zade with a small, arrogant smirk.

"Don't tire yourself out too quickly, new guy," Xander said softly, his deep voice carrying over the sound of the wind. "The dirt in this arena gets very dirty when you fall."

Zade kept his eyes locked onto the finish line high on the distant wall. "Focus on your own feet, Vale. You might trip if you keep looking at mine."

Xander let out a sharp, amused breath, but before he could reply, Instructor Reyne raised his hand into the air.

A loud horn blew across the stadium, and the ground shook as two hundred students surged forward at once.

The initial rush was pure chaos. Sharp elbows flew, shoulders slammed together, and several students were knocked straight into the sand within the first five seconds.

Zade moved like a shadow through the madness. He did not waste his strength shoving others. Instead, he used his sleek frame to slip through the smallest gaps between the larger Alpha students.

He sprinted up the slippery mud wall, digging his fingers deep into the wet earth. While other students slid backward, Zade pulled himself up with clean, explosive power, vaulting over the ledge without losing his momentum.

He dropped straight into the dark stake tunnel. The wooden spikes hung low from the stone ceiling, ready to tear into anyone who moved too recklessly.

Zade dropped to his hands and knees, staying low to the ground and pushing forward with rapid, precise movements.

Right beside him, a dark blur surged ahead. Xander was moving through the tunnel with terrifying speed, his broad shoulders barely missing the sharp wooden points.

They burst out of the dark tunnel at the exact same second, covered in sweat and dirt, leaving the rest of the class far behind.

Ahead lay the iron bars suspended over the pit of jagged stones.

Xander leaped into the air, catching the first bar with one hand and swinging himself forward with incredible momentum. He cleared three bars at a time, moving across the gap like an unstoppable force of nature.

Zade jumped right behind him. He grabbed the cold metal bars, his arms straining under his weight. Every muscle in his upper body burned, but he forced his hands to move faster, matching Xander’s brutal pace step for step.

The crowd high in the stands began to shout and cheer, their voices roaring through the stone stadium as they watched the top two runners pull thirty yards ahead of everyone else.

"Look at those two!" someone yelled from the benches. "They're moving like seasoned soldiers!"

Zade leaped off the final iron bar, his boots hitting the hard dirt ground with a thud. He sprinted with everything he had left toward the final obstacle: the thirty-foot rope wall.

Xander was just half a step ahead of him. The two reached the base of the ropes at the exact same time, grabbing the thick hemp lines and pulling themselves upward.

They climbed side by side, their breathing heavy, their eyes locked on the finish platform above. Ten feet. Twenty feet. Thirty feet.

Zade reached the top ledge first. He placed his left hand on the smooth wooden finish platform, preparing to pull his body over to claim the number-one spot.

Suddenly, a heavy weight slammed violently into his right shoulder.

Xander had intentionally swung his entire body sideways, using his massive size and momentum to shoulder-check Zade straight off the ledge.

The brutal hit threw Zade off balance. His grip slipped from the smooth wood, and he crashed hard onto the dirt floor at the top of the platform, sliding across the rough stone.

The crowd in the stands let out a loud, collective gasp.

Xander pulled himself up effortlessly onto the platform, standing tall over Zade. He looked down at him with a cold, triumphant grin, placing his boot just inches from Zade’s face.

"First place belongs to me," Xander sneered, making sure his voice carried down to the students below. "Learn your place, nobody."

Pain flared through Zade’s right shoulder, and the dust filled his throat, making him cough. The arrogant smirk on Xander’s face made his blood boil with pure, unfiltered rage.

He was supposed to be a quiet, hidden target. He was supposed to play it safe. But he refused to let this arrogant Alpha humiliate him in front of the entire school.

Instead of staying down, Zade reacted with blinding speed.

Before Xander could step away to celebrate his victory, Zade swept his long leg across the smooth wooden floor in a fast, calculated arch.

His boot struck the back of Xander’s left ankle with lethal precision, kicking out his support leg completely.

Xander’s eyes widened in sudden shock as his balance vanished. With a heavy thud, the top-ranked Alpha crashed hard onto the wooden platform, his knees slamming violently against the floor right in front of Zade.

The entire stadium went completely silent. Every student froze, their mouths open in disbelief. No one had ever brought Xander Vale to his knees before.

Zade slowly stood up, brushing the dirt off his dark jacket. He stepped right up to the kneeling Alpha, looking down into Xander’s stunned face with an ice-cold, dangerous glare.

"Never put your boot near my face again," Zade whispered coldly, his voice smooth and deadly.

Xander looked up at him, his face twisting into a furious, dark glare. His hands clenched into tight fists as a heavy, suffocating wave of angry Alpha pheromones burst from his chest.

Above them, Instructor Reyne slowly stepped onto the platform, looking back and forth between the two boys with a strange, sharp look in his dark eyes.

"Evaluation finished," Reyne announced, his voice slicing through the silence. "Vale takes first. Varyn takes second."

Xander slowly pushed himself up from his knees, his cold blue eyes never leaving Zade’s face for a single second. The war between them had just escalated, and neither of them was going to back down.