Zahra's POVAt 2:15 p.m., perfect timing, I head out to find Alison. I already picked up my cap and gown yesterday—thankfully, they’re a dark royal blue, so nothing too hideous to contend with. I carefully navigate the stairs, avoiding a catastrophic tumble in my heels. When I step into the living room, Alpha Lucas is there waiting. His reaction stops me in my tracks—he literally gasps.“Zahra, you look wonderful!” he says, beaming.My face heats up instantly. “Thank you, Lucas,” I mumble, my voice barely above a whisper.He chuckles, clearly amused by my embarrassment. “Come on, let’s head off.”When we arrive at the auditorium doors, I say goodbye to Lucas and Alison and make my way inside. I donned the cap and gown in the car park, with Alison’s help ma
Zahra's POVThe girls head home not long after, promising to meet me tomorrow after graduation for our mini celebration. Once they’re gone, I realize I’m way too restless to just sit in my room or zone out in front of the TV. The nerves are crawling under my skin, making me feel like a trapped animal.With a groan, I decide to head to the basement gym. Lifting weights for a couple of hours seems like the only way to burn off the extra energy—and, let’s face it, stop me from spiralling into panic mode. By the time I finish, my muscles are screaming, my body is drenched in sweat, and my mind is blissfully blank.Feeling infinitely better, I drag myself back upstairs, eager to hit the shower before dinner.As we eat, the chatter around the table is electric with excitement. The day after tomorrow, we head to the royal pack for the A
Zahra's POVI’m rifling through my wardrobe, tossing clothes onto the floor like a woman possessed. Abby and Sienna are sprawled on my bed, giggling about Goddess-knows-what, while I continue the hunt. They came over earlier to "help" me find something for graduation, but so far, their assistance has been limited to commentary and laughter. Some friends they are.Finals ended last week, and it still doesn’t feel real. Tomorrow, I’m actually graduating from high school. High school! After everything, I survived to see this day, and somehow, I’m still stressing over something as dumb as what to wear. I haven’t mentioned graduation to anyone since the disaster with Zach. Alison told me she and Alpha Lucas will be there, but other than that, I’ve avoided the topic like the plague. Neither Abby nor Sienna are going, but we’re planning to hit the diner afterward for a mini celebrati
Xander's POVBefore I can get much further, cheers erupt from behind me.“Excellent, Oscar! And Max, well done!” Greg’s voice carries across the field.I glance back, and sure enough, both Oscar and Max have managed it. They’re standing in wolf form, looking smug as hell. My stomach sinks.‘Great,’ I mutter internally. ‘Now the pressure’s on.’Atlas chuckles softly in my mind. ‘Forget them. Focus on us. This isn’t about beating anyone else. This is about us. Let me in, and let’s do this.’I square my shoulders, take another deep breath, and try again.I focus on my breathing, letting it settle into a steady rhythm. A strange sensation ripples through me, as though Atlas is pushing himself under my skin.‘That’s it. Breathe again and open our eyes.’ His voice is calm but insistent.I do as he says, and when I open my eyes, the world looks different. Colours seem more vibrant, edges sharper, and I can see the faint shimmer of heat rising from the mats. My senses feel alive in a way I’ve
Xander's POVWhile it feels incredible to have my dad’s, and therefore my mum’s acceptance, his words about my future mate’s feelings hit harder than I expected. Max and I had already decided not to pursue things further, so I haven’t brought it up with him again. But that doesn’t make the thought any easier to shake.I sigh, shoving my revision folder and textbooks aside. I hate biology. I’m pretty sure I’ve accomplished nothing useful over the last couple of hours. For some reason, I thought studying in my room would help me focus, but I was wrong. Normally, I’d study in the dining room with the others, but Zahra had an exam, and the dining room felt unnecessary without her constant sarcastic commentary to keep me awake.I glance at my watch. Training is coming up soon. Finally, something productive. I get up, change into my gear, and head down to the kitchen for a protein shake before the session. Greg is leading our group today, pushing us through an extra session on wolf combat.
Xander's POVIt feels like everything is flying by lately. We’ve been so focused on overhauling the training schedules and implementing the new structure that I barely noticed how quickly time has passed. Now that the changes are finally in place, I can’t believe the difference it’s made. Instead of massive training sessions crammed with everyone at once, we’ve split into smaller groups of about 20 to 50 wolves. It’s more intense, more focused, and we’ve been working harder than ever.The guys and I have been moved into the warrior groups because we’re too advanced for the non-ranked 16- to 18-year-old group. Dad is already pushing us towards the elite teams, which is fine by me. I like the challenge. With the new military structure in place, everything feels sharper, more organized. We’ve created six squads, each with 50 wolves, as well as an elite force of 12. Each squad has its own leader, lieutenant, and strategist, all reporting directly to our new head warrior, Adam Cox. The eli