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"The Scholar's Burden"

Author: June Calva
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-23 22:21:30

POV: Otto Moorland

The acceptance letter from Moonrise Academy felt like paper lightning in Otto's hands as he read it for the fifteenth time in his family's cramped kitchen. Needs-based scholarship. Full tuition coverage. Academic merit award for exceptional achievement in supernatural studies.

Everything he'd dreamed of, and everything that terrified him.

"Still can't believe it's real?" His mother Rebecca looked up from the breakfast dishes, her smile proud but tinged with worry. At forty-three, she retained the sharp intelligence that had once made her the best teacher in three counties, before pack politics forced her to choose between her career and her family's safety.

"It feels like a mistake," Otto admitted, adjusting his wire-frame glasses—a nervous habit that drove his father crazy. "Moonrise Academy is for pack heirs and political royalty. Not scholarship kids from nowhere Montana."

"You earned this, Otto. Your test scores were higher than any student they've seen in a dec
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  • Star-Crossed Wolves: Silver Moon Rising    Legacy of Love

    POV: Aria BlackthornThe memorial stood in the center of campus, impossible to miss. White marble carved with names. Otto. Juliana. Others who'd died during the conflicts that had torn our world apart.I traced Otto's name with my fingertips, the stone cold beneath my touch."You would have liked what we've built here," I whispered. "What your sacrifice made possible."A year had passed since everything fell apart and came back together in a new shape. The Academy looked different now. Felt different. Students from rival packs walked together without tension. Species that had been enemies for generations shared classes and meals.It was what we'd fought for. What people had died for."Aria?" Darius's voice came from behind me. "It's almost time."I turned to find him standing there, dressed formally for the ceremony. My mate. The Alpha who'd rejected me and then fought to win me back. We'd survived everything the universe threw at us and came out stronger."I'm ready."We walked toget

  • Star-Crossed Wolves: Silver Moon Rising   THE BETA'S STRENGTH PART TWO

    Dinner with my mother was comfortable. Easy in a way it hadn't been before everything happened. She'd made lasagna, garlic bread, and Caesar salad. My favorite comfort meal."How was the group session?" she asked, passing me the salad bowl."Good. Tessa had a setback but handled it well. Marcus is making real progress.""And Emma? The new girl you mentioned?""She's scared but she's listening. I think she'll be okay with continued support."My mother studied me over her wine glass. "You're doing important work, Desi. I hope you know that.""I'm trying.""You're succeeding. The students trust you. They know you understand what they're going through.""Because I've been there.""Exactly." She set down her glass. "Have you thought about what comes after graduation? Where you want to take this work?""I've been offered a full-time position at the Academy. Expanding the counseling program, specifically focusing on relationship abuse and manipulation.""And?""And I think I'm going to take

  • Star-Crossed Wolves: Silver Moon Rising    The Beta's Strength

    POV: Desi WhitmoreThe girl across from me wouldn't meet my eyes. She sat hunched in the chair, picking at her cuticles until they bled.I recognized that posture. I'd worn it myself not so long ago."You don't have to tell me anything you're not ready to share," I said gently. "But I want you to know this is a safe space. Nothing you say leaves this room unless you're in danger.""I'm not in danger." Her voice was barely a whisper."Okay. Then let's start with something easy. I'm Desi. What's your name?""Emma.""Nice to meet you, Emma. How long have you been at the Academy?""Two months."I waited. The silence stretched between us, but I didn't rush to fill it. That was something I'd learned in my training. Sometimes people needed the quiet to find their courage.Finally, Emma looked up. Her eyes were red-rimmed, exhausted. "My boyfriend says I'm too sensitive. That I overreact to everything."My stomach tightened. I'd heard those words before. Different voice, same manipulation."W

  • Star-Crossed Wolves: Silver Moon Rising   HEALING HEARTS CONT...

    The semester found its rhythm quickly. Our class became popular, with students often staying after to ask questions or share their own experiences. We talked about rejection, acceptance, the difference between a bond and actual love.We held nothing back."My parents are mates," a boy said during week three. "But they hate each other. They stay together because of the bond, but there's no love there. Is that normal?""More common than people want to admit," I said. "A bond creates a connection, but it doesn't automatically create compatibility or affection. That takes work.""So bonds can fail?""Bonds don't fail. Relationships do." Ben leaned forward. "The bond is just a foundation. What you build on it is up to you."The girl from the back, who we'd learned was named Sophie, finally spoke up in week four. "What if your mate rejects you? How do you survive that?"The classroom went silent. Every eye turned to me.I took a breath. "You survive by remembering that rejection isn't about

  • Star-Crossed Wolves: Silver Moon Rising    Healing Hearts

    POV: Bea SharpeBen's hand found mine across the breakfast table, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. Six months since everything fell apart. Six months since we almost lost each other.Six months of rebuilding."You're doing it again," he said, that familiar warmth in his voice."Doing what?""That thing where you get lost in your head. Overthinking."I squeezed his hand. "Can you blame me? After everything?""No." His expression softened. "But we're okay now. We made it through."We had. Barely. The physical wounds had healed faster than the emotional ones. My shoulder still ached when it rained, a reminder of how close we'd come to losing everything. But the scars that mattered most were the ones no one could see.The nightmares had faded. The constant fear that something would tear us apart again had lessened. We'd done the work, gone to therapy together, talked through everything until there was nothing left unsaid.And somehow, impossibly, we'd come out stronger."Dean Whitmor

  • Star-Crossed Wolves: Silver Moon Rising   The Alpha's Grief

    POV: Ronan MontagueThe memorial garden was finished.I stood at the entrance, looking at what three months of work had created. White roses climbed trellises on either side of the stone pathway. A fountain sat in the center, water flowing over smooth rocks. Benches lined the edges, placed in spots where sunlight filtered through the trees.Juliana would have loved it."It's beautiful," Marcus said beside me. "She would be proud."I nodded, not trusting my voice. The garden had been her idea, something she'd mentioned once during a late-night conversation about the Academy's future. A place where students could go to find peace. To remember those they'd lost.I'd built it for her. A living memorial."The dedication ceremony is in an hour," Marcus continued. "Dean Whitmore wants you there.""I'll be there."Marcus hesitated. "Ronan, you don't have to do this alone. We're all here for you.""I know." I looked at him. "Thank you."He left me alone in the garden. I walked the pathway slow

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