THE ALPHA THEY CREATED: MARKED BY RIVALS

Zyra's pov~“Everything you know about your life is probably a lie.” The woman says it like she is trying to soften the impact. It doesn’t work at all. I stare at her across the table, waiting for something else to follow that will make it make sense. There’s a file sitting in front of her with my name is written on it.Zyra Voss. I’ve seen it written before on school forms and old report cards. It never meant anything more than identification. Now it feels like there might be another use for it. “I know this is a lot,” she continues gently. “But we’re going to walk through it step by step, okay?” Can she speak faster or something? I don’t answer. She waits like she expects me to. When I don’t, she exhales quietly and opens the file. “You were placed with your foster parents when you were three years old,” she says. “At the time, it was recorded as a standard placement.”Her eyes flick up to mine, watching my reaction. “However,” she continues, her voice tighten

Zyra's pov ~ Elric speaks next, softer than the others. “She is here. We should not be having this conversation like this.” A pause follows indicating that they are probably agreeing with him. I stand there for a long moment, staring at the door. Before they have the moment to finally catch me eavesdropping, I quickly run back into my room.~~Hopefully they don't talk about yesterday night during breakfast. I'd probably just deny it with my life anyways. I shake off the nerves and get dressed for the day. The mirror catches me on the way out as I make my way out of the room. I pause for a second and look at my features. My eyes and face look the same.Maybe the change is inwards... Breakfast is already set when I get downstairs. Kaelen sits at the head of the table, reading something on his phone. Soren is leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, watching the room like he expects it to move on its own. Elric stands by the window, looking out, his posture still

Zyra's pov: Kaelen doesn't say a word when he pulls me out of third period. He just appears at the classroom door, speaks quietly to my teacher, and then looks at me with an expression that makes know that I don't a choice. I gather my things without being asked. The whole class watches and I hate every second of it. The car ride back to the estate is exactly as terrible as I expect it to be. Kaelen drives. Soren is in the passenger seat and I am in the back. I watch the road through the window and try to look unbothered. I'm very bothered. At some point, Kaelen glances at Soren. It's brief, barely a second, but I catch it. Soren gives the smallest nod back. They think I didn't see it. We get back to the estate and Kaelen says, "Rest," which is his version of a full conversation apparently. Soren disappears somewhere without a word. I go upstairs, sit on the edge of my bed, and stare at the wall for a long time. They are not going to tell me anything today. That much is

Zyra's pov: I find her at the same table she was sitting at before, like she knew I was coming and decided to make it easy for me. She has a book open in front of her but she isn't reading it. Her eyes are already on the door when I walk in, which should feel weird but somehow doesn't. Everything about Lyenne feels like it exists slightly outside of normal and she doesn't seem bothered by that at all. I cross the cafeteria and sit down across from her without asking. She closes the book."I was wondering when you'd come back," she says."I was wondering what you meant by 'you feel it too,'" I reply. "So here we are."She tilts her head slightly, looking at me in a calm way. It's not unsettling exactly. It's more like being looked at by someone who knows everything . Under different circumstances I might find that annoying. Right now I need answers more than I need to be annoyed."What have you been feeling?" she asks."I asked you first," I say. The corner of her mouth l

Zyra's pov ~I am starting to think that finding a quiet spot at this school is genuinely impossible.I switched locations today. New bench, different side of the building, further from the main path, practically behind a maintenance shed. I found it during second period and spent the rest of the morning feeling quietly smug about it. Nobody knows this spot. I am safe here. I have outsmarted the universe.I sit down at lunch, open my notebook, and approximately four minutes later hear footsteps that are too casual to be accidental.Rhyx drops onto the bench beside me like we've been friends for years and he's just a little late. He doesn't ask if the seat is taken. He doesn't give me a warning. He just appears, close enough that the pull in my chest kicks up immediately, and leans back with his elbows on the table behind him like he owns this particular patch of concrete."Nice spot," he says. "Took me a while to find you.""That was the goal," I say without looking up from my noteboo