1| Equinox Academy.

VIOLET

Today, I resumed school at Equinox Academy—against my will. My father sent me here for selfish reasons; to forge alliances with the other Alpha Kings. In our realm, there were four Alpha Kings—ruling the North, South, West, and East. My father was the Southern Alpha King, and the Eastern Alpha King owned this school. According to him, the academy was established to promote unity among the kingdoms and to train young wolves in harnessing their strengths. Even witches were welcome here.

For years, my father refused to let me attend this school. Then suddenly, without warning, he forced me to enroll—for his own gain—and in my senior year, no less! No amount of protesting could change his mind. He made it clear the decision was final. Oh, I hated that man! He never listened to anyone—not even my mother, the Luna—which made me wonder why she hadn’t rejected him yet. Their relationship wasn’t the greatest. In fact, I had never seen them act like a couple; their marriage seemed more like a business arrangement.

After a long journey, we finally arrived at the famed Equinox Academy. The school was massive, with beautiful architecture and meticulous design. After the necessary check-ins with the school authority, my parents dropped me off at my dorm and offered the most basic advice every parent gives their children. Be a good girl and focus on your studies. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. As if I’d ever been a “bad girl.”

“Get ready for tonight, darling. Look beautiful,” were my father’s parting words before driving away. Tonight marked the beginning of my obligations—the reason he had dragged me here. Ugh, I hated this!

Arriving at the dorm room assigned to me with my single suitcase, I pushed the door open to find an unexpected scene. Loud music blared through the room as a girl danced wildly, lost in her own world. She seemed to be younger than me, with brown hair and a youthful, pretty face. I stood there and watched for another minute before she finally noticed me. Her eyes widened in shock before she quickly turned off the music.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she turned back to face me. “Hello! I’m Daisy. Are you my new roommate?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes.”

Daisy quickly trotted over, grabbing my suitcase and dragging it inside. “Come on in! What’s your name?”

“Violet,” I replied quietly, looking around and scanning the room. It was clear she had a thing for pink—nearly everything she owned was in varying shades of it.

“Violet,” she repeated, nodding. Her cheeks flushed again. “I’m so sorry you had to see that. I usually—”

“It’s fine,” I quickly cut her off with a smile on my lips. “You don’t need to be embarrassed. Everyone performs mini-concerts when they’re alone. It’s a great way to relieve stress.”

A wide smile spread across her lips. “I love you already!”

I chuckled softly. “I’m flattered.”

One of my biggest fears about coming here—getting stuck with an unpleasant roommate—had been put to rest. Daisy seemed sweet, though I knew it would take some time to adjust to sharing a room. I’d always had a room to myself.

Daisy helped me settle in, chatting excitedly about the school and spilling all sorts of juicy gossip. Once we were done, she clapped her hands together.

“I need to head out. There’s somewhere I have to be. Want to come with me?”

I raised a brow. “Where?”

“The lacrosse team has a game. I want to watch,” she replied.

My eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh my goodness, they play lacrosse at this school?”

I loved that sport, but my father never allowed me to play because, apparently, I was a princess.

She nodded, looking at me closely. “Do you want to come?”

“Absolutely,” I beamed. I could also use the opportunity to get accustomed to the school environment.

After changing into more suitable clothes, we headed to the arena. Along the way, Daisy pointed out various school landmarks and explained how things worked. By the time we reached the arena, the stands were packed with excited spectators.

“Let’s get popcorn,” Daisy suggested, dragging me to a concession stand and placing our orders.

As we waited, I glanced around, taking in the surroundings. My attention was drawn to a particular scene, and I couldn’t help but frown at how pathetic it looked. A tall, strikingly handsome guy stood surrounded by a gaggle of girls swooning over him as if he were a god. He had the looks—fine brown hair, a face to die for, and an outstandingly toned body. But seeing them swoon over him like that was just pathetic, and the way he stood there, entertaining their ridiculousness, was nauseating.

“Who is that?” I asked Daisy, nodding towards him.

“Oh, that—” she beamed, “that is the hottest guy in the whole of Equinox Academy. None other than Axel Northwood.”

My gaze snapped to her, blinking. “The most powerful Alpha?”

She nodded. “Yes, yes.”

The famous Alpha prince of the North. It was no surprise that all the girls were swooning over him like flies. He was born to a mother wolf, and according to history, a child born to a mother wolf would eventually become the most powerful Alpha in one thousand years. This particular one’s news had traveled far and wide. Rumor has it that he had psychic abilities. I wondered why he was ever admitted to this school, knowing he could control anyone and make them do whatever he wanted.

As I glanced back at him, our eyes met, and my heart skipped a beat. Embarrassed, I quickly looked away.

“Is it true that he can read and control minds?” I asked Daisy.

“Yes. But he isn’t allowed to do that here. Can you excuse me, please? I’ll be right back,” she said urgently before quickly dashing off.

Suddenly, a voice spoke behind me. “You know, if you admire me that much, you could just come over and say hi instead of staring from a distance.”

Startled, I whipped around—only to collide with a solid chest. I hadn’t realized he’d gotten so close.

“Excuse me?” I snapped, stepping back. He smelled... delicious. Annoyingly so.

Up close, he was even more attractive, with piercing brown eyes and a smug grin.

“New student?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes and did what I knew how to do best—ignore him. Just because he was who he was didn’t mean I’d lick his feet. I didn’t give a damn about him, handsome or not, powerful or not.

“What’s your name?” he pressed.

I rolled my eyes again, looking everywhere but in his direction. Where was Daisy?

“Ah, playing hard to get,” he said, smirking. “I have to go. I’ll see you around.”

With that, he walked away, his retreating footsteps echoing in my ears. What the hell was that?

Daisy reappeared almost immediately, just as our popcorn was ready.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting. The game’s about to start,” she said as she handed me a box of popcorn.

“That Axel guy,” I muttered as we made our way inside. “His audacity is infuriating.”

Daisy laughed. “Axel can be... a lot.”

I shook my head. I’d make it a point to avoid him throughout my stay at this school. I hated him already.

As we found our seats, the commentators announced the start of the game, and the players jogged onto the field.

“Wait, what?” My eyes widened in shock when I saw him leading the team. The crowd erupted, chanting his name. “Is that him?”

Daisy nodded, laughing at my reaction. “He’s the captain.”

I shook my head, frustrated at how I’d have to endure sixty minutes of watching him. I just hoped he wouldn’t make me hate the sport.

“His birthday is tonight. You’re going, right?” Daisy asked curiously.

I popped a piece of popcorn into my mouth, slouching in my seat. “Unfortunately, yes.”

His freaking eighteenth birthday was the reason my father had insisted I start school today. He wanted to take that opportunity to meet the Northern Alpha King, Axel’s father, his greatest enemy, for whatever reason. And I painfully had to be there.

“I wonder who his mate will be,” Daisy mused.

“I pity her already,” I scoffed, genuinely meaning my words.

As if he knew we were talking about him, he turned and looked directly at me, his damn piercing brown eyes meeting mine. Tell me why my heart pattered to an uneven beat.