Chapter 3

The Whispers in the Halls

The scholarship letter had promised Henry a chance at a new life.

Instead, his first day felt like a cruel joke.

The school was massive, its gates stretching high like iron guardians, the walls polished with the pride of generations of wealth. This wasn’t just a school—it was an empire, filled with children whose bloodlines traced through money, power, and influence. Henry stood at the entrance with his mother’s old backpack slung over his shoulder, clutching the strap like it was the only familiar thing in the world.

He told himself to breathe.

“You’re here because you earned it,” he whispered, steadying his voice.

But the whispers started long before the first class.

“Isn’t that him?”

“The rogue’s son?”

“Didn’t his mother get thrown out of Blue Moon? I heard she was—”

Henry forced himself forward. He kept his eyes locked on the floors, ignoring the stares that clung to him like claws. He wanted to shrink into nothingness, but instead, he lifted his chin. If his mother had survived exile, humiliation, and nights in the cold woods, he could survive this.

The first blow wasn’t physical, it was laughter. Cruel, echoing through the halls.

By the lockers, three boys lounged like kings on a throne they hadn’t earned. Their uniforms were pristine, their watches gleaming. The one in the middle—Liam, Henry would later learn—grinned with venom.

“Well, well,” Liam drawled. “If it isn’t the packless pup, didn’t think the school would stoop this low.”

The others laughed. One kicked Henry’s bag as he passed, spilling notebooks onto the floor.

Henry bent quickly, gathering them. “Don’t touch my stuff.”

“Oh! He talks,” Liam said, stepping closer. He crouched, voice low enough for Henry but loud enough for everyone watching. “Tell me, how does it feel knowing your mother was cast out like dirt? Do you feel the shame every morning, or just when you see your reflection?”

Henry’s hands clenched around his books. His wolf stirred, hot and restless under his skin, but he pushed it down. Losing control on his first day would mean disaster.

“Answer me, rogue,” Liam pressed.

Henry straightened. “You’re not worth the words.”

The air froze for a second—then Liam’s smirk widened. “Brave, stupid, but brave.”

Before anything else could spark, a voice cut through the tension.

“That’s enough.”

The students parted like a tide, and Henry turned to see a man walking towards them. He wasn’t a student. His presence commanded too much respect. His suit was fitted, his tie neat and his expression was carved with authority.

Principal Adrian.

The room hushed. Even Liam stepped back.

“Mr. Henry,” Adrian called, his eyes softening when they landed on Henry. “Come with me. Now.”

Whispers followed them down the hall, a trail of curiosity and scandal. Henry’s pulse thudded. Why was the principal intervening for him personally?

Adrian’s office was different from the corridors—line with books. He gestured for Henry to sit.

“They’ll test you,” Adrian said, settling across from him. “Children can be cruel, especially when they think bloodlines define worth. You’ll hear worse than what you heard today.”

Henry shifted uncomfortably. “And you know… who I am?”

Adrian leaned forward. “I know enough. That you’ve had it harder than most. That you’ve carried a weight you never asked for. But I also know potential when I see one. You wouldn’t have been given this scholarship if you weren’t meant for something greater.”

Henry blinked. No teacher, no elder, not even his own pack once, had ever spoken to him like that.

Adrian’s gaze softened further, and for a moment, Henry thought he saw something in there. Maybe a of care too deep for a stranger, too personal.

“You’re not alone here, Henry,” Adrian said. His voice almost tender. “Not anymore.”

The words sank into him, warming places he hadn’t realized were frozen.

But just as Henry opened his mouth to respond, the door burst open.

“The Principal!” A secretary hurried in, flustered. “It’s urgent—you’re needed in the boardroom.”

Adrian stood, he looked at Henry once more, an unspoken promise in his eyes. “We’ll continue this later.”

Henry left the office with his books clutched, the stares of students pressing into him again. But this time, something new burned in his chest.

Hope.

Lunch was another battlefield. He carried his tray through the cafeteria, searching for a place that didn’t feel hostile. But every table he passed erupted with murmurs.

“Rogue.”

“Exile.”

“Doesn’t belong here.”

He finally sat at the edge, stabbing at his food without appetite.

Then came the second humiliation.

Someone walked by, too casually, and knocked the tray from his hands. Food splattered across his shirt, the floor, the table. Laughter erupted.

Henry froze.

Liam again, of course. “Oops. My bad. Didn’t see you there, pup.”

The cafeteria roared with laughter.

Henry’s wolf surged, clawing at his chest, begging for release. His nails bit into his palm as he whispered to himself—not here, not now, don’t give them the satisfaction.

But then a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Don’t waste your strength on them,” a voice murmured.

Henry turned. A man stood beside him, older than the students but not faculty. Broad shoulders, dark hair, eyes that carried a dominance that made the room hush without him saying a word.

The man bent down, picked up the tray, and handed it back. “You’re stronger than they know. Prove it in ways that matter.”

Henry stared at him, stunned. “Who… are you?”

The man gave the faintest smile. “A friend.” And then, as quickly as he appeared, he left.

The cafeteria buzzed with confusion. No one knew him. No one dared stop him.

Henry sat frozen, the moment burned into his mind.

When classes ended, Henry lingered by the gates. His shirt was stained, his pride bruised, but his determination held. He was about to leave when he overheard two teachers whispering near the staff lot.

“…the old Alpha’s death. Still no answers.”

“Some say it was no accident.”

“Careful. If the truth comes out, the balance in Blue Moon will collapse.”

Henry’s blood ran cold. The old Alpha—Darius. The one who had exiled his mother. The one whose word had shattered their lives. He was dead, and no one knew how.

The air around him shifted, charged. And Henry felt it—this was only the beginning.

He wasn’t here by coincidence. The scholarship, the principal’s strange care, the mysterious man in the cafeteria—it was all tied together.

And as he turned to leave, his path was blocked.

Liam stood there, smirking again, flanked by two others.

“Thought you’d escape easy, rogue?” Liam hissed. “Let me teach you what happens to packless dogs who think they belong here.”

Henry’s wolf stirred again, louder this time. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold it back.

And then—

“Enough.”

The voice boomed from the gates.

Everyone turned.

A man stood there, tall and commanding, his presence radiating Alpha power that silenced even Liam’s sneer. His eyes locked onto Henry with something...

It was him—the restored Alpha of Blue Moon.

And he was here for Henry.

Henry’s first day of humiliation suddenly transforms into something far greater—the Alpha of the very pack that had cast his mother out has appeared, and his gaze is fixed solely on Henry.