Chapter 5

The whispers began with glances. Fleeting across hallways like secrets carried by the wind. By the second week of Henry’s scholarship, the manners of Blackwood Academy wasn’t just envy—it was vibrating with speculation.

The scholarship boy, the exile’s son, the rogue-born Henry… had somehow become inseparable from the principal.

At first, no one dared speak it aloud, students simply watched. They saw the way Principal lingered near Henry longer than with anyone else. How Henry was summoned to his office more often than the prefects were. How the man’s eyes softened whenever Henry was around. And then, the murmurs began.

By lunch break, they had transformed into wildfire.

“Have you seen them together? Like, really together?” one girl whispered, her eyes wide as she leaned across the cafeteria table.

“I saw it. Yesterday. He walked Henry out of the library himself, smiling. He never smiles at anyone,” another replied, lowering her voice but failing to hide the excitement.

Across the room, a group of boys snickered. “Rogue boy’s found himself a daddy. That’s how he’s climbing so fast.”

The cruel words made Henry stiffen, though he kept his eyes on his tray. He had learned, in the human world, that silence was sometimes stronger than anger. But still, each mocking laugh cut deep.

The whispers followed him everywhere—in the corridors, on the sports field, even in the classrooms where teachers hesitated whenever the Principal’s name came up. It wasn’t long before rumors spilled beyond the school gates, carried into the town that surrounded Blackwood Academy.

By the third week, the townsfolk were murmuring, too. Shopkeepers leaned across counters, speaking in hushed tones. Mothers waiting at bus stops exchanged knowing looks.

“Have you heard? That scholarship boy—Henry. The principal’s taken quite the interest in him.”

“Interest? More like obsession.”

“Can’t be right. That boy’s trouble. Everyone remembers where he came from.”

Henry bore it all with a straight face, but inside, something twisted.

He had fought for this—this chance at peace, at education, at a future. And yet the shadows of his past clung to him like thorns, dragging whispers of exile into every step he took. Worse, he could feel the Principal’s protective shield tightening around him day by day. The man would smile, encourage him, push him forward—but also hold him back, refusing to let anyone else draw too close.

Including the one person Henry wanted answers from.

That night, as Henry sat on his bed in their apartment the principal, Adrian had arranged for him, his thoughts replayed the earlier confrontation in the principal’s office.

“You’re not ready,” the principal had said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Henry’s fists clenched. “But he’s the Alpha. The restored Alpha himself wants to speak to me. Don’t I deserve to hear why? Don’t I deserve to know the truth about my exile?”

The principal’s face had softened, but his jaw remained tight. “The pack world destroyed your mother. They’ll destroy you too if you step back before you’re ready. Let me protect you. Just… until you graduate.”

It should have comforted Henry. Instead, it felt like another prison.

The next morning, the whispers turned to open stares.

He walked into the classroom, and silence fell. Heads turned, lips curled, eyes darted. Someone muttered, “Teacher’s pet,” and another added, “No, the principal’s pet.” Laughter followed.

Henry set his jaw, sat down, and opened his book. But the words swam. He could feel every pair of eyes burning holes into his skin.

By lunchtime, things had gone too far.

“Hey, scholarship boy.” A tall senior blocked his path, smirking as his friends closed in around Henry. “Tell us, what’s it like? Having the principal wrapped around your finger?”

Henry said nothing. He tried to push past, but the boy shoved him back.

“Or maybe it’s the other way around, huh? You warming his bed for those good grades?”

The laughter that followed was cruel. Henry’s chest tightened. Rage burned, but he forced himself to stay calm. If he lost control—if he let even a hint of his wolf side slip—it would prove every rumor right.

“Move,” Henry begged, he whispered low.

The boy grinned wider, ready to push further—but before he could, a voice cut through the cafeteria.

“That’s enough.”

Everyone froze. The Principal stood at the doorway, his eyes cold, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud. The bullies shrank back instantly, muttering excuses as they retreated.

Henry stood there, fists trembling at his sides, knowing exactly what would come next: another wave of whispers. Another day of gossip, and another reason for the world to see him not as Henry—but as Principal Adrian’s boy.

That evening, as Henry stared at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn’t just the exile’s son anymore. He wasn’t just the scholarship boy. He was a spectacle, a scandal waiting to unfold.

And somewhere deep down, a terrifying question whispered:

What if this was the principal’s plan all along?

Because Henry had noticed something, something the rest of the school hadn’t.

Whenever the principal spoke of the Alpha who wanted to see him, there was a flicker in his eyes. Not fear, not doubt but rivalry and possession.

The man wasn’t just protecting Henry.

He was keeping him.

The next day, the gossip reached a boiling point.

Teachers whispered in the staff room, parents demanded answers from the board and the Alpha himself sent a formal letter, requesting a private audience with Henry at the weekend.

The Principal secrei burned the letter.

Henry saw the ashes in the bin.

That night, someone slipped a note under Henry’s door. No signature. Just three words written in a hurried hand:

“Meet me. Midnight.”

And inside it, a location.

The old church at the edge of the town.

Henry’s pulse raced, he didn’t know if it was the Alpha, a student, or someone else entirely. But he knew one thing—

His life was about to change again.