Chapter 8

Madeline’s POV

“First day in the academy, and you’re already sparring right after the night I aided your wounds, really?” Mara, the pack doctor, sarcastically greeted me as I entered the infirmary.

For some reason, I wasn’t imprisoned in that tiny barracks now, but it still was my room. And I’m now officially enrolled in the academy, as per Keiran’s orders. What exactly was running through his mind was something I couldn’t comprehend.

On the bright side, hiding in here wasn’t a bad idea either. After all, where else was the best place to hide but in a place where everyone least expected I’d be?

Sitting down on the bed, I removed my hoodie. “Tell that to you, Alpha,” I snarked.

“Oh, wow! That’s one hell of a strike. Who did it?” she asked with a scrunched-up face after I removed my shirt to show the claw mark on my shoulder on top of my previous injury after Jaxon clutched it.

I replied flatly, “Jaxon.”

Her hands halted from cleaning my wound, looking at me in shock. “Jaxon? He’s the top of the trainees who applied as a warrior. You’re lucky he didn’t kill you today.”

A scoff followed by a snarky laugh left my lips. “He sure did try. He wasn’t so lucky, though.”

She leaned back, looking at me, taken aback, but amusement glinted in her eyes. “Okay… you got guts, girl. I'll give you that.”

We shared a small laugh, but I hissed when she applied a cold ointment on my wound that stung way more than normal ones.

“What was that?”

Letting out a laugh, she shook her head as she gestured for me to put my clothes back on, which I happily did. “You’re not from here, are you? I’m familiar with most of the members, but it’s my first time seeing you, and you’re in the barracks when you’re not even a warrior.”

I stood up and shrugged. “I have nowhere else to go. Fortunately or not, your alpha let me stay in here.”

Her face turned serious, and she was looking at me thoughtfully. “Whatever it is you’re running from, Demonmaw is no safe haven. Watch your back.”

My eyes narrowed. How cruel could this place be that even the people inside themselves see it as no safe haven?

I tried to shrug it off instead. I’m here right now, so all I could do was live with it until I finally escaped. “Maybe that’s what I need. A little adventure,” I joked instead.

Putting down her tools, she turned sharply at me. “That stubborn attitude of yours will get you killed faster than Jaxon’s fist.”

“Thanks, doc,” I lightly said as I walked out the door, but she called back again.

“For real, watch your back.”

Smiling lightly, I replied seriously this time. “I always do.”

After half a week, my injuries were all completely healed. I wanted to say everything was going fine, but that would be far from the truth. As Mara said, I had to watch my back because there was no safe haven in this place.

Being an Alpha, Keiran was the head instructor in the academy, followed by his Beta, Ted, and many other high-ranking members.

To say they were cruel in training would be an understatement. I think calling this academy hell would be a better fit with these instructors than the demons.

They made every trainee’s life a living hell. Eighteen hours of training, half of which was spent in combat sparring, and the others were other skill training where we had to listen to the instructors' constant picking.

I walked in the hallway of the academy with my hands in my pocket, minding my own business as I headed to the gym, only to face countless stars and murmurs coming my way.

“That’s her, isn’t she?”

“She beat Jaxon? I don’t believe it!”

“I heard it’s a fluke.”

“That’s the only explanation.”

I halted and looked around, but they didn’t stop talking. Across the hallway, right at the corner, near the lockers, was Jaxon leaning on the wall and talking to the others, but his eyes met mine, and a smirk played on his lips.

So, it was his doing.

If he thought spreading rumours about me would get under my skin, it was his unlucky day. He didn’t know where I came from. I live in rumours that are far worse than this.

With my head held high, I continued walking, pushing the glass doors of the gym open like I owned the place.

Not minding the several people who looked my way from my entrance, I went straight to the boxing gloves and started wrapping my knuckles.

“You’ve got some nerve acting like you belong here.” A woman hissed, making my movement halt as I looked up to face a blue-eyed girl with very short blonde hair.

She was leaning on the equipment rack with her arms crossed over her shoulder and judgment in her eyes.

Gritting my teeth, I continued wrapping my hands and putting on the gloves. “I’m not here to impress you.”

Standing properly, she nodded and smirked, “Good, because you’re going to have to prove you’re more than just lucky.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her cocky tone. “Is this your way of challenging me?”

Leaning closer, she stared into my eyes and firmly dictated, “Tomorrow. Noon. Don’t be late.”