SAGE POV.I have always wanted to find my mate but now was not the time nor the place, especially not with him. Alpha Roman had been rumored to be a man of principle and if he was he felt the bond, then… could he tell I was a girl?If he did, I was done for.The academy would throw me out. Worse, my stepmother would drag me home, and my father would stand by and let her marry me off to that old arrogant man.I was so lost in my thought that I did not realise we were now standing in Roman’s room.“What’s wrong with you?” Roman asked. I instinctively crossed my arms across my chest, I had wrapped my small boobs under many layers of bandage.but I used my hands as protection in case I had not conceal my breast enough. “Nothing,” I frowned. “You are blushing,” he said, arching his eyebrow. I choked on air. “Wh—what?”Roman leaned against the bedpost watching me like a predator.Seconds passed, but he didn’t say anything. No mention of the bond. No sign that he felt it. Maybe he could t
SAGE POV. I stood near the cafeteria entrance, holding my food tray while scanning the place. Every table was filled except for Roman’s. He sat alone at the far end of the hall, casually twirling a knife between his fingers as he glared at me. It was as if he was making it clear that no one was welcome to sit beside him. But I wasn’t stupid enough to want to sit with him—not after he threw me out of our room, and definitely not after the way he had been watching me since I walked in.I swallowed hard, shifting my tray. Shit. Where do I sit?Then, out of nowhere, someone called out.“Oi! New kid!”I turned toward the direction of the sound to see a blond boy waving at me.He scooted closer to his friend, tapping the empty space on the bench between them. “C’mon, before you embarrass yourself standing there.” I hesitated for half a second before heading toward them.“Thanks,” I muttered, sliding onto the bench.The moment I sat down, their scents hit me. Alphas. Both of them.The b
RUBY JUNE. The arena was packed, the crowd murmuring in excitement, their eyes fixated on the center where Bruno and I stood. The announcer’s voice echoed through the space, hyping up the fight as if it were some grand spectacle instead of a battle for life, for the future of the pack. Bruno stood across from me, his lips curled into a sneer, every muscle in his body oozing arrogance. He puffed his chest out, pacing slowly in a circle, his eyes gleaming with malice. “You can still back down, Charles,” Bruno said, his voice mocking. “I mean, we all know how this is going to end, don’t we? It would be far less shameful to watch you crawl away now, rather than watch your son die shamelessly at my mercy.”I felt my blood boil at his words, but I bit back the anger, trying to keep my focus. He was baiting me, trying to get inside my head, and I couldn’t afford that.The announcer stepped back, and the bell rang to signal the start of the fight.In an instant, we both shifted into our wo
Despite what Kelvin had said, Ruth did not betray me. I knew he was just playing a sick mind game, trying to make me doubt our friendship. But what’s stronger than one person standing against bad leadership? Two people united against it.The past couple of days at school had been calm—no students chasing us or trying to harm us. I hated to admit it, but it was all thanks to Kelvin. Somehow, he had managed to convince his cruel brother to leave us alone. Still, I doubted his brother would let me off so easily. His glaring eyes tracked me every time I walked into school, like he was just waiting for the perfect moment to pounce and destroy me.What made it worse was that Ruth and I were constantly on edge. We flinched at every sudden movement, never fully trusting the quiet.But today, I refused to worry about anything else. Today was what every young mateless werewolf eagerly awaited—the Mating Ceremony.The ceremony, held once a year, was a magical event. Young adults who had recently
WILLIAM – POVI watched her from across the room.She hadn’t said much since I arrived—just a soft nod, a faint glance. Jasmine was curled up in the visitor’s chair by Elora’s hospital bed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself like she was holding in a scream. The lights above her flickered once, and she didn’t even flinch. She just sat there, unmoving, her eyes glued to the unconscious girl hooked to tubes and wires.I cleared my throat. “You should go home, Jas. You need rest.”She didn’t answer. Didn’t even blink.I tried again, softer this time. “You’ve been here for hours.”Still nothing.I crossed the room and crouched beside her chair. “She’s stable,” I said, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her cheek. Her skin felt warm, too warm.She finally looked at me, and I saw it—everything she wasn’t saying. The guilt. The fear. The exhaustion. “She hasn’t opened her eyes,” Jasmine whispered. “What if she never does?”“She will,” I said, with a conviction I didn’t fully fee
JASMINE – POVI woke up disoriented.It was dark again. The room felt heavy, like the air itself had thickened. I pushed the blanket off, but the cold didn’t bother me.My head ached, not from sickness, but from the weight of a dream I couldn’t quite remember—only flashes. A car. Screeching tires. Elora’s face, pale and limp in my arms. And then nothing. Blackness. Like my mind didn’t want me to see more.I sat up slowly, every bone protesting.Where was William?He had been beside me earlier—his arm draped loosely around my waist like a quiet promise. I hadn’t even meant to fall asleep. I’d only asked him to lie down, just until my chest stopped feeling like it would split open.But now I was alone.My fingers brushed the indent on the other side of the bed. Still warm.He hadn’t been gone long.I tried to breathe. Deep, steady.But guilt isn’t something you can exhale. It curls in your lungs and makes a home there.I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to forget the image of Elora on that