Six

KAMARI POV

That thought lasted exactly three seconds.

“Next!” another official barked.

I blinked, forcing my attention away from Commander Silas and back to the line moving around me.

Don’t look at him again, I told myself, but I looked anyway.

He was already speaking quietly to the official who had taken my name. Whatever he said made the man’s face pale. The official nodded several times before hurriedly returning to his ledger.

A strange feeling settled in my stomach.

Had they reacted because of my surname… Or because of him?

“Walder!” the official shouted

I jumped. “Y-yes?”

“Your registration token.” The official held out a small bronze medallion engraved with the number 317.

“Dormitory Three. East Wing.”

I accepted it with a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Proceed through those doors.”

I nodded and hurried away before anyone could stop me again. The moment I stepped through the towering doors, the noise of the registration hall faded behind me.

In front of me stretched an enormous courtyard packed with hundreds of first-years.

Some laughed confidently. Others looked just as terrified as I felt. Somewhere among them was Davin. If I could find him… Maybe here wouldn’t feel quite so frightening after all.

A loud horn echoed across the courtyard before I had the chance to look for Davin.

Every conversation came to an abrupt stop.

A tall man dressed in Wolfstone black stepped onto the stone platform overlooking the courtyard.

“All first-years are to report to the Great Hall immediately. Leave your belongings where instructed and take your seats. The welcoming ceremony will begin shortly.”

A wave of nervous murmurs spread through the crowd.

“Come on,” someone muttered behind me.

Hundreds of us began following the stone pathway leading toward the largest building in the Academy. My eyes wandered everywhere as we walked. Towering statues of winged wolves stood on either side of the path, their stone eyes fixed on the students passing beneath them. Above us, several bonded beasts soared through the sky with riders on their backs, disappearing beyond the mountain peaks before returning.

I couldn’t stop staring.

One day…  The thought slipped into my mind before I could stop it.

No. There would never be a beast waiting for me.

The realization settled like a stone in my chest as I lowered my eyes and followed everyone inside.

The Great Hall was even larger than the registration hall. Rows of stone seats curved around a raised platform at the front, already filling with first-years from every territory. Some students laughed loudly as though this were the beginning of an adventure. Others sat quietly, their faces pale with fear.

I chose a seat near the middle, hoping not to draw attention to myself.

The room buzzed with conversations until the enormous doors at the front opened.

Silence swept through the hall. Every student rose to their feet. I followed a second later, looking toward the front.

Commander Silas Alindor walked in. Several commanders followed behind him, but somehow they faded into the background.

He didn’t. There was something about the way he carried himself that demanded attention without asking for it. Calm. Confident. Dangerous.

His blue eyes swept across the hall once before he stepped onto the platform. “Sit.”

His voice wasn’t raised, yet every person in the hall obeyed instantly.

I sat too, my pulse quickening for reasons I didn’t understand. Silas rested both hands behind his back, his gaze moving over the hundreds of faces before him.

“Welcome to Wolfstone,” he said. “You’ve all heard the stories about this place.”

A few students exchanged uncertain glances.

“Some of them are true.”

A ripple of uneasy laughter spread through the hall before quickly dying away.

“The purpose of Wolfstone has never changed. You weren’t summoned here because of your family name, your wealth, or the title your parents carry. You are here because the Moon has given you a chance to prove yourselves worthy of becoming a legacy of elite warriors.”

His eyes swept across the room again. “Whether you leave here with a bonded beast… or leave at all… depends entirely on you.”

The hall became so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat. I had a terrible feeling that coming to Wolfstone had been the biggest mistake of my life.

Except… It had never been my choice.

Commander Silas let the silence settle over the hall before speaking again.

“There is one thing every one of you needs to understand before your training begins.”

He turned slightly, gesturing toward the enormous crest carved into the wall behind him. Five silver wings spread beneath the image of a winged wolf.

“Wolfstone is divided into five Wings.”

My attention shifted to the crest.

“The First Wing is our elite combat division. They are the strongest fighters this Academy produces. They lead the front lines when war comes.”

Several recruits sat a little straighter.

“The Second Wing specializes in reconnaissance, intelligence, and tracking. They gather information long before the enemy knows we’re there.”

“The Third Wing consists of our riders.”

A murmur swept through the hall.

“The Moon does not bless every Lycan with an Ancient Beast. Those who are chosen train. Rider and beast fight as one.”

I couldn’t help looking toward the windows, remembering the massive winged creatures soaring above the mountains.

“The Fourth Wing serves as the Guardians of the realm. They defend our territories, our borders, and this Academy.”

Silas’s voice remained calm. “I command the third Wing.”

No one seemed surprised.

Of course he did. Everything about him screamed leader.

“And finally…” His gaze moved across the hall.

“The Fifth Wing.” A smile tugged at my lips. “The healers.”

Relief washed over me. Finally. Something that made sense.

“The Fifth Wing keeps every other Wing alive. Never mistake compassion for weakness. A healer who cannot remain calm in battle is useless.”

I almost laughed.

That’s me.

That’s where I belonged.

Silas stepped aside.

Five men and women walked onto the platform, each wearing a different silver insignia pinned to the collar of their black uniforms.

“The Wing Leaders.”

He introduced them one after another.

“First Wing Leader, Commander Rowan Ashcroft.”

A broad-shouldered man with cropped blond hair inclined his head.

“Second Wing Leader, Captain Davin Reid.”

My heart skipped.

Davin.

Even from where I sat, I’d recognize that warm smile anywhere.

He looked older than I remembered, broader across the shoulders, his brown hair slightly longer than before, but his gentle eyes hadn’t changed.

A smile crept onto my face before I could stop it.

He’s really here.

“The fourth Wing Leader, Commander Cami  Voss.”

A tall woman with silver eyes stepped forward.

“The third Wing.” Silas didn’t bother introducing himself again.

He simply nodded once.

“And Fifth Wing Leader, Master Healer Elara Thorne.” An older woman dressed in deep green gave us a welcoming smile.

Silas stepped back to the center.

“You will  not be  assigned to a Wing based on your preference.”

The smile disappeared from my face. “You will be  assigned according to the Academy’s assessment of your potential.”

My stomach tightened. “The names I call will report immediately to their Wing Leader.”

A scroll was placed into his hand.

He broke the seal. The hall fell silent.

“Adrian Cross. First Wing.”

A young man stood and hurried toward the front.

“Lyra Vance. Fifth Wing.”

The healers were being called. One after another, names echoed through the hall.

Every time someone was called to the Fifth Wing, my shoulders relaxed a little more.

Any minute now. “Kamari Walder.”

I stood.

“Third Wing.”The world stopped.

My smile vanished.  Surely… I’d heard him wrong.

Third Wing?

No. No, there had to be a mistake.

I was a healer. I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the Riders… I'm wolfless; I could get caught or worse die.