All Chapters of First Female Alpha : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Aria’s POVI froze. My hand was still on the cafeteria door, my mind doing that panicked thing where it short-circuits completely. Caspian Stormbane. Standing there, arms crossed, that smug, untouchable look plastered on his face, like he could see every secret I had and still laugh at me. And he was asking me… what pack I was from.Pack? Pack. Pack. My brain sputtered. I blinked a few times, trying to remember. Wait—my mother’s words… Silverclaw… Yes, Silverclaw.“Silverclaw,” I said, my voice coming out too loud, too confident, too perfect. Like I’d been rehearsing this line for years in front of the mirror.Caspian’s eyebrows lifted. That one eyebrow that somehow made him look like he was perpetually unimpressed. “Silverclaw,” he repeated, testing me. “And what position are you in your pack?”Oh. Right. “Heir. Sole heir.” My throat dried, but I managed a nod that was supposed to scream authority, dignity, and all those Alpha vibes. Which, considering I had no actual pack, felt absur

Aria’s POVThe Academy had its fair share of nonsense, but nothing and I mean nothing—prepared me for waking up to the Headmaster’s booming voice through the old, crackling speaker:“There will be no breakfast this morning. All students assemble in the Great Hall immediately for purification.”Purification? At dawn? My stomach cried betrayal before my brain even processed the words. I swear, whoever came up with this schedule was an enemy of food.By the time I dragged myself into the Great Hall, the entire room smelled like incense and burning sage, mixed with sweat and cranky, hungry werewolves. A perfect recipe for disaster.“Stand in line, heirs,” the Headmaster barked, his robes swishing like he thought he was some kind of wizard. “Today, we cleanse the remnants of pride, anger, and rebellion.”Translation: we stand here, chant nonsense, and pretend the air feels lighter afterward.So there we were, fifty future Alphas humming, chanting, and inhaling smoke while an old priest wave

Aria’s POVThe morning started the way mornings always did in this cursed Academy—loud, annoying, and way too bright for my taste. I sat up on my bed, hair sticking out in every possible direction, and saw Caspian already dressed, boots polished like he was ready for battle. The guy was born ready, I swear.“You’re up late,” he said, like he hadn’t woken me up at least three times already just by existing too loudly.“Yeah, well, not all of us patrol the halls at night like paranoid guardsmen,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes.He didn’t reply, just gave me this look. That quiet, suspicious one that had been showing up more and more lately. He thought I didn’t notice, but please… I noticed. Caspian’s eyes always said more than his mouth, and right now, they said, I think you’re hiding something, Ari.Which, of course, I was. Just… not what he thought.We trudged down to breakfast, where the tables buzzed with whispers about last night’s “strange sounds.” Apparently, half the Academy though

Ari’s POVThe trial ended just as the sky outside was bleeding from black into gray. Nobody said a word when the headmaster dismissed us; we just scattered like survivors of a shipwreck. My legs carried me back to the dorm with Caspian at my side, though neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t comfortable, and it wasn’t angry either—it was that weird middle ground where your brain is still replaying everything at high speed and your mouth hasn’t caught up.I was busy telling myself not to think about the kiss. Which, of course, meant that’s all I could think about. His mouth, the way my stupid body reacted before my brain could scream “bad idea,” and the fact that Caspian Stormborne of all people was now imprinted on my nervous system.But no. Absolutely not. If my life depended on it, I was never going to replay that scene in my head again. Ever.We’d barely gotten into the room when Caspian finally opened his mouth. His voice was so abrupt, I almost dropped my boots.“In case you s

Caspian’s POVThe afternoon sun slanted through the Academy’s tall windows, sharp and almost accusatory, as if it knew exactly how terrible my life choices had been up to this point. I should’ve been enjoying the calm after the chaos of last night’s trial, basking in the sweet relief of wards stabilized and students alive. Instead, my thoughts had latched onto one thing and one thing only: the hairpin.That blasted hairpin.I remembered clearly giving it to Riven as a gift last month, a token of appreciation for being competent, loyal, and not completely insufferable. Stormborne House prized loyalty above all else, and I had thought, in my infinite wisdom, that Riven deserved a little recognition. I never imagined that this tiny piece of metal could end up causing chaos for Ari—or worse, raising suspicions about me.Now, every time I thought about it, my stomach twisted. I had to confront Riven before this snowballed into something catastrophic. Ari already had suspicions. Ari’s suspi