Semua Bab Star-Crossed Wolves: Silver Moon Rising: Bab 21 - Bab 30

 POV: Bea Sharpe The sound of Bea's fists hitting the heavy bag echoed through the training facility at 0500 hours, just like it had every morning for the past eight years. Each punch was precise, controlled, deadly—the product of a lifetime spent learning that strength was the only currency that mattered in the Sharpe family legacy.Jab, cross, hook. Breathe. Again.The Colorado mountain air was thin and sharp, but Bea had been born at altitude. Her lungs were conditioned for the elevation, her body adapted to the harsh environment that had forged the supernatural world's most elite military pack. The Sharpe compound wasn't just home—it was a proving ground where weakness was identified and eliminated before it could become a liability."Your form is getting sloppy."Bea didn't stop punching as her mother's voice cut through the morning silence. Alpha General Patricia Sharpe had a talent for appearing w

 That evening, Bea found her father in his study, surrounded by the military histories and tactical manuals that had shaped his understanding of leadership and warfare. Colonel Marcus Sharpe looked up from his reading with the kind of tired smile that suggested long hours spent trying to balance his wife's intensity with his daughter's emotional needs."Heard about the Moonrise Academy acceptance," he said, gesturing for her to take the chair across from his desk. "How are you feeling about it?""Like I'm being shipped off to boarding school because I'm not tough enough for the family business," Bea replied with more bitterness than she'd intended.Marcus set down his book—a tactical analysis of leadership styles in high-stress environments—and gave his daughter his full attention. At forty-eight, he was still an imposing figure, but his Beta nature had allowed him to develop the kind of emotional intelligence that complemented Patricia's more direc

 One week later, during what was supposed to be a routine training exercise with junior cadets, Bea faced the moment that would define her departure to Moonrise Academy.The exercise was straightforward—a tactical simulation designed to test the younger wolves' ability to follow orders under pressure. Fifteen- and sixteen-year-old cadets navigating an obstacle course while senior pack members evaluated their performance and discipline.What wasn't straightforward was Sergeant Reynolds, a career military wolf who believed that teenagers needed to be "broken down before they could be built back up properly." His training methods were technically within regulation, but they pushed the boundaries of what could be considered appropriate discipline."Move faster, Mitchell!" Reynolds screamed at a sixteen-year-old cadet who was struggling with the rope climb. "Your pathetic performance is going to get your whole unit killed in real combat!"Bea watc

 Three days later, Ben discovered the full extent of his parents' academic manipulation while attempting to organize his records for Moonrise Academy enrollment. What started as a simple file review became a horrifying revelation about just how little of his educational success belonged to him.The evidence was all there in his father's meticulously organized filing system—invoices for "educational consulting services" that were actually bribes to admissions officers, contracts with "academic support specialists" who had taken his standardized tests, receipts for "tutoring programs" that were cover stories for systematic cheating.Eighteen years of academic fraud, documented and organized with the same careful attention to detail that William brought to every other aspect of his business empire.Ben sat in his father's home office, surrounded by proof that his entire educational career was a lie. The National Merit Scholarship that had made him feel

 The confrontation came the next evening, during what should have been a routine family dinner in the Archer mansion's formal dining room. The conversation started civilly enough—updates on Ben's packing progress, logistics for his departure to Moonrise Academy, final instructions about maintaining family dignity while at the elite institution.Then Ben made the mistake of asking a question that revealed just how much his parents' conversation at the country club had affected him."When I fail at Moonrise Academy," he said, cutting into his perfectly prepared steak with more force than necessary, "will that finally prove to you that I'm as mediocre as you think I am?"The silence that followed was sharp enough to cut glass. William set down his wine glass with careful precision, while Margaret's fork paused halfway to her mouth."I'm not sure what you're implying," William said carefully."I'm not implying anything. I'm directly asking