The "public" phase of the Academy’s transition was the most dangerous tightrope they had walked yet. While the Senator was contained, the student body—composed of the most high-strung, pheromone-sensitive Alphas in the world—remained a pack of wolves. The "Alpha-Flood" bypass Thalynn had taken for the ceremony had left his system volatile. His hormones were fluctuating wildly, and the permanent bond with Lucian, while stabilizing, had made his scent a rich, deep lure that even the most powerful dampener struggled to contain. The lecture hall was a steep amphitheater of steel and glass. Professor Hauer, a veteran Alpha with a nose like a bloodhound, was dissecting the failed logistics of the Border Wars. Thalynn sat in his usual spot, three rows back. Today, the heat in the room was stifling. His skin felt too tight, and his vision was swimming. A sudden, sharp spike of pure Jasmine—the raw, unmasked scent of an Omega in dis
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