“Fuck you, Luka!” She finally managed to rip herself away from him and ran toward the door. I moved toward her, but she yanked it open before I could stop her—only to freeze when she saw someone standing right outside. I looked over her head and caught sight of Lenora, standing motionless in the doorway, her expression surprised. She took a step back, eyes darting between my sister and me. “I… I’m sorry. I was just about to knock.” My gaze latched onto Lenora, scanning for any signs that she might be hurt. There were none—except her hair was distinctly unbound, like someone had run their hands through it. My jaw clenched. My wolf stirred, irritated by the sight. Sophie’s body tensed. Before she could pounce on the professor, I grabbed her arms and gently pushed her toward Luka. “We’ll talk later.” She parted her lips, maybe to scream at me or curse again, but I would never know. I walked out and slammed the door behind me, leaving only Lenora and me in the hallway. “I’m sorry,”
“And that will be all for today,” I said cheerfully, much to the relief of everyone seated in the lecture hall. “Make sure to read pages eight through twenty-five of your textbooks before our next class. I expect active participation.”The sighs of relief quickly turned into tormented groans.“Professor, I lost my textbook…” a student piped up over the grumbles, batting his eyelashes at me in an exaggerated display of innocence. “May I be exempt from the discussion?”“You can borrow one from the library, or you can borrow mine,” I replied pleasantly, extending my textbook as he passed.He grumbled and took it, much to the amusement of the rest of the class.A small smile crept onto my lips but faded just as quickly when a certain golden-eyed student walked past my desk.Elijah.The moment of hesitation stretched between us before I called out, “Elijah North, please wait. I want to have a word with you.”He froze mid-step. His friends—most of them grinning—nudged him as they left, maki
“…and now, on your father’s orders, my responsibility. Of course, I was worried about your absence.” I had to get out of there. I didn’t even remember walking out of the lecture hall—only that my body moved on instinct, carrying me as far from Lenora as possible. Now, standing in the middle of the hallway, I braced myself against the cold wall, pressing my hand over my mouth as my breath came in shaky bursts. Fuck. What the hell was that? My reaction had been completely irrational—volatile. Lenora hadn’t even said anything that should have set me off. It was just a simple statement. But the moment she mentioned my father and called me a “responsibility,” something inside me snapped. It was like a switch flipped, and I’d lost all control. I couldn’t even begin to untangle the mess of emotions swirling inside me. At the time, everything had been in a haze. But now that I was far enough from her, my wolf had retreated, and clarity had hit me like a brick. “Elijah!” Luka’s vo
“I’m so sorry… Marcus, please, please,” my voice was small—so small—as I pleaded, but my words fell on deaf ears. Before I could say anything else, a sharp blow struck the side of my face, sending me sprawling onto the marble floors.Around me, the party went silent. The music stopped. The crowd of dancing guests stilled, and all eyes turned to the center of the room—where Marcus and I were.I kept my gaze on the floor as the throbbing pain in my cheek intensified, swelling rapidly.“Didn’t I tell you never to call me by my name? It’s Alpha Marcus to you, filthy bitch,” he sneered. Then, without hesitation, he slammed the sole of his boot into my ribs. I crumpled with a sharp gasp, my arms wrapping around my aching torso.He had struck the same spot as last time. And with the Millow Root in my system, I wasn’t healing as quickly as I should have.Or at all.The pain was enough to jolt my wolf to life—briefly. A small growl of anger escaped her inwardly before she faded again, her pres
“For the goddess’s sake! You’d think I was grading the work of kindergarten students, not college seniors!” Morgan exclaimed, leaning back in her chair with an exasperated sigh. I smiled and took a sip of my coffee—extra milk, very little sugar. We were at one of the cafes she had mentioned the first day we met—one of the few that wasn’t overflowing with grouchy older professors. After spending nearly a week here and accidentally walking into Tatianna’s Tarts—the cafe across the street that was the complete opposite—I was beginning to see the importance of that distinction. The sun had barely risen, so the cafe was mostly empty. The few people who were here were professors from other faculties, trying to get their morning coffee while squeezing in some last-minute grading or reviewing material for their upcoming classes. “I still don’t understand why you refuse to get a teaching assistant,” I said, eyeing the large stack of assignments in front of her. “It’d significantly reduce y
I replayed my interaction with Elijah more times than was probably decent. It was easy to lose myself in the coziness of the café—the quiet hum of conversation, the rich aroma of coffee, the illusion of a temporary escape. But as more people filtered in—groggy students rushing for their morning caffeine fix, their chatter growing louder—the peaceful atmosphere dissolved. Taking it as my cue to leave, I finished the last sip of my drink and gathered my things. After exchanging polite greetings with a few students who recognized me, I stepped outside and began the short walk to campus. The crisp morning air helped clear my head, but my thoughts remained tangled in the memory of that fleeting moment with Elijah. Just as I reached the manicured campus grounds, my phone buzzed with an email from the Head of my Department, summoning the faculty for an impromptu meeting before classes began. With a sigh, I changed course toward the faculty lounge, already bracing myself for what awaited
Morgan tried to cheer me up after that disaster of a meeting, and though I forced a grin, the look on her face made it painfully clear that I wasn’t fooling her.I didn’t want to talk about it, though. What was there to say? That, in some way, they were right about me? That I didn’t belong here, that I had no right to? Morgan would disagree, of course—but only because she didn’t know the truth.She didn’t know I was here because I had asked Victor to give me something to do—something other than being his tool.I hadn’t slept with anyone to get this job, but I’d sold myself all the same.Maybe asking Victor for this was a mistake. I’d come here with some misplaced hope that I could fit in, carve out a new life among people I thought were like me—people who loved knowledge, who loved sharing it.But every day I spent at this school, I realized more and more that I had been wrong.By the time my morning classes ended, I was relieved. Five grueling hours of trying to cram information into
Football practice was going as well as one could expect. So far, I’d only dropped the ball twice, and Coach Burke had only yelled at me three times—two less than yesterday.Progress, I guess?“North! What are you doing?!” Coach Burke’s voice boomed across the field, the veins in his neck bulging with frustration.Make that four times. At this rate, we might even surpass yesterday’s record. No progress, then.“Sorry, Coach!” I called back for the umpteenth time.Maybe I should’ve skipped practice today, like I had been doing ever since I lost the game two weeks ago. But after a strongly worded text from Coach Burke two days ago—chock full of typos and not-so-idle threats to kick me off the team—I figured I’d run from the consequences of my actions long enough. If I stayed away any longer, he might’ve dragged me here by the hair.I had to face my teammates at some point. Avoiding them was cowardly. We had a game in about a month, and I’d convinced myself I could redeem myself in their e
I drove home in silence, the weight of last night pressing down on me like a boulder. The streets were empty, washed in the dull glow of streetlights, but my mind was anything but. It was a mess of fragmented memories, guilt gnawing at me with every turn of the wheel.After leaving the room—leaving them—I hadn’t even stopped to think. I just needed to get out, needed to be anywhere but there. The feel of Sarah’s skin still clung to mine like filth, and no matter how many times I wiped my palms against my jeans, I still felt unclean.My head throbbed, a dull pounding at the base of my skull, and my stomach churned with a mixture of exhaustion, nausea, and shame. I barely remembered the drive itself—just the sharp focus on the road, on getting home. On getting away.By the time I pulled up to my apartment, my hands were shaking against the steering wheel. I exhaled sharply, resting my forehead against it for a brief second before forcing myself to move. Just get inside. Shower. Figure o
I only remembered bits and pieces of yesterday.Whatever drugs I took, they were strong enough to wipe most of it clean. The entire day was a blur—just short gaps, fragmented bursts of sound, movement and images slipping through my mind like sand through my fingers.I remembered Friday morning. That part was clear. My only class, then heading back to train with my father. Another mission. An interrogation.There had been someone—someone we’d caught. I couldn’t remember who, or what they did, but I remembered the room. The heavy scent of sweat, blood, and fear clinging to the walls. My father’s voice, low and cold, as he demanded answers. The sharp crack of bone snapping. The sound of a man’s screams ringing in my ears. I remember him pleading. And I remembered myself. Standing there, watching. My stomach twisting. My hands clenched so tightly that my nails dug into my palms.I don’t remember what he did to them in the end. If they lived or died. I didn’t remeber if I’d joined in, I
I found him near the back of the room.Elijah was sprawled out on a couch, surrounded by a crowd of students talking and jeering, bodies leaning into each other in drunken familiarity.But my gaze was fixed on him. His head was tipped back, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips. His shirt was rumpled, his pupils blown wide, and from the dazed look in his eyes, he was completely out of his mind.And Sarah was stretched out across his lap.She draped herself over him like she belonged there, her fingers trailing across his chest, nails skimming the exposed skin at the base of his throat. She whispered something low and teasing, and Elijah let out a slow chuckle, his hand coming up to rest on her hip.My throat tightened. Irritation surged through me—hot, possessive, irrational. I tamped it down, forcing myself to focus, but before I could move, someone spotted me.A whistle pierced the air.Laughter followed. Heads turned. And then Elijah’s gaze landed on me.He stared for a moment, blinking
After assuring Morgan that I was fine—and mostly unaffected by what I dismissed as a childish attempt to rattle me—she reluctantly let it go. She muttered one last string of curses for the “unfortunate bastards who thought they were funny” before heading home.I watched her go, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the tension still coiled in my chest. I wasn’t used to having someone stand up for me so openly, to have someone express their anger for me instead of at me.The only person who had ever looked out for me before was Jessie. But even then, her concern had always been cautious, hidden beneath careful words and fleeting glances. Our friendship had been something fragile, something that could only exist in stolen moments—moments when we were sure Marcus or his people weren’t watching, when we knew we wouldn’t be punished for it.Outside those moments, Jessie could only watch with pitying eyes as I was yanked around and abused.Long after Morgan had left, I remained at my des
This might be the longest week of my life.The days dragged by, each one slower than the last, as I counted down to Saturday. Every morning, I woke with the same thought: One day closer. And every night, as I lay awake staring at the ceiling, the same questions turned over in my mind. How was Victor planning to get Jessie out? Would he even follow through? And what would he want from me once he did?I was relieved he’d agreed to help—I had no other options, and I knew that without him, Jessie’s fate was sealed. But that relief was laced with unease, a steady undercurrent of anxiety that never fully left me. I owed him too much already. The only reason I was still here, still breathing, was because of him. How much more would he demand?I could imagine the possibilities. Maybe he’d ask me to keep an even closer watch on Elijah, to report on more than just his grades. Maybe he’d expect me to use my position, to influence people on his behalf. Or maybe it would be something worse—somethi
I decided to call in sick for the next three days while I figured everything out.Technically, it wasn’t a lie—I was sick. Sick to my stomach, staring at the picture of Jessie, bruised, battered, and covered in blood. I stared at it for a long time, as if, if I just kept looking, the image would shift, distort—until suddenly, I’d realize it wasn’t really her.But no matter how long I sat in the middle of my living room, gripping my phone so tightly my fingers ached, the picture never changed. If anything, the longer I stared, the more I became convinced that the woman in the image was Jessie. And the sicker I felt.I tried texting the number back several times, but none of my messages went through. The number was private, untraceable—I couldn’t call it, nor could I get someone else to track it.I was lost.And after exhausting every option I could think of, I realized I had only two left.One: I could give up, return to Marcus, and face whatever punishment he had waiting for me.Or tw
I spent the entirety of the day before high as a fucking kite, which meant I’d woken up this morning with a splitting headache and a mouth as dry as sandpaper. But still, by six a.m., I was up and ready for today’s bout of succession training—which included a sparring session with Luka and an “opportunity” to sit in on a council meeting. Or, as I liked to call it, a front-row seat to corruption in HD.The council was meant to be a system of checks and balances, a governing body that ensured the Alpha and Luna didn’t wield absolute power. In theory, they were supposed to be the voice of the people, holding leaders accountable, ensuring justice. But that only worked when the council wasn’t rotten to its core.Most of them were deep in my father’s pocket, their loyalty bought with power, fear, or the simple promise of indulgence. They turned a blind eye to his worst atrocities, some even partaking in them. I’d seen their faces at his events, standing in the shadows, sipping expensive whi
“Alright, that’s it for today,” I announced, closing my textbook with a decisive snap. The room filled with the familiar sounds of rustling papers and scraping chairs as students gathered their things. I let out a small breath of relief, it was a miracle in and of itself that I’d managed to complete today’s class without passing out in fatigue. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, my thoughts had been occupied by a certain golden-eyed Alpha Prince and the bruises that marred his body. I let my gaze sweep across the room and found him in the same place he sat in yesterday. A front seat, tucked away in the corner of the class, like the others he was shoving his materials back into his book bag. Unlike the others, his movements were just a little bit jerky, a small indicator of the horrifying wounds hidden beneath his sweater. I gave myself a moment this time, trying to figure out what my actions would look like to him. But no matter how I tried to push it aside, my actions s
And then, without another word, he turned sharply on his heel and stormed out of the cafeteria. No one moved. No one spoke. I didn’t realize I had already made my decision until I was already on my feet. Morgan shot me a look, but she didn’t say anything as I grabbed my bag and followed. — “Elijah!” My voice rang through the empty hallway, but he didn’t stop. If anything, he picked up his pace. I hurried after him, weaving past stray students lingering near their lockers, my heartbeat quickening as the distance between us grew. He was fast—too fast. It was like he didn’t even hear me, or maybe he just didn’t care. “Elijah, wait!” I nearly tripped as I rounded a corner, my breath coming in short bursts. My pulse pounded in my ears as I caught sight of him again, but then— He was gone. I skidded to a stop, scanning the empty corridor. Silence pressed down around me, thick and suffocating. For a moment, I thought I’d lost him completely. And then I felt it—something subtle, a