LOGINCaleb Once I am sure I will not run into any trainees still wandering around, I make my way toward June’s dorm. The campus is quiet now, the kind of quiet that only comes after curfew, when everyone knows better than to be out unless they have a reason. I stop in front of her door and knock lightly. For a second, there is nothing. Then I hear movement inside. A soft shuffle, like she is getting up from bed. A moment later, the door opens. She stands there, leaning against the frame, her hair messy in that way that makes it obvious she was lying down not long ago. It falls around her face without care, and for a second, I forget why I am here. “What?” she asks, like she did not just open the door looking like that. “Ain’t you happy to see your boyfriend?” I tease, watching her closely. That gets a reaction. It is small, but I catch it. The slight curl of her lips, the lift of her eyebrow. “Boyfriend, huh?” she says, crossing her arms. “Now we are boyfriend and girlfriend?” My
Caleb Jake’s place is quiet in a way that feels weird now because the twins are always creating havoc around here. But tonight they are at Anastasia’s parents’ place for a sleepover. I lean back against the couch, one arm resting along the back, as Jake tries to resolve a fight between the twins about whom he loves the most. Astrid and Kane called him because somehow they started fighting over him, and each of them is convinced that Jake loves them more. Lucas and I exchange a look, a smile forming on both our faces as we watch our brother struggle through this. Jake has the phone pressed to his ear, his expression caught somewhere between serious Alpha and completely helpless father. “No, I don’t love Astrid more,” he says, his tone firm but patient. Then he pauses, listening, and his brows pull together. “And I don’t love Kane more either.” From the other side, their tiny voices come through loud enough that even I can hear the chaos. It is a mix of half words, half baby sounds
Caleb The instinct hits hard the moment she kisses me back, my wolf surging forward with a force that nearly snaps whatever control I have left. It is not gentle. It is not patient. It is possessive in a way that runs deeper than thought, deeper than reason. Mine. The word echoes through me, sharp and unrelenting, and for a second, it is all I can hear. My hands tighten on her before I force them to loosen, my body pulling back just enough to create space, even though every part of me wants the opposite. I take a breath, slow and controlled, trying to push my wolf back, trying to remind myself where we are. Not here. Not like this. I look at her, at the way she stands there, unaware of the storm she just set off inside me, and something twists in my chest. Because she doesn’t know. That is the hardest part. Seeing her out there, earlier, laughing with Misha, standing among the others like she is just another recruit, unclaimed, untouched by what she actually is to me… it dri
JuneThe next morning, I am back in my dorm like nothing ever happened.Caleb made sure of it.He got me back inside without anyone noticing, moving through the Academy like he owns every shadow and every quiet corner. I did not ask how he does it. I just followed, trusting him without thinking twice.Before leaving, he made one thing clear.We keep this a secret.Until the training program ends.He explained it in a way that made sense, even if I did not care about most of it. If anyone finds out about us now, they will question Jake’s leadership. They will question the fairness of the Academy. They will assume I am getting special treatment.And that is something he will not allow.Once the program ends, once I prove myself through my own strength and ability, then it will not matter. Then no one will have a reason to question anything.I do not care about proving myself.I never have.I know what I am capable of. That has always been enough for me.But it matters to him.And for so
JuneMy eyes find Caleb’s again, and the way they darken sends something sharp through me. It is not fear. It is not hesitation. It is something else entirely, something that stirs low and deep, something that makes my chest tighten in a way I am not used to, making me shift slightly, making me want to step back and put some space between us.But I don’t get the chance.His grip tightens.Not enough to hurt, but enough to stop me completely. Enough to keep me right where I am as he pulls me even closer, like there is no distance left to close but he is still trying.“What did you just say?”His voice is low, carrying an intensity that makes my pulse pick up.“You heard me,” I reply, lifting my chin slightly, refusing to back down even as my heartbeat betrays me.“I just heard you claiming me,” he says, his lips curling into a slow, dangerous smirk that sends a thrill down my spine. “Is that so, June?”Something in me responds instantly.“Uh-huh.”I tilt my head up and close the small
JuneI sit with everything I have learned, letting it move through me in slow waves that refuse to settle. Faces pass through my mind one after another. People at the Academy. People I have seen almost every day these past few days. Now they do.Now every single face carries something else.They are like me.Wolves.The word still feels strange when I think it, even though it fits more than anything ever has. I try to recall if I ever noticed something off, something that set them apart from everyone else. A look, a movement, a feeling that did not belong.But there is nothing.They blended in so easily. Just like I did.Even Misha.That thought lingers longer than the others. I picture her face, the way she carries herself, the way she smiles like everything is simple. It does not match with what I know now, and yet it has to.The more I understand, the more everything seems to unravel into something bigger than I expected.Questions stack over each other, one after another, forming
AuroraLucas is instantly at my side before I can even process what’s happening. His hands are on my waist, and suddenly, my feet leave the ground.A startled yelp escapes my lips as he lifts me effortlessly and carries me toward the couch. My fingers clutch the front of his shirt on reflex, more o
AuroraJake tells me to go take a shower while they clean up. His tone is firm but kind, the kind that doesn’t really invite an argument. Of course, I argue anyway.“I can help,” I say, grabbing a towel to wipe the counter.Caleb snorts, already stacking bowls in the sink. “It’s not a big deal. W
AuroraThe sky is painted in shades of amber and violet, the kind of color that makes silence feel softer. The air smells faintly of pine and smoke drifting from somewhere far below. We’re sitting near the cliff’s edge, where the world stretches endlessly ahead. The wind moves through my hair, and
AuroraThe car slows before I even realize we’ve left the main road. The smooth stretch of asphalt fades into a dirt path, framed by tall trees that look like they’ve been standing there forever. Branches arch over us, forming a canopy that filters the fading sunlight into soft streaks of gold. The







