Chapter 31 ASHER Reed’s laugh still hung in the air, chilling and purposeful, when I made my decision. If I was going to do this, if I was really going to provoke Reed Jackson in front of half the Academy then I needed to commit completely. There would be no

Chapter 30 ASHER The next three days passed in a blur of anxiety and preparation. I took my last dose of suppressants Thursday morning, watching the clear liquid disappear into my bloodstream. By tomorrow night, which is the full moon, there would be nothing left to protect me, and my

Chapter 29 ASHER The announcement came during Monday morning assembly, and it felt like a death sentence. Dean Blackwood stood at the front of the great hall, his imposing Alpha presence commanding immediate silence from the hundreds of students packed into the space. “As many of you know,” he began,

Chapter 28 REED I was losing my fucking mind that was the only explanation for what was happening to me. I sat in my room with the windows open to let in the cool night air and I tried to focus on anything other than the gnawing, desperate need eating

Chapter 27 ASHER Something changed in Reed over the next week. I noticed it first in combat class on Monday morning. We were running drills, standard sparring exercises meant to hone reflexes and fighting techniques. I was paired with Julian, working through a series of defensive maneuvers, when I felt

Chapter 26 ASHER After my encounter with Julian and his friends, I have been doing everything I could to avoid him. Reed has warned me to disband the group or else there would be consequences and I have been too damn stubborn to disband something that gave me hope and

Chapter 25 ASHER The cafeteria buzzed with tension the next day. I could feel it the moment I walked in, the way conversations stopped, the way eyes tracked my movement, the weight of collective judgment pressing down on me from all sides. News traveled fast at Stone Claw Academy, and

Chapter 24 ASHER’S POV Running and avoiding Reed has become one my favorite hobbies since I came to Stone Claw Academy. I’d been avoiding Reed for three days. Three days of taking different routes to class, eating meals at odd hours, studying in hidden corners of the library where he

Chapter 23 ASHER I stood under the scalding spray of the shower, letting the water beat against my bruised skin. It had been a week since the Alphas attacked me. A week since Reed had saved me and then stood in the infirmary looking at me like I was both

Chapter 22 ASHER I’d been trying to leave for the past hour. Ms. Chen kept finding excuses to make me stay, my vitals needed another check, I should wait for the doctor’s official discharge, I needed to eat something before I could go. I knew what she was really doing,

Chapter 21 REED The abandoned building on the edge of Stone Claw Academy was perfect for what I had planned. Isolated, soundproof, and far enough from people that no one would hear the screaming. I stood in the center of the empty space, rolling my shoulders as I waited. Callum

Chapter 20 REED Three hours since Marcus left, but here I was, still laying in bed, and I still couldn’t get Asher out of my head. I still couldn’t get the confrontation in his room away from my mind. The denial even when I knew something was wrong and he

Chapter 19 ASHER The note had been waiting in my drawer like a coiled snake. ’Meet me on the rooftop after the last period. We need to talk. – R’ I’d stared at it for a full minute, my hands trembling as I held the small slip of paper. Reed,

Chapter 18 REED I sat in my room with my laptop open, staring at the screen with growing frustration. Asher Graham. The search results mocked me with their emptiness. No Pack registration, no family records, no social media presence beyond a fake Instagram account created three months ago with exactly

Chapter 17 REED I was furious, I’d been so close. So close to getting Asher to open up, to tell me what he was hiding, and he’d shut me out completely. I stormed back to my dorm, slamming the door hard enough to crack the frame. Callum was there, looking

Chapter 16 ASHER I knew Reed was following me, I wasn’t stupid. I had felt his presence, and caught glimpses of him in the shadows, but I’d needed to inject myself, and the storage room was the only private place I could think of. Now I was terrified he’d seen

Chapter 15 REED I watched Asher walk back to his dorm from my window, satisfaction warming my chest. He looked defeated and broken. Just the way I want him to always be. “That was harsh,” Callum said from behind me. “Even for you p> “It was necessary.” I turned away

Chapter 14 ASHER The harassment got worse… much worse. Reed wasn’t content with just humiliating me in public anymore. Now he was actively sabotaging my life at Stone Claw. My textbooks disappeared from my locker, and I’d find them later in the trash, pages torn out. My training equipment went

Chapter 13 REED I watched from the shadows as Asher’s little ally group dispersed from their secret meeting. Of course I knew about it. I knew everything that happened at Stone Claw Academy, nothing never seems to escape my watchful eyes, especially when I have someone like Callum beside me.

Chapter 12 ASHER My first day back to classes after the forest incident was a nightmare. Not because of the pain,though my ribs still ached with every breath but because of Reed Jackson. He was everywhere. In the cafeteria, he “accidentally” bumped into me hard enough to make me drop