Chapter 11 ASHER Pain. That was the first thing I was aware of the moment I opened my eyes. Every part of my body hurt, a deep, throbbing ache that pulsed with each breath. My ribs felt like they were on fire, my face was swollen, and my head pounded.

Chapter 10 REED I couldn’t stop thinking about him, and it was driving me fucking insane. Asher Graham, the platinum blonde bastard who’d walked into Stone Claw Academy three days ago and turned my entire world upside down. I sat in my room, the largest single in the Alpha dormitory,

Chapter 9 ASHER Two hours later, I stood at the edge of Blackwood Forest with twenty other first-year students. Coach Maddox stood in front of us, holding a stack of maps and supply packs. “Listen up!” he barked. “The rules are simple. You’ve got until sunset to find three checkpoints

Chapter 8 ASHER I spent the next two days trying to avoid Reed Jackson as best as I could. It wasn’t easy. Stone Claw Academy wasn’t that big, and Reed seemed to be everywhere I turned. In the cafeteria, in the training yard, and in the hallways between classes. He

Chapter 7 ASHER I made it through the rest of the day by sheer force of will. Classes were a blur of pain and whispered conversations that stopped whenever I entered the room. Everyone was talking about the fight, about how Reed Jackson had destroyed the new kid who’d been

Chapter 6 ASHER The infirmary smelled like antiseptic and blood. I sat on the examination table, shirtless, while the Academy’s nurse, a stern Beta woman named Ms Chen, recorded my injuries with clinical efficiency. “Three cracked ribs,” she muttered, her fingers probing my side, and I winced. “Severe bruising across

Chapter 5 ASHER The combat arena was packed and filled with students. I stood in the tunnel leading to the ring, trying to control my breathing, trying to ignore the roar of the crowd. It felt like the entire Academy had turned out to watch this, to watch me get

Chapter 4 ASHER I didn’t sleep. How could I, when every time I closed my eyes I saw Reed’s face inches from mine, felt his breath on my skin, and remembered the heat of his body pressed against me? My roommate, a quiet Alpha named Marcus, who thankfully minded his

Chapter 3 ASHER My stomach was in knots as I followed the student messenger down the dimly lit hallway towards the Headmaster’s office. The ancient stone walls seemed to close in around me, and every shadow felt like it was watching and judging me. Less than four hours at Stone

Chapter 2 ASHER “Hey p> I turned to find Scott approaching, still dabbing at his split lip with his sleeve. Up close, he looked way younger than I thought, and a bile rose in my chest, hating Reed even more for haunting someone this fragile. “Thank you,” Scott said quietly,

Chapter 1 ASHER Stone Claw Academy had a look that suggested it had been built to intimidate. I stood at the iron gates, my duffel bag slung over my shoulder, and I stared up at the towering Gothic structure that would be my home for the next four years. Black