The dorm smelled of cedar and wet stone. Rows of narrow beds lined the walls, each already claimed with bags, blankets, and snarling faces.
"New blood," a girl whispered as I stepped inside.
Another smirked. "Dead blood."
I dropped my bag on the last empty cot, ignoring the snickers. My back prickled anyway. Every eye tracked me. I forced my shoulders square, chin high, but inside my stomach knotted.
A voice hissed near my ear. "They're watching you."
I spun. A boy—older, wiry—stood behind me, grin crooked. "Don't take it personal. Everyone watches the weak ones. Easier to predict who'll bleed first."
I shoved past him, sitting on my cot. "I'm not weak."
"Prove it," he said, still grinning, before sauntering off.
I exhaled slowly. My first night, and I already had a target painted on my back.
---
The door creaked. The room fell silent.
Rylan strode in, heat rolling with him. Every girl straightened, every boy stiffened. His gaze cut across the dorm, landing on me. For a heartbeat, the air between us burned. Then he looked away, muttering something about patrols.
The silver-eyed boy—Kael, I remembered hearing—followed soon after. He smirked when he caught me staring, then vanished into his own corner.
The whispers started again.
"She caught their attention."
"She won't survive."
"She doesn't even have a wolf."
My nails dug into my palms.
---
Later, when the noise dimmed, I slipped outside. The courtyard glowed faintly under the moon, empty but for shadows. I sat on the steps, clutching my knees.
How had I ended up here?
The memory clawed back. My old pack. My mother's voice telling me to run. The night hunters stormed our land, torches and claws everywhere. The Alpha's decree—orphans sent to the academy for "training." In truth, it was exile.
I'd been chosen because I hadn't shifted yet. Seventeen and still no wolf. My blood branded me defective.
The academy was supposed to "fix" us. Or break us.
My throat tightened.
A twig snapped.
"You don't belong here."
I jerked up. The cold-eyed boy, Darius, stood in the shadows. His voice was flat, but his gaze didn't waver.
"Thanks for the warm welcome," I muttered.
He stepped closer, face unreadable. "No wolf means no bond. Whatever Lucian said at the gate—ignore it."
Lucian. The golden-eyed one. His words echoed: She's already mine.
My chest twisted. "So he was lying?"
Darius's expression didn't change. "He doesn't lie. He plays. You'll learn the difference."
"Then what am I to him?"
"Bait," he said simply. "And maybe worse."
Before I could respond, footsteps echoed behind him.
Lucian strolled out of the shadows, golden eyes burning, smile lazy. "Talking about me again, brother?"
Darius's jaw flexed. "Warning her."
Lucian's gaze slid to me. "And scaring her. Don't listen. Wolves know their mates before the first shift. Doesn't matter if she's late."
"I haven't wolfed out," I snapped. "So I can't know."
Lucian's grin widened, infuriatingly sure. "You'll know. Soon."
Darius turned on his heel, disappearing without another word.
Lucian crouched in front of me, close enough that heat coiled through my chest. "You feel it, don't you? Even without the wolf."
My heartbeat betrayed me, thundering too loud. I shook my head. "You're wrong."
He laughed softly. "I love when prey pretends to be predator."
Then he stood, backing away with that same lazy confidence. "See you at dawn, mate."
The word stung. Because part of me wanted to believe him.
But until my wolf came, I couldn't.
And what if she never did?
The moon shifted higher, spilling silver across the courtyard. Alone, I hugged my knees tighter, whispering to the night.
"I don't belong here."
But the gates had closed. And there was no way out.