CHAPTER 2: AMONG THE ALPHAS
1005 Words
The moment Glosh stepped fully onto the grounds of Alpha Academy, she felt it.
Power.
It rolled across the stone courtyard in invisible waves, thick enough to make her skin prickle. This place wasn’t just a school—it was a proving ground. Every wolf here carried themselves like a predator, every movement sharpened by instinct and dominance. Even the air seemed to hum with challenge.
She forced herself to breathe normally.
Don’t flinch, she told herself. The moment they smell fear, it’s over.
Students gathered in clusters across the grounds, some sparring openly, others watching with sharp interest. A few paused mid-conversation as Glosh passed, their gazes sliding over her with open curiosity. Some were amused. Others were dismissive.
None were kind.
“You’re late.”
The voice cut through the noise like a whip.
Glosh stopped and turned to face a tall woman standing at the edge of the courtyard. Her silver hair was pulled back tightly, her uniform crisp and dark. Pale blue eyes assessed Glosh without warmth.
“I’m Instructor Kaine,” the woman said. “If you fail here, it won’t be because you lacked warning.”
Glosh straightened her spine. “Understood.”
Kaine’s gaze sharpened. “This academy exists to break the weak and sharpen the strong. Wolves who hesitate don’t survive. Wolves who disobey don’t last.”
Her eyes flicked briefly over Glosh’s unmarked aura—no wolf energy, no presence.
A few students noticed. Murmurs rippled outward.
“No wolf…” “Why is she here?”
Kaine didn’t comment. Instead, she gestured sharply toward a stone board carved with names. “Dorm assignments are posted. Training begins at dawn. Anyone late runs until they collapse.”
Glosh nodded once and turned away, refusing to show the tension coiling in her chest.
That was when she felt them.
Four distinct pressures—each different, each unmistakably alpha.
Her steps slowed against her will.
“Well,” a lazy voice drawled, “if it isn’t the girl with claws but no bite.”
Glosh turned.
The first alpha leaned casually against a stone pillar, dark hair falling into sharp, amused eyes. His smile was easy, dangerous, the kind that suggested he enjoyed pushing limits just to see what broke.
“I wasn’t aware I was on display,” Glosh replied coolly.
His grin widened. “You are now.”
Before she could move past him, another presence blocked her path.
This one was taller, broader, with silver-blond hair and eyes like cold steel. His stare was assessing, clinical.
“You don’t smell like the others,” he said bluntly.
Glosh crossed her arms. “That’s rude.”
“It’s honest,” he corrected.
A third voice joined in, smooth and edged with warning. “She’s hiding something.”
The third alpha stood a few steps back, golden eyes narrowed in interest. His expression held no humor, only sharp calculation.
The fourth said nothing.
He stood apart from the others, watching her like a hunter studying unfamiliar prey. Dark hair. Broad shoulders. Power restrained so tightly it hummed beneath his skin.
His gaze burned.
Glosh’s pulse quickened.
These are them.
The four alphas Angella had chosen.
Her fate, wrapped in flesh and arrogance.
“I don’t know who you think I am,” she said evenly, “but I’m here to study. Not entertain.”
The dark-haired alpha laughed softly. “No one comes here just to study.”
The silent one finally stepped forward. His voice was low, controlled. “Your name.”
Glosh hesitated—just long enough to be dangerous.
“Glen,” she lied.
The word felt wrong in her mouth.
Something flickered in his eyes. Suspicion. Recognition.
“Glen,” he repeated. “We’ll see.”
That night, Glosh lay awake on her narrow dorm bed, staring at the cracked stone ceiling.
The academy never truly slept. Growls echoed from the training fields. Distant howls carried through the forest. Somewhere nearby, a fight broke out—and ended quickly.
She pressed a hand to her chest.
Nothing.
No answering presence. No wolf.
The whispers returned.
Wolfless. Broken. Unworthy.
Her jaw tightened.
“I survived hunger,” she whispered into the dark. “I survived being unwanted. I can survive this.”
Morning came too fast.
Training began with running—endless, brutal laps around the cliffs until her lungs burned and her legs screamed. Wolves shifted mid-stride, muscles stretching, speed increasing.
Glosh stayed human.
She fell behind.
Sparring followed.
She lost.
Again.
And again.
By midday, sweat soaked her clothes and blood dried at the corner of her mouth. Students watched openly now.
“She doesn’t belong.” “She’s a joke.”
When Instructor Kaine paired her for combat drills, Glosh’s stomach dropped.
Her opponent was the silent alpha.
They stepped into the ring, stone dust swirling around their feet.
“You can yield,” he said quietly.
Glosh wiped blood from her lip and raised her fists. “Not happening.”
Something darkened in his eyes. “Then don’t expect mercy.”
He moved fast—too fast.
She barely dodged, instinct screaming as his strike passed inches from her face. She countered using speed, pain sharpening her focus. She ducked, rolled, struck where she could.
For a moment—just a moment—surprise crossed his features.
Then he disarmed her effortlessly.
She hit the ground hard, breath knocked from her lungs.
Silence fell.
He offered his hand.
Glosh hesitated, pride warring with survival.
Then she took it.
The moment their skin touched, fire tore through her veins.
Heat. Power. A pull so violent it stole her breath.
Her vision blurred.
His eyes widened. “What are you?”
Glosh yanked her hand away, heart pounding violently.
“I told you,” she said hoarsely. “I’m nobody.”
But the ground beneath them seemed to tremble.
Above, the moon flared brighter than before.
And deep inside Glosh’s chest—where there had been only silence—something stirred.
Awake.
- Writer
