Rowan leaned against the hood of his car, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched Sera Vance approach him, her hips swaying with a calculated grace. Most guys at the Academy would have been tripping over their feet to get a look from her, but to Rowan, Sera was transparent. She was an elite, a daughter of a high-ranking family, and she had been "secretly" in love with him since they were children.
Except it wasn't a secret. Not to an Alpha. He could smell her desperation—the heavy, floral scent of her perfume clashing with the sharp, metallic tang of her longing. It was pathetic. She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, hoping for a crumb of his attention, while he looked at her and saw a bothersome insect.
"Rowan," Sera cooed, stopping just a few feet away. She tucked a strand of hair
