CHAPTER 48
1050 Words
ADINNA’S POV
My heart hasn’t stopped racing since lunch. The sound of my wolf’s voice screaming ‘mate’ still hums through me like a pulse I can’t turn off. It’s impossible to ignore, no matter how hard I try. Every time I breathe, it’s there, crawling under my skin and whispering through my blood.
I keep telling myself it’s a mistake. I am convinced that some cruel twist of weird magic rules this place. How can four completely different, infuriating, and impossible boys be my mates? It doesn’t make sense. It can’t. I’m an omega. A rogue one at that. Whatever the universe is doing, it picked the wrong girl.
But my wolf doesn’t care about logic. She just paces inside me restlessly, her claws scraping at the edges of my control. Every heartbeat feels like she’s trying to break free and run to them.
The corridors feel longer today. The world seems too loud and bright. I can’t tell if it’s real or if it’s just me unraveling. The whispers of students float around, and I envy how easily they move on from things. No one’s talking about the Solstice Ball anymore. For them, it’s old news. For me, it’s the start of something I don’t know how to survive.
Riley has been careful not to press me. She just watches, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Saying it aloud makes it more real, and I don’t think I’m ready for real.
By the time training starts, I’m exhausted from pretending. My legs feel heavy, and my head is light. The air in the training hall is thick, buzzing with the scent of wolves, sweat, and something electric. The moment I step in, I feel them.
Four distinct scents thread through the air, faint but strong enough to almost make my knees buckle. My wolf snarls inside me, not out of anger but recognition. Heat floods through me so fast that I have to grip a railing to steady myself.
“Not now,” I whisper to my wolf. “Please, not here.”
But my wolf doesn’t listen. She growls softly and possessively, and her presence presses harder against my mind. I can feel her hunger, not for power or control, but for connection. She wants what she’s been promised, what fate apparently tied us to.
I force myself to keep moving, grabbing a training staff from the rack and heading toward the sparring mat. If I can just focus on movement, maybe I can drown out the noise inside my head. Maybe I can breathe again.
Then a familiar voice cuts through the haze.
“Adinna?”
Dean.
I flinch and look up. He’s standing a few feet away, his brows knitted in worry. His expression is too soft and knowing, and I hate that he can see straight through me.
“You okay?” he asks quietly.
I grip the staff tighter. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
He doesn’t believe me. Of course, he doesn’t.
“Your scent’s all over the place,” he says. “You’re shaking.”
I glance down at my hands. My fingers are trembling. “It’s nothing,” I insist, forcing a small laugh. “I’m just really tired.”
Dean’s gaze doesn’t waver. There’s understanding in his eyes, making it harder to lie. Finally, I sigh. “It’s strange,” I admit quietly. “Everything feels off. Like there’s a current running through me that won’t stop. I can’t breathe right. I can’t think straight.”
He nods slowly, stepping closer but keeping a respectful distance. “You’re not alone in that,” he says.
My heart stutters. “What do you mean?”
“The bond,” he murmurs. “It’s not just you. We feel it too.”
The words hit harder than I expected. There’s comfort in knowing I’m not losing my mind, but I’m also scared. If they feel it too, that means this isn’t something I can just wish away.
Dean offers a faint, reassuring smile. “You’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out.”
I nod, but the words don’t sink in. I just need space. I mumble something about needing air and leave before he can stop me.
Outside, the air is cool, but it doesn’t help. My skin feels like it’s burning from the inside out. Every heartbeat feels like thunder. I press my palms to my temples and exhale shakily.
It’s too much.
All of it is too much. The prophecy, the bond, and the way my wolf keeps whispering their names in the back of my mind. I just want quiet.
So I decide to train later, after everyone’s gone. Maybe if I push my body hard enough, I’ll tire out my mind.
By the time I sneak into the training hall again, the moon’s already high. The space is dim, lit only by silver light filtering through the skylights.
It’s quiet. Finally quiet.
I grab a staff again, plant my feet, and start running through drills. Strike, pivot, and dodge. Over and over. The repetition calms me a little and helps me feel like I have control over something. Sweat slicks my palms, and my breathing evens out.
But even in the silence, I can still feel that faint hum in my chest.
“It’s okay, Adinna. They’re not here,” I tell myself. “You’ll be fine.”
Then I hear footsteps.
My staff freezes mid-swing. The echo is heavy and deliberate. Someone’s coming.
The scent hits me first, causing my pulse to stumble.
Hunter.
He steps into the training room, shadows curling around him like they belong there. His shirt clings to him, his jaw tight, and his expression unreadable as usual. But his eyes burn straight into mine.
For a moment, neither of us speaks. The air between us feels alive, crackling.
I lower the staff slowly. “What are you doing here?” I ask, though my voice comes out softer than I intended.
He doesn’t answer right away. His gaze drifts over me, lingering just long enough to make my wolf stir again. I can feel her pressing against my control, desperate to reach for him.
Finally, he exhales, running a hand through his hair. “We need to talk.”
- Writer
