CHAPTER 6
1184 Words
SAGE POV.
All the boys marched forth toward the Great Hall. No matter how much I tried to slow down, hoping to delay the moment I would be caught and punished, the others kept bumping into me, pushing me along with the current.
I looked around, desperate for a way out. The guards had begun to seal the heavy doors behind us. Just as I began to lose hope, I noticed one of the side doors hadn’t been shut yet. I needed to reach it as fast as possible. I slipped away from Kai and Henry, weaving through the bodies around me. I was so close to freedom when a strong arm grabbed my wrist and halted me at once.
I looked up.
Alpha Roman.
He stared down at me with a strange look on his face. I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how fast I was sweating. Of course, he had been watching. He felt the mating bond, so he must have known I wasn’t really a boy. And he would not permit my escape.
“That’s the wrong way,” Alpha Roman said, a slight smirk on his lips. He was enjoying taunting me.
I forced a smile. “Thanks,” I murmured.
We walked into the Great Hall. It truly lived up to its name—massive, with polished oak pillars, golden carvings, and rare gems glinting from the walls. If I weren’t so rattled, I might have admired it. But right now, everything felt like a blur.
We lined up and stood straight. A loud bang echoed through the hall as someone struck a great drum, and instantly, everyone fell into silence and perfect order.
The doors opened.
A tall man entered, dressed in fine linen and wool and embroidered with the crescent moon symbol across his back. He walked with great authority, his hands folded behind him as he moved with calm, controlled steps. Three paces behind him followed the lady I had met earlier, Matron Ada, and beside her walked a man whose name I knew not, though his bearing bespoke high rank within the academy.
He stood tall on the stage and turned to face the crowd angrily.
“It has come to my attention,” he began with a loud, strong voice, “that someone has made a mockery of this great academy. A place founded by the Moon Goddess herself—to enlighten and strengthen the powers of our future Alphas. A place meant for mighty men. In recent times, we have opened our arms to the male descendants of past warriors, for we have come to understand that a great Alpha requires a great warrior by his side.”
He paused, scanning the rows of boys with sharp, unforgiving eyes.
“Never, in all the decades of this academy’s proud history, has a girl dwelt among us. Yet now, there is.”
He spoke with such authority and anger that the walls seemed to tremble.
“Whoever you are,” he said coldly, “step forward now and accept your punishment.”
My heart pounded so fiercely that I feared it might burst from my chest. My vision swam; my feet refused to move. He was talking about me. I knew it. I was done for. My life was ruined. Whatever punishment awaited, it would be nothing compared to the disgrace that would follow. I would never survive the scandal.
“Begin the inspection,” the Headmaster snapped.
The Royal Guards stepped forward, spreading across the hall. They moved down each row methodically, commanding every boy to unbutton his shirt and bare his chest.
I could barely breathe. The bandages around my chest were now soaked with my sweat. I felt it trickle down my back, pooling at my spine. My forehead dripped as well, and I wiped it with the back of my arm, trying to steady myself. But how could I be calm when every ounce of freedom I had tasted was about to be stripped away?
Two boys left. Then one. I was next.
I shifted forward, ready to accept my fate—
But then someone behind me collapsed to the floor, sobbing.
“I’m so sorry!” a voice wailed.
I turned just in time to see a girl dressed in a man’s attire fall to her knees, crying openly.
“I’m the one,” she cried. “Please, don’t punish him. I take full responsibility for the crime!”
Gasps echoed through the hall as a young man fell to his knees beside her.
“Please, have mercy,” he said. “Do not punish her. She came only out of love. She followed me here because she couldn’t bear to be without me.”
The guards seized them both and led them to the front of the stage, where the headmaster stood, flanked by Matron Ada. The girl wept as she clutched the boy’s hand.
“I only wanted to be close to him,” she whispered through her sobs. “I meant no harm.”
The headmaster looked down at the kneeling pair. “I do not care for your pitiful display,” he said coldly. “Love is no excuse for breaking sacred law. You have disrespected the long standing rules of this academy—a place built on honour, strength, and tradition. And for that, you shall be punished.”
The hall was silent. No one dared to breathe as the headmaster announced their brutal punishment.
They were to be locked in the academy’s basement for two weeks, bound in silver chains to weaken their powers. After that, they would be expelled, stripped of their titles, and cast out of their packs. Branded as Rogues, they would live the rest of their lives on the fringes of society, hunted and unwanted.
The headmaster’s voice rang out once more.
“Let this serve as a warning. Any student who dares to bring in a girl or fails to report one will suffer the same fate. This academy will not bend to sentiment.”
With that, the guards dragged the weeping girl and her lover away. The rest of us were dismissed to our dorms.
As soon as we got back, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“You were tense during the inspection,” Alpha Roman said, leaning against his bedpost, watching me.
“What?” I looked up quickly.
“You were sweating and would not keep still. Why?”
I forced a laugh. “I just… I have a scar on my chest. It’s ugly. I didn’t want anyone to see it or make fun of me.”
“All right,” Roman said, though he sounded unconvinced.
I lay back on my bed, turning my back against him as I pretended to fall asleep.
The stakes were higher now, one mistake, and my life was over. I would’ve been better off marrying that old arrogant man than being cast out as a rogue. Somehow, I had to make Roman see me as nothing but one of the boys.
- Writer
