Chapter 4
1159 Words
I had no escape.
Riven stood squarely in the doorway, blocking my only exit from the file room. His eyes didn’t move from mine, and for a second, I was convinced he could hear my heartbeat slamming against my ribs.
“I asked you a question, cadet,” he said, calm but deadly.
I swallowed hard. “I—I couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d get some extra reading done.”
He raised an eyebrow. “In a restricted archive room? At midnight?”
Well, crap.
I tightened my grip on the scroll. My mind raced. I needed something convincing—something quick.
“I heard rumors,” I said, forcing my voice steady. “About someone planting a fake identity. I thought maybe the files could explain what’s going on. If there’s a spy inside, wouldn’t their record show something?”
His eyes flickered—just for a second.
“You think you’re clever.”
“No, sir. Just curious.”
“You’re holding your own scroll.”
I looked down at the glowing parchment in my hand.
“I… wanted to make sure mine hadn’t been tampered with.”
He stepped closer. “That’s not your job. That’s mine.”
My throat tightened. I hated how his presence made me feel like a child caught with stolen candy.
“I didn’t change anything,” I said.
“I know.”
That surprised me.
“You’ve been watched since the first day, cadet. Your progress, your training, your attitude. Your… background.”
My hands curled into fists. “Because of the rogue attack?”
“Because of your name,” he said.
He said it so softly, I barely heard it.
I froze.
Did he know?
Or was this a test?
“I don’t understand,” I said carefully.
“Your scroll is clean,” he continued, “but I’ve seen enough wolves try to rewrite their pasts. You show up with barely any history, trained like a fighter, yet you act like you've never been in a real pack before.”
I stayed silent.
He stepped close—so close I could see the scar that curved under his jaw.
“I don’t know what you’re hiding, Rory Winters. But I will find out.”
He plucked the scroll from my hand, tucked it back into the shelf, and turned his back to me.
“You’ve got five seconds to disappear before I change my mind about reporting this.”
I didn’t hesitate. I slipped past him, heart still pounding, and ran all the way back to the dorm.
By the time I crawled into bed, Kael was stirring.
“You okay?” he mumbled.
“Bad dream,” I lied.
“Same.”
He rolled over.
I stared at the ceiling.
Riven was circling closer. And I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep my secret from being torn wide open.
The next morning, the entire Academy was on edge.
The rogue attack had shaken everyone, and now rumors about files being tampered with were making rounds. The instructors didn’t say anything, but their eyes were sharper, their tempers shorter.
Combat training was brutal that day. We were pushed harder than ever, running until our lungs burned, sparring until bruises covered our arms and ribs.
By lunch, I was exhausted and starving. Kael and I collapsed onto a bench in the mess hall, barely touching our food.
He nudged my shoulder. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Tired.”
“You sure that’s it? You’ve been weird since last night.”
My stomach tightened.
“I’m just trying to stay alive,” I said. “Like everyone else.”
He watched me for a second, then nodded.
We ate in silence, surrounded by whispers and clinking trays.
Later that evening, we were summoned to the Hall.
That never meant anything good.
All cadets lined up, backs straight, boots polished. Head Alpha stood at the front, flanked by Riven and the rest of the Council.
“Someone is hiding among us,” the Head Alpha said, voice like thunder. “And we will find them.”
No one moved.
“No one leaves the Academy until we do. There will be patrols. Curfews. Surprise inspections. Anyone caught outside dorm quarters past hours will be considered suspicious. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Alpha!” we shouted in unison.
My palms were sweating.
“Dismissed.”
Back in our room, Kael kicked his boots off and flopped on his bed.
“This is insane,” he muttered. “We’re being hunted like criminals.”
I nodded, my head spinning. “I’ve never seen the Academy this tense.”
“I hate it.”
“Same.”
He turned toward me. “Do you ever wonder why you came here?”
I blinked. “What?”
“I mean, you’re good. But you don’t act like the rest of us. Like you didn’t grow up obsessed with becoming an Alpha.”
I felt like the air had been knocked out of me.
“I guess I wanted something different,” I said.
He stared at me for a moment. “Yeah… I get that.”
But he didn’t.
Not really.
The truth was, I came here to escape. To survive.
And now survival was slipping further away.
A knock on the door interrupted us.
Riven.
Again.
“Winters,” he said, eyes unreadable. “Head Alpha wants to speak with you.”
Kael frowned. “Why?”
“Not your concern, cadet.”
I followed Riven out, my heart pounding.
The Head Alpha’s office was a massive chamber with floor-to-ceiling windows and shelves of old tomes. He stood with his hands behind his back, facing the dark glass.
“Cadet Winters,” he said without turning. “Do you know why you’re here?”
“No, Alpha.”
He turned slowly.
“I hear you’ve been asking questions.”
I swallowed. “About the rogue, yes.”
“And breaking into the archives?”
I didn’t answer.
“I should expel you.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes, Alpha.”
“But I won’t.”
That startled me.
“Why?”
“Because I need someone like you. Unpredictable. Quietly defiant.”
I stared at him, unsure where this was going.
“There’s something happening beneath this Academy. A sickness. And I believe you’ve seen the signs.”
My blood ran cold.
“I—”
“I’m not asking you to confess. I’m asking you to help.”
Help?
“Help how?”
He stepped closer, his voice low. “There’s a resistance forming. They want to change how packs are governed. How Alphas are chosen. They believe the system is broken.”
I stayed silent.
“Some are already here. Hidden. Planning.”
My throat tightened. “And you want me to find them?”
He smiled. “No. I want you to join them.”
- Writer
