Offside With The Alpha Captain

Westbrook Academy's Heirs.

AURELIA

I moved farther away from him, covering my face, knowing it was already red. Coach Damien was already walking toward us, and I knew I had to return to normal before they misunderstood the situation.

Thinking that, I started toward the exit, but his voice came from behind me, causing every muscle in my body to tighten in frustration.

"Where are you running to? We're about to start practicing," Zane said, and I could hear the smugness in his voice.

I turned halfway and saw the smirk on his face. His thumb brushed against his bottom lip before he slowly ran his tongue across it.

I quickly looked away, my wolf reacting to the small gesture.

Damn it!

He was clearly enjoying how flustered I was.

"I'll be back very soon. I need some fresh air," I said hurriedly as I walked away from the rink.

I stopped outside, inhaling the cold air and letting it seep into me. I shuddered slightly, rubbing my arms together, but thankfully, the cold helped calm the heat rushing through my body.

My eyes swept around the area, and I realized it was already very late at night.

I turned back and could hear the aggressive clashes from inside the rink. The boys had already resumed practicing. Zane should be fine to last through the training since his wolf had stabilized enough.

A yawn escaped my lips, and I stretched, my bones popping softly.

"Hm? What's that?"

My eyes narrowed slightly at a small building beside the arena.

Come to think of it, I hadn't gone through all the places in the academy since I arrived. It had always been class, training, and my dorm, the same routine over and over again, and it was already getting boring.

"This place seems to be a clinic."

I gasped as I looked at the building and noticed the lights were out. I measured the distance between the arena and the clinic, taking note of how close yet hidden it was. If someone weren't paying close attention, like me, they probably wouldn't even notice the clinic.

Should I even go in?

I stared at the door, curiosity eating away at me, but for some strange reason, my wolf was awfully silent. I couldn't even sense her.

"It's probably a bad idea. The boys must be waiting for me inside."

I turned and started walking away from the building.

"I've already gotten enough fresh air... wait."

My feet slowed to a stop as my eyes widened slightly. I spun around, my pace quickening toward the clinic.

How could I let it slip?!

Details about why Mother was killed could be in there. She had always been obsessed with research and medicine. This was definitely a place she would have visited.

I pushed the door open and was greeted by emptiness.

My eyes swept around cautiously, taking note of the scattered papers on the floor, some marked with dried footprints.

"It looks abandoned."

I stepped fully inside, and the door closed behind me. Only the soft echo of my shoes against the floor filled the silence, accompanied by my tense breathing. My vision sharpened, making every detail around me clearer.

I hurriedly searched for the storage room where the medical files were kept, and, as expected, I found it.

But the problem was...

"So huge."

I gasped in awe at the countless files.

Without wasting any time, I searched through the cabinets, pulling open drawer after drawer in search of her name.

"Please be here... please be here."

No, not this one... no, not this one either.

Damn it!

I slammed the last drawer shut in frustration, gripping my hair tightly.

Calm down, Aurelia. It's to be expected. There's no way the school would leave records related to Mom out in the open. They have to be somewhere in this school, and I'll find them.

I kicked the drawer and winced as pain shot from my foot straight to my brain.

"Ugh!"

I cried out in frustration but froze when I noticed a red folder sticking out from among the files I had already searched.

I paused.

"It wasn't there before... or did I miss it because I was in a hurry?"

I bent down and picked it up. As I opened it, the first page read:

[Alpha Project 348]

Huh?

I turned to the next page, and my eyes constricted when I saw a drawing of a male body. Different parts of the illustration had labels pointing to them.

[Day 20 of the Alpha Project research. The dominant heirs of the Miller Alpha bloodline seem to be the best candidates for this project, but the only downside is the age at which they can survive.]

Miller... as in Zane Miller?

Isn't that his family's name?

What is it doing inside this clinic?

Still, I continued reading, hoping my questions would be answered.

[Day 23. After much convincing, the Miller family allowed us to obtain a new subject, the current heir. Though his wolf was powerful and resisted the substances, we were eventually able to subdue it. However, like every other subject, those of the Miller bloodline rarely survive past the age of twenty-five without a stabilized mate bond.]

Hold on.

I pressed a hand against my forehead, trying to process the information I had just read.

Zane's wolf was subdued?

Now it all made sense.

The violence of hockey temporarily suppressed the deterioration, which explained why the sport had become tied to elite wolf culture generations ago.

"So the stronger the heir, the faster the breakdown!"

I blurted out, clutching my head tighter.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner? I should have known something shady was going on!"

I had to tell Zane about this.

I'm sure he didn't know. He probably thought he was cursed, or that he was suffering because he rejected me, not knowing his wolf was dying because of...

My hands tightened around the file.

"Westbrook Academy."

I slowly turned around, my heart pounding wildly.

Only then did I realize the one important thing I had completely overlooked.

How could such an important file, one capable of bringing the entire academy down, be carelessly left here for anyone to find?

I had been so consumed by the discovery that the thought never crossed my mind.

And I would come to regret that mistake.