Northwood Academy

Chapter 3

Aiden’s POV

The air in the training hall was heavy, thick with the smell of sweat and blood. My blood. My knuckles were raw, my shirt clung to me, but I still slammed another punch into the practice dummy until the seams ripped open.

“Enough, young master,” Master Garrick’s voice cut in…calm but firm. He stood a few feet away, arms crossed, but I caught the worry in his eyes.

“You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

“No!” I barked, swinging again. “If Tristan, my beta, can handle this… then I should too!” My chest heaved, but my pride burned hotter than the fire in my muscles. I couldn’t show weakness. Not here. Not ever.

One of the servants stepped forward, wringing her hands. “Young master, please… your health… just rest for a moment…”

“NO!! I’M THE ALPHA!” My roar shook the walls. The servants shrank back, trembling, their fear slicing into me like claws. I hated it. Hated myself.

But my body didn’t care. The pain ripped through me anyway, sharp and merciless. I dropped to my knees, clutching my ribs, the edges of the world blurring.

The pack nurse rushed to my side, hands shaking. I could see pity in her eyes, though she tried to hide it.

“Young master,” she whispered, voice breaking, “this isn’t helping. You need to rest.”

“Give me the pill,” I growled.

“Please..”

“GIVE ME THE DAMN PILL!” My voice thundered, and she flinched, fumbling for the small bottle.

She pressed one into my palm, and I swallowed it dry. The bitterness coated my tongue, and minutes later the stabbing ache dulled, becoming faint… almost bearable.

But still there. Always there.

Temporary relief. That’s all it ever was. And it made me furious.

I pushed back to my feet, ignoring the nurse’s sad gaze.

“Young master… you’re clearly not getting any better. Im sorry but I’m pausing your training sessions for a while,” Garrick said.

“No…you can’t do that!” I snapped.

“It’s final. I won’t keep going against the Luna’s orders. It’s dangerous to keep going like this.” His tone was steel, and then he turned, walking away.

His words stung worse than the pain in my chest. I bit down on the anger, but it didn’t stop the ache. I wiped the sweat off my face and forced my breathing even.

Everyone was still staring, wide-eyed from my outburst.

“Not. A. Word. To my mother,” I warned, my voice sharp and intimidating. They all stiffened immediately.

If she finds out, she’ll cry again. I won’t give her another reason to think her son is weak.

Weak. The word twisted in my gut.

I clenched my jaw, grabbed my shirt, and yanked it over my head. By the time I stepped out of the training room, my mask was back in place. The proud heir. The future alpha. Untouchable.

The crisp air outside hit me, and so did a familiar voice.

“There you are!” Tristan, my best friend and beta, jogged up, clapping me on the back like we’d just finished a regular workout instead of me nearly collapsing. He didn’t know. Nobody did.

“Man, you missed half the guys at the woods today. Everyone’s already buzzing about The Silver Fang Tournament.”

The Silver Fang Tournament.

The one thing every alpha heir was expected to win. The one thing my family had dominated for generations. And the one thing my body might not even let me survive.

I smirked, pretending nothing was wrong. “You know I don’t need to practice. I was born better than half of them.”

Tristan snorted. “Cocky as ever.”

We started down the fields together, the silence filled with his mumbling. Then one of the maids ran up to us, bowing her head.

“Young master,” she said softly, “the Luna asked me to inform you…she has arrived.”

I stopped walking. “Who?”

“The scholarship student..She’s waiting in the mansion, sir.”

“Oh, that,” I muttered, brushing it off like it was nothing.

Because honestly it was…it didn’t matter..To me, it sounded like a headache. A fragile little human wandering our halls, asking too many questions, sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.

I hated humans. Fragile, fake, always smiling while stabbing you in the back. Weakness I could forgive. But lies? Never.

I scoffed under my breath….I still couldn’t figure out why my parents let her in…

Tristan’s face, however, lit up instantly.

“Wait..she’s here? The transfer? Yoo, this is gonna be interesting. Think she’s hot? Bet she’s not prettier than Leah Northwood, though.” He gave me a sly grin. “Your girl’s still number one.”

I shrugged, completely uninterested. Leah was gorgeous….everyone knew that. But honestly? The whole conversation bored me. Some scholarship kid wasn’t worth my attention.

I followed the maid towards the direction of the entrance .

when I stepped into the mansion.. i saw her standing there….next to my mom, little sister and cousin…she looked nervous, clutching her bag like it was the only shield she had left…I froze.

She wasn’t what I’d pictured. Not fragile, not nosy. Just… out of place, but in a way that made the room shift around her. Pale from travel, jet-lagged, with wide eyes that darted to every corner like she was trying to memorize a world she didn’t belong to.

And yet…something hit me.A pull low in my chest. Like a chain snapping tight around me.

I hated the way it made me freeze. The way my heart kicked up like I’d just ran a mile.

Nope. This wasn’t happening. Not to me.

Goddess forbid I’ll have anything to do with a human..

I frowned, shoving the feeling down where nobody could see it. Irritation. That’s all it was.

She was just going to be a problem, and I didn’t have time for problems.

Tristan nudged me with his elbow. “Woah I never thought I’d say this but Leah has some competition….scholarship kid’s beautiful,” he exclaimed beside me..

“f**k no..I don’t see it.” I said bored.. trying to convince him.. though I myself didn’t believe it

she was actually….beautiful. Not in the polished, practiced way Leah was. This was different. Raw. Real. Gentle..

“Are you kidding??” Tristan’s argued “dude all the guys at Northwood are gonna loose their minds over her…I better plant my seeds early on” he said and tried to walk towards them

Before he could move, my hand shot out, gripping his arm. Hard.

“No,” I said flatly. “Let’s go.”

He blinked at me. “Dude, what…? Why??.”

I didn’t answer. Because honestly..I didn’t know. All I knew was the strange pull in my chest, the way it burned to imagine anyone else looking at her that way.

I hated it.

Just as I was about to turn away, I heard my mom call out..

“Aiden…sweetie there you are”

Oh no….