The courtyard was already filled with bodies when she arrived. Alphas lined up in tight rows, murmuring softly, tension humming in the air like static before a storm. The Lunarias were gone, but the aftertaste of their presence still clung to the academy walls. Bonds had been made. Lusts had been acted on. Rejections had been handed out like blades.
And some of those wounds were still bleeding.
Rayne’s eyes scanned the crowd, unwillingly. Lucian was near the front, standing rigid with his arms crossed over his chest, face unreadable. The distance between him and everyone else felt palpable—as if no one dared come too close.
And then there was Jace.
Laughing.
Surrounded by a small group of Alphas who had clearly fared well during the Luna visit.
Rayne quickly looked away.
A sharp gu
