The Academy had always been divided—by rank, strength, bloodline.
But now it was splintering.
It began with whispers in the halls. Subtle at first. Small groups that didn’t break formation with the others during drills. Shared looks across dining tables. Students slipping off into the forest in pairs and returning hours later with alibis too neat to believe.
Aria noticed it all.
She didn’t miss the way some trainees flinched when she passed, or how her bond with Kade was now being spoken of like it was a scandal—a Moonborn seducing the strongest Alpha to gain control. Some students didn’t say it aloud. They didn’t have to.
Magnus Holt’s shadow lingered long after his exile.
And now, it had a name.
The Crimson Circle.
***
The room buzzed with low tension as Instructor Thorne paced
