7: The Academy of Alphas
1211 Words
Elara’s POV
Late.
I was late on my first day.
Of course.
Out of all the ways this day could start, this had to be the one.
I rushed down the long hallway, boots thudding on polished floors, my breathing uneven, my heart racing, not just from running, but from dread.
Why did I come to this academy?
No. Better question...why did it have to be an all-boys academy?
Every hallway I passed was filled with tall, muscular beings, wolves, vampires, dragonkin, every single one male, dominant, testosterone-fueled and looking like they could break me in half with a single glare.
And to make it worse, I was rooming with the one Alpha everyone else avoided like the plague.
Kian Blackthorne.
He didn’t just scare people, he silenced them.
He left that morning without a word after he nearly killed me. He went to the bathroom again doing goddess knows what.
I didn’t even get a chance to breathe until he was gone.
“You need to figure out your way around him,” Myra said softly in my mind, her voice cautious but clear. “He’s strange... and there’s something about him I can’t figure out.”
I groaned out loud. “Figure him out? Myra, he nearly killed me this morning. Choked me like I owed him a kingdom. What exactly should I figure out, his favorite way to murder roommates?”
Myra huffed. “Don’t act like you didn’t see what I saw. That kind of power... It’s not normal.”
“No kidding,” I muttered, clutching my map and squinting at it as I turned a corner.
This place was massive. Stone pillars, tall ceilings, gilded torches along the walls, it felt more like a fortress than a school.
“Left hallway,” Myra instructed.
I turned left, almost bumping into a group of students, three tall boys who paused and looked me up and down.
“Watch it, runt,” one of them grunted.
I mumbled a quick apology and kept moving.
Goddess. This was hell.
“A dead gorgeous demon,” Myra added casually.
“What?”
“Kian. He’s dangerous, yes. But you can’t lie to me, you saw him in that towel. You felt the way he made you...”
“Shut up,” I hissed internally, heat rushing to my face.
She giggled.
I hated her sometimes.
I finally found the class...Combat Theory 101. Great. Just what I needed after being almost strangled at breakfast.
I crept toward the door, already hearing voices inside.
Late. I was late.
I took a deep breath and pushed it open quietly, hoping not to draw attention.
I failed.
Every head turned.
Every. Single. One.
And there, in the middle of the front row, Kian Blackthorne.
His gaze met mine.
Cold. Unmoving.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
He said nothing. Didn’t even blink.
But I felt his warning like a punch to the gut.
Don’t speak to me. Don’t look at me. Don’t breathe near me.
What was he doing here? I thought he's a senior student?
I wanted to slip into a corner where I won't be seeing but then...
"YOU!" A deep voice called and I looked towards the direction only to see the instructor's eyes on me.
Goddess... save me.
"I was looking for five volunteers to demonstrate their combat skills to the whole class, I've gotten four, join them." He said coldly, pointing at the front and my gaze followed his finger. Truly, there were four huge looking students standing in front of the class and I swallowed.
They looked huge, compared to them, I was just a dry leaf they could blow away but they were wearing the same uniform as me which means they are new students too... are we going to fight against each other?
I have zero knowledge about combat!
My mouth opened to protest, but before I could speak, the instructor’s voice cracked through me, scaring the living s**t out of me.
“Step forward, recruit! Don’t make me repeat myself.”
I hesitated.
Every instinct screamed at me to stay put.
But the silence that followed was louder than the command. Eyes were watching. Judging.
Including his.
Kian Blackthorne hadn’t moved, but his piercing gaze never left me.
With a tight gulp, I stepped forward, head down, pretending I wasn’t shaking.
“Good,” the instructor muttered with a nod. “Line up.”
I joined the four other boys at the front. One of them glanced at me, frowning. The other two were smirking like they were just waiting to throw someone across the floor.
Me probably.
“This should be fun,” one of them sneered under his breath. “Hope you’ve written your will, shrimp.”
I said nothing. My palms were slick. My legs felt like jelly.
Please don’t pair me with any of them...
“Now,” the instructor said, pacing slowly before us like a predator, “Combat isn’t about how loud you roar or how big you are. It’s about control. Strategy. Power.”
He turned to face us fully.
“And nothing tests that better than facing someone who could kill you in under five seconds.”
Wait... what?
The instructor turned to the crowd.
“Kian Blackthorne.”
Silence.
You could hear hearts stopping.
Kian stood without a word. Unbothered. Bored and he muttered, "I hate this."
He stepped forward lazily, rolling his shoulders as if he was being asked to lift a feather, not fight five students.
He didn’t even glance at us.
Just stood there.
Still.
“Your task is simple,” the instructor said, turning back to us. “Take him down. Together. If you succeed, each of you gets a free star point toward your rank.”
A ripple of gasps.
Stars meant rank.
Rank meant power.
But taking him down?
Was this some kind of sick joke?
The first guy to my right snorted. “Five against one? Easy.”
I wanted to strangle him.
“Begin,” the instructor snapped.
They moved before I could even breathe.
The four boys lunged at once, shifting slightly, claws out, fangs bared. It was chaotic fast, loud, and wild.
But Kian... he didn’t flinch.
His first move was a blur.
A fist to the gut of the largest guy, sending him flying across the training hall with a sickening thud.
A sweep of the leg, a c***k of knuckles, and the second and third collapsed in heaps, groaning and twitching on the floor.
The last tried to shift, but Kian was already there, his elbow connecting with the guy’s jaw. Bone snapped.
Thirty seconds.
Four down.
My heart plummeted.
And then... he turned to me.
Eyes glowing.
Expression blank.
His steps were slow.
Deliberate.
“No,” I whispered, backing away.
He kept coming.
Panic slammed into me and I didn’t hesitate, I did what a normal being who wants to survive a monster would...
I turned and ran.
I didn’t care how it looked.
I didn’t care what anyone thought.
I just ran.
I heard him behind me...his footsteps, his breath.
He was following me.
Hunting me.
And this time... I wasn’t sure if I’d make it out whole.
- Writer
