Caleb was the only one who didn't treat me like a mistake.
I didn't see him right away after the fight. He'd texted asking if I was okay, but I'd been too exhausted to respond properly. By the time dinner rolled around, I was starving and still sore, but at least I could walk without limping.
The dining hall was packed as usual. Students crowded around tables, voices echoing off the high ceilings. I grabbed a tray and loaded it with whatever looked edible, trying to ignore the stares that followed me.
They were different now. Not just curious or mocking. Now there was something else mixed in. Wariness. Maybe even a little fear.
I'd made the Alpha heir bleed. That changed things.
I scanned the room for Celeste, but she was nowhere to be seen. Probably studying in her room. I was about to take my tray outside when I spotted him.
Caleb sat at a table near the windows, alone, with an empty seat across from him. When he saw me, he waved.
I hesitated. After what happened in the library with Darius, I didn't want to drag Caleb into more drama.
But he was smiling. Genuinely smiling. Like he didn't care about the complications.
I walked over.
"Hey," I said, setting my tray down. "Mind if I sit?"
"I saved the seat for you." He pushed a basket of bread across the table. "Figured you'd be hungry after today."
I sat down gratefully and grabbed a piece of bread. "You heard about the fight."
"Everyone heard about the fight. It's all anyone's talking about." He took a bite of his own food. "For what it's worth, I think it's awesome that you held your own against him."
"I got lucky."
"Luck doesn't make the Alpha heir bleed." Caleb leaned back in his chair. "You've got real power, Elara. People are starting to see it."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I just ate. The food was better than I expected, or maybe I was just too hungry to care.
"How are you feeling?" Caleb asked after a moment. "You looked pretty banged up when you left the arena."
"Mrs. Chen fixed most of it. I'm just sore."
"Still. That was intense." He studied me with those kind eyes of his. "Are you okay? Not just physically. Like... emotionally. That couldn't have been easy."
The question caught me off guard. Most people were focused on the spectacle of the fight, not on how it actually felt to spar with someone who'd rejected me.
"I'm fine," I said automatically.
"Liar."
I looked up. Caleb was smiling, but there was understanding in his expression. Like he knew exactly what I wasn't saying.
"It's complicated," I admitted.
"It always is with Alphas." He pushed his vegetables around his plate. "Want to know a secret?"
"Sure."
"I used to be terrified of them. The Alphas, I mean." He kept his voice low, casual, like we were just having a normal conversation. "When I first shifted at thirteen, I was so excited. Finally had my wolf, finally felt like I belonged. But then I got to the Academy and realized that being a Beta meant being second. Always second."
"That sounds rough."
"It was. Especially when you're stuck in classes with guys like Darius who've been groomed for leadership since birth." Caleb shook his head. "He didn't even have to try. Everyone just... fell in line. And if you didn't? Well, you learned pretty quick what happens when you challenge an Alpha."
There was an edge to his voice. Old hurt, old anger.
"What happened?" I asked quietly.
"Nothing dramatic. Just a lot of small things. Being talked over in strategy sessions. Having your ideas dismissed. Getting stuck with the grunt work while the Alphas took credit." He shrugged. "It wears you down after a while. Makes you wonder if you'll ever be more than just... support."
I understood that feeling. Maybe not in the same way, but I understood.
"So what changed?" I asked.
"I stopped caring what they thought." He met my eyes. "Started focusing on being the best Beta I could be instead of trying to compete with Alphas who'd always have an advantage. Once I accepted that? Things got easier."
"Sounds like good advice."
"It is. But it's also really hard to follow." He smiled ruefully. "Especially when someone like Darius Fenrir decides you're worth his attention. Good or bad."
We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Around us, the dining hall buzzed with conversation, but at our table, it felt peaceful. Normal.
For the first time since arriving at the Academy, I felt like I could actually breathe.
"Thank you," I said suddenly.
Caleb looked up, surprised. "For what?"
"For being nice to me. For not treating me like I'm broken or weak or..." I trailed off, not sure how to finish.
"Like a mistake?" he supplied gently.
"Yeah."
"You're not a mistake, Elara." His voice was firm. Certain. "You're just someone who got dealt a bad hand and decided to fight back anyway. That's not weakness. That's strength."
Something in my chest tightened. I'd spent so long hearing the opposite that having someone say this, mean it, felt almost overwhelming.
"Besides," Caleb continued, his tone lightening, "anyone who can make Darius Fenrir bleed in front of the entire combat class is definitely not weak. That's legend status."
I laughed despite myself. "Pretty sure that just made my life harder."
"Maybe. But at least now people know you're not someone to mess with."
He had a point.
We kept talking as we ate. Caleb told me stories about his pack back home, about his younger siblings who were constantly getting into trouble, about the time he accidentally shifted during a human history exam and nearly gave his teacher a heart attack.
I found myself laughing. Actually laughing, not just the bitter, defensive kind I'd gotten used to. Real, genuine laughter that made my ribs ache and my wolf settle contentedly.
This was what belonging felt like.
Not perfect. Not without complications. But real.
I was so focused on Caleb's story about his brother getting stuck in wolf form for three days that I almost missed it.
The bond pulled tight.
My wolf perked up, alert.
I glanced across the dining hall and found him immediately. Darius sat at the Alpha table, surrounded by his usual crowd, but he wasn't participating in their conversation. He was watching me.
Watching us.
His jaw was tight. His hands clenched around his fork hard enough that I was surprised it hadn't bent. The blonde from before sat next to him, trying to get his attention, but he ignored her completely.
His eyes were locked on Caleb.
The bond vibrated with something dark and possessive. Jealousy. Anger. Want.
My wolf stirred uneasily. She didn't like the conflict, didn't understand why our mate was watching us with another male and not doing anything about it.
Because he rejected us, I reminded her. He doesn't get to be jealous.
But the bond didn't care about logic. It just pulled, insistent and painful, trying to drag me toward him.
I forced myself to look away. To focus on Caleb, who was still talking, oblivious to the tension crackling across the room.
"Anyway," Caleb was saying, "that's why I'm never shifting near water again. Not after what happened at the lake."
"Sounds traumatic."
"It was horrifying." He grinned. "But also kind of hilarious in retrospect."
I smiled, trying to stay present in the conversation. Trying to ignore the weight of Darius's stare.
Caleb must have noticed something in my expression because his smile faded slightly. "He's watching us, isn't he?"
"Yeah."
"Does it bother you?"
"It shouldn't."
"That's not what I asked."
I sighed. "Yes. It bothers me. But I'm trying not to let it."
Caleb was quiet for a moment, then he leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the table. His voice dropped, just loud enough for me to hear over the dining hall noise.
"Can I be honest with you about something?"
"Sure."
"I think you're amazing. Strong, brave, smart. Everything an Alpha mate should be." He paused. "And I think Darius Fenrir is an idiot for not seeing that from the start."
My breath caught. "Caleb—"
"I'm not trying to make things complicated," he said quickly. "I know about the bond. I know it's not something you can just ignore. But I also know that he rejected you. Publicly. Cruelly."
"I know that too."
"So why does he get to keep staking a claim?" Caleb's eyes were intense now, more serious than I'd ever seen him. "Why does he get to watch you like he owns you when he made it clear he doesn't want you?"
"I don't know."
"Because he's realizing what he lost." Caleb leaned closer, his voice soft but firm. "And I think you should know that if he won't claim you, someone else will."
The words hung in the air between us.
My wolf went very, very still.
Across the room, I felt the exact moment Darius's control snapped. The bond screamed with rage and possessiveness so strong it made my chest ache.
Caleb held my gaze, waiting for a response.
And I had no idea what to say.