ASHER
My stomach was in knots as I followed the student messenger down the dimly lit hallway towards the Headmaster's office. The ancient stone walls seemed to close in around me, and every shadow felt like it was watching and judging me.
Less than four hours at Stone Claw Academy and I was already being summoned to the Headmaster. This couldn't be good.
The messenger, a hulking Alpha with a scar running down his left cheek, stopped in front of massive oak doors carved with wolves in mid-hunt. He knocked twice, sharp and precise.
"Enter," came a deep voice from within.
The messenger pushed the door open and gestured for me to go inside. I took a deep, steadying breath and stepped into the office.
The room was exactly what I had expected from the most dangerous academy in the world: dark wood panelling, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with ancient texts, weapons mounted on the walls like trophies. A massive desk dominated the space, and behind it sat a man who looked like he would snap me in half without breaking a sweat.
Headmaster Cyrus Blackthorn was in his fifties, with silver-streaked black hair and eyes that glowed amber even in human form. He was built like a warrior, all muscles and barely contained power.
The scent of his Alpha dominance was so strong it made my knees want to buckle, but I had just injected myself less than an hour ago. The drug was holding me still, and I forced myself to stand straight, to meet his gaze without flinching.
"Asher Graham," Headmaster Blackthorn said, his voice rumbling like thunder, "Silverwood Pack. Take a seat," he instructed, and I sat in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. My hands are gripping the armrest to keep them from shaking.
The Headmaster studied me for a long moment, his amber eyes scanning every detail. I felt exposed under that gaze like he could see right through my carefully planned lies.
"Do you know why you are here?" he finally asked.
"No, sir, or maybe," I said, keeping my voice steady, "I assume it has something to do with the incident in the courtyard."
"The incident/" his lips twitched in what might have been amusement, "Is that what we are calling it?" he asked, and I stayed silent, waiting for his next word before thinking on what to say.
"You have been at Stone Claw Academy for-" he glanced at a file on his desk, "- three hours and forty-seven minutes, and in that time, you have managed to make an enemy of the most powerful Alpha student we have, Reed Jackson." He leaned back in his chair, "Would you care to explain what possessed you to challenge him on your very first day?"
I thought about lying, about making up some excuse about not understanding the hierarchy, and about being new and naive, but something in the Headmaster's eyes told me he would see right through it.
"He was hurting someone weaker than him," I told him, with the hopes that my truth wouldn't put me in more trouble, "I couldn't just stand by and watch."
Headmaster Blackthorn's eyebrows raised slightly, "admirable and stupid but admirable," he said, and I couldn't quite figure out if he was praising me or hurling insults at me.
The tapping of his fingers on the desk snapped me out of my thoughts as my eyes met his, and a cold shiver ran down my spine.
"Let me be very clear to you, Mr Graham. Stone Claw Academy operates on a strict hierarchy, that's how it's always been, and that's how it will continue to be," he said, and I scoffed.
"Then maybe it shouldn't," I said before I could stop myself.
I knew I had hit a nerve somewhere when the Head ster's eyes flashed dangerously and I gulped about to wet my trousers.
"Excused me?"
I swallowed hard once again but didn't back down.
"With all due respect, sir, just because something has always been done a certain way doesn't mean it's right. It's all shades of wrong, and you can choose to end it and save lives." I said, and for a long moment, the Headmaster just stared at me.
I was certain I had just gotten myself expelled on my first day, but then, to my shock, he laughed. It wasn't a warm laugh, but it was sharp and cold.
"You have balls, I will give you that," he said, "buit balls will not get you so far at Stone Claw. Do you understand what you have done by challenging Reed?" he asked.
"Made an enemy," I answered.
"No, you moron. You have painted a target on your back," the Headmaster corrected. "Reed is the son of Alpha Thorne Jackson, one of the most powerful Pack leaders on the East Coast. Reed has been training since he could walk to be the perfect Alpha. He is cold, ruthless and mostly dormant. All Alphas in this school fear him, and he especially doesn't forget his enemy," he said, and I rolled my eyes.
I already knew all this. Scott had made it super clear to me, and part of me wonders if the Headmaster is also scared of him or his father, and that's why he decided that this fucking hell rules remain, and that thought made bile rise in my throat.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, disdain laced in my voice.
"Because, despite your incredibly poor judgment, I see potential in you," the headmaster leaned forward, his elbows on the desk, "you have fire, determination, and you don't back down even when you should. Those are the qualities we value here at Stone Claw." he said, and I didn't say a word because I was waiting for the "but."
"But," he continued, "if you continue on this path, if you continue to provoke REed, you won't survive the semester because he will break you, or worse, he will kill you, and I have seen too many promising students destroyed because they didn't know when to back down."
The memory of Reed's hand around my throat flashed through my mind. Those storm-grey eyes boring into me. The way my body responded despite fear. I knew there was something more to it, but I didn't want to explore it; instead, I wanted to have this hatred for him, to make him not threaten me like prey.
"I am not going to apologise to him," I said quietly.
The Headmaster sighed, "I am not asking you to apologise. I am asking you to be smart, pick your battles, and don't throw your life away for pride."
"It's not about pride," I told him, "It's about-"
"Survival," the Headmaster interrupted, "everything at Stone Claw Academy is about survival. You need to learn that quickly if you want to make it to graduation," he closed the file on his desk. "You are dismissed, but Mr Graham? Watch your back. Reed has declared war on you, and he always wins his wars," he warned as I stood, my legs slightly unsteady.
"Is that all, sir?" I asked.
"One more thing," His eyes met mine, "there is something different about you, and I can't quite put my finger on it, but I will figure it out eventually. Everyone has a secret at Stone Claw, make sure yours don't get you killed," he said, and my blood turned to ice immediately.
Did he know? Co uld he sense something off about me despite the drugs? No matter what he was thinking, I couldn't afford to slip and let him know my secrets.
I kept my expression neutral, "I don't know what you mean, sir?" I told him, and he smiled.
"Don't you?" he asked as he studied me for a brief moment, "Time will tell. You are dismissed."
I hurriedly left the office as quickly as I could without running; my heart was pounding loudly in my chest.
He knows something is off. He might not know what it is, but he knows, and I need to be extra careful when dealing with him.
The hallway seemed even darker now, every shadow a potential threat to me right now. I needed to get back to my room and figure out how the hell I was going to survive this place.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice someone following me until a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me into an empty classroom.
I spun around, ready to fight, and found myself face-to-face with Reed Jackson, and I gupped.
Reed slammed the door behind us and locked it with a decisive click.
We were alone.
My back hit the wall as Reed stalked towards me, all predatory grace and barely controlled violence. The classroom was small, filled with desks and chairs, but suddenly it felt like there was no air, no space, nothing but Reed and the dangerous energy rolling off him in waves.
"Did you really think you could just walk away from me?" Reed's voice was low and deadly, "That I would let you embarrass me in front of the entire Academy and not make you pay?" he asked, and I forced myself to stand my ground even though every instinct screamed at me to run.
"What do you want, Ree?" I asked.
"What do I want?" he laughed, but there was no humour in it, "I want to know what the fuck you think you are playing at. What the hell are you, Asher Graham?"
"I already told you-"
"Silverwood Pack? Yeah, I heard you." Reed took another step closer; he was so close that I could feel the heat radiating from his massive frame. "Funny thing, though, is that I have never heard of the Silverwood Pack. No one has, and I know every major Pack on this side of the country."
Shit! He was catching on. I needed to do everything possible not expose myself, lest everything I have been trying to hide and protect come out in the open, and I will be back in trouble again.
"We are a small Pack," I said, keeping my voice steady, "We prefer privacy."
"Bullshit!" Reed's hand shot out and grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes, "You are lying, I can smell it on you."
Could he? Or was he bluffing?
"I'm not lying," I said, and Reed's grip tightened, "then why does everything about you feel… wrong?"
My heart stopped.
"I don't-"
"You smell wrong," Reed continued, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, "not bad, not nice, just… off like there's something beneath the Alpha scent that doesn't quite fit."
Oh Goddess… the drugs. He could sense something was wrong with me, even with drugs.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said trying to pull away.
Reed's other hand came up, boxing me in against the wall. "I'm going to figure out what you are hiding, Asher Graham, and when I do, you're going to wish you had never set foot in Stone Claw Academy," he threatened.
We were so close that I could see the flecks of his silver grey eyes, I could feel his breath on my face, and I could see the way his pupils dilated slightly as he stared at my mouth.
The air between us crackled with tension, hatred, challenge and something like an electric and dangerous pull, pulling me closer to him. Part of me wanted to pull him and just give in to the pull, but the thought of him being my enemy snapped me out of my ridiculous fantasy.
"Get off me,"I said, but my voice came out breathier than I intended.
"Make me," Reed challenged.
It was a mistake, I knew it was a mistake even as I did it, but I was tired of being pushed around, tired of being afraid, and tired of pretending to be something I wasn't just to survive. So I shoved him hard, and Reed stumbled back a step, surprise flashing across his face.
Then, his expression darkened into something possessive that made my stomach drop.
"Oh, you are going to regret that," Reed growled, and he lunged at me. I tried to dodge, but Reed was faster. His hands caught my shoulder and spun me around, slamming me face-first against the wall.
He pressed his entire body against my back, pinning me in place with superior size and strength.
"Let me go!" I yelled as I struggled to break free, but it was useless; he was too strong.
"Not a chance, princess," Reed's breath was hot against my ear. "You wanted to challenge me? Fine, let me show you exactly what happens when you challenge Reed Jackson."
His hips ground against my ass, and I felt it, the hard unmistaken bulge of his arousal pressing against me. My body betrayed me, responding to his closeness, to his dominance, to the raw power coming out from him. Heat pooled low in my belly and between my thighs, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from making a sound.
"That's what I thought," Reed murmured, his voice dark with satisfaction. "You can fight me all you want, but your body knows the truth. You want this."
I hate you," I gritted out.
"The feeling is mutual, princess." His hand slid up my chest, fingers fumbling possibly. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are hard right now. I can smell your arousal."
I squeezed my eyes shut, humiliation and unwanted desires clashing inside of me.
"Tomorrow," Reed said, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "Combat training. Eight AM. You and me in the ring. I am going to show everyone at this Academy exactly what happens when someone dares to challenge me."
"Fine," I managed to say. "Let's do it."
"Oh, we will." Reed's hand tightened on my chest, "and after I beat you bloody in front of everyone, you are going to kneel and apologize for disrespecting me."
"Never."
"We will see," Reed pulled back slightly, and I could finally breathe again. "Sleep well tonight, Asher Graham. It might be the last peaceful sleep you get for a very long time."
Then he was gone, the door slamming behind him.
I stood there for a long moment, my entire body trembling from fear, from anger, and from the unwanted arousal that still pulsed through my views.
What the fucking hell is wrong with me?
Reed Jackson was a psychopath, a bully and my enemy. So why did my body respond to him like he was something I needed?
I pushed off the wall and straightened my clothes, trying to compose myself. My reflection in the dark window showed flushed cheeks, dilated pupils, and visible marks on my throat where Reed's hand had been.
Tomorrow was going to hell, but I couldn't back down now. Not after everything.
If Reed wanted a fight, I would give him one even if it killed me.