The Alpha Dominion Academy stood before her like a monument.

It had high walls, ceilings, security at every corner.. a vast area. Everything.

Thus was the endgame of it all. All top Alpha heirs of all the top packs in the world came here.

This was where they groomed, trained, nurtured from just boys into men, into Alpha’s to not only lead, but dominate.

And now, Serena was here.. at long last she was here.

This was her chance of proving doubters wrong and telling them that she deserved to be here among the very best of them.

She rode all the way from her pack on her horse back.

The magic spell lingered, each step of her horse tormented her chest in possibility and agitated her throat. It was as if her body was revolting at the predecision moment. She kept the cloak clutched tight around her shoulders. 

She didn’t want the guards to detect even the softest hint of change in her scent warming with the pump of her breath.

“Name,” the gate attendant barked. An older, ashy Beta with calloused hands placed upon his knees, his greyed eyes looked hers over with cosmological questioning. 

Serena huffed under her cloaks before projecting with her voice lowered to deepen. “Soren Vale. Of Mooncrest.” 

The Beta looked around as his squint grew stronger; drawing a ragged breath to scan the parchment back at her.He dipped a claw in a vial of silver ink, touching the crest of the red of white of his bloodline. It flared momentarily, sealing the identity. "Blood check."

Serena swallowed hard, extending her hand. A razor thin edge nicked her thumb, her blood dropping into a shallow silver dish. The Beta studied the ripples, nostrils flaring once. For a moment, Serena's heart hammered so hard, she imagined the spell cracking under it.

Then the Beta grunted. "Moon crest bloodline confirmed. Dormitory 308. Orientation first bell. Don't be late."

The relief came so fast that she felt like she would fall to her knees. She offered a quick thank you and moved on into the courtyard where the next step in her act of deception would take place. 

The courtyard was filled with noise, the boys, some no older than fifteen, others gigantic and thick, vocalized in excitement or arrogance. Serena maneuvered her way through them, feigning cockiness, lifting her chin in the same way that she'd seen her cousin do nearly one thousand times. But her stomach flipped as she took in the scents, primal, aggressive, and unbridled.

These boys weren't sparring partners from her father's pack. These boys were heirs honed like blades, each thinking himself Alpha.

A commanding voice pierced through the noise. "Recruits! Line up!"

Without hesitation, the recruits fell into the line instinctively. Serena stepped into line, her hands clammy against her trousers.

The headmaster stepped forward, a tall, scarred wolf whose presence alone silenced the courtyard. His gray eyes scanned the recruits with disdain. "This Academy does not make boys. It makes Alphas. 

You will be pushed. You will be broken. If you survive, maybe you will deserve the bloodlines you proclaim. If you fail..." He smiled, coldly, devoid of humor. "The wolves beyond these walls will be pleased with the scraps."

A tension rippled through the recruits.

"Now," the headmaster went on, "welcome our four-stripe wonder. He will speak to you of what it means to survive on this mount."

Four stripes wonder?! That meant one thing.. and they all knew it. Him.

Serena's breath caught. She had heard the name, murmured in her father's hall, on the lips of elders who dared dream he might take his place on Mooncrest's throne.

He was the epitome of what it meant to truly take over as Alpha… the future of the werewolf world as a whole.

And now, as he stepped forward, she was looking at him herself

Damien Blackthorn.

Damien Blackthorn moved through the crowd like he was a knife slicing into butter.

He was taller than most, his physique broad but not fat, trained like a tool that has been sharpened for use. His dark hair curled in disarray about his jaw, although nothing about him suggested disarray because he moved with purpose. Every step was subdued, his shoulders square to match the storm in his blue eyes, which washed over the line of recruits like a tsunami bringing the weight of each syllable in the headmaster's voice to bare, power, command, and the silent threat of a wolf with nothing that ever lost.

Serena forced her eyes forward, the world falling in around her, but she felt him like a storm building above her. The whispers of the recruits confirmed her suspicions.

"That's him." 

"The heir to the Nightfang Pack.”

"He broke three seniors in sparring last year."

“I heard he got rank one only in his first year here..”

“He’s never lost a one on one duel. Ever!”

The murmurs didn’t do him justice enough. For Serena heard a lot of reports on him.. and he was much more capable than that…

When he arrived at the front of the crowd, the murmurs stopped as dead silence fell.

"Being here," Damien said evenly, though he was low, "doesn't make you Alpha."

He paused. His eyes repassion and roamed over the recruit's face again the cold steel of a sword as they scanned each of the faces.

What you will be doing here really does. You will be taken to task every day, by your peers, by your instructors, and by yourself. Fail once, and you will never get back up. The only thing that matters is strength. Keep that in mind. Strength or nothing.”

He stepped back, crossing his arms, as if he had already written them off.

The Headmaster nodded. “Each recruit will receive their first stripe now.”

One by one, the boys stepped up to the platform, their names called out loud, the mark sewn onto their uniforms in gold thread, and Serena could hear her pulse get louder with each name. She almost forgot to breathe when her name was called, her pulse pounding in her throat.

“Soren Vale of Mooncrest.”

She walked to the platform, her boots feeling like stones at her feet. Damien was standing there, a blank expression written on his face, holding the ceremonial needle in his hand. Up close, he was worse - dangerously magnetic. His scent twisted and penetrated her skin like smoke, sharp iron and it dug into her chest somehow more so than the roaring laughter from the elders.

They caught each other's gaze and for a second, she felt stripped. Could he see through the disguise? Did he already know?

Oh no if he did, then she was  f**ked!

Damien's hand was in motion not to her arm, but to her chest, his palm brushing where her disguise pressed hardest.

Instinct screamed like a siren. Serena's body acted before her mind processed the situation.

SLAP!

The sound reverberated throughout the quad. Gasps rippled through the recruits. Damien's head snapped to the side, a red mark blooming across his jaw.

Serena's hand hung in the air, trembling. Panic gripped her throat. Idiot, idiot, idiot!

What the hell has she done?

She literally slapped the school’s most prestigious student on her very first day…

Shit. Shit. She had to do something. She had to salvage this situation.

"I...," she stammered. "There was a bug. I thought..."

For one breathless second, the silence felt so thick that she thought she would choke.

All eyes of the students, even the Headmaster, were on her and Damein.

Everyone was waiting for a reaction, then—

Then Damien laughed, his tone amusing, but dangerous.

 He rubbed his jaw, his lips curving in a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Bug slayer, huh?"

He leaned in close enough for only her to hear. "Careful, Vale. First day, and you already bite."

Her knees nearly buckled. He stitched the stripe onto her sleeve, then waved her away as if she were nothing more than a curiosity. But Serena felt the weight of his gaze burning into her back long after she returned to the line.

The ceremony was over, but the recruits whispered as they dispersed. 

"You see that?"

"He slapped Blackthorn!"

“He'll be dead by morning, I can promise.”

“I got to give it to him.. he has balls and a lot of nerve. Too bad it was on Damien..”

Serena tightened her hands into fists. With every set of eyes on her, she felt as if she had been stabbed.

When she reached the dorm that had been assigned to her, she pushed the door open with shaky hands.

 The room was tidy, and it smelled softly of cedar and steel. One of the beds was already occupied, the sheets covered by a large duffle bag.

She stilled.

By the window, a figure with broad shoulders was highlighted by the sunlight. He glanced back towards her at her entrance, gray eyes dancing with mirth.

"Well," Damien drawled slowly, an evil grin stretching, "if it isn't my new roommate. The bug slayer."

Serena's gut dropped.

May the moon save me.

Serena is trapped. Her disguise barely survived the first day, she has made a public enemy of Damien, and now she is stuck sharing a room with him.

Serena tightened her grip on the doorframe. For the briefest moment, she considered evading the matter before her, pretending she made a mistake and this was not the room assigned to her. But Damien's smirk told her he knew there would be no escaping this time.

He leaned back in his chair like the king of his castle, his boots crossed at the ankles, as if this room was his, and she was invading it. "Are you just going to stand there all day, Vale, or did you just decide to move in?"

Serena finally got her feet to move and stepped into the room. There was a palpable tenseness in the air around them, every intake of breath felt like a blade scrapping her lungs. She dropped her bag onto the empty bed, and faced away from him for as long as possible. 

"You're awfully quiet now," Damien drawled. "Not the same wolf who slapped me in front of half the Academy."

A flush crept up her neck. She fought to keep her voice steady and even lower and masculine than normal. "I told you it was a bug."

"Mm." His chuckle turned low and dangerous. "If that's your excuse, you should keep practicing better lies. Alphas can count deception on their breath." 

Serena froze. Careful. "Then maybe you're not much of an Alpha, since you believed me."

Silence.

She risked a quick glance, using the Art of Distraction. Damien was looking at her, his eyes narrowed, his mouth twisted somewhere between annoyance and amusement. "I'll give you that, Vale. You've got teeth. Most pups keep their heads down on day one. But not you."

It took all her effort to manage a shrug, while her heart was pounding against her chest. "I guess I'm not most pups."

"Maybe not.” He tilted his head, examining her with unnerving intensity. "Regardless. Wolves who display teeth too early don't last here."

The comment was casual, but there was a warning contained within that cut deep.

Serena turned back to her bag, fiddling with the straps to keep her hands busy. She needed to get some air and try to regulate her pulse, or he would pick up on the nerves radiating off her body.

The silence dragged on, and she could feel his eyes still honing in on her taking inventory of her confidence, possibly peeling off layers she wasn't ready to reveal just yet. Only when the Academy bell tolled in the distance, did he finally stand.

“Orientation’s over," Damien declared. "Next is the first test. "I’d hate to lose my roommate before I've had a proper chance to see how much trouble he’s going to be in. Don’t be late." 

He brushed her shoulder as he sidestepped her view. The faintest touch of his shoulder to hers leaped to a heat rush in her stride. And just like that, as he disappeared, now it was Serena standing breathlessly planted, feeling more naked in her digs than even.

The training fields were buzzing with anticipation. All the new recruits were excited and at the same time, anxious..

With good reason, this was their chance to either make a good or a bad first impression.

And first impressions in places like this, we’re always important.

An instructor stepped forward, an angry looking scar running from the ridges of his brow down to his jaw.

Prof, Argval.

“First test,” he rasped, “cross the river with the weight.”

He kicked a bag onto the ground that landed with a thump that echoed in Serena’s bones. When it opened, she could see that it had rocks that looked as heavy as sin.

“You will tie a bag around you, and you will swim to the other side.” He said, “If you untie the bag, you will fail. If you drown, you fail harder. Welcome to the Dominion."

There was a flutter of nervous laughter that swept through the recruits, but it was crushed out quickly by the weight of his glaring look.

Serena's stomach tightened. While she had practiced in rivers, this was unlike anything she had ever encountered. The current was voracious, predatory. 

She could feel the weight at her waist—there was no way she would float; she would plummet like a rock.

Names were read out loud.

 One by one, the boys hit the water. A couple of them swam across the river, splashing and clawing their way to safety, bleeding but alive.

 A few of them cut the rope halfway in, panting as they clambered onto the rocks. And then two unconscious boys were rescued by upperclassmen.

Then—

"Soren Vale!"

…her legs were almost paralyzed when she heard the name. 

But she stepped out anyway, without hesitation, feeling sick to her stomach and her heart pounding in her chest.

The sack felt uncomfortably heavy as it was tied around her waist, already dragging at her as she approached the bank. She swallowed hard and stared down at the water twirling and pummeling below her.

You cannot fail, there's too much at stake. Not now. Not on the first day.

The right impression mattered…

She jumped.

The river swallowed her whole. 

Cold slammed against her chest and took her breath away. The sack pulled her down and sent her tumbling into darkness. Her arms beat the water, legs desperately kicking against the weight of the current. Foam burned her eyes and filled her mouth.

She fought against the current, hardly able to push through a small space of air to take a breath before she was dragged down again.

Cut the rope, the voice in her head screamed. Save yourself.

But if she did it would be over for her. She would be exposed and worthless.

She felt her hand fumbling for the knife strapped to her thigh, but her fingers were numb. Her ankle smashed against a rock and pain flashed white-hot through her. Panic began to claw at her ribs.

Then hands.

Strong hands, hands that weren’t going to let go, snaked around her waist. Hans that were yanking her up, up, until the sound of the river disappeared into the air.

Serena coughed, hard. Water spilled from her lungs. Everything blurred, but she could see a figure standing over her.

Damien.

Damien Blackthorn rescued her?!…

That was the last thought that passed her brain before the darkness took her.

Serena was walking through the corridors and finally arrived at her room in the thick of the night.

Damein was there, standing right at the center, like he was waiting for her all along.

“What’s the problem?” She asked cautiously.

Then in a flash…

Damein crossed the room and was in front of her. “I know your secret! Girl!”

“No!!”

Serena was abruptly pulled from her sleep.

She took in heavy breaths…trying to remind herself that it was just a dream.

It was just a dream…nothing more

Above her was a brightly lit white stone ceiling, washed in the multiple sunbeams that flooded the room and caused her to squint her eyes. 

For a brief moment, she thought she was back home at Mooncrest in her father’s manor and that everything about the Academy had been a dreadful dream.

Then, she attempted to sit up, and the pain shot through her lungs like fire. She could still hear the river's roar deep in her chest.

“Welcome back.” 

The voice belonged to the shadowy corner of the room. 

Her heart skipped one beat then a second slowly she turned her head, but she already knew who she would find. 

Damien Blackthorne leaned against the wall with his arms folded, his shadow long in the light of the morning. His eyes still glowed, sharper and colder than the river water in which she almost drowned, but there was also something else in his gaze that made her anxious, one that had nothing to do with any judgement he had of her. 

He pushed away from the wall and stepped toward her. “You almost drowned, Vale.”

Serena swallowed, really working to keep her voice even, masculine. “I didn’t cut the rope.”

“No," Damien whispered, stopping at the foot of her cot.

"You did not. You chose death instead of failure. Admirable- or stupid. I haven't decided yet." 

Heat rose in her neck. She fought to offer a sideways smile. "Maybe I just dislike losing." 

Damien kept his eyes on her longer than he needed to, looking at her as one looks at a catalog. She fought the desire to pull the blanket closer around herself. 

"You are reckless," he finally said, "that sort of recklessness gets wolves killed here." 

"Then I'll just have to be careful about which wolves I sit beside," she said, trying to add a layer of bravado to mask the anxiety stirring in her chest. 

For the first time, the corners of his lips twitched. Not a smile, but close. "Take care, bug slayer. Keep that up and I might start to like you." 

Her heart raced, but she found the strength to scoff. "I will take my chances with the river, thanks."

The healer returned before Damien was able to respond, checking Serena's ribs while clucking her tongue. "You will live. Don't push yourself in the next trial." 

Next trial?!

Serena's stomach knotted. She had barely succeeded in the first. What would she need for the next trial?

By the time she arrived back at the dormitory, the sun had sunk quite low in the sky and cast the walls with golden light. Damien sat at the desk, methodically buffing a dagger. The blade caught the light, narrow enough to cut a hair into two pieces.

He did not glance up as the door opened, “You will be fighting tomorrow.”

Her throat constricted, “Fighting?”

“Going into the sparring matches. A one-on-one fight. In front of the council and all of the elder Alpha’s. It's to test dominance.” He turned his gaze to her, studying her face with squinting eyes. “You don’t look ready."

“I will be fine.”

“You almost drowned in the river,” 

Serena bit down on her tongue. She wanted to snap back, tell him that she would be fine because she had been through worse than drowning in water, worse than people laughing at her, worse than him. But her chest tightened with fear of the other spell.

The witch had warned her. It would eventually crumble during her moon cycle. Her scent, her shape, her voice would all be a fragile seam of the disguise. 

And tonight, she had felt the first.

She had scrupulously hidden the bloodstains. She had wrapped the cloth tighter than expected, tighter than armor, but she felt the spell tug on her body, the seams creeping into her skin, what if Damien scented her even a fraction of her true self? If he did it was finished.

She steeled herself to return his gaze, firm. “I will manage,” she said again.

Damien looked at her for a long moment, his eyes inscrutable. Then he turned back to the knife. “I hope that is true for your own sake, Vale.”

The arena was alive with noise the next morning. Torches blazed against the stone walls, smoke curling into the rafters. The smell of sweat, blood, and anticipation hung thick in the air. The recruits were all lined up with stiff uniforms, tense faces.

Serena found her heart pounding at the sound of the headmaster’s voice carrying across the arena. “Today you will find out if you are wolves or pups. If you win, you will survive. If you lose, you will be shamed. Fight until your opponent yields or cannot rise.”

Packs of wolves were called to the centre one at a time, and pairs wrestled each other-- claws raked, teeth bared. The crowd roared with each new hit, each fall.

Finally, Serena heard her name-"Soren Vale!"-and it seemed to ring in her bones. She stepped forward, though it felt like she had a weight on her shoulders. Her jaw was set.

Her opponent was a boy of brute stature. He is a head taller than Serena and his muscles were bulging from underneath his uniform. He grinned and looked at her like a wolf eyeing its prey. “Mooncrest? I thought that pack was dead.”

Serena remained silent.

The whistle blew.

He rushed at her, delivering a fast punch toward her chin. She ducked just in time, feeling the air pass by her ear. Instinct took over, allowing her father’s training and all her nights spent practicing to flash in her mind, together with bruises she had hidden from the parents that thought little of it.

She moved like water, swift and sharp, to hit his rib cage, a strike to the throat, and a quick knee to the leg. The boy grunted and moved away from her, astonishment flicking across his face.

“Lucky shot,” he spat before charging in again.

Serena's heartbeat was pounding in her head. She evaded, struck back, and evaded again. But the spell was tugging against her body and her chest was awash with heat, her scent spilling from her as she lost focus. She fought harder, faster, wanting to end things before anyone realized what had happened.

Finally, she saw it. He was overly wide in stance and had his weight on the wrong foot. She sprung backward, turned into him, loaded her elbow, and slammed it right into his temple, where he dropped straight to the ground, unconscious.

The crowd erupted.

“Vale wins!” the headmaster roared.

Serena stood over her opponent, breathing heavily, with sweat running down her temple. For a moment, all was a triumph, sharp and intoxicating.

Then she felt it. 

Damien was burning a hole through her from across the arena.

There was neither clapping nor cheering. His eyes were locked on her, narrowed, his nostrils flaring as if he had picked up a scent that no one else was aware of.

Her stomach sank like ice.

That night in their dorm, Serena was mindful to appear casual while changing and unfolded every last inch of fabric too methodically. She could sense Damien's weighty gaze at her back like a disruptively heavy blade.

At last, he spoke. “You fight like no wolf I've witnessed before..”

Her heart started beating even faster now…

Damien stepped closer to her now. “You smell different.. fight different, act different, it’s almost as if you’re a…

…girl.”

Serena’s blood went cold instantly.

Morning came sharply. 

Bright sunlight sliced through the tall dormitory windows in landing directly across Serena's face.

She finally stirred up with a faint groan, instinctively turning away from the brightness. 

For one fragile, blissful moment, she forgot where she was.

She thought maybe she was at home, still Serena, still with her father... 

Then as she turned, a dull but sharp pain flared up from her ribs, almost like wake up call. 

Yesterday's incident! 

The Academy.. the dormitory... Damien.

Her eyes snapped open.

The room was quiet.

A peaceful silence, something she hadn't got since she came here. 

Damien was already up and out to where ever he needed to be. 

Carefully, she inhaled, letting the air flood into her lungs.

There was no sudden bloom of feminine scent, no change in her shape and no sign of breasts.

A small wave of relief washed through her.

She sat up slowly, getting a full look of her body.

 The spell still held. 

She swung her legs over the bed and rose, her feet hitting the cold floor.

She walked to the window, taking the warmth of the sun, letting it ground her when the door slammed wide open.

The force alone shook the walls of the room. 

Damien stood framed in the doorway, already dressed up, his dark hair damp from a morning wash. 

"Breakfast call," he said evenly. "Be down in five minutes. 

Lateness has consequences."

His blue eyes skimmed over her, a little moment longer.

Then he turned and left without another word.

The door shut.

The room felt smaller without him, somehow.

Serena exhaled slowly.

Five minutes.

She crossed immediately to the mirror bolted against the far wall.

Bracing herself, she looked.

A young man stared back.

She had sharp jaw, broad shoulders and flat chest. 

She lifted her wrist to her nose and inhaled discreetly.

Male musk.

"You will not fail," she whispered to her reflection.

"Not today... "

 By the time she stepped into the corridor, her mask of Soren was back in place.

The dining hall was chaos when she arrived.

Long wooden tables stretched across the cavernous chamber.

 Torches burned along stone walls despite the daylight streaming through high windows. The air smelled of roasted meat, sweat, and male competition.

Laughter erupted in clusters. 

Serena moved through it quietly, collecting a tray and stepping into line.

A broad-shouldered recruit ahead of her muttered just loud enough, "Bug slayer."

Snickers followed it too, but she ignored them.

When she reached the counter, a server dropped thick slices of meat and coarse bread onto her tray without much ceremony.

She turned sharply, observing the wide dining hall.

Tables were filling up fast.

She approached one near the far wall.

"Taken."

Then to another.

"This one it's taken already."

A third.

And it was the same reply, taken as well. 

For a moment, she wondered if they were truly taken or was it an isolation tactic.

Her gaze swept the hall again. There! 

One empty chair remained.

Across from it... Damien Blackthorn.

He was already seated, his posture relaxed but commanding space effortlessly. 

No one even dared to seat across him. 

But Serene wasn't anyone. 

She let out a sharp breath as she walked towards him.. 

Here we go.

She crossed the hall and dropped her tray onto the table across from him.

Their eyes locked instantly. 

Damien cut into his food slowly, deliberately, as if time obeyed him.

"Sleep well?" he asked without looking up.

"Like the dead," she replied evenly.

A flicker of amusement touched his mouth.

"Careful with metaphors, you nearly qualified."

She tore bread calmly. "Well, I'm still here."

"For now." He studied her openly now.

"You don't speak much about Mooncrest."

"There isn't much to say."

"A pack with no male heir," he countered casually. "That's plenty of things to say."

Her grip tightened around her fork, but she didn't respond to her.

He continued, his voice mild.

"You don't posture like the others around here. You just seem different."

"Shouldn't I be, I mean it's best I stand out, right?"

I shot back, my tone measured. 

Serene heart race harder wugh each question Damein asked, but she didn't let it show. 

She just kept chewing.

"Maybe you should stop sniffing me."

A low chuckle escaped him.

"I notice things. That's what keeps me alive."

He leaned forward slightly.

"What are you hiding, Vale?"

She met his eyes without flinching.

"I guess we'll never know."

A heavy silence stretched between them.

Before either could press further-

The massive dining hall doors slammed open.

The sound cracked through the room like thunder and silence fell instantly.

Every recruit in the room straightened.

Entering with measured authority was Elder Vasyers of the Alpha Dominion Academy. 

He is a high-ranking council member, his presence suffocating the room.

Even Damien rose.

Slowly, still confused, Serena followed as well.

Vasyers surveyed them like livestock under inspection.

"You have survived four days," he began, voice carrying without effort.

There was a pause.

"Most of you will not survive the next."

A ripple of tension passed through the hall.

"You were not brought here to be comfortable. You were brought here to be tested to your very limits."

His gaze swept across faces.

"To that end, the council has authorized a new evaluation."

He let silence sharpen anticipation.

"The Blood Moon Gauntlet."

Whispers broke like sparks.

Vasyers continued:

"A multi-stage trial of endurance, combat, and strategy. It's conducted beyond the Academy's protection and it ultimately results into public elimination."

The hall felt smaller.

"But," Vasyers added smoothly, "you will not compete alone."

Stillness.

"You will compete in pairs."

The tension in the room doubled.

"Failure of one," he said evenly, "is failure of both."

Shock rippled outward.

"Only twelve of you will remain at its conclusion and amongst you twelve you'll contest in more varying games to ultimately produce us two winners who will be crowned... 

King and Queen of Alpha Dominion Academy!"

"The Gauntlet begins at moonrise tomorrow. You will declare your partners by sunset."

There was a heavy silence and then the room erupted. 

Wolves moved from one to another trying to secure the best alliances and then chaos filled the room instantly. 

Strong recruits were immediately surrounded.

Serena remained seated.

No one approached her.

Of course not. Why would they? 

She took a slow breath, just waiting for it to be over so she pair with the other lackies that didn't get a partner. 

Then, as the noise began to fade slwoly, a shadow fell across the table.

Damien stood up and hhe conversations quieted instinctively.

Every head turned to their table now.

He did not look at the crowd.

He looked at her.

"I choose Soren Vale."

The hall froze.