Why haven’t I noticed it before now?
Kissing the top of my head, Revyn practically purrs as he holds me tight. I fight the sting of tears and hold my breath to capture this moment.
I don’t care what anyone says.
I’m not losing Revyn like this.
I’m not losing himat all.
Chapter 29
Alistair
Heartsflame Academy’sacademic council meets once every fortnight to review students’ progress and reevaluate enrollment on a rolling basis. Any student who does not perform adequately—either in the Mating Games themselves or on any number of exams—is expelled. It’s such a regular occurrence that, despite how often individuals play with each other in the bedroom, they’re often seen studying together and collaborating, too.
That’s part of the academy’s infamy—not only do the vast majority of students find a mate by the end of their third year, but they also build connections with packs and communities across the realm, further strengthening alliances and forging future betrothals between theoretical first sons and daughters.
My brother Viserys was one such betrothal—despite it never coming to fruition.
As I roam the castle halls, I often wonder about him. Did he eat the same meals in the mornings and tell the same stories of Dire wolf legacies that I do, or our father did before us? Was my brother a charming young man who took any willing wolf into his bed, or did he stay humble and chaste for his intended? When he graduated, was our father proud of him for proving theDire wolves’ legitimacy in our seat of power, or did our father consider him as much of a disappointment as I am?
Did any of it matter to Viserys at all?
“You’re doing that thing again, baby.” Veronica’s voice scratches like straw against my skin. “Is it the she-wolf?” Her hand settles on my knee but doesn’t linger for long, its path up my thigh already blazed a thousand times, with a thousand more left to go. “You know I can handle her. I’m not afraid of some wild bitch.”
“You should be,” I mumble, closing my eyes to block out Veronica’s harsh yellow hair. It’s nothing like Sienna’s silken shade of midnight. Though Sienna’s burst of flame magic and unusual wolfish form haven’t become public news yet, Sienna is still a strong fighter. Professor Aesir’s combat review this morning proved as much. Veronica is a fool not to recognize a threat when she sees one.
Yet another mark against her as a potential mate.
I rub my tired eyes and down the rest of my drink. No matter which pack Veronica hails from—and it’s a big one—she wouldn’t stand a chance against Sienna. “She’s seen more combat than you, and she hasn’t ever had to abide by pack rules,” I conclude, my mouth twitching into a deeper scowl. “Her fighting style is...unorthodox.”
My thoughts drift like petals in the breeze. What would it be like not to have my father’s alpha influence woven like threads beneath my skin? Freeing? Or disconcerting, like a night sky missing its North Star? Revyn and Sienna seem to have gotten through life just fine without an alpha’s command whispering in their ears. I know that I could, too.
Veronica’s hand continues caressing my inner thigh. At least she isn’t pawing at my dick, but it won’t be long before she throws herself at me again. I swallow the bitter taste of alcohollingering in the back of my throat. Veronica wouldn’t last a day without an alpha to influence her decisions.
Unlike my true mate.
Sienna has lived beyond a pack’s influence for at least a decade. It’s hard not to be a little impressed.
“The wild girl is ruthless,” Neel agrees readily, nodding alongside me. “You weren’t there at the Games, Ver. I’m telling you, if you challenge Sienna to a fight, you’re going down.”
Veronica scoffs, her nails biting into my pant leg. “I scored fifty-two points that night. How many did she get? Seven?”
“Enough to fail.” I lean back on the couch and stretch my legs. You needed thirty points to pass, and technically, Sienna and Revyn racked up almost forty in the short time it took for them to tear through a few eager shifters looking to prove themselves by taking down the only two wild wolves they’ve ever encountered. How unlucky for them that it happened to be Revyn and Sienna who waltzed up to the academy gates and not some other lesser shifters.
Loath as I am to admit it, Veronica has a point. Revyn definitely failed the Games with Callum knocking him out so many times, but Sienna? She was never knocked unconscious, so her points are holding at thirty-eight. By all rights, she shouldn’t be enrolled in Aesir’s remedial classes, but...
My father—and the rest of the academy’s council of elders—are going to put Sienna through all nine hells until they figure out what she is.
Standing from my seat, I push past Veronica’s grabby claws and clap Neel on the shoulder. “I need a smoke.”
“Don’t we all,” my best friend sighs, patting his pockets until he produces a roll. He pinches it between his fingers as he holds it out to me. “Gonna be stingy, or can I join you?”
I roll my neck and exhale slowly. “Right. Get out, Veronica.”
Her cheeks flush a ruddy color, blotching her otherwise perfect complexion. “But I thought we were spending the night together.”
We have not—and will never—be spendinganynights together, but telling Veronica that will only incite her ire, and I’d rather not be on the receiving end of her cattiness. “Not tonight.” Taking her hand, I pull her off the couch and lead her to my bedroom door, promptly swinging it open and ushering her through.
