I turned a corner and nearly ran into the dormitory assistant as he exited a room. He was quiet, always kept to himself. A plan clicked into place.
Slowing my steps and steadying my breath, I approached him withcalm urgency.
“Alpha Seth Darven?” I said, stopping in front of him. He blinked.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly. “This area is off-limits to regular Alphas.”
Regular Alphas?
“‘Im sorry,” I replied with a sheepish smile. “I didn’t know. I’ll remember next time.” I paused, then added, “Actually, I was looking for you.”
He straightened slightly. “How can I help you?”
“My mattress… got dirty,” I said, feigning embarrassment. “I was hoping I could get a new one?”
He hesitated. “I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. All Academy property is meant to be cared for. While replacements are available, damaged items are the student’s responsibility.”
I gave him a pitiful look. “So what should I do?”
He cleared his throat, softening. “You can ask your family or your pack to send a replacement. That’s allowed.”
Exactly what I needed.
“How can contact them?”
He gestured to the room he’d just exited. “There’s a landline in my office. You can use that.”
I kept my expression stoic, though relief surged through me. “Thank you so much. I’ll make the call quickly.”
He nodded and stepped aside, saying he’d return in five minutes.
As soon as the door shut, I dialed Lily’s number with shaking hands.Thank the Goddess I still remembered it.
It rang four times before she picked up.
“Lily, it’s me,” said, my real voice breaking through my panic.
“Sera?! Oh my Goddess, you finally called! Are you okay? Where are-“
“I think I’m going into heat,” I cut in, urgency tightening every word.
“What?!” she nearly shrieked. “Did you forget the perfume?!”
“I’ve been using it, Lily.”
“That’s impossible. That perfume was made for you. There’s no break in its effectiveness unless…”
I froze at her pause. “Unless what?”
“Unless you’re attracted to a male or got too close to one.”
My heart lurched. One name crashed through my mind-Ronan.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to breathe. His touch still lingered on my skin like a phantom.
“The perfume relies on your wolf’s emotional stability. If you’re attracted to someone or if you lose control emotionally.”
“I’m not,” I snapped, too quickly. “I’m not attracted to anyone. I won’t be.”
Lily was quiet for a beat. “Then.. tell me your symptoms.”
I did, quickly. Her voice trembled on the other end.
“Sera, this might sound crazy, but… either your wolf is reacting to a male, or-“
“Or what?” My voice was thin now, fraying at the edges.
“Or someone’s doing this to you.”
My thoughts went blank.
Someone else’s doing?
A different name rose now-Dante.
“If someone tampered with something-food, water, clothes, even a scent-it could trigger this.”
The memory of Ronan’s cologne flashed in my mind. It had smelled different lately. Berries?
My stomach twisted
“What should I do?” I asked, trying to steady my shaking hands.
“First, stay away from male wolves. Second, if you’ve applied the perfume, your pheromones shouldn’t leak through-unless you’re around a dominating Alpha. Third, I’ll walk you through a process to force your body to break the heat cycle.”
The method was brutal. But I didn’t care. I’d do anything.
I ended the call and left the office before the assistant returned. I didn’t go back to my room. I couldn’t risk running into anyone.
Instead, I threw myself into a brutal workout on the Academy grounds, pushing past every one of my limits, ignoring the pain. If my body was going to burn, l’d make it burn my way.
All the while, one name haunted my mind-Ronan.
Why had his touch affected me so deeply? Was it just timing…or something more?Midnight crept past.
When I finally returned to the Academy, the halls were dark and empty. I grabbed a change of clothes and slipped into the showers.
Cold water was the final step-three hours, minimum.
As the icy stream hit my overheated skin, I didn’t realize… someone else hadn’t gone to bed.
A thin curl of smoke drifted in the hallway shadows. A cigarette ember flared orange, lighting the sharp edge of a jaw.
Ronan.
Silent. Still. Watching.
He took a slow drag, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Hunger simmered behind that gaze as the corner of his lips curled into something dangerous.
I’d just wanted to escape the heat.
But it had already found me.
SERAPHINA
“Phina… Phina..”Lgasped, standing beneath the icy spray of the shower. My body trembled as I moaned through clenched teeth, pain raking through me. I knew it had only been half an hour-far too early for this to pass-but the heat flooding my blood and my wolf’s growing need were driving us both to the brink.
Phina whimpered weakly in my mind. She was fighting just as hard as was, holding herself back from the primal urge threatening to consume us.
My knees buckled.
I collapsed to the cold tile floor, panting. “Just a little longer..” I murmured. “It’ll be over soon…”
Truthfully, I didn’t know if this trick would work. But I couldn’t give up, not now. It had to work.
The pain was unlike anything I’d ever known. My vision blurred, my mind clouded with fog. It felt as if something was tearing my soul from my body.
Desperate to stay conscious, I dug my nails into my arm, pinching and scratching at my skin. “Don’t faint…” I whispered to myself, though my voice was already fading, cracked and hollow from the strain.
I fought to stay awake-minute by agonizing minute-clinging to the cold, the sting, the pain. Time dragged on until, slowly, I began to notice a change. The fire in my blood dulled. The ache in my bones eased. The haze in my head began to lift.
My lips were chapped, my limbs numb, but I leaned against the shower wall and let the water wash over me. The worst of it was passing. My heat was ebbing away.Yet I couldn’t move. My muscles had locked up, every inch of me sore and broken. My vision remained blurry, and my awareness dimmed.! only meant to close my eyes for a second-but sleep claimed me before I could stop it.
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