Moonveil Academy

Rowan's POV

The gym reeked of sweat and iron, the kind of sharp tang that clung to the back of your throat. My boots slammed against the floor as I stormed in, Fenric, my Lycan, clawing just beneath my skin like fire. My chest heaved, anger burning me alive.

And then I saw him.

Elias.

He was hammering a punching bag with brutal precision, every strike reverberating through the chain it hung from.

His face was tight, jaw clenched, sweat dripping down his temple like diamonds under the harsh lights. Lucian and Ronan were on the other side of the room, casually lifting weights, their low chatter mixing with the dull thud of Elias' fists.

I didn't think. I just moved.

In three strides I was across the room, my hand fisting the front of Elias' shirt. The force of my grab slammed him back against the wall, rattling the rack of weights behind us.

Elias' head snapped up, his eyes flashing with surprise, and maybe, just maybe, a hint of challenge.

"What is—" he started.

"What did you do?!" I snarled, my voice guttural, tearing through the air like thunder. Fenric's rage clawed up my throat, a growl vibrating through my chest.

Elias scowled, but before he could shove me off, Lucian was already on his feet, dropping the barbell with a loud clang. Ronan was a step behind him.

"Rowan, what's going on?" Lucian's voice cut sharp and commanding. His eyes flicked between us. "Why do you reek of the human?"

"Ask this fool!" I roared, shoving Elias harder against the wall. My claws were threatening to break through my skin, my vision edged in gold as Fenric snarled inside me, begging to rip Elias apart.

Elias' own eyes, hazel, narrowed into golden slits. "I don't know what you're talking about," he spat, his tone like ice.

"Bullshit!" I barked. "You enlisted one of the Umbralycans to curse her, didn't you? You're inflicting pain on Maeve. Because she slapped you?"

Elias' jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack. Lucian froze at the mention of the Umbralycans, those rare Lycans who dabbled in shadow-magic and blood-binding. His gaze turned on Elias, sharp as steel.

"Elias…" Lucian's voice was low, lethal. "Why?"

"I don't know what he's talking about."

"Don't lie to me!" I snarled, my voice almost not my own anymore. The veins in my arms throbbed as I slammed Elias harder against the wall. My claws grazed his collar, and for a second, Fenric surged forward, and I nearly lost control.

Elias' eyes flared like molten steel. "If she's suffering," he bit out, "then she deserves it. She's just a human, Rowan. She slapped an heir. She's lucky I haven't—"

"You fool!" Lucian's voice was a whip crack that silenced the entire room. He took a step forward, his chest rising with fury. "Do you have any idea what you've done? She already saw my father's Lycan last night! Now you want to push her further? Do you want her to start asking questions?"

Elias' nostrils flared, his jaw working. For the first time, doubt flickered in his gaze.

"Lucian—"

"Don't you Lucian me," Lucian growled, closing the distance between us, his presence electric. "If the humans suspect what walks these halls, if she pieces together the truth, you won't just be answering to me. You'll answer to him."

Ronan leaned against a bench now, his usually playful demeanor replaced with tense silence. His hands tightened on the edge of the bench, his gold-flecked eyes watching the exchange like a hawk.

I was still seething, my grip on Elias unrelenting. Fenric was roaring in my mind, urging me to tear into him. My muscles trembled under the strain of holding back.

"You think you're untouchable," I hissed. "But if you hurt her again—"

"You'll what?" Elias sneered, though his voice lacked its usual swagger. "You'll fight me? Over her?"

My teeth ground together. "Try me."

I felt my bones start to shift, Fenric pushing harder now, my control slipping. The gold in my eyes burned hotter, and I could almost hear the tearing of fabric as my shoulders trembled with the beginning of a shift.

And then...

The air in the room changed.

It was subtle at first, like the oxygen had been sucked out, leaving a stillness that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

Then came the voice.

"That is enough."

It wasn't loud. It didn't have to be. The single word rolled through the gym like a tidal wave, commanding and cold, carrying the weight of centuries of authority.

Every muscle in my body locked.

We all turned as one.

Standing in the doorway was Beta Daniel.

Lucian's father's Beta.

A man who had served the Silverclaw pack longer than most of us had been alive.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black from neck to boots, with silver streaking his dark hair. His eyes, unnatural, piercing silver, swept the room with quiet, devastating power. His mere presence pressed down on me like an invisible hand, forcing Fenric to still.

"Rowan," Daniel said evenly, his voice too calm. "Release him."

I clenched my jaw but forced my hands to drop from Elias' shirt. Elias stumbled slightly but straightened quickly, glaring at me with bloodlust simmering just beneath his skin.

Daniel's gaze moved to each of us like a scalpel, cutting deep without a single word. "What is this?"

Lucian was the first to speak, his tone clipped, like he was trying to control the storm brewing between us."We were just training. Things got… out of hand."

Daniel's cold, calculating gaze swept over the four of us, lingering on Elias's scuffed knuckles, then on the hand I still had curled into a fist."Training?" His voice was quiet, but it carried the kind of weight that could crush you flat.

"Yeah," Elias said, wiping his forearm across his forehead with forced nonchalance. "Rowan's temper got the better of him. Nothing new there."

My teeth ground together. "You want to start—"

Lucian's hand clamped down on my shoulder, subtle but firm, a silent warning to shut my mouth. His violet eyes were sharp, telling me without words: Do not say it. Do not mention her.

Daniel's gaze flicked between us. "The Alpha sent me to check on you," he said finally, voice deep and controlled. "And this is what I find? His heirs tearing each other apart over—"He stopped, his tone slicing through the air. "Over what, exactly?"

No one answered.

The silence stretched, suffocating. Even Ronan, who usually had some dumb joke at the ready, stayed rigid, lifting the barbell like he'd rather sink into the floor than meet Daniel's stare.

"I expect an answer," Daniel said, stepping closer. His boots echoed against the gym floor. "Or should I take this back to Lucian's father myself?"

Lucian's jaw ticked, but he bowed his head slightly, every inch the heir trying not to disgrace his bloodline. "We were testing strength limits," he said evenly. "The usual. Rowan's shift was close, so we intervened. That's all."

Daniel's eyes narrowed, like he could smell the half-truth lingering in the air. "Careless. All of you." His stare lingered on me, unflinching. "Control your temper, boy. You're one step away from losing Fenric's leash, and we both know what happens if you do."

I swallowed the snarl clawing its way up my throat. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't." Daniel's tone was final, his presence looming like a shadow you can't shake. "The Alpha has no patience for undisciplined heirs. Not now. Not with the council watching."

The room seemed to shrink with his words. Elias looked like he wanted to protest, but even he wasn't foolish enough to speak under that icy glare.

Daniel studied each of us one last time. "I'll be reporting this. Consider yourselves warned. If I come back and find this kind of chaos again…" His voice lowered, almost a growl. "You won't like the outcome."

And just like that, he turned on his heel and left, the heavy door swinging shut behind him.

For a long moment, no one breathed.

Then Elias muttered, "This is all your fault," under his breath.

I turned on him, my gold-tinged eyes flashing. "Say that again."

"Enough!" Lucian barked, his voice slicing through the tension like a whip.