"This baby reeks of magic! That can't be mine!" Zeke's voice cut through the forming crowd, like a blade.
Rina froze. Her graduation cap slipped from her fingers. The crisp navy-blue toga she had ironed that morning crumpled beneath her trembling fists.
All eyes turned. Whispers flared like wildfire.
"What did he just say?"
"Is that Rina? Luna-in-line Rina?"
"Magic? In a wolf-born child?"
Her chest rose and fell, panic rising faster than her breath could catch up. The moment blurred. A crowd of family, classmates, and elders stared at her like she had grown two heads. This was on the day of their college graduation.
Her fated mate dare accused her of such ridiculous thing, how did they end up here? Just a few months ago they were fine. She closed her eyes to recall those blissful moments as if to erase this moment in front of her.
A few months before graduation...
Rina hated Tuesdays. Professor Velia made it worse.
"That teacher's got it out for you," Angelique muttered under her breath, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
Rina forced a smile, her pen tapping nervously against her notes. "I'm sure she means well."
They were in their dorm room and Rina was cramming like her life depended on it. There dorm was a modest one complete with sleek desks and a shared kitchenette. The faint hum of student activities buzzed just beyond their room.
Angelique scoffed. "Please. I'm only taking this class because of you. I don't even have a mate. Why am I training to be a Luna?"
"You never know. You might be one day."
"Every wolf in this place has already found their mate except me. What does the moon expect me to do? Swim to the middle of the ocean to find one?"
"Stop exaggerating," Rina chuckled.
"Should I just steal someone's? Bite their collarbone and make my mark?"
"You could try," Rina teased, "but I don't think it works that way."
Angelique sighed, lips quirking. "You're right. I mean I've done it with guys in campus, I even did it with an alpha once. It was this huge Rina!"
"So you've told me." Rina said still mindlessly scribbling, she was distracted. But Angelique was not the one distracting her.
"But I just can't get my canines going you know?"
"Hmm" Rina's gaze at the envelope on her desk. A sealed letter addressed to her from Salaman State. She only had one relative she knows of who would be old school enough to write her a letter from Salaman State.
"Hey Rina, tell me!" Angelique's voice broke in. "What's it like? Doing it with your mate? The bond? The pull? Is too hot you can't handle it?"
"It's... intimate," she replied softly.
Angelique narrowed her eyes. "You're hiding something. What are you looking at?"
"It's private." Rina yanked the letter close. Her voice came out sharper than she intended, laced with the edge of her wolf's growl.
Angelique raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Relax."
"I'm sorry," Rina muttered, loosening her grip. "It's just... I'll tell you when I'm ready."
The truth was, the letter was from her father. The human one. The one who disappeared from her life when she was just eleven. She hadn't seen or heard from him in years—until now.
Suddenly, Tap. Tap. Tap.Pebbles clinked against their dorm window.
Angelique groaned. "Ugh, he's here again."
"Where are you going?" Rina asked.
"Anywhere that's not here. I don't wanna smell you guys being all gushy."
She grabbed her bag and vanished before the window could slide open.
Rina shook her head, heart already pounding as Zeke climbed through.
"Zeke!" she hissed. "Your dad just reprimanded you for skipping Alpha classes. You're seriously here instead of studying for finals?"
Zeke dropped to the floor with a grunt. "Tch. Don't get me started. That old man's got it out for me."
He stepped forward, arms already outstretched. "Please, Rina... just let me hold you."
Despite her irritation, her feet stayed planted. His warmth wrapped around her shoulders, and she melted into him like she always did. Or... almost always.
"Speaking of people out to get people," she mumbled against his chest, "Professor Velia blamed me again today... because of you."
Zeke's hand ran down her back, but something inside her didn't ease. Not really.
In their wolf forms, the bond between them was electric—a magnetic pull. Maya, her wolf, would relax completely in Khai's presence. Khai was Zeke's wolf, a future Alpha destined to inherit his Father's title. The Alpha of the Feralis clan. Their instincts harmonized in the wild, two halves of a whole.
But as humans... something was missing. The bond was there—but muted. Distant.
It wasn't just the way he touched her. It was the way her soul always felt just a few inches short of home. She didn't have that butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling like she did when Khai—the wolf—was near her wofl-Maya.
She broke their embrace and stepped back, the warmth of his body still clinging to her skin. With a sharp breath, she snatched up her books from the bed, using the motion to hide the flicker of conflict in her eyes. "Time to study," she said, more to herself than him.
"Come on," Zeke whispered, gently tugging at her books. "Put those down." He kissed her neck, trailing upward until she flushed.
"Zeke, we can't!" Rina said, flustered.
"But we've already done it," he teased, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Can't we do it again?"
"Zeke—shhh! Watch your words. Do you want everyone to hear—"
"That I'm gonna f—" he said muffled trying to take Rina's hand of his mouth "until you scream?"
"That's not what I meant!" she growled, smacking his arm.
"You bore your canines last time," he said, grin widening. "We almost fully mated. So what's stopping us?"
"I just… I want to be respectful of tradition," Rina murmured, pushing him gently back. "Seriously, stop."
"Please, please," he whined playfully, nuzzling her. "I'll be gentle. No canines. You just smell so beautiful… I can smell your arousal, Rina."
Her cheeks turned crimson and so she had to use her serious tone with him this time, "Seriously stop"
"Tch," Zeke scoffed, looking away. "Whatever."
Rina caught the shift in his tone, the tension in his jaw. His rage was bubbling under the surface again, quiet but always there. She decided to pivot.
"I know! Why don't we go for a run instead?" she suggested brightly.
Zeke's expression softened. "Okay! But then… can we do it in wolf form?"
"No~" she said, pushing past him.
"Geez," he groaned. "You know how hard it is to control Khai? I'm not really responsible if he pins Maya down."
"Zeke!" she gasped. "You wouldn't let him… would you?"
He held up his hands. "Hey, I can't help it if Maya gives in. Khai such a lucky wolf - at least one of us will get some action."
Rina's face twisted in disbelief. "That's it. I'm not running with you anymore."
Zeke let out a low growl, but it wasn't him—it was Khai surfacing. "That wasn't me," he smirked. "That was Khai."
"Bye!" she huffed, pushing him out the door.
"When will I see you again?" he called out.
Rina smirked over her shoulder. "Maybe at graduation!"