Chapter 350: Alphas’ Secret
Evaline:
The Academy came into view soon, and I felt a strange tug inside me. It was a longing so deep it startled me. My chest grew warm, my heart squeezed softly as if I had been deprived of something I hadn’t realized I missed until this very moment.
Silver Moon.
It had only been a month and a half into the second term, and two months since I last walked through the buildings and corridors of this place . And yet, seeing the tall towers stretch proudly into the sky again, my throat tightened.
Winter had almost completely left the land, leaving behind only stubborn caps of snow clinging to the mountain tops. The Academy grounds had shifted into something more alive, more magical, than ever. Vines that had slept in brittle brown slumber were now returning to life, faint shades of green was curling back onto the stone walls of the great towers.
It was just a matter of time before blossoms would be peeking shyly among branches that had once been bare, while patches of early wildflowers were already beginning to cover the fields like secret kisses from spring.
The air carried that soft, promising warmth of day. A hint of sunlight was brushing my skin even through the car window. I pressed my palm against the glass as though I could touch it, as though I could step back into that version of me who had once walked these paths with nothing more troubling her than exams, professors, and the occasional cruel sneer from particular students.
For the briefest second, I wished I could return to that simpler chaos.
I was still soaking in the breathtaking scenery when the car suddenly veered left, away from the path that led directly to the Academy’s front gates. My head turned automatically, confusion flickering, but I caught Oscar’s eyes watching me through the rearview mirror.
That look - sharp, assessing, but so very soft when it came to me - sent a flutter through my chest. He didn’t say anything, just the faintest lift of his brow, as if challenging me to question him. I didn’t. Instead, I shifted my gaze back toward the window and pretended to be lost in thought, letting the scenery keep me distracted.
Minutes later, the car rolled past the back gates of Silver Moon, and still I said nothing. But suspicion was beginning to curl in my gut. My mates had been too quiet all morning. Too composed. Too...plotting.
The car kept on, leaving the familiar stone walls and winding deeper into the quiet stretch of woods behind the Academy.
Finally, after another five minutes, the car slowed and stopped altogether. My curiosity snapped. I leaned forward, trying to see through the windshield. But from my angle, all I could make out was the glint of a lake, its surface slowly breaking free from winter’s grip, shimmering faintly in the sunlight. Beyond it stretched tall trees, shadows dappled across the earth.
I leaned harder, but Oscar shifted deliberately, blocking more of my view. My lips parted in disbelief. "Really?" I muttered.
Before I could complain further, my door swung open. Draven was standing there, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he extended his hand toward me with a grin. "Come on, Mama Wolf," he teased, "out you go."
I slipped my hand into his, letting him help me up even as I shot Oscar an accusatory look over the roof of the car. "You brothers are being suspicious," I said immediately.
"Who? Us?" Draven repeated, looking completely innocent. "Maybe you are talking about Oscar."
"Hey," Oscar’s voice cut in smoothly from the passenger seat, but I swore I saw the corner of his mouth twitch upward.
Just as my feet settled on the ground, I turned fully, hoping to catch sight of what lay ahead-
Only to gasp when soft fabric suddenly covered my eyes.
The scent of clean silk, mixed with something darker, enveloped me. My body stilled in surprise. My hands twitched as though I might rip it off, but before I could, River’s deep voice came from right beside me.
"Don’t," he murmured, his breath brushing against my ear. "We have got a surprise ready for you...and for him."
My heart stuttered at the "him." He’s talking about our pup.
Before I could think of a reply, warm, lean fingers slid into mine, locking our hands together. And I realized it was actually Oscar. On my other side, Draven caught my other hand, his grip firmer, steadier.
I swallowed hard, my world drowned in blackness but alive with sensation. I could feel their excitement buzzing under their skin, pulsing faintly into me through the bond. Excitement...and a sliver of nervousness.
My heart started pounding.
I took a careful breath, and in that breath, I realized we weren’t alone. My senses flared and I caught the familiar presence of River with the pup, steady and calm like the earth itself. The warmer, gentler hum of Kieran. My friends’ scents reached me too - Mallory’s sweet perfume, Kyros’ crisp energy, Rowan’s woodsy spice.
There were even more - faint heartbeats, breaths, presences I didn’t immediately recognize, but I didn’t panic. My mates were here. My pup was here.
I was safe.
Step by step, they guided me forward. The ground beneath my shoes shifted from gravel to softer earth, then to something more solid again - wood, maybe a platform. My senses sharpened at every noise, every brush of wind. The scent of water lingered nearby, fresh and cool from the lake.
Finally, after what must have been a hundred paces, they stopped.
My pulse roared in my ears.
Then Oscar moved behind me, his presence like a wall at my back. His fingers brushed against the back of my head, tugging lightly at the silk knot. Before freeing me, his lips dipped close, so close I could feel his warmth searing into my ear.
"I hope," he whispered, his voice lower than usual, edged with something raw, "you’ll like this."
And then the blindfold loosened, the silk slipped away, and light returned.
I blinked, letting my eyes adjust, and then... my breath caught, stolen clean out of my lungs.