Chapter 14
+8 Poin
One week in, and I’ve already settled into my routine here. I teach my classes, follow the training regime set up by the university, and attend lectures that catch my interest. Overall, my
wolf and I are loving it. Even the training courses are pretty decent–definitely not as intense
as the ones in Sparta.
“Hey Mia!” I hear a voice call out as I’m walking through the campus grounds. I turn to see
Tyler, one of my sparring partners from physical training, jogging up to me. He’s one of the
coaches this year. Last year, he was the best student athlete, and now he’s assisting the class.
I haven’t asked, but Tyler seems about my age, probably in his early twenties. His body is lean
and muscular, a testament to all the work he puts in. There’s a lingering trace of baby face on
his cheeks, giving him a youthful look. And he eats like a monster–I saw him eat eleven sandwiches after training today.
I smile softly. “Hey, Tyler. What’s up?”
He catches up, and we start walking together. “Your moves were sick,” he says, referring to our
last training session. Tyler is always full of energy. He’s constantly running around campus,
hitting the university track, and even got called by the guard patrol to train with them as a
future warrior.
In our last session, everyone had to spar against him. I’ve quickly learned that here, fighting
means being incredibly defensive. Like the training I tried to master in Sparta, the trick is to wear your opponent down until you see the perfect moment to strike. Some of my offensive
moves seem new to others, though. Some wolves watch me closely as I teach them how to
shift from defensive to offensive stances.
I laugh. “Thanks, Tyler.”
“Could you teach me?” he asks eagerly.
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
He hesitates before whispering, “You’re from Sparta, right? I know you haven’t told anyone, but
based on your moves, you’ve clearly been trained your whole life for battle.”
There aren’t any Spartans here. I try not to think about it too much. And like he said, I don’t
want people to know. I bite my lip, considering whether I can trust Tyler with that information,
I stop walking and turn to face him. “You train all the time; do you really need someone else to
show you how to kick ass?”
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Tyler smirks, his eyes glinting with mischief. “I just want to learn more. I want to see how other people fight.”
I love it here–everyone is eager to learn. I can’t help but grin. “Sure, Tyler,” I say with a playful eyeroll. “I’m free Thursday afternoons at three to train, if you want.”
“Done.” He grins widely and gives me a quick hug. “I’ll see you Thursday, Holms.”
I watch him jog off, heading towards some of his college friends. That’s my cue to keep
walking toward the lake. A few minutes later, I see the Alpha’s castle in the distance. I pull the
book I borrowed from my backpack and make my way to the front door, where a few wolves
are standing guard.
They watch me as I approach, eyes narrowing, probably wondering what I’m doing.
I raise the book like an i***t, as if that would explain everything. My wolf snickers in my head.
Shut up, I tell her, my cheeks heating up.
“I’m returning this to Alpha Matthew,” I explain.
One of the guards raises an eyebrow. “Office hours?”
I frown. “What?”
“Are you here for Alpha’s office hours?” he asks again.
I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I nod anyway. He lets me in without a second
thought.
He leads me upstairs to the Alpha’s office. The door is open, and I can hear several voices
from inside.
I peek my head in, seeing Alpha Matthew behind his desk, surrounded by students. Their laptops are open, and they’re asking him questions about his class. I’m struck by how
invested he is–these are first–year students getting one–on–one time with their Alpha because
he genuinely cares.
“So, for question three, Alpha,” one student asks while pointing at his textbook, “You’re saying
there were famous historical figures who were werewolves?”
“Yeah,” another girl cuts in, “Like Achilles, right?”
Matthew grins. “There are rumors about Achilles being a werewolf. But we know for sure that
Alexander the Great was a wolf.”
“That’s crazy,” a guy says, shaking his head.
“Are all historical people wolves?” another student asks.
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“No,” Alpha Matthew replies, shaking his head. “But we’ll get into that next lecture.”
Matthew looks up and notices me in the doorway. He pauses, taking a deep breath, then turns
his attention back to his students. “Alright, everyone, office hours ended ten minutes ago. See
you all next week.”
The students file out, muttering quick thanks or goodbyes. A few of them smile as they walk
past me.
Once they’re all gone, I watch as Alpha Matthew picks up a few books from his desk and sets
them on a shelf. I bite the inside of my lip when I realize he’s walking toward me.
“I see you’re enjoying my lectures,” he says softly as he passes me, his eyes briefly scanning
my face.
Curiously, I notice his nostrils flare slightly before he turns away.
My voice catches in my throat. “What do you mean?”
He glances back at me, eyebrow raised. “You’ve been attending my lectures. I see you there
every class.”
“Right.” I feel embarrassed now. My wolf practically rolls her eyes inside my head. I hug the book I borrowed to my chest, trying to act nonchalant. “Very much. There’s a lot of history I
didn’t know about.”
Matthew pulls down a brown book from the shelf and dusts it off before walking toward me.
He stands in front of me, and I find myself staring at his striking features.
Goddamn. My wolf seems to agree with me, practically drooling. If all nerds looked like this,
the world would be a much smarter place.
“Are you returning that?” he asks, pointing at the book in my hands.
“Yeah.” I nod.
“Did you enjoy it?” he asks.
I simply nod again, doing my best to keep my composure under his intense gaze. His eyes are a beautiful dark green.
“I’m glad.” He takes the book from my hands and replaces it with the one he just grabbed from the shelf. “I think you’ll enjoy this one then.”
I open it, immediately captivated by the ancient drawings and beautiful handwriting. My focus shifts entirely to the book as I slowly flip through the pages, already eager to dive into it later
with a hot cup of tea.
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Chapter 14
“Thank you,” I say almost breathlessly.
Matthew smiles. “You’re always welcome to borrow from my collection.”
“Really?” I can’t hide the excitement in my voice.
“Please,” he gestures toward the shelves. “Pick a few if you’d like.”
I’m like a child in a candy store. As Matthew starts working on some papers behind his desk, I quietly glance at the book spines. If a title catches my eye, I pull the book out and skim through the pages before either putting it back or pushing it aside.
I have no idea how I’ll find the time to read everything.
Every so often, I feel Matthew’s eyes on me, watching me closely. Eventually, I reach the end of the room, where a glass case sits. Behind the lock are books that shimmer like they’re filled with magic–power.
I turn to Matthew, who is already watching me.
I can’t help but ask, “Why are these locked?”
“They were gifts,” Matthew says simply. “From the King.”
I’m in awe. I stare at the titles through the glass. “They’re from the Royal Library?”
“Yes.” He stands up and walks toward me, stopping beside me. He peers into the glass case. They’re sacred in a way.”
“Have you read them?”
“Of course.” Matthew smiles devilishly, and my heart flutters. He has a beautiful smile for someone who always looks so stern.
I gulp, hesitant. But curiosity pushes me to ask, “Can I read them?”
He looks down at me, eyes searching my face for any signs of ill intent. There’s a moment of hesitation before he finally speaks.
“You can,” he says, “but they must remain in this room. And I must be here.”
I nod in understanding. If these books are as valuable as he says, there’s no way I can just take them home.
”
I smile brightly, and Matthew gives me a half–smile in return. Looking back at the books, I joke, “You won’t even notice I’m here.”
