Mated to my Rival

Taste of Freedom

Chapter 4

Vanya

I stood in front of the academy I had only seen in my dreams. Thalvion. Far away from my city, far from my pack, and yet here I was—right in front of it. It still didn’t feel real, but it was. I was here.

I stepped through the large golden gates and made my way straight to the reception hall.

Thalvion wasn’t just any training academy. It was the academy—built to train the future Alphas of every pack. With the Alpha Trials approaching, all eyes were on this place, especially on the boys who trained here.

“Your name?” a goblin asked from behind the tall front desk, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. Though the academy was for wolves—male wolves, to be specific—creatures of all kinds worked here. Goblins, being one of the most intelligent species, handled all administrative duties.

I almost blurted out my real name but caught myself just in time. I was no longer Vanya Divinci, daughter of Alpha Marcolos Divinci of the Bloodmoon Pack.

“Vaughn… Vaughn Divinci,” I said, lowering my voice a little. “Son of Alpha Marcolos Divinci, from the Bloodmoon Pack.”

The name felt foreign on my tongue, but I had practiced.

It had taken me two full days to build this identity—from cutting my hair short, binding my chest tightly, stealing and buying clothes to match a boy’s wardrobe. No one seemed suspicious—yet—but compared to the others, I still looked small and slight. My voice wasn’t quite there either, still a little too soft, too high. But I’d figure it out. Right now, all that mattered was getting in without raising suspicion.

The goblin studied me for a moment, like he could see through skin and bone and straight into my soul.

There were over 500 packs in the kingdom. Surely, he didn’t know every Alpha’s child by heart. And according to everything I’d read, the only requirement to enter this academy was—

“Follow me,” the goblin said.

I did.

We walked through the academy’s grand halls, my eyes widened in awe. The place was a fortress, a palace, a battlefield all in one. Training grounds, combat arenas, classrooms, and luxurious halls stretched in every direction. Everything here was sharp, massive, and overwhelmingly beautiful.

I passed by boys—heirs of powerful packs—tall, broad-shouldered, laughing and training and moving like warriors born. I was definitely the smallest person here. I could feel their eyes on me—frowning, judging, confused.

I expected this. Male and female bodies were built differently, and I knew I would stand out. But no matter how much I disguised myself, nothing could hide that I didn’t belong. Not on the outside, anyway.

But I didn’t come here to blend in. I came here to win the Alpha Trials.

I didn’t have their size, but I had strength. I had strategy. And one day, these judgmental eyes would look at me with respect—because I’d earn it.

Eventually, we reached a quiet room—brilliant white from floor to ceiling. The goblin gestured for me to sit.

“This will only take a moment,” he said as he pulled out a sharp needle and a small vial.

I held out my arm without flinching.

To enter the academy, you had to prove one thing—Alpha blood.

No exceptions.

He pricked my arm. I watched as he took a single drop of blood and placed it on a glowing rune-stone. Then he stepped back and turned to the tall glass screen in front of us.

I held my breath. My heart raced. The room felt too still.

What if it didn’t work? What if they somehow sensed it was me—Vanya—and not Vaughn?

The screen flickered.

Then a single word appeared in glowing gold:

ALPHA BLOOD DETECTED.

I exhaled, relief flooding my chest.

I was in.

Nobody expected a girl with Alpha blood to walk into this academy disguised as a boy.

But I guess there’s a first time for everything.

“Welcome to Thalvion Academy, Vaughn Divinci,” the goblin said, his tone flat and businesslike. “Collect your belongings from reception. Your room assignment and schedule will be given to you there. Since you’ve joined mid-year, you’ll receive no extra time or special treatment for the Alpha Trials.”

I nodded, keeping my face neutral.

But inside—I was screaming with joy.

My plan worked. It actually worked!

From running away from my father and the Bloodmoon Pack to arriving here, standing inside the legendary Thalvion Academy as one of its students—it was all real. I did it.

If only I had found this courage sooner, maybe I wouldn’t have been trapped in a forced marriage proposal. But better late than never.

Father must be losing his mind right now. He’d be searching the entire kingdom, maybe even the neighboring ones, trying to find me. But he’d never think to look here. Never suspect that his daughter was hiding inside the walls of an all-boys Alpha academy.

Still, I had to be careful. No letters could be sent to the Bloodmoon Pack. Normally, the academy didn’t contact families during the training period, but they would send an official invitation for the Alpha Trials. That meant I had time—but I had to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.

Right now, though, none of that mattered.

For the first time in my life, I could breathe.

I had earned this taste of freedom—and I planned to savor every moment of it.