Chapter 3
890 Words
Silverwood University sprawled across rolling hills on the edge of Nightshade territory, a prestigious academy where young wolves from allied packs honed their minds, bodies, and political instincts.
Lectures blended human academics with werewolf lore, history of the Great Packs, advanced combat forms, scent tracking, and the delicate art of pack alliances.
Selene threw herself into it with a focus she had never possessed in her first life.
Mornings started early: combat drills on dew-covered fields, where students shifted partially or fully to practice control.
She pushed harder than before, ignoring the burn in her muscles. In her past life, she had been distracted by thoughts of Calder. Now, every strike against the training dummies was fueled by the memory of ropes and blades.
Afternoons meant lectures in grand oak-paneled halls. Selene sat near the front, notebook filled with notes.
She avoided the social whirl that had once consumed her, gossip about rankings, pack matches, who was courting whom.
Elara shared her dorm, of course. The girl was charming, always surrounded by admirers. She would chatter brightly in the evenings about her “brother’s” latest achievements, glancing at Selene as if gauging her reaction.
Calder’s visits became routine. He would appear in the common lounge, drawing every eye. Elara would light up, leaning into his side. Selene would feel his stare like a physical touch... probing and insistent.
One evening, as rain pattered against the windows, Selene returned from the library soaked and carrying a stack of books on ancient pack law. Calder and Elara were in the lounge. Elara was showing him something on her phone, giggling.
Calder looked up and their eyes locked.
“Selene,” he said, voice carrying easily. “You’re avoiding me.”
She paused, water dripping from her hair. “I’m living my life, Alpha. There’s a difference.”
Elara glanced between them, a flicker of something unreadable in her sweet expression. “Is everything okay? You two seem… tense.”
“Perfectly fine,” Selene replied lightly. She continued to her room, but Calder followed a few steps behind.
In the hallway, he caught her arm gently. “Talk to me. That night… that slap. The rejection in front of everyone. Why?”
Selene turned, meeting his gaze head-on. Rain had plastered her shirt to her skin, but she refused to feel small. “Because I spent too long believing I could earn your love. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Something raw flashed in his eyes... pain? Anger? Obsession taking root? “You don’t get to decide that. You’re mine.”
“No,” she said softly, pulling free. “I’m not.”
She closed the door in his face, leaning against it as her breath trembled.
Days passed by in rhythm of classes, training, and quiet plotting. Selene researched quietly... pack politics, her own family’s standing, ways to avoid a forced political marriage. She strengthened her wolf, practicing shifts alone at night until her control was sharper than ever.
But ignoring Calder only seemed to fuel him. He began appearing more deliberately, saving her a seat in the cafeteria once (which she politely declined), sending messages through mutual acquaintances, even showing up at her combat class to “observe.”
The pack talked. The cold Alpha was chasing a girl who had publicly humiliated him. It was unprecedented.
Through it all, Selene’s thoughts turned to Kael Voss.
She spotted him occasionally across campus with an aura of quiet arrogance. He moved like he owned the shadows, always surrounded by a small group of elite students but never fully engaging.
Top of every ranking, brilliant in debates, the perpetual first to her old second.
In her previous life, they had been rivals: bickering in study halls, competing fiercely in academics.
After her marriage, contact ceased, yet she remembered the warehouse, his unexpected appearance at her death. The strange look in his eyes.
Did he care? Had he always?
She needed an ally, someone to help her escape Calder’s growing obsession and the political marriage her family might push.
Approaching Kael wouldn’t be easy, their history was pure antagonism, but Selene was no longer the girl who waited for fate.
She began watching him more closely, his schedule and routines, planning her move.
One afternoon in the central courtyard, Selene finally crossed his path deliberately.
Kael stood alone near a fountain, scrolling through his tablet, expression aloof.
She stepped into his space, heart steady despite the nerves.
“Voss,” she said, using the old rival tone. “Still convinced you’re untouchable at number one?”
He looked up slowly. His dark eyes, sharp, narrowed. Recognition hit, followed by a faint smirk.
“Well, if it isn’t the former runner-up, heard you caused quite the scene with Vance the other night. Bold move.”
Selene held his gaze. “I’m done with old patterns. Including ranking wars. I need to talk to you. Privately.”
Kael studied her for a long moment, something unreadable flickering across his face. “Interesting. You never sought me out before. What changed?”
“Everything,” she replied honestly.
He inclined his head. “Tonight. The old observatory on the east hill. Don’t be late.”
As he walked away, Selene felt the first real spark of hope... and danger, the game had truly begun.
- Writer
