Alpha and Luna University

Zia's POV Someone had bailed on cleanup. Again. I yanked the mop bucket forward, water sloshing over the side, and dropped to my knees beside a tile crusted with dried casserole. Six a.m., school’s dining hall, and my shoes were already soaked with cold dishwater. This wasn't how I grew up. My old life had nothing to do with cracked tiles or broken drainpipes or scrubbing floors left half-done by careless students. But now I was the invisible one, crawling behind them, cleaning up whatever they couldn't be bothered to finish. Pain shot up my legs as I scrubbed harder, like maybe elbow grease could erase how far I'd fallen. The soap burned my nose just as much as the cuts on my hands. I didn't slow down. If I hurried, I might make the 7:30 literature class. Not that Professor Mills would notice my attendance or absence. No one did. That suited me fine. I dumped the filthy water and tiptoed out. Morning light crept through the grimy corridors of our small campus building. Pennington Lake University wasn't impressive. Peeling paint, flickering fluorescent lights, second-hand furniture older than me. A refuge for outcasts, underfunded and overlooked. I caught a glimpse of myself in a cracked mirror by the stairwell. Dark circles framed my tired eyes. My messy brown hair escaped its bun and clung to my forehead. Gravy was smeared across my temple. Glamorous. I scrubbed it off with the back of my hand. Sometimes I forgot who I'd once been. The mirror rippled, briefly showing the proud girl from two years earlier in designer clothes, walking confidently through polished academy halls. That illusion shattered one horrible night years ago, leaving only plain Zia, a demoted orphan with nothing left. I preferred it that way. Staying unnoticed meant staying safe. "Zia! Hurry or you'll be late! I'm heading down now!" Dalia leaned over the second-floor railing, red curls bright against the dull light. Optimism hadn't abandoned her yet. I rolled my eyes. “I'm coming.” Our dorm, once a basement storage area, had moldy corners, constantly buzzing bugs and pipes that screamed whenever someone flushed on the second floor. Thin walls meant you heard everything. For those with nowhere else to go, it was home. A soggy, rust-stained, always-leaking excuse for one. I changed into clean jeans and a faded hoodie. I slung my backpack over my shoulder. Dalia handed me peanut-butter-covered toast. "Breakfast of champions. I had to clean up after a huge staff meeting that happened before the sun came up. Apparently none of them like peanut butter." She worked in the second floor library. It was a slightly better job than cleaning the cafeteria floors, but not by much. She spent most of her day cleaning up after the faculty or reminding students the library wasn't some place to come sleep. The only plus side was it gave her access to the staff and the privileges they often had. Or at least the leftovers of such. "You're my hero." I forced a smile and took it from her. I didn't like peanut butter either, but I probably wouldn't have another chance to eat anything all day. Or the funds. By the time we made it to the main building, the hallways had filled with shuffle-stepping students, everyone perfecting the art of looking anywhere but at each other. Business as usual. Until Hailee strutted into view, her too-perfect blonde hair bouncing like she had a personal wind machine and a vendetta against shampoo commercials. "Well, look who it is, Princess Zia." She smirked. The duo behind her with matching fake tans and copy-paste sneers laughed like they'd just witnessed peak hallway drama instead of Hailee recycling the same tired insults she'd been spewing since I first stepped into this place. I bit my cheek and stepped forward. "You're in my way." Hailee leaned in until her perfume burned my sinuses. "I heard you were cleaning floors this morning. Quite a fall from grace, Your Highness." Old Zia would've snapped back. New Zia kept her mouth shut. "I asked you a question." Hailee moved closer. She cranked up the volume, clearly fishing for an audience. A few students slowed, not out of concern, but because drama this early counted as entertainment. Dalia stepped between us. "Leave her alone." "This isn't your business, half-blood." Hailee's tanned friend shoved Dalia aside. I caught her elbow, steadying her as Hailee tipped her coffee forward with a shrewd giggle. Liquid splashed across my chest and soaked into the thin fabric. The hallway filled with snickers and whispers, none of them subtle. Just like the way my soaked shirt now clung to my breasts clearly visible through the fabric. "Oh, how clumsy. Maybe mop that up, Princess." I forced a breath through my nose to keep from growling. "Yeah, whatever you say." Hailee shoved her empty cup into my hands. "Dispose of that." She bounced away, her pack trailing her like flies. I flung the cup towards the trash can and missed. Dalia leaned over and picked it up without taking her eyes off Hailee as she receded. She threw her arms around me the second they disappeared. "Damn, I despise that bitch." "It's fine." My voice cracked. I blinked rapidly, refusing to let a single tear fall. Hailee didn't get to have that. I decided to skip the first period so I could change again. As I walked through the campus back to the dorm, the campus felt off. People stood around in groups, whispering too loud and checking their phones like they were waiting for the world to end. I usually tuned out gossip. It had become a survival skill. But this wasn't the usual noise about hookups or stolen food. The voices got louder. People looked panicked. Everyone moved like something bigger was happening. Ignoring it wasn't an option anymore. My wolf stirred first, ears twitching at the smallest shift in footsteps and whispers. Heightened senses I rarely used anymore kicked in, uninvited and sharp. Hearing, smell, instinct. All alert. My body had lived two years pretending to be normal, but the part of me that was still wolf never forgot how to feel danger coming. "Crimson Oak Academy was destroyed?" “An earthquake?” "Will exams be canceled?" Snippets drifted past as students hurried through the halls. Dalia appeared, breathless. Her eyes were huge. "Zia! Crimson Oak was leveled. They're sending all the Alphas here! Luna candidates as well!" I stared at her. That had to be wrong. Crimson Oak was over 800 miles away. It wasn't just another university. It was the university for elite Alphas and Lunas. And Pennington Lake? We were just outside what the packs called the danger zone, tucked in the middle of nowhere, barely worth noticing. That was the point. That was why I came here. Safety in obscurity. Far from the curated, high-status chaos those students demanded as their everyday reality. Everyone there was groomed for power, raised on privilege, and feared for good reason. I used to walk those halls. Used to know those names. Used to be one of them. But worst of all. Someone was there too. The nightmare I'd hidden from for two years. I sprinted to the admin office. I skidded to a stop in front of the already posted lists. The names blurred at first, but I didn't have to search long. He was high-ranking. Important. His name sat smugly near the top, right where it belonged in his world. Shade Kane, AKH. AKH. Alpha King Heir. His father had reinstated his Royal distinction sometime after I left the Crimson Oak Academy. Blood drained from my face. My pulse roared in my ears. Shade was coming here. Starting tomorrow, I'd have to deal with it all again. His fixation, his need to control, the way he looked at me like he wanted to devour every inch. Because he did.