Chapter 17 Uniform
SERAPHINA
“Don’t slow down!!” the Alpha instructor’s voice thundered across the training grounds.
The sun beat down mercilessly, turning sweat into a second skin as it dripped from my brow. My arms trembled with every push–up, but I didn’t stop. I had already shattered my own record, pushed past my limits–but there was no room for weakness here. Around me, the others panted and grunted, their bodies just as strained, but no one dared slack off under the sharp gaze of the instructors.
“Thirty more!” the drill instructor barked. “Now!”
I gritted my teeth and pushed through the burn, my breath labored, my muscles screaming. It had been three straight days of relentless physical training–no combat trials, just raw endurance. Sprints over rocky hills, endless circuits of jumps from brutal heights, push–ups until our arms gave out
“We’re taking a two–minute break, the Alpha finally announced.
Everyone instantly collapsed, and I was no exception. I dropped to the ground, my body thrumming from the punishment we’d been put through. Training here was ruthless. Worse than I ever imagined.
As I tried to catch my breath, hushed voices were carried to me from a distance.
“That little mutt isn’t what he looks like,” one Alpha sneered. “He’s pure cunning behind that bitch–like innocent face.”
Another growled, low and dangerous, “I swear, I’ll kill him the first chance I get. First Jordan, now Abraham. Both expelled. because of that motherfucker, Darven. He’ll pay in blood.”
I slowly opened my eyes, the weight of unspoken hostility settling over me like a second wind. I had felt it for days now, ever since Alpha Abraham was thrown out. The looks, the whispers, the hatred–they all led back to me.
Most of the Alphas looked at me like they wanted to rip me apart.
I didn’t care. Let them stay away from me out of fear, resentment, or twisted respect. As long as they stayed away, I didn’t give a damn. But I wasn’t stupid. I knew the peace wouldn’t last. The real threat hadn’t even begun.
I sat up slowly, my gaze drifting to Dante. He was still doing push–ups, his form perfect, his movements sharp and controlled like a machine. His body was monstrous, like pain had never touched him. But his eyes…
His cold, displeased blue eyes hadn’t left me.
He hadn’t spoken to me since that day. Since my indirect, yet unmistakable warning: Don’t get in my way.
He’d heard it loud and clear. But his fury was simmering just beneath the surface. The flare of his aura, the sharpness in his gaze–it was all there. He didn’t like being dismissed.
Not by anyone.
Especially not by me.
I could feel the heat of his anger even from a distance.
And then there was Ronan.
“Here,” Finn’s voice cut in gently, breaking my train of thought. He tossed me a water bottle.
I caught it just in time and looked up to find him drenched in sweat, his chest heaving slightly from the run. “Thanks,” I affered a breathless smile.
He sat beside me on the dry grass, brushing sweat from his brow, “Can Lask you something
“Sure I replied, unscrewing the cap
“Why don’t you take off your shirt during training Even during push–ups, you keep it on.”
Chapter 17 Uniform
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net his gaze and calmly replied. “Since I was a kid, I’ve never been comfortable showing skin.”
His brows furrowed. “Were you assaulted? Molested?”
I blinked, taken aback by the bluntness. Molested? Me?
My wolf chuckled bitterly in my head. How about we tell him how the molesters left the pack without their limbs?
1 forced a small smile. “Something like that,” I lied.
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Before Finn could speak again, Cassius tossed a training bag toward him with an arrogant smirk. “Carry that for me, will you?”
Reed followed up with a scoff. And grab my water while you’re at it. Be useful for once.”
Without a word, Finn stood and did as they asked. I watched, silently. I had noticed how they treated him, like a damn errand boy.
“Do you always let them treat you like that?” I muttered when he returned.
He shrugged with one shoulder, his expression calm. “I don’t mind. I’m not here to make enemies. If doing a few favors keeps the peace, Fd rather do that.”
I studied him quietly. There was no bitterness in his voice. Just quiet acceptance.
Over the past few days, we’d grown closer. I had come to learn more about him–how he came from a prestigious, wealthy pack. How he was the second son of his Alpha father, soft–spoken and gentle because he hated violence. A rare trait in a place
like this.
Yet, here he was–sent to this brutal Academy because his father believed even second sons needed to be hardened.
The final whistle blew across the field. Training was done for the day.
Under the evening’s cold breeze, I stood and tugged at my sweat–drenched shirt, which clung to my skin like a second layer.
“You really need to get a new uniform.” Finn said beside me, concern lacing his voice. “You’re going to overheat wearing that much in this weather. Why not ask your pack or family–the one I mentioned before?”
I forced a small laugh. “I would… if I could. But I’m not exactly on speaking terms with my family right now. Personal reasons. So, I can’t really ask them for help.”
Finn frowned, then reached into his training bag and pulled out a neatly folded uniform. “Here,” he offered.
I blinked. “Oh, no. I can’t take your uniform”
“I have three, and I’ve only worn this one twice,” he said gently. “What’s one less? You need it more than I do. And it’s clean”
I hesitated. For the past few days, I’d been washing and re–wearing the same uniform. Sometimes it didn’t even dry properly. I needed a new one, but this was Finn’s. His offer felt too generous. Too sudden. But was I really in a position to refuse?
“What are you waiting for? Take it–my arm is hurting.” he chuckled.
I pursed my lips and slowly accepted it. “Thanks,” Imurmured, a smile breaking through the exhaustion on my face. “I’ll repay this kindness one day.”
He smiled back, modest and sheepish. “Really? Just don’t beat me up, okay?”
I giggled despite myself. He laughed with me..
Neither of us noticed the pair of intense violet eyes watching from the distance.
Up on the ridge near the weapons shed, Ronan stood silently, arms crossed. His gaze was locked on me, on the way I smiled
Chapter 17 Uniform
Anniversary
Celebration
You have completed the task congratulations on receiving a prize, come and claim t
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A blur of movement caught my eye. A massive black Alpha wolf charged toward me–too fast to dodge. Too close to defend. Finn barely backed away in time as the wolf barreled past, knocking the neatly folded uniform from my hands.
“No!” I gasped as it flew through the air, landing over the edge of the cliff. My jaw dropped. My eyes widened.
Cone. Just like that. The only spare uniform I could’ve had… lost to a place I’d never reach.
Slowly, I turned.
The black wolf had shifted into his human form. Ronan stood there, naked and unapologetic.
“What the hell was that?!” I snapped, barely holding back my fury.
He strode toward me. “What’s all the fuss over a dirty uniform?”
Dirty? He dared call that clean, folded outfit dirty?
“You were in my way. This is the training field–not a place to laugh and chat,” he said coldly.
Something inside me cracked. Laugh and chat?
“What the hell does that mean?” I shot back. “You knocked away the only extra uniform Finn could give me! What am I supposed to wear now?”
At Finn’s name, something flickered in Ronan’s gaze. His jaw tightened. He stepped closer, eyes sharper.
“Is Finn the only one with a uniform in this entire academy?” he asked flatly
“What?” I stared, confused.
He towered over me, voice heavy and unwavering. “I’ll take responsibility for your loss. Take my uniform.”
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