Chapter 25 Victory Breakfast
SERAPHINA
“Alpha Seth.”
A deep, commanding voice cut through the moment Ronan and I shared.
Still crouched high in the trees, we both turned our gazes downward. The bisons had dispersed, and standing in their place. staring up at us with cold intensity, was Alpha Gideon.
I immediately understood the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, I leapt down from the tree, landing just a breath away from Alpha Gideon’s towering frame.
“What was that, Alpha Seth?” he asked, raising a single brow. It was the first time he had ever directly spoken to
There was a saying in the Lupine Academy that you would want to meet death rather than Alpha Gideon. The wolf lived for rules and regulation, hating weak offenders. A man whose attention meant your banishment from the Academy, it was better to pack your bags and walk out of the Academy on your own two feet when he started interrogating you. That was due to the fact that his interrogation ended with a physical punishment that barely any Alphas could handle. And right now I earned that beastly Alpha’s attention.
I met his eyes squarely. “The bisons or the fire, Alpha?”
His eyes narrowed. “The fire,” he said. “You started a blaze in the forest to drive the bison here, but how exactly do you plan to take responsibility for the damage? Does your victory come at the cost of the forest–and the lives within it?”
I straightened my spine. “No lives were lost, Alpha. The fire extinguished itself.”
The group of Alphas shifted slightly, intrigued. Alpha Gideon’s gaze flicked to the spot where the smoke had risen moments ago, now there was nothing but mist. “You set the fire along natural firebreaks?” he murmured, realization dawning as he met my gaze.
gave a single nod. “The fire was a tool, not a weapon. It was never meant to destroy, only to provoke the bison. No forest, nó creature, was ever in danger.”
Alpha Gideon looked past me and addressed the figure behind me. “What do you say, Alpha Ronan?”
I froze.
Ronan was still behind me? Was he there the entire time?
He stepped closer, his chest brushing against mine. My fingers curled at my sides, trying to ignore the heat from our proximity that lit in my veins.
Ronan spoke calmly. “He used the rules to his advantage and found a loophole. No laws were broken. The fire was controlled, and the goal was achieved. I see no issue, Alpha.”
I tilted my head slightly, eyes glancing at him. I hadn’t expected Ronan to defend me.
A small smile curved Alpha Gideon’s lips. “Interesting,” he said, looking between us, Then he turned and gave a simple command: “Join the others.”
1 exhaled quietly. Thank the Goddess he hadn’t turned it into a bigger issue. But before I could walk away, I remembered Ronan was still there. Too quiet. Too close.
I could feel his gaze lingering on my neck. His breath ghosted across my hair, warm and intentional.
Panic coiled in my chest,
Without another thought, I lifted my legs and strode off in long, purposeful steps, refusing to look back.
What was that?
Why was he so close?
Chapter 25 Victory Breakfast
+8 Pearls
The outer clearing buzzed with life as dawn spilled golden light over the treetops. Rows of tents stood in perfect lines, canvas fluttering with the morning breeze. A long banquet table stretched beside a massive fire pit, laden with steaming platters of roasted game, fresh fruit, and pitchers of juice and wine. The air was thick with the scent of meat and pine.
They called it a Victory Breakfast.
Alpha Gideon stepped forward and raised his wine glass.
“This meal marks your triumph. Let it remind you that every victory is hard–earned–and every bite, a testament to your worth as Alphas.”
Around the clearing, packs of freshly washed Alphas howled in triumph and clinked their tankards together. Private shower stalls hidden behind the trees had been a blessing, especially for me.
I had cleaned up too, at least enough to not smell like swamp water and smoke. The Academy had provided a spare uniform a simple black set, snug, sterile, and far too clean to feel like mine.
The Alpha Instructors mingled among themselves, leaving us to our celebration. The atmosphere was lively, loud with Jaughter and adrenaline–but my mind was stuck on Ronan’s whispered words.
“I saw a white she–wolf in the woods. Did you see it too?”
My breath caught
Why would he bring that up!
He hadn’t reacted at all when I was in my wolf form, didn’t so much as flinch. But now, when I was standing here as Seth, he was asking about her?
My fingers clenched around the coffee mug. And those eyes of his…
“Careful.” Finn’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts as he moved my hand away from the scalding machine.
“Hm?” I blinked up at him, still dazed.
“You were about to burn yourself,” he said with a teasing grin. “Where’s your head at, champion?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t call me that
Finn chuckled. “But you are the champion. Look around–you’ll see what I mean.”
I did, and he was right.
Eyes were on me.
Some stared with open surprise. Others whispered behind tankards, their glances sharp and speculative. A few those who hated what they couldn’t predict, glared with something darker.
Because I had returned.
And I had won.
“No one expected you to storm in just before sunrise,” Finn said, grinning. “Not with a hundred bison thundering behind you, while the rest of us dragged in the last of our catches. You were bloodied but victorious. Every jaw dropped.”
I smirked, reaching for a plate of sizzling steaks the cook had just set out. “I wasn’t trying to prove anything to them. I was just focused on finishing the trial. They judged me for my size–but I don’t give a damn what they think. Anyone who gets in my way” My eyes flicked toward a cluster of Alphas watching me coldly. “I’ll tear them down.”
Finn’s smile faded slightly, sensing the tension. “Careful,” he murmured. “the Alpha Instructors are still watching/
“I need water,
Without another word, I walked away.
I grabbed a bottle, then headed toward the opposite
beneath a tree and sat down alone with my food. The wind rustled gently through the leaves. Peaceful, just what I needed.
But the peace didn’t last.
A presence. I felt it.
I turned my head, and nearly choked on my own spit.
Ronan
Leaning against another tree just across from me, smoking casually. His gaze locked on mine, unflinching.
Had he been watching me this whole time?
And then, he said the most absurd thing I’d ever heard.
“Are you following me?”
“What?!” I choked..
