Chapter 32 Leaderboard
RONAN
“Don’t want to be seen by me, huh?” I muttered under my breath as I crouched to retrieve the book from the floor. Its pages were filled with an ancient language I hadn’t been able to decipher, until now.
But had I heard Seth Darven read “rogue”?
I narrowed my eyes.
The letters had shifted, reshaping into English only after Seth had glanced at the page earlier. But that translation hadn’t been there before. Not until he saw it.
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“But how? And why?” I murmured, my fingers unconsciously brushing over the worn, yellowed paper. My thoughts raced back—to the rogue in the ruins… and again in the Blackmoon forest. This couldn’t be a coincidence.
“Ronan,” Asher’s voice snapped me from my thoughts as he stepped into the room.
I placed the book down carefully on the desk and turned to him.
“Here’s your cologne,” he said, holding up the black bottle. “And your suspicion was spot on. The old wolf who makes your cologne confirmed someone tampered with it.”
He handed it to me, his tone grim.
“It was infused with something… strange,” Asher continued. “A type of wild berry. Its exact origin couldn’t be traced, but it carries a strong, natural effect on werewolves–especially during heat or rut cycles.”
I stared at the bottle, expression unreadable.
No one ever touched my things. Let alone tampered with them. But this time…
“Asher,” I said quietly, “who do you think did this?”
He exhaled deeply and dropped onto the sofa across from me. “Honestly? It’s not hard to guess. You share a dorm with several Alphas. And one of them clearly had a motive. But here’s the twist–it wasn’t meant to harm you.”
He met my gaze
“This was meant for someone else. You were just the trigger. The catalyst.”
My jaw clenched. I hated to be used.
“Clearly, you weren’t the intended victim. You didn’t suffer any effect, only noticed it. That means someone else was meant to react. You were just the delivery system.”
He paused, frowning.
“But it looks like whoever planned this underestimated you. You caught it too fast. If you ask me in short, I think you were a predator to someone that was affected by these barriers but the plan went south.”
Listening to him, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, “This…” I whispered, voice laced with quiet fury, “…is not what they should have fucking done.”
SERAPHINA
The breakfast bell rang. Since I had skipped yesterday’s meals, I made it to the cafeteria first and started eating. It was delicious. But to my surprise no one showed up in the cafeteria even after I finished eating my food. Thankfully for the first time it was peaceful but still it left me curious where everyone was.
Exiting the cafeteria, I made my way to the hall of the Academy only to find everyone was gathered, a sudden wave of energy swept through the air.
I found Finn, “What is going on?” I asked.
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8:17 PM P.
Chapter 32 Leaderboard
+8 Pearls
“The rankings have been updated,” he replied, looking excited. The scent of excitement filled the air as every Alpha around me surged in one direction, toward the Academy’s sacred Ranking Stone.
I followed his line of sight to find the massive stone leaderboard etched with the names of the top Alpha contenders., the Hierarchy.
I followed, half–curious, half–anxious to the massive stone leaderboard etched with names.
“Is it updated every after trial?” I asked.
“Yes and it changes dramatically everytime,” Finn explained.
The stone stood tall and wide, weathered from centuries of use, its obsidian–black surface polished like glass. Names glowed upon it in soft golden runes, shifting gently under the morning light. Only eighty–three would be listed. The rest would fade into failure.
The closer I got, the louder the buzz of voices became but they slowly faded in my ears as I spotted my name in that list. Even if it was last because I had made it back last with bison, I made it to the list. A small smile appeared on my lips. Finally…
“Damn! He’s not on it anymore!” someone exclaimed, attracting my attention.
“No way, he actually failed the hunting trial?”
“It’s the first time someone from the top ten lost their spot.”
Excited murmurs flared like wildfire. Alphas were pointing, some stunned, others gleeful, eyes locked on one specific , absence.
“Shit, he really failed,” Finn spoke under his breath.
“Who?” I asked Finn.
“A member of the hierarchy!”
My eyes widened and I immediately looked at the top ten on the stone leaderboard. There was an empty seat at the top.
“Now what will happen?” I asked.
“I honestly don’t know. But I think I saw the dormitory assistant moving his stuff out of the hierarchy bedrooms.”
My eyes snapped at me, “Hierarchy bedroom? What is it?”
“You don’t know?” he was taken aback. “The hierarchy are given private rooms in Lupine academy. All top ten get them.”
I froze as Ronan’s room from earlier flashed in my mind.
“But Ronan has a bed in our room…”
“Oh that. It was Ronan’s bed for only a day or two when he joined the Academy. When he became number one he was given that room. He had not returned to our room once from that day until suddenly he showed up the day you arrived,” he explained.
I stood there surprised. So that was why the dorm assistant had called me a normal Alpha?
That’s when Alpha Gidion came forward and stood in a higher place, “As everyone can see, one of the hierarchy is gone. It has happened for the first time in decades and it is shocking for us as well. But we are also thrilled that this year Alphas in this Academy are even capable of beating the hierarchy!”
An excitement broke out in the crowd and most of them filled with pride.
“That’s why, we have decided something for our Alphas!”
My ears perked up like others. What was it?
Alpha Gideon looked at everyone’s excited faces and announced, “Whoever wins the next trial will claim the empty hierarchy room!!”
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8:17 PM
Chapter 32 Leaderboard
+8 Pearls
A wave of excitement burst through the crowd as I stood stunned recalling the private bathroom, shower and privacy that I had seen in Ronan’s room.
My eyes shined as I whispered under my breath excitedly, “I will win that room!!”
Unknown to me Ronan read my lips and his expression hardened.
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