POV: Aria Blackthorn
The training arena smelled like blood and sweat.
I stood in the center of the fighting ring, surrounded by three wolf students who looked like they wanted to rip me apart. Above, hundreds of students filled the stands, cheering and jeering. This was entertainment for them—watching the human get destroyed.
In the honored guests' section, Lyanna sat with a satisfied smile. She'd come all the way from the Blackthorn pack to watch me fail.
The rules are simple, the Combat Instructor announced. Survive five minutes or land ten hits. Begin!
The first wolf lunged before I could breathe.
His fist caught my ribs. Something cracked. Pain exploded through my chest, and I hit the ground hard, tasting copper.
The crowd roared with approval.
I dragged myself up, vision swimming. The wolf circled me, grinning. Stay down, human. Make it easier.
No.
I charged.
He was faster—slammed me down again. My head bounced off the mat. Blood filled my mouth.
Two minutes, someone called.
I got up.
DANTE
From the Apex Hall viewing box, Dante watched the human girl get destroyed.
He should have been satisfied. Should have been bored. She was nothing—weak, breakable, human.
So why did his chest hurt every time she hit the ground?
She's going to die, Kai said quietly beside him.
Dante's hands gripped the railing hard enough to crack stone. His wolf was going insane, demanding he jump into that ring and slaughter everyone touching her.
But he couldn't. Intervening would show weakness. Would prove she mattered.
She couldn't matter.
The girl got up again. Blood streamed from her nose, her lip was split, and she was definitely holding broken ribs.
But she. Got. Up.
Impossible, Kai breathed.
Across the arena, in the Luna Wing section, a golden-haired Alpha stood abruptly. His eyes had gone black—berserker rising. Students around him scattered in fear.
And in the Shadow Den box, a massive scarred Alpha gripped his armrest so hard it splintered. His ice-blue eyes were locked on the ring with murderous intent.
All three of them were reacting to her pain.
All three of them wanted blood.
What the hell was happening?
ARIA
Four minutes.
I was on my knees, gasping for air through broken ribs. Everything hurt. My vision kept going dark at the edges.
But I'd learned their patterns. The tall one always went high. The stocky one aimed for the body. The fast one circled left.
I just needed one opening.
Stay down! the tall one snarled, kicking me in the stomach.
I curled around the pain, but grabbed his ankle and twisted with everything I had. He went down hard. I scrambled on top, drove my elbow into his throat.
One hit.
The stocky one grabbed me, threw me off. I rolled, came up fighting. Targeted his knee—the way he favored his left meant old injury. I kicked it hard. He screamed.
Two hits.
Four minutes, thirty seconds!
The fast one caught me from behind, arms like iron bands around my chest. Squeezing my broken ribs. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think
My hand landed on his chest.
And I felt it.
A rope connecting him to something deep inside. His wolf. The bond that made him more than human, that gave him strength and healing and power.
A rope I could cut.
Pure instinct took over. I didn't think—I just pulled.
The bond snapped.
The wolf student collapsed, gasping. His eyes went wide with terror. My wolf—I can't feel my wolf
The arena went completely silent.
I stared at my hand, at the student writhing on the ground. What did I just do?
Time! the Instructor called, but nobody moved.
Everyone was staring at me like I'd grown horns.
The student's bond flickered back into place after three seconds. His wolf returned with a rush that made him sob with relief.
But the damage was done. Everyone had seen.
The human girl had severed a wolf bond.
Impossible.
DANTE
The surge of power hit Dante like lightning.
His wolf howled, recognizing something in that girl's touch. Something ancient and dangerous and his.
Around the arena, he saw the golden Alpha clutch his chest. Saw the scarred giant go perfectly still.
They'd felt it too.
Down in the instructor's box, Magister Corvus stood slowly, eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction.
He'd expected this.
Dante's mind raced. Shadow wolves didn't have mates—his father had made sure of that through selective breeding. Nightshades were weapons, not lovers.
But his wolf was claiming her anyway. And apparently, he wasn't the only one.
This was a problem.
This was a disaster.
This was fascinating.
ARIA
They dragged me to the medical wing. Not gently.
Guards surrounded me, and I could feel magical wards pressing against my skin—trapping me, containing whatever I was.
The students I passed backed away in fear. Some whispered abomination. Others just stared.
Lyanna was gone from the honored section. She'd seen enough.
They put me in a room lined with more wards. Every muscle screamed. My ribs were definitely broken. Blood covered my training clothes.
But I'd survived.
I'd won.
The door opened. Magister Corvus entered, ancient eyes studying me like I was a puzzle he'd finally solved.
Do you know what you are, child? he asked softly.
Human, I whispered through split lips.
Liar. He smiled. You're a Nullwolf. A wolf-blooded human who can sever pack bonds, break mate ties, strip Alphas of their power with a touch. The last one was executed two centuries ago for nearly destroying our hierarchy.
The room spun. That's impossible.
So is surviving what you just survived. So is making three Alpha heirs claim you before you've even met them. He leaned close. You just became the most dangerous student in this academy. The question is—will you learn to control it before someone kills you for it?
My vision started going dark. Blood loss, pain, shock—all catching up.
What... what do you want from me? I managed.
Everything, child. I want everything.
I fought to stay conscious, but darkness pulled me under.
The last thing I saw was three figures materializing in the shadows of my room.
Black-haired with silver eyes burning.
Golden-haired with darkness barely contained.
Massive and scarred with ice-blue murder in his gaze.
The three Alphas, drawn by bonds they didn't understand.
And in my chest, three threads blazed to life—connecting me to them, them to me, binding us together in ways that should be impossible.
The threads pulled tight.
All three Alphas gasped simultaneously, hands flying to their chests.
They felt it too.
The bonds weren't forming.
They were completing.
And somewhere in the darkness, I heard Corvus laugh.
Perfect.