u/DAISKII08

Chapter 1 Over Christmas break, I went over to my neighbor Jace’s house for dinner.

The rich, savory smell of beef stew filled the Rhodes’ kitchen.

His mother, Luna Lucy, was joking around.

“You and Yara are heading to United Packs training camp together. Just try not to cause any trouble.”

I set my fork down and the question slipped out before I could stop it. “Is United Packs really that dangerous now?”

The second the words left my mouth, all three of them froze.

Luna Lucy laughed.

“I meant that you and Yara really shouldn’t—”

Jace cut her off. “Mom, Yara and I are just classmates.”

Luna Lucy shot me a playful wink.

I caught her hint and went along with it.

“Come on. You two would make perfect mates.”

Jace’s face went dark in an instant.

He let out that heavy, crushing alpha presence.

I stayed calm and kept eating like nothing was happening.

The door clicked shut behind me.

A sharp, cold pine scent crept into the air.

Six months ago, that scent would’ve wrecked me. Left me weak in the knees.

But now? I barely felt anything. Just this dull, crawling disgust.

Jace shoved me hard against the wall and bit down on my lip.

This wasn’t a kiss. It was punishment. Pure rage.

“What the hell did you mean by that? ‘We look good together’?”

His voice came out low and rough, a growl rumbling in his throat.

I caught my breath and looked up at him, my eyes wet at the corners from how rough he’d been.

“I just stated a fact. Last year, the Alpha Academy forum voted for the ‘Most Anticipated Mates.’ Weren’t you and Yara number one?”

That’s how the top post on the forum described them.

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