'd wisely put on her training casuals beneath her unifo

iform, folded it and put it in her bag ca

dy for what

was looking at her

sn't going to be

ed her

rom the gathering yard into the Outer Field - a larger, bleaker stret

here. Sharper. Mea

at the back

and back five times. Ten points for each laps.

rs. The one who spoke wore a red cloak over his dark unifor

e ended up beyond the rear - far behind taller bodies, b

ice. He must have peeled off earlier. He was nowhere arou

as tight in its wraps. But her limbs...

istle blew, Elowyn kn

round the Academy perimeter walls, nearly four miles of r

s released from a cage. Th

ide her - a sneering boy named Jorrel who kept

other cadets were already running back for the

uddy branch, Jorrel laughed loudly.

th. He ran off with

he crawl. Finish the lap

alk about. Of course, they would notice. She was going to the farther end when they were goi

finish line, the red-cloaked instruct

am

Froste," s

impressed. "One point. For

ar. She also thought she

ded. Gulped

ne point was b

sh!" One instru

nd couldn't dare behave out of the box. She washed h

★

★

ned minds. Elowyn sat at the back, he

ssor Arkin, looked up from his scroll and scann

I wonder. St

le

ose to h

te, i

ded. "Y

. Are you sure you're

followed. Elowy

she answered

if you faint before midterm, don't bleed on t

lau

hundered and ev

instant

ing. But insi

to be a long, b

ive every damn

★

★

ope, their flames licking upward like the tongues of hungry wolves. The long rows of wood-

s with the kind of muscle that could crack bones. Her tray trembled on the edge of the ta

talking loudly. Bragging.

, a dark-skinned boy with braided hair, said. "That was Baron Or

"Yeah. That's the Great Supreme Alpha's son. Bloodline so

erking his chin toward the Seniors Table, where Baro

llowed th

c sat sharp on his body, his shoulders squared like a t

. But t

made her s

someone else questioned. "Caelan smell

mbat skills, but his scenting sense is dull. He failed

r scoffed. "Then

anyone else and that's his only so

pack members can always do that for him." A

fell int

mo

t frozen

asn't just suspicious - he wasn't good at it. H

as dan

edic