The sun had barely risen when the academy bell echoed across the stone courtyards of Mooncrest, summoning all students to the training grounds.
It was Trial Day.
Aria stood near the back of the gathered crowd, her palms damp with sweat and her heart thudding like a war drum. She was used to being overlooked—ignored, dismissed, whispered about. But today, she wouldn't fade into the background.
Today, she would be seen.
Not as the mute girl.
Not as the unshifted Omega.
But as a warrior.
The scent of anticipation filled the air. Students lined up by class and rank, dressed in sleek academy gear, their faces a mixture of excitement and fear. The annual physical trials were brutal—a rite of passage meant to test strength, speed, agility, and strategy. For most, it was a chance to climb in rank. For others, it was a moment to prove their bloodline's worth.
For Aria, it was everything.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she adjusted her gloves. The combat mats had been expanded for the trials, their edges ringed with instructors, upper-class mentors, and, of course, the Alpha professors—each of whom would be scoring the performances.
Kieran Thorne stood near the edge, arms crossed, his face a carved mask of indifference. But his eyes—those piercing silver eyes—flicked to her just once. The same heat from their last encounter bloomed beneath her skin.
Her wolf stirred.
She wasn't sure what scared her more: the trials or the way her body reacted to that one glance.
"Next group," barked Instructor Soren. "Combat sequence: two rounds, no weapons, no mercy."
Aria's name was called.
She stepped onto the mat, facing her opponent—Liana Cross. A Beta from one of the top-tier houses. Broad-shouldered, confident, and smug, Liana sneered the moment she saw Aria.
"You again?" she scoffed. "Thought they'd have you cleaning floors by now."
Aria didn't respond. She didn't need to.
Instead, she stepped into stance, letting her body speak.
The whistle blew.
Liana lunged first, aiming to knock Aria down with sheer force. But Aria ducked low, twisted at the waist, and swept Liana's leg out from beneath her with a clean, powerful strike.
Liana hit the mat hard, stunned.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
The match reset.
This time, Liana came in angrier, faster—but Aria had already studied her patterns. She sidestepped the punch, blocked the knee, then flipped Liana over her shoulder with fluid precision.
The Beta didn't rise immediately.
Silence.
Then—applause.
It was small at first. A few claps. A surprised murmur.
But it grew.
Not loud. Not thunderous. But enough.
Enough to make Aria's throat tighten.
Enough to make her chest ache with a strange, unfamiliar pride.
For the first time in years, she wasn't invisible.
Across the field, Kieran said nothing. But his jaw was tight, and his fingers flexed at his sides.
He had watched every movement.
Her agility. Her precision. The way she anticipated her opponent's strikes as if she could read them before they happened. It was beyond natural skill. It was instinct—something deep in her blood.
Something powerful.
And she's unshifted?
It didn't make sense. Or maybe it did. Maybe it was yet another secret buried beneath the surface of that quiet girl's skin. The one with eyes like a storm and a spirit made of iron.
"She's holding back," murmured Professor Elira, watching from beside him.
Kieran glanced her way. "You think so?"
"I know so. That girl's wolf is stirring. And when it rises—gods help whoever stands in her path."
Kieran said nothing, but his gaze remained fixed on Aria.
He didn't know what scared him more: the strength he'd just witnessed, or the connection he couldn't explain.
Later that day, Aria sat alone by the edge of the sparring pits, her body sore, her hands scraped, her muscles aching in a way that felt earned.
Students still passed her with wide eyes, casting sideways glances like they didn't know what to make of her anymore.
She didn't mind.
The whispers today weren't taunts. They were shock. Curiosity. Maybe even a little respect.
She ran her fingertips over her knuckles and smiled faintly.
This is who I am.
Not broken. Not weak.
Unspoken, but not unseen.
As she bent to pick up her training bag, a shadow fell over her. She looked up—and froze.
Alpha Kieran stood before her, arms crossed, the sun casting sharp angles along his cheekbones.
"You fought well today," he said, voice low. Controlled. But something simmered beneath his tone. "Better than anyone expected."
Aria swallowed hard, then offered a slight nod.
His eyes searched hers for a moment longer than necessary.
"And next time," he added, turning to leave, "don't hold back."
With that, he walked away.
But Aria's pulse thundered like a drum in her ears.
Because when he'd looked at her… he hadn't seen an Omega.
He hadn't seen a mute, or a girl with no wolf.
He'd seen an equal.
And for the first time, she felt like one.
The halls of Mooncrest Academy felt different that evening.
Aria moved quietly down the corridor, ignoring the occasional stares that still clung to her like shadows. Only now, the looks weren't pitying or cruel—they were questioning. Curious.
She'd never been the subject of gossip that didn't involve her muteness or her supposed weakness.
Until now.
"Did you see her flip Liana like that?"
"She doesn't even have a wolf. How is that possible?"
"Maybe she's been hiding her shift?"
"She moved like a Delta… no, like a high-level Beta. It was insane."
Aria heard it all, and though she didn't smile, a warmth bloomed quietly in her chest. She didn't need words to feel the impact she had left.
As she rounded the corner to the dormitory stairwell, a figure stepped into her path. Tall. Lean. A familiar sneer twisting his lips.
Riven. The Beta who had tormented her during her first week here. The same one who once knocked her books to the ground for "being in his way."
"You think one win changes everything?" he hissed. "You're still nothing, Omega. Don't forget that."
Aria didn't move. She stood firm, holding his stare without fear.
Riven waited for her to flinch, to lower her gaze. When she didn't, when she simply tilted her head in silence and stared as if he were no more than a passing shadow, he faltered.
Her silence unsettled him.
And that… that was power.
He cursed under his breath and stormed past her.
She didn't turn to watch him go.
Instead, she climbed the stairs, each step a small victory. Her body ached, her lungs still burned, but she'd never felt stronger. She'd proved herself—not just to the academy, but to herself.
That night, Aria sat on her bed, staring out the window. The moon hung low and golden, casting a soft glow across the dark treetops surrounding the academy.
Her fingers traced the edge of the locket she wore around her neck. Inside it was a faded photo—her mother's face, smiling, holding a child with dark hair and wide, curious eyes.
Memories fluttered at the edges of her mind—faint, like whispers.
A woman's voice.
A forest.
A silver light.
"You'll understand one day, my love…"
She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cool glass.
Today had been a breakthrough. Not just physically, but something deeper. As if with every strike, every dodge, she was peeling back the layers of who she truly was.
Her wolf… it stirred again. Just briefly.
A flicker.
She wasn't crazy.
She wasn't broken.
Something inside her was awakening.
And she didn't know if she should be afraid—or ready.
Down in the faculty wing, Kieran stood alone in the observation hall, reviewing the trial footage.
He watched her movements again.
Her stance. Her precision. Her restraint.
She was better than she knew. Maybe better than she wanted to admit.
And something about her—her silence, her strength, her eyes—refused to leave his thoughts.
He hadn't wanted this.
A bond.
A pull.
Something ancient inside him whispered that it was already too late.
Aria Nightshade was more than just his student.
She was something else entirely.
And if his instincts were right… the world wasn't ready for what she would become.