Axel forced himself to stare forward, telling his mind again and again that he needed to keep focus.
Yet it was impossible to ignore the weight of the person sitting beside him.
Ivan was not speaking, not shifting in any deliberate way to get Axel's attention, and yet his mere presence worked on Axel's nerves like a constant pull.
It was enough to make the silence between them feel louder than the restless shuffling echoing through the hall.
At the front, Alpha Norman finally stepped onto the raised platform. His presence dominated the space in an instant, cutting through the crowd without effort.
Axel's gaze lifted, drawn by curiosity, and his chest gave a small, uneasy stir when his eyes studied the man for the first time.
The resemblance to Ivan was startling.
The sharp lines of his face, the cool authority in his posture, even the faint arrogance written across his expression... everything about him mirrored Ivan, only older, more established.
It was like watching Ivan's reflection in a mirror that had aged by decades.
"Welcome to the Academy," Alpha Norman began. His voice rolled out across the hall, firm and commanding, yet polished in a way that suggested the words were meant to sound reassuring.
Axel, however, felt none of that reassurance. Each syllable came layered with authority sharp enough to cut, no matter how even his tone appeared.
"You all know why you're here," Norman continued, "but for those who don't, this has always been a place to learn more about your pack laws, mate laws, and to help you meet the one you're meant for more easily. As always, I expect discipline when you're around here, because discipline is what you have come to learn. I do not expect any kind of violence, any kind of bullying, any kind of unwanted behaviors…"
The pause that followed carried a weight that made Axel's throat tighten.
"This is not a mating place. You meet your mate, you get to know each other, and the ritual to confirm your bond is a must, so you don't find yourself tangled with someone else. As young as you are, you are capable of controlling your desires until you leave this place. So I do not expect any cases where you're found mating each other around this place, or hear cases where an omega is found in an Alpha dorm."
The words struck Axel like a lash. His heart jolted, and panic threaded instantly through his chest. His mind seized on that one line
..an omega in an Alpha dorm. and the weight of his lie grew unbearable. He sat rigid, pulse racing, as Alpha Norman's words hammered deeper.
"When I suggested this academy at first, I know how dangerous it sounded to have omegas around Alphas in one place," Norman pressed on, "some said they trigger each other. But unless someone is your mate, they cannot push you to the point where you lose your morals. Discipline yourself. Learn control from here. Everyone has been doing it, and so I don't see why it should be hard for you,"
Axel's breath snagged. His body screamed at him with every reminder of his mistake.
He knew Ivan triggered him in a way he couldn't ignore.
If he had simply told the truth, if he had admitted from the beginning that he was an omega, he would not have been placed in the same room as Ivan.
He would not be forced into this endless balancing act of lies. He would have been far away, safe, where avoiding Ivan would not have been this impossible task.
Norman's voice cut through again, sharper now: "To cut the long story short, any kind of indiscipline will not be tolerated. Be it small or big, the consequences will be brutal."
The word brutal echoed like a strike inside Axel's head. Brutal consequences. The phrase wound itself around his panic until it became impossible to untangle.
For the hundredth time, the thought pressed harder than ever: there had been no need to lie. If he had simply spoken the truth, he would not be living every second under this risk of exposure.
Doubt ate away at the decision he had made earlier about sneaking out on Sunday. But now thinking of it.. if he gets into trouble and makes mistakes around, he might be exposed.
And here, under Alpha Norman's gaze and his merciless warning, Axel felt the full weight of what exposure could mean.
No, I won't go, he told himself fiercely.
But before the thought could even settle, his phone vibrated faintly against his leg. He stiffened, fingers moving to take it out of his pocket.. His eyes dropped to the screen, and his hand trembled as the message lit up:
~I can't wait to finally meet you the day after tomorrow.
Axel's stomach turned. His fingers fumbled to lock the phone and push it out of sight. His body trembled faintly, and the effort to appear composed felt impossible.
Out of instinct, he forced his gaze sideways. Ivan's face was tilted toward his own phone, his face lit with something almost anxious, almost hopeful. He obviously was waiting for a reply. Waiting for Chloe's reply.
Axel's thoughts roared. Did Ivan not hear a word Alpha Norman had said? Brutal consequences still rang in Axel's mind, and here was Ivan, looking at a phone as though the warning hadn't touched him at all.
Of course, Axel realized, Ivan had been through this before. He had heard every speech, every rule. Nothing was new to him. Perhaps that was why he didn't flinch, why he could still think of sneaking out despite everything.
But Axel couldn't make himself move. He left the message unanswered, burying the phone deep in his pocket as if hiding it could erase the words.
His only wish was for this meeting to end quickly, to get away from the suffocating tension.
The voice at the front shifted, lighter, feminine. Axel blinked back to the present, realizing Alpha Norman had stepped aside and a woman now addressed them.
"You're both provided with a pamphlet that contains everything you need to know, the routine to follow, the sports you must join at least one of. Interactions will be through that. There are classes that will contain all of you, and others only for specific ranks: Alphas separate, Betas separate, Omegas separate. In case of anything, do not hesitate to reach out to our offices."
Her words reached Axel in fragments, blurring against the storm still turning inside him. He clung to only the barest pieces, enough to know what was being said, but none of it seemed to root itself in him.
"From here, you'll head straight to the dining hall," she continued. "By seven p.m., everyone should be in their dorms. Rest and start the day fresh with the routine you've been provided. We do not expect anyone outside after seven p.m."
Another spike of panic raced through Axel. Seven p.m. in the dorm. Locked into the same space as Ivan.
No escape, no distraction, only the suffocating weight of being alone with him. The thought twisted cold in his stomach. He hadn't even unpacked yet, but he already decided he would go straight to bed, retreat to whatever safety sleep could offer, and avoid the chance of slipping.
When his eyes drifted toward Ivan again, the sight tightened his chest. Ivan was still focused on his phone, thumbs unmoving, waiting.
Axel could almost feel the anticipation radiating off him, the small crease at his brow that betrayed his patience thinning.
By the time the people around them began to rise and scatter, Axel found himself caught off guard.
He hadn't heard the final words spoken at the front.