It was no longer about me. It was about dominance.
I realized it the moment I walked into the arena for combat drills and saw the way Darius and Gideon were staring at each other across the sand. Like wolves circling territory. Like enemies who'd been waiting for an excuse.
The air was thick with tension. Students whispered in clusters, sensing something big was about to happen. The usual pre-drill chatter had died to nervous murmurs, everyone tracking the invisible line of hostility stretching between the two Alphas. Even the weaker wolves had gone quiet, instinctively recognizing the threat of violence hanging over the arena.
"This is going to be bad," Celeste muttered beside me. "Really bad."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at them." She nodded toward where both Alphas stood, neither one backing down, neither one looking away. "That's not normal rivalry. That's personal."
