Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers
Chapter 28: He Needs to Stop Thinking About Her

Chapter 28: He Needs to Stop Thinking About Her

Kieran:

The sun was almost at the horizon, casting a dim golden glow through the tall glass windows of my office. Though the warm light was painting the room in a peaceful hue, I felt far from relaxed.

Stacks of parchment and electronic reports were cluttering my desk. I had been sitting here for hours, poring over schedules, finalized dormitory placements, training protocols, and resource distributions for the new term.

The Academy had grown exponentially in the last five years, and with that came an overwhelming increase in responsibilities.

And I preferred to handle everything myself. Delegating these duties made sense on paper, but I couldn’t make myself trust easily, especially when the reputation of Silver Moon was on the line.

I just finished sending a mail when the silent office got filled with sounds of knocking on the door.

"Come in," I called and straightened in my chair.

The door creaked open, revealing a familiar face. It was Professor Rodrigo who stepped inside with a thick folder in his hand and his usual serious expression plastered across his face.

"Evening, Alpha Kieran," he greeted with a respectful nod.

"Rodrigo." I gestured for him to take the seat opposite mine. "Is that what I think it is?"

He nodded in a positive response. "Yes. The results of the written exam."

I leaned forward, interested for obvious reason. "Let’s hear it."

He flipped open the folder and handed me the first few sheets. "Out of a hundred and fifteen applicants, seventy-three have passed. The remaining forty-two will be dismissed tomorrow morning and sent back to their packs."

I scanned the list of names briefly and asked to confirm. "The second test is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes," Rodrigo confirmed. "It’s all prepared. But before that, there are three applicants I think you should take a closer look at."

He pulled out three answer sheets, each neatly stacked and labeled with the student’s name and score.

"This one-" he placed the top sheet before me, "-received a perfect score. Seventy out of seventy. His name is Kyros Graves."

My eyes narrowed slightly at the familiarity. "Graves? As in...?"

"Son of Beta Graves of Blood Moon Pack," Rodrigo confirmed my guess.

I nodded slowly, taking the sheet into my hands and scanning it. The writing was precise while the content was sharp and comprehensive. Every question was answered with the clarity of someone who had studied not just to pass, but to master. He knew the weight of every word he had written on the sheet.

"Impressive," I murmured as I set it aside. "Beta Graves always did take education seriously."

Rodrigo placed the second answer sheet in front of me. "This one belongs to Emilie Broom. Sixty-nine out of seventy. Also an exceptional piece of work."

I gave the sheet a glance. Her responses were thoughtful, concise, and showed genuine understanding. That one-point deduction was probably due to slight generalization in the rogue-related question. But it was still impressive.

"Keep an eye on her," I said absently. "Who’s the third?"

This time, Rodrigo hesitated just a second longer than he should have before placing the final answer sheet in front of me, and that got my attention.

My gaze dropped to the answer sheet and I froze for a second there as my eyes landed on a very familiar name.

Evaline.

I stared at the letters as if they would rearrange themselves and give me someone else. But no. I knew that name. Knew it too well.

"Evaline..." I said slowly. "She got seventy?"

"Yes, Alpha," Rodrigo replied. "Perfect score. I was surprised too, considering her background. A rogue with no prior affiliations? But her knowledge rivals even the top-ranking Alpha-born students."

I didn’t respond. My fingers brushed across the page, trailing over her handwriting. It was elegant, measured. There was control in it... and grace.

I read through her answers. One by one.

Her explanation of the shifter governing system was layered with historical references even some current pack scholars struggled to remember. Her pack hierarchy breakdown wasn’t just accurate, it was insightful. The way she wrote about the Academy’s purpose... was almost reverent.

And then there was her response to the last question.

"As a rogue, I have spent my life on the fringes of the shifter world, always on the outside looking in. Silver Moon Academy represents an opportunity for me to belong, to learn, to grow, and to become stronger. I seek a place where I can sharpen my skills, gain knowledge, and forge my own future. This academy is not just a school, but a chance for me to prove myself."

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. She had lied, obviously. But the lie was beautifully woven. It was subtle, believable, and emotionally potent. No exaggerated dreams or lofty promises. Just a quiet, persistent yearning to belong.

The kind of honesty you can’t fake.

Beautiful. Just like-

My fingers abruptly let go of the paper as if it had burned me and the answer sheet fell onto the desk.

No.

No, no. I wasn’t going down that road.

Rodrigo raised an eyebrow at my sudden shift but didn’t comment. Instead, he gathered the answer sheets.

"Shall I post the results?" he asked.

I cleared my throat and gave him anod of approval. "Yes. Go ahead. Let them celebrate a little before the test tomorrow noon."

"Understood." He said and stood up, leaving the room.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, silence enveloped the office again.

I knew that she would pass this test, but I was not prepared to see her actually acing it. But considering she was an Alpha’s daughter, it wasn’t surprising that she was well versed in academics.

Under that scared and lost exterior of hers... was hiding a smart girl. And she was smarter than I expected.

And she had lied so well. I couldn’t decide if that impressed me more or bothered me. I was gambling with my decision of supporting her, and I didn’t want for it to turn out as my worst ever decision.

I leaned back in my chair, raking a hand through my hair.

I needed to stop thinking about her.

Right at that moment, my phone started ringing. Looking at the caller ID, I realized that it was Morris calling me.

And his call meant one thing... news.

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