Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers
Chapter 64: Whispers and Thorns

Chapter 64: Whispers and Thorns

Evaline:

By the time Monday morning rolled around, I was able to feel the change in the air like a pulse beneath my skin. The whispers were louder, more frequent. Eyes were trailing after me in the hallways, lingering a second too long.

The students at Silver Moon Academy had always talked. It was their favorite pastime. But now, the gossip wasn’t just about entrance scores or... my identity as a rogue, as a nobody. It was about my internship and the Alpha.

Not only was I a top scorer. Not only had I secured the prestigious privilege award. But now... I was working at the Council. Under Alpha River.

By some cruel twist of fate, my private misery had become public envy.

It started innocently enough. I didn’t realize at the time of dinner on Saturday evening, when I revealed about my position as River’s assistant to my friends, someone at the table next to ours was listening.

By Sunday afternoon, the rumors had spread like wildfire. And by Monday morning, the students were no longer whispering about my internship, now they were whispering about me.

And yet, as unsettling as it was, most of them hadn’t confronted me. Not directly. They preferred to make passive-aggressive comments in the halls or laugh louder than necessary when I walked past.

I could live with that.

What I wasn’t prepared for was Tuesday.

Because Tuesday changed everything.

* * *

"Good morning, first-years," Professor Kieran greeted as he entered the lecture hall, the soft click of his boots echoing as students sat up straighter. He was wearing his usual composed expression, but there was an energy in him that hadn’t been there the previous evening... something sharper, more attentive.

The golden strands of his hair was shimmering beneath the lights as he glanced at his tablet and then out across the room.

His gaze swept across the students until it landed on me. And lingered.

"Let’s begin with a short discussion," he said before pausing. "Evaline, would you mind leading us into today’s subject?"

Every eye turned to me. And there were dozens of expressions - shock, confusion, narrowed eyes - all locked on me as if I had just grown a second head.

And I was no different. I just sat there staring at him, and it was only when Mallory patted my thigh under the table, did I forced myself out of the shock.

I stood slowly with my heart thudding, and recited the introduction of the lecture we had prepared. My voice was surprisingly steady despite the boiling stares stabbing into my skin.

I could feel Kyros smirking from two rows behind me, probably proud. And Mallory offered me a discreet thumbs-up.

But there were others, girls in expensive robes trimmed in family crests, males with entitled expressions, who were less impressed.

When I sat down, Professor Kieran gave me a small nod. "Excellent start. As expected."

And that... was when things truly spiraled.

* * *

By lunch, the whispers had evolved into open scorn.

"Guess sucking up to the professors works after all," one girl muttered as I passed by her table in the dining hall Wednesday morning.

"She probably threw herself at Alpha River to get the position of his assistant."

"Have you seen how Professor Kieran looked so proud of her? What’s even there to bother sparing her a second glance?"

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep walking, with tray in hand and shoulders straight. I wasn’t going to let them see me flinch.

I had survived the streets. I had survived the massacre of my pack. I had survived betrayal and pain and nightmares. I had survived far worse than what they could imagine even in their worst nightmares. So, there’s no way I was going to let these petty girls with too much lip gloss and daddy’s money shake me.

But the tension only thickened as the day wore on.

By afternoon, it wasn’t just strangers who noticed the change.

"You okay?" Kyros asked as we walked out of Rune Theory.

"I’m fine," I lied. "Just tired."

He gave me a look, one that said he didn’t believe me, but let it go.

"I have heard some of the girls talking," he said eventually. "About Professor Kieran. And Alpha River."

I let out a sigh. "Let them talk. I’m not here for their approval."

"No," he said thoughtfully, "but some of them might try more than words."

"What do you mean?"

He gave me a grim smile. "You are new. You are smart. You are... unpredictable. That makes you dangerous to some of them. Especially the ones who think they have dibs on power."

I laughed without humor. "What, like River’s fangirls?"

"Not just fangirls," Noah added as he joined us with Mallory. "There are senior students who believe they’ll end up mated to one of the Rogue Brothers. They have built their entire future around it."

That made me pause. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "I would stay alert, Eva. Especially around-"

"Speak of the devil," Mallory whispered sharply from behind us.

I turned just in time to see her.

Tall. Elegant. Dressed in a fitted Academy uniform that looked tailored and undoubtedly expensive. Her dark hair was flowing in soft waves around her shoulders, and her eyes - a striking violet - held no warmth.

"She’s Celeste Renwyn. Daughter of Alpha Renwyn of the Eastern Peaks. Senior student. High-ranking... and Powerful." Noah whispered next to my ear, letting me know whom I was facing.

I had heard of Eastern Peaks and Alpha Renwyn. They were one of the most powerful packs.

And by the looks of it... his daughter didn’t seem like a fan of mine.

She was flanked by two equally striking girls, one with ice-blond hair and the other with gray eyes that were shimmering with amusement. They looked like royalty surveying their court.

Celeste’s gaze landed on me and her lips curved in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

"Evaline, isn’t it?" she said sweetly.

"That’s right."

She extended a hand and I took it cautiously. Her grip was firm, cool.

"I have heard so much about you," she said in a velvety voice. "Top of the entrance exam. Interning at the Council. How impressive."

"Thank you," I said, unsure of what game we were playing. "I’m just doing my best."

"Oh, I’m sure you are." She tilted her head slightly. "And working under Alpha River, no less. Such an... intimate position."

I didn’t flinch and replied calmly. "It’s just an internship."

"Oh, of course," she said with a tinkling laugh. "It’s just... most girls would kill for a chance like that. Especially when the Alphas are so... selective with who they let close."

I didn’t respond. Because there was nothing I could say that wouldn’t fuel the fire.

She took another step closer, and though her tone remained polite, her eyes sharpened.

"Let me give you some advice, Evaline. This Academy thrives on balance. Some of us have worked very hard to maintain that. When new variables arrive, especially rogue ones, it’s easy to upset the flow. That kind of imbalance can lead to... unfortunate consequences."

I met her gaze squarely as I asked, "Was that a threat?"

She smiled at that. "Of course not. Just a friendly warning."

Then she and her entourage turned and walked away with their laughter echoing down the hall like a pack of circling wolves.

- - -

By the time I got back to the dorm that night, my muscles were aching and my mind was buzzing. Mallory and Noah both had tried to cheer me up, but I could tell even they were feeling the pressure of association.

Kyros, however, didn’t mince words.

"She’s not done," he said as we stood outside our dorms after curfew check.

"I know," I said while hugging my arms to my chest. "But I’m not backing down."

"I didn’t expect you to," he replied. "But be careful. Celeste plays dirty. She’s been eyeing the Rogue Alphas for years. Especially Alpha River."

I laughed bitterly. "Then she’s wasting her time. River hates me."

He gave me a strange look. "Is that what you really think? Why would he even hate you?"

I paused and thought back to the way River had glared at me. The way he had lost his temper. The way his gaze lingered just a second too long when he thought I wasn’t looking.

"I don’t know what to think," I said honestly, not being able to share the beef between me and the Rogue Alphas.

"Then maybe don’t think at all," he said with a soft smile. "Just keep doing what you do best. Surviving."

But even as I crawled into bed that night, exhaustion pulling at me like vines, my mind wasn’t on Celeste or the rumors or even the growing danger around me.

It was on River.

On the heat of his eyes when we argued.

On the way Kieran’s voice had softened when he said I belonged here.

On the fact that somehow, despite everything, I was now tangled in a web of power, politics, and desire that I never asked for and couldn’t seem to escape.

But if they thought I was going to break... they had no idea who I really was.