The hallway outside the locker room felt too quiet.
Adrian walked without seeing where he was going. His boots struck the polished floor in slow, heavy steps, but his mind wasn't on the corridor, the academy, or the pack.
It was on Darius's words.
Adrian clenched his jaw.
Darius had been many things in at the time they'd trained together, defiant, observant, occasionally insufferable but rarely wrong. That was the problem.
And today... the boy had seen too much.
Adrian pushed open the side door that led to the training wing. Cold evening air rushed in, carrying the faint scent of pine and damp earth from the forest that bordered the academy grounds.
He welcomed it.
Anything to clear his head.
He walked toward the edge of the field . The grass rustled under his boots as the distant noise of students slowly dissolved into silence.
Only then did he stop.
His hands slid into his pockets as he stared across the quiet field
Was he right? Was l reckless?
The questions settled in his chest like stones.
For many years Adrian had trained so hard to make sure nothing would distract him from his duties or break his focus.
Yet in the cafeteria earlier that day, when he'd looked up and seen her siting there...staring right back at him
Everything had paused.
The chatter of students.
The movement of the room.
Even his own breathing.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath.
You're thinking about her again.
The voice was deep and rough, like distant thunder rolling through his bones.
Adrian closed his eyes.
"Stay out of this, Ragnar."
You felt it too, Ragnar said.
Adrian's jaw tightened. "She's human."
He said it quickly, firmly, as if the words alone could end the conversation.
Ragnar didn't sound convinced.
Are you sure?
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"I saw her. I smelled nothing unusual. No wolf. No power. Nothing." His voice hardened. "She is human."
And if she isn't?
Adrian opened his eyes slowly, irritation flashing across his face.
"That's impossible."
Ragnar shifted restlessly beneath his skin.
Is it?
Adrian looked out toward the dark line of trees.
"I've spent years learning control," he said quietly. "Years making sure nothing,no one could distract me."
His hands curled slightly into fists.
"And today some random human girl is sitting in the cafeteria, and somehow we end up staring at each other across the room while I stand there like I've completely lost my mind."
The frustration in his voice was impossible to hide mind
"That doesn't make sense."
His wolf was quiet for a moment.
Then the it spoke again.
What if she's the one?
The words hit harder than Adrian expected.
His shoulders stiffened.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Ragnar didn't back down.
Human or not... what if she is the one?
Adrian turned away from the field, pacing once across the grass.
"Even if she were," he said sharply, "you know exactly what that means."
Ragnar fell silent.
"And you know what we would have to do."
A low growl vibrated through Adrian's chest.
You would send her away.
"Yes."
Adrian didn't hesitate.
"If she is the one-human or not-then she cannot stay here."
His voice dropped, colder now.
"l would reject her and she would have to leave the academy."
You would push away your own mate.
"I would protect her."
The words came out harder than he intended.
Ragnar's anger flared instantly.
Protect her? By keeping her away from us?
Adrian stopped pacing.
"You know what is at stake here Ragnar." he said quietly.
The words carried a weight Ragnar understood too well.
The memory rose in Adrian's mind like a shadow.
His father's cold and furious voice.
A mate will not be your salvation, Adrian. She will be your destruction.
Adrian swallowed slowly.
"I won't risk that," he said.
Ragnar's presence shifted, restless and unhappy.
You don't even know if it's real.
Adrian let out a quiet, humorless chuckle.
"Real?" he repeated softly.
His gaze drifted across the empty field, but he wasn't really seeing it anymore.
"Ever since I was a child, that's all I ever heard the pack whisper about."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"They called me the cursed Alpha...the one cursed for love."
He exhaled slowly.
"So tell me, Ragnar... what more do I need to know?"
Ragnar stayed silent this time, understanding too well the burden Adrian had carried since he was a child.
Adrian stared at the academy building for a long moment.
Then his expression hardened.
If that girl truly is the one... then he would make sure she left this place.
Even if it meant breaking something inside him.
