Chapter 58 A DIFFERENT SEASON
KAI’S POV
The academy felt different in the morning light.
Not calmer. Not safer.
Just… suspended.
Like all of us were pretending last night didn’t split the sky open like a cracked bone.
But the world kept moving, even when you didn’t want it to.
Today, as if the universe wanted to mock us, it was the first day of the new season in the academy’s annual mating-selection cycle.
Of all the days it could fall on, it had to be now.
The entire east courtyard buzzed with nervous energy as female wolves from every rank class gathered in ceremonial white. Some stood proudly, some trembling, some pretending they weren’t waiting to see if fate or maybe instinct chose for them.
The elders, instructors, and enforcers lined the platform. Luna stood with them, back straight, eyes scanning the crowd for danger even while she wore her ceremonial sash.
The sky was painfully normal.
No crack.
No echo.
No sign of whatever stepped through yesterday.
But Zara…
Zara wasn’t normal.
She leaned against me quietly, her fingers brushing my wrist from time to time like she was silently checking if I was still there.
Every time she did, my chest tightened.
I still saw her in the forest... glowing, convulsing, whispering
"They’ve found me."
I still heard her voice layered with something older than any wolf on this earth.
And yet… here she was.
Small, warm, human enough to pretend.
Standing beside me like she wasn’t m carrying a storm inside her ribs.
Her breathing was steadier today, but her aura still flickered faintly, silver one second, violet the next. Ruby once, though she didn’t notice.
I did.
Everyone glanced at her, then quickly looked away, as if making eye contact might burn them.
She didn’t notice that either.
Or she pretended not to.
“Does this really have to keep happening every year?” she asked, voice low, eyes fixed on the gathering crowd.
I swallowed a smile.
“Yes. The New Season starts today. Females declare their readiness, submit their names, and the council matches them with potential mates. If both wolves' instincts respond to each other, they get approved.”
She wrinkled her nose.
“Sounds like selling livestock.”
I choked on a laugh.
“Okay.... I guess yes, when you put it like that… it’s not the most romantic process.”
“And the annual run? What’s that for again?”
“To test compatibility through instinct. Mated pairs run together through the grounds at sunset. The strongest bond sets the pace… the weaker one follows. Traditionally, it’s considered a blessing if both wolves run in sync.”
Zara snorted lightly.
“And if they don’t?”
“They break the match.”
“Oh.”
She bit her lip.
“Harsh.”
“Efficient,” I countered.
“Traumatic,” she corrected.
I didn’t argue.
Not with her.
Not after last night.
Elder Rowan lifted his staff, and the courtyard fell silent.
“Tonight begins the Season of Choosing,” he announced.
“Those of age may register their names. The ritual run begins at sunset. Let the new year bless your bonds.”
A ripple of excitement and dread moved through the crowd.
Girls stepped forward one by one, placing their palms on the glowing stone tablet, allowing their names to be etched into the selection list.
Mira went first, chin high, shoulders squared.
She didn’t even tremble.
"Not like I would even be picked." She shared through our mind link.
I gave her a soft smile.
Rex stood rigidly beside her, though he pretended he wasn’t holding his breath.
I didn’t miss the way Zara’s lips curled in amusement.
“Bet he passes out before she gets matched,” she whispered.
“I give him five minutes,” I whispered back.
Her smile, soft and real, felt like sunlight against my storm-drenched memories.
Others registered next... Bria, Tessa, Yuni, even a few omega girls who usually kept to themselves.
The energy shifted as the pairings were announced.
The stone tablet glowed with flickering silver lines, connecting names instinctively.
Bria was matched.
So was Tessa.
Two pairs got rejected immediately and stormed off in tears.
I did feel bad for them.
The run would happen tonight, but the emotional damage started early.
Zara watched with wide eyes, fascinated and horrified at the same time.
“You’re glad you’re not participating,” I said.
She snorted.
“Participating? I think the stone would explode if I touched it.”
That wasn't funny at all. But she didn't have to know.
I grinned.
“Probably.”
She elbowed me, but she was smiling again.
And that was enough for me.
The ceremony ended as midday bells rang. Students scattered some squealing, some crying, some panicking. Rex dragged Mira away for a “talk,” which meant he’d probably confess his feelings and then faint.
Zara tugged my sleeve.
“You okay?” she asked softly.
I blinked.
“Me? I should be asking you that.”
“I know.”
Her voice dipped.
“But… I want to know you’re okay too.”
Something tugged painfully at my ribs.
“I am,” I said.
Then after a breath....
“I am now.”
Her cheeks warmed.
“Good.”
We walked back toward the west dorms, side by side, the noise of the courtyard fading behind us.
Halfway down the hallway, she reached for my hand. Quietly. Gently.
Like she wasn’t sure I’d take it.
I took it.
Her fingers curled into mine instantly, the small squeeze sending something electric through my spine. We stepped into an empty study room, one of the few places cameras didn’t watch, and I closed the door behind us.
She looked up, eyes soft.
But there was a shadow there, too.
Fear. Confusion.
Something she wanted to tell me but couldn’t.
I brushed a strand of damp hair from her cheek.
“You’re safe,” I whispered.
“Kai…”
Her voice trembled.
“I don’t feel safe. Not from them. Not from Voss. Not from… myself."
“You’re safe with me.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
“Kai… I don’t know how much longer I can hold what’s inside me.”
“Then let me hold some of it, too.”
A tiny sound escaped her, half sob, half laughing as she stepped into my chest, burying her face against me. My arms wrapped around her automatically, pulling her close.
Her warmth. Her scent. Her heartbeat.
All the pieces of her I memorized like lifelines.
“I thought I lost you last night,” I whispered into her hair.
“You didn't.”
“I felt you slipping.”
“Kai…” She lifted her head.
Her eyes glistened.
“You’re the only thing that pulled me back.”
I cupped her face.
Her breath hitched.
Her lips parted.
“Zara…” I whispered.
She rose on her toes.
I leaned in.
Our foreheads touched, breath mixing, hearts stumbling in sync like idiots who didn’t know how to slow down.
When our lips finally brushed....
Ohh!!!
A soft, fragile, perfect kiss...
I couldn't describe our kiss.
She melted into me. Completely. Utterly.
Her fingers tangled in my shirt, pulling me closer like she needed contact to stay grounded.
I kissed her deeper, slower, savouring the way she sighed against my mouth.
Everything else....Devourers, Voss, the sky splitting....faded.
For one moment, there was only us.
We broke apart, breathing hard, her forehead resting against mine.
“I love you,” she whispered before she could stop herself. My heart stuttered.
And then, “I love you too.” I had responded.
This had to be the first time we had voiced out our feelings to each other.
She smiled. Softer than moonlight.
We stood like that for a long time, wrapped in each other, breathing each other in.
When she pulled back, she was glowing faintly again. Silver this time. Warm. Peaceful.
For once, not violent.
“Kai…”
Her voice dipped, unsure.
“Do you feel that?”
“What?”
She swallowed.
“That…”
A low hum vibrated through the floorboards under our feet.
We both froze.
The hum deepened.
Then sharpened.
And....
BOOM
A thunderous blast tore through the academy grounds.
Glass shattered.
Lights flickered violently.
A shockwave rippled down the hall, knocking books from shelves.
Zara’s eyes widened in horror.
“Kai”
I grabbed her hand.
The second blast hit.
The world went white.
And everything....
Everything....
Went dark.