Chapter 4 — An Alpha's Dilemma

Braden

The steady rhythm of my boots striking the concrete echoed faintly in the early morning quiet, but for once, the sound failed to center me. Pine Hill Academy loomed ahead, its ivy-covered stone walls stark against the pale dawn sky. The air smelled of damp earth and fresh dew, but the serene beauty barely registered. My thoughts were elsewhere—tangled in the memory of the silver-eyed student who had unsettled every part of my carefully calibrated world.