Chapter 6: The Predator's Game

Arden

I barely slept in my first night at the academy. The dormitory room was cold, the mattress stiff, the sheets felt rough against my skin. I laid flat on my back, staring at the ceiling, trying to breathe through the tight binding around my chest. Each inhale felt like I was being squeezed. Each exhale reminded me I was not Aria anymore.

I was Arden.

Arden.

I repeated the name until it tasted like ash in my mouth.

I didn't know when I slept off but dawn was almost upon us before I was able to have a very restless sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, there was someone standing beside my bed.

I flinched hard, nearly rolling off the mattress. My hands shot up, ready to defend, but froze when I saw who it was.

Kai.

The golden-haired boy from yesterday. The one who had hit me in the hallway like I was nothing.

His eyes were fixed on me, like actually looking at me with a sharp focused look.

He stood straight with his hands behind his back, like he belonged to a throne room instead of a dorm. His presence filled the room like a predator waiting for a chance to pounce.

My chest tightened, not from the bindings this time, but from his mere presence.

“What are you doing?” I whispered. My voice sounding scratchy.

He did not flinch. “Watching.”

I swallowed. “Watching what?”

“You.” His voice was calm. “You smell different today.”

My heartbeat stumbled. The scent blockers. Did I forget to apply the scent blockers? Did I use too little?

I glanced at my bed and then at my bag. At the bottles were hidden safely, deep inside the lining.

“I don’t know what you mean.” This time I forced my voice to sound flat and controlled. Luma would have been proud.

Kai tilted his head slightly, studying me the way wolves study prey. “Everyone here smells like something. Pride, arrogance, power.” He inhaled faintly. “But you smell... wrong.”

My throat tightened. “Wrong how?”

He stepped closer. Not too close that I could touch him but close enough for me to feel his warmth. “Like you are hiding something.”

The silence between us felt alive. A string pulled tight.

Then he stepped back, turning like he didn't just make my heart skip. “Morning drills are mandatory. Do not be late.”

He walked out as if nothing happened. But my heart continued to race long after he was gone.

---

The courtyard was already buzzing when I arrived. Wolves moved across the field in a coordinated drills, jamming their bodies together, flexing their muscles, snarling at each other. This was how the academy trained warriors, heirs, and future alphas. Men raised to dominate and destroy.

At that moment, I had never felt smaller than I did.

I joined the circle forming around the combat mat and listened as the instructor, a broad man with a scar from his jaw to his temple, paced slowly before us.

“Pair up. Three rounds. Control your strikes. Do not kill your partner. I am not filling paperwork today.”

The other boys laughed.

My eyes darted for the brown-haired boy who had spoken to me yesterday. Maybe he would pair with me. Maybe he would be safer to pair with.

But Kai was already walking toward me.

My pulse jumped.

“No. Not him.” I groaned inside.

“We are partners,” he said, his tone leaving no space for argument.

I wanted to protest. I could have told him that I was new and unsuitable to be his partner. But the Arden aunt Luma trained would not beg.

So I nodded.

We stepped onto the mat. The ground felt hard and unforgiving beneath my feet.

“Stance,” Kai instructed.

His voice was low, but there was command in it.

I adjusted my footing, remembering Aunt Luma’s warning. Keep movements sharp, limbs close. Do not reveal softness.

Kai moved first.

His palm struck my shoulder softly and I blocked.

He struck again. Faster this time. I blocked at his pace.

He eyed me, gleaming at the challenge. Fuck, I just spiked his interest.

That was when the real fight began.

He moved like fire. Each strike was controlled, each motion precise. His strike aimed to push my pressure limits, to overwhelm me.

I added more grit, trying to keep up. The bindings kept cutting into my ribs, making my chest burn.

I drew a deep breath and lost a footing.

That instant, he swept my legs out from under me and I hit the ground hard, the air slamming out of my lungs.

Before I could move, he was on top of me. Both knee braced beside my hip. One hand gripping my wrist. The other beside my head.

Everyone else faded away.

His body caged mine. And I suddenly became aware of how close he was to me.

His breath brushed my cheek as he spoke. “Why do you move like that?”

“Like what?” My voice was barely audible.

“Like you are afraid of being touched.”

My heart felt like it would break out my ribs.

I forced my expression to remain blank. “I am not afraid.”

He leaned in a fraction closer. “Liar.”

The word slid through me like a blade, and tension hung between us until the instructor clapped once. “Switch.”

Kai released me slowly, like he wanted me to feel the absence of his touch.

I stood on shaking legs.

This was not good. Not good at all.

---

After drills, the others headed toward the showers, laughing and shoving each other in rough boyish play.

I slipped away, because I was a girl and no one could see me undress. That was a huge risk for me to take.

I moved quickly down a side hallway, searching for somewhere private and praying under my breath that I find one. I spotted a small door near the storage wing. It was supply closet but I would take my chance. I quickly slipped inside and shut the door behind me, breathing fast.

I placed both hands on the wall. My bindings felt too tight, my skin felt wrong. My thoughts were spinning.

I closed my eyes. “Calm down,” I whispered. “Breath”

The door opened and I froze.

Kai stepped in casually and shut the door behind him like this was his spot too.

I panicked.

The room was too small enough and only his presence swallowed the entire space. My back hit the shelves before I realized that I was moving.

“Why are you following me?” I stuttered.

He stepped closer smirking. “Because you are hiding something.”

His hand came up and slammed the door beside my head. I jumped at the sound.

His eyes brightened. “There. That’s it. Why did you jump?”

“Nothing.”

He laughed softly.

“You think I don't know” he leaned closer. My heart jumped out of my mouth.

“kno..know what?” I nearly broke down but I held myself standing.

“I can smell your fear.” He took another step. “I see how your pulse jumps when I’m near you.”

My voice cracked. “Stop.”

“Why?” His face was only inches away from mine. “What are you afraid I will find?”

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, Kai remained standing, eyeing and sizing me up. I held my breath seeing how close he was.

I could feel the heat coming off him. Smell the wildness of his wolf beneath the scent of cedar and smoke.

Then, slowly, he stepped back and I exhaled. But his expression did not soften.

“This is not over,” he said in a low voice and opened the door. I watched him slipped out just as someone passed by.

I couldn't move at first. I remained where I was, my heartbeat shaking my entire body, my breath coming too fast.

This was bad, very bad. I had to protect my identity with my life and no one must find out.

So I squared my shoulders and stepped out of the closet. Keeping my head down.

I had to avoid him, I tried to.

But when I looked across the courtyard, I found his eyes already on me. Watching, waiting.

As if he already knew that in this game, I was the one who would eventually fall.