ARYA’S POV

I stumbled through the woods for the next hour. The slap still stung my hand, like I’d hit a wall, not Alpha Dimitri’s ugly face. His roar echoed in my head—“You’ll regret that, girl!”—and I knew he meant it. I’d humiliated him, left him at the altar in front of everyone – Moonstone wolves, IceClaw wolves.

I sighed in frustration as I remembered the look on my father’s face as I bolted away. He’d been so relieved after I agreed to take Liana’s place. But now, I had ruined everything.

I couldn’t go home. Sofia would gloat, Liana would laugh, and Father would look at me with those sad hazel eyes, disappointed again. I’d let him down, broken my promise to save Liana, to save us all.

My chest ached, not just from running, but from that thought. I had to hide, figure this out, fix it somehow. The only place I could think of was my childhood friend Mara’s house.

I located her house in a jiffy and I banged on the door. “Mara! It’s me—open up!”

The door creaked open, and Mara’s round face peeked out, her brown eyes wide. “Arya? What—gods, you’re a mess! Get in here!”

She yanked me inside, slamming the door. The room smelled of freshly baked bread and I collapsed onto a stool, ripping off the torn veil, my dark hair spilling over my shoulders. Mara grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around me.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice sharp. “You’re shaking like a leaf!”

“I slapped him,” I said, my words tumbling out. “Dimitri. At the wedding. He said—awful things, Mara. About me, about women. I couldn’t do it. I ran.”

Her jaw dropped. “You slapped Alpha Dimitri? The IceClaw monster? Arya, are you insane?”

“I know!” I buried my face in my hands. “Father wanted this so bad. The loan—he owes Dimitri everything. I was supposed to fix it, and now I can’t face him, Mara. I messed Up.”

She knelt in front of me, pulling my hands down.

“Hey, listen. You stood up to a beast. That’s not messing up—that’s guts. But you’re right about one thing: you can’t go back. Not tonight.”

I nodded, tears burning my eyes.

“I just need to hide. Till I figure out what to do.”

“Stay here,” she said, squeezing my arm. “Sleep it off. We’ll think of something.”

I tried. She gave me her bed and I curled up, still in my wedding gown. But sleep wouldn’t come. Father’s face kept flashing behind my lids, his voice pleading.

I’d failed him. The pack would starve, and it would be my fault. Hours dragged by, the fire dying to embers, until a noise jolted me awake—a rustle outside, voices low and urgent.

“Mara?” I whispered, sitting up.

She was already at the window, peering through a crack. Her face went pale.

“Oh no. Arya—look.”

I scrambled over, my heart pounding in my chest. In the moonlight, two Moonstone guards tacked a poster to a tree. My poster. My face stared back—hazel eyes, long dark hair—under big, ugly letters: WANTED FUGITIVE. MILLION DOLLAR BOUNTY. ALPHA DIMITRI’S ORDERS.

“They’re fast,” Mara hissed. “He’s not playing, Arya. That’s a fortune—every wolf in the North will hunt you!”

Panic clawed my throat.

“Father let this happen? He’s letting them brand me a criminal?”

“He’s weak,” she said, harsh but true. “Sofia probably pushed it. Or Dimitri. You’re not safe here—someone’ll sniff you out for that gold.”

I backed away, my mind racing.

“I’ve got nowhere to go. They’ll find me, drag me to Dimitri—”

“No, they won’t,” Mara cut in, grabbing my shoulders. “We’ll fix this. You’ve got to disappear—really disappear.”

“How?” I snapped, my voice shaking. “I’m not a ghost!”

She paused, then her eyes lit up.

“Alpha Academy.”

I blinked. “What?”

“That school in the mountains,” she said, talking fast. “Where they send boys—Alphas, warriors, rejects. It’s neutral ground. No one’ll look for you there. Not a girl. You go as a boy.”

“A boy?” I stared at her like she’d lost her mind.

“Yes!” She darted to a trunk, pulling out scissors and a strip of cloth. “Cut your hair, bind your chest—pass as a warrior. Dimitri won’t think you’d dare. Neither will your pack.”

I touched my hair, long and dark, Mama’s gift. “Cut it? Mara, I—”

“It’s hair or your life,” she said, shoving the scissors at me. “Pick one, fast.”

She was right. I hated it, but she was right. Alpha Dimitri wasn’t a man to mess with—I’d seen his eyes, cold and cruel. He’d kill me, or torture me until I begged for death.

I took the scissors, my hands trembling, and started hacking. Locks fell to the floor, each snip a stab in my gut. Mara helped, evening it out, until I looked like a scruffy boy in the dim light.

“Chest next,” she said, handing me the cloth. “Tight—can’t risk a curve.”

I stripped off my gown, wrapping the cloth around me, wincing as it squeezed. My breathing got shallow, but it worked—flat as a board. Mara dug out an old shirt and a pair of faded jean trousers from her brother’s stash.

“Name?” she asked, scribbling on a scrap of parchment.

“Caleb,” I said, quick. “Caleb. Random warrior. Moonstone Pack.”

She forged an ID—messy, but good enough and smudged ink on it to fake a seal.

“This’ll get you in. Head north, fast. Academy’s a day’s walk if you don’t stop. Would have given you my car but Aiden crashed it last week.”

I laughed and hugged her, hard.

“Thank you so much, Mara. I owe you everything.”

“Just live,” she said, pushing me to the door. “Go—before dawn.”

I ran again, the cold biting my bare neck, and my new clothes scratching my skin. The forest blurred past, my boots pounding dirt, and pure fear driving me on.

Alpha Academy was a special school for men. It was extremely brutal and totally unforgiving. I’d heard stories about the place, and although I knew my chances of survival were slim, it was better than dying in Dimitri’s hands. I made up my mind that I was going to hide there, before I could figure out my next move.

The sun set, rose and set again as I trekked north. My legs burned, my stomach growled, but I didn’t stop. Not till I saw the mountains in the distance, the fortress of stone, towers clawing the sky, torches flickering like eyes. I staggered to the gates, clutching my forged ID, and my voice hoarse.

“Caleb Stone,” I croaked to the guard, a hulking man with a scar across his nose. “Moonstone warrior. Here."

He squinted at the parchment, then at me. “Latecomer, huh? Rough trip?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, keeping my head down. “Lost my way.”

He grunted, waving me in.

“Move it, runt. You’re lucky it’s night—gates close soon.”

I followed him through a courtyard, past snarling wolves and shouting men, my heart thumping. It was late already, and there was not a single star in the sky. The guard led me down a hall, and straight to a big wooden door.

“Common room,” he grunted. “Orientation’s tomorrow. Don’t die before then.”

I stepped inside, the door slamming shut behind me. The room was dimly lit but full of snoring guys on bunk beds. This was my new world now. I sank onto an empty bed, my chest tight under the binding, my short hair prickling my neck. I was Caleb now. Safe, for tonight. But tomorrow? That was going to be another fight to survive.