Mia's POV"That is a load of horse shit," I said blandly.Michael laughed. "Alpha Fenrir had predicted you would say as much. He told you to consider this: two people get into a fight and one person survives said fight. Who is stronger? Who is better off?""The survivor obviously," I snort in disdain. "But it is still a load of nonsense.""Perhaps," Michael chuckled. "Though, truth be told you had exceeded my expectations by quite a bit. For someone who has been at it for only two weeks, you have gone surprisingly far.""Still a load of horse shit. I know for certain that I had not been completely silent and you might as well have tracked my footsteps if you bothered to heighten your senses.""Mostly, what you need now is just practice," Michael said, shaking his head. "In about a week or two we would actually begin with the hunting part of your schedule."Now that I was looking forward to........As the golden rays of the late afternoon sun filtered through the canopy above, casting

Mia's PovAs panic tightened its grip around my heart, I scanned the river from the outcropping, desperately searching for any sign of Lycidas. The water churned below, its surface rippling with the remnants of his struggle, but there was no trace of him to be found. And the spreading red! Oh my goddess!Just as I prepared to dive in after him, I noticed a shadow creeping up on me from the side.Without even turning to face him, I instinctively issued a warning to Lycidas, my voice dripping with irritation and frustration."Hey, Lycidas," I called out, my tone firm, "don't you dare try to push me into the water."But before I could react, his laughter filled the air, and I felt his hands on my shoulders, propelling me forward with surprising force. With a startled cry, I tumbled into the water, my turban held tight against my head to prevent it from being swept away by the current.The shock of the cold water enveloped me as I plunged beneath the surface, my lungs burning with the nee

Mia's Pov.As Lycidas and I began our run through the dense forest, every muscle in my body surged with a newfound energy, propelling me forward with a sense of urgency that bordered on desperation. The forest blurred past in a kaleidoscope of greens and browns, the rhythmic pounding of our footsteps echoing through the stillness of the woods.With each stride, I felt the weight of the world slipping away, replaced by a sense of freedom and exhilaration that was both intoxicating and terrifying. Branches whipped past us in a blur, the air filled with the heady scent of pine and earth as we raced deeper into the heart of the forest.But even as we ran, a sense of unease gnawed at the edges of my consciousness, a whisper of fear that refused to be silenced. The forest seemed to close in around us, the shadows growing darker and more ominous with each passing moment.As we navigated the twisting paths and tangled underbrush, my senses were heightened to a fever pitch, every rustle of lea

Hazel's POVAs I sat in my dimly lit study, the only sound filling the room was the soft scratching of my quill against the paper. Deep in thought, I toyed with the idea of how to proceed with the experiment involving the corrupted. Acquiring more of them had proven to be a challenge, one that required careful planning and cunning maneuvers. While Phelan had encouraged the tests, he had not shared with me the exact method of turning someone into a corrupted. I could not seem too eager to carry out the tests - that was just too suspicious - and so am unable to simply request more of them from the stupid old man.I leaned back in my chair, allowing my mind to wander as I contemplated the web of alliances and betrayals that defined the world of Alphas. Underneath the façade of loyalty and obedience lay a dark undercurrent of manipulation and deceit, and I would not be the one to be lost to its depths. I had broken down the web of nonsense and nonentities to a basic format. There were onl

Hazel's POVAs I emerged from the depths of the forest, the unconscious corrupted slung over my shoulder, a crowd of soldiers approached, their leather armor gleaming in the dappled light filtering through the trees. I narrowed my eyes at them, my expression stern and commanding as I assessed their readiness for the task at hand."Soldiers," I called out, my voice cutting through the air with authority. "Form up into groups of ten. You have a task to complete."The soldiers obeyed without question, falling into formation with relative ease as they awaited my next command. I approached them with purpose, my gaze sweeping over their ranks as I divided them into smaller teams."You," I pointed to a group of soldiers nearest to me. "You will patrol the eastern perimeter. And you," I gestured to another group. "Take the western flank. The rest of you will divide the remaining sectors between you. Move out and secure the area."As the soldiers dispersed to carry out their orders, I turned m