Alpha Xander's Undoing Chasing my Unknown Mate Back novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

*Rory*

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The academy didn’t feel the same anymore. The air was thicker, heavier–like it was trying to warn me before I even stepped onto the courtyard that something had shifted.

Whispers followed me like a shadow, brushing against my back as I made my way toward the lecture hall, and even though no one said anything to my face, I felt them.

Every glance.

Every held stare.

Every side–eye from students who used to ignore me altogether.

Everyone had heard what happened last night–that I was injected with Z3–something I didn’t even know was accessible to us.

And the worst part? I didn’t even know if they were looking at me because of what happened in the hallway or if it was because they suspected… something else. Liek there was a reason why someone would want to take me out. Either way, it was enough to make me keep my head down, even though every instinct in me wanted to look back and bare my teeth.

Thankfully, I didn’t have any after–effects from the Z3. I was whole, just like any other day. Well, as whole as a wolf could get without her wolf.

Today was the launch of the new course–The Gifts. The very mention of it made my stomach twist. It had been a week since Raine’s death, since the female dorms were flooded, since the academy decided that instead of hiding the existence of wolves with special abilities, they’d start teaching about them.

And by “teaching,” they meant warning.

The announcement had gone up two days ago–every screen, every hallway monitor, every messaging app on our academy–issued tablets.

Mandatory Lecture: History of Gifted Wolves and the Rise of the Venatorum. Lecture Hall A. Do not be late.

I wasn’t.

Dhara, on the other hand, was already there when I arrived. She sat near the back, shoulders curled in on themselves, hair hanging forward to shield her face like a curtain. Her hands were wrapped around the beads she always wore on her wrist, and I saw the way her fingers tugged at them–like a grounding mechanism.

I slid into the seat beside her without saying anything at first. She didn’t look at me. Didn’t have to.

“I don’t want to be here,” she whispered.

I nodded. “I know.”

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Chapter 37

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“They’re going to be looking for someone to blame. And you know how this school works. They don’t need evidence–just a good enough guess.”

I glanced around, watching the room fill. People were giving our row a wide berth. They weren’t being subtle about it either.

I knew they didn’t know about Dhara’s abilities, so it was all me.

“They don’t know you’re gifted” I said softly, squeezing her arm. “And they won’t. Not from me. Not from Mona.”

She was quiet for a moment. “How long until someone figures it out?”

I didn’t have an answer to that.

The lights dimmed.

The classroom fell into silence as a man I didn’t recognize strode to the front. He was tall, lean, with dark auburn hair streaked in silver and a long black robe embroidered with runes I didn’t understand. His presence commanded the room instantly, even though he hadn’t said a word.

“I am Professor Vallin,” he said, voice like gravel over stone. “And I will be teaching The Gifts.”

The murmurs stopped.

“This course is not about fear,” he continued. “It is not about judgment. It is about truth. And if you are not prepared to face it, you should leave now.”

No one moved.

“Good,” he said, then snapped his fingers.

Mona–ever the fashionably late one and now having an excuse to be–slipped beside Dhara, since the entire row was empty. She offered us a smile which I returned and sat quietly. Xander entered shortly after too. His

eyes

fund mine instantly, and the ever–present worry that I now recognized as permanent met me with full force. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the professor. It was bad enough that we still shared a

room.

The projector behind him flickered to life. Ancient images appeared–hand–drawn wolves with glowing marks, their bodies twisted with fire or surrounded by waves, clouds, vines.

“Gifted Wolves,” Vallin said, “were once revered. Each one tied to a specific element–Earth, Sky, Flame, and Water. Their powers were seen as blessings from the moon goddess. Until they weren’t.”

He walked slowly, like he was telling a bedtime story. “Centuries ago, fear replaced reverence. Jealousy replaced respect. The Venatorum was created. Not to protect, but to purge. They became the secret arm of the Council, tasked with destroying wolves who held more power than they understood.”

I felt Dhara shift beside me, her hands tightening in her lap.

“They were trained to hunt. To manipulate. To infiltrate. And worst of all? To make the rest of you believe that

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Chapter 37

these wolves–your own kind–were a threat. Dangerous. Contagious.”

He paused, letting his words hang.

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“In the last hundred years, over six thousand wolves with Gifts have been documented as missing. Hundreds confirmed dead. Some executed publicly. Some just… vanished.”

A chill crept up my spine. It made me wonder if Eden was a… no.

I would have known. Right? We weren’t close but I would have known.

Vallin’s eyes scanned the room. “Let this be clear. You are not being taught to hate them. You are being taught to understand them. Because if we do not learn from what happened to Raine… we are doomed to repeat it.”

He went on a bit more about how the gifts worked, how the wolves were chosen by the moon goddess, though his theory seemed to have loopholes and finally, why we should respect them.

By the time the session ended, everyone had mixed emotions. I could tell some were still on the hate train, some looked worried and concerned, even sad, others were plain out jealous.

The lights returned. Vallin gave a curt nod.

“Dismissed.”

The room was a flurry of whispers as students gathered their things. I grabbed my bag in silence.

Dhara didn’t move.

I leaned in. “You okay?”

She nodded. Barely.

“It’s okay,” Mona said with a smile my way.

“I’ve got

got her.”

“I do not need a babysitter,” Dhara mumbled.

“I’ll see you later,” I said, and she nodded again.

I waited until the hallway was nearly empty before heading to my locker. Mona joined me halfway there once Dhara was settled in her room, her expression unreadable,

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