The academy courtyard buzzed louder than usual.
Daniel noticed it the moment he stepped outside the dorms that morning—the restless energy, the low murmurs of excitement, the way students clustered in groups instead of drifting lazily to class. Something was coming. Something big.
He tightened the strap of his bag across his shoulder, keeping his posture firm, shoulders squared the way an alpha should stand. Habit by now. Second nature. Still, his senses prickled uneasily.
"Why does it feel like the whole school woke up dramatic today?" Mika said beside him, yawning as he stretched his arms overhead.
Daniel glanced at him. "You're dramatic every day. Today just feels… contagious."
Ryo, walking a few steps ahead, turned back with a knowing smirk. "You haven't heard?"
Daniel's stomach dropped slightly. "Heard what?"
Ryo's eyes flicked briefly—too briefly—toward the training grounds. "The rankings."
That single word did it.
Daniel stopped walking.
Mika frowned. "Rankings? Again? Didn't we just have one last month?"
"This one's different," Ryo replied. "It's midterm evaluation. Performance, leadership, combat strategy, teamwork. Everything."
Daniel swallowed.
Rankings meant attention. Scrutiny. Eyes that lingered too long.
And at the top of those rankings—
"Leo," Mika muttered, reading Daniel's thoughts like it was nothing.
As if summoned by the name, a familiar presence brushed against Daniel's senses. Confident. Warm. Overwhelming in a way Daniel pretended not to notice.
Leo stood near the training field entrance, sleeves rolled up, dark hair slightly messy like he hadn't bothered to tame it. He laughed at something one of the other alphas said, but his gaze drifted—lazy, deliberate—until it landed on Daniel.
And stayed there.
Daniel forced himself not to react.
He didn't look away either.
Their eyes held for a second too long before Leo finally smirked and turned back to his group.
Mika leaned closer. "You two keep doing that, people are going to start assuming things."
"Let them assume," Daniel replied quietly. "As long as they assume wrong."
The whistle blew, sharp and commanding.
Students moved toward the field, forming lines as instructors stepped forward. Daniel fell into place automatically, his body tense but controlled.
The head instructor cleared his throat. "Today's evaluation will be done in pairs. Randomly assigned."
Daniel's heart skipped.
"Your performance will affect individual and pair rankings."
A board lit up behind the instructor, names flickering as the system shuffled assignments.
Daniel watched his name scroll past once… twice…
Then stop.
Daniel K. — Leo A.
The murmurs around them exploded.
Mika cursed under his breath. Ryo raised an eyebrow, amused.
Daniel felt every nerve in his body light up.
Leo turned slowly, eyes bright with interest. "Looks like fate has a sense of humor."
Daniel met his gaze evenly. "Or bad timing."
Leo chuckled as they stepped onto the field together. "Relax. You're good under pressure. I've seen it."
That wasn't reassuring.
The task was simple in theory: navigate a simulated combat course, retrieve an object, and return without triggering defensive mechanisms. It required speed, coordination, and trust.
Trust.
They moved together without discussion, like their bodies already knew how to adjust to each other. Daniel hated how natural it felt.
"Left," Leo murmured as a trap activated ahead.
Daniel pivoted instantly, ducking under a low barrier. Leo followed, their shoulders brushing briefly.
Electric.
Daniel ignored it.
They advanced quickly, Daniel calculating patterns while Leo handled brute force with effortless control. It worked—too well.
"You always think three steps ahead," Leo said quietly as they paused behind cover. "It's impressive."
Daniel shrugged. "Someone has to think while you show off."
Leo laughed softly. "You think this is showing off?"
Before Daniel could reply, a sudden surge of energy rippled through the ground. Daniel reacted instinctively, grabbing Leo's wrist and pulling him back.
For half a second, he forgot himself.
Forgot the careful balance. Forgot the suppression.
The air shifted.
Leo froze.
Daniel felt it immediately—the subtle slip, the way his control wavered just enough to reveal something softer beneath the alpha mask.
Leo's gaze sharpened, searching Daniel's face.
Daniel released him quickly. "You were about to trigger the floor."
Leo didn't move. "That wasn't what I noticed."
Daniel's pulse thundered. "Then you're imagining things."
Leo stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Am I?"
They stood there, tension thick, until the instructor shouted for them to move.
They finished the course in record time.
Applause followed. Whispers too.
Back on the sidelines, Mika practically vibrated. "You two were insane out there."
Ryo nodded. "Best run today."
Daniel barely heard them.
Leo leaned closer, his voice just for Daniel. "Careful," he said softly. "Your secret almost said hello."
Daniel looked up at him, heart pounding. "And what if it did?"
Leo smiled—not teasing this time. Something gentler. "Then I'd listen."
Daniel turned away before Leo could see the effect those words had on him.
The rankings flashed again.
They were first.
And for the first time since arriving at Lupine Academy, Daniel realized something terrifying—
The danger wasn't being exposed.
It was wanting to be seen.