ISLA'S POV
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I shouldn't have been at the Gala.
The Dean had banned me. But Riley discovered something that changed everything—the ban was never officially filed. Someone had stopped the paperwork from going through.
"Someone's protecting you," Riley had said, shoving her blue dress into my hands. "So get dressed and go to that stupid Gala before they change their mind."
Now I stood in the Academy's grand ballroom, surrounded by wolves who hated me, wearing a borrowed dress, wondering who would save me and why.
The answer walked through the door thirty seconds later.
Kai Ashford.
Golden hair. Amber eyes that scanned the crowd like a predator hunting prey. Every girl in the room turned to look at him. He was that kind of beautiful—the dangerous kind that made smart girls stupid.
Sera Blackwood appeared at his side immediately, wrapping her arm through his like she owned him. She wore a dress that probably cost more than my entire year's rent. Her smile was pure victory.
I hated her. Hated him. Hated all of them.
But I couldn't look away.
"That's Kai Ashford," a girl next to me whispered to her friend. "The Alpha heir. Isn't he gorgeous?"
"I heard he and Sera are basically engaged," her friend whispered back.
My wolf stirred, suddenly alert. *Something's wrong.*
*Everything's wrong,* I told her. *We don't belong here.*
*No. Something else. Something—*
Kai's head turned. His eyes swept across the ballroom, searching for something.
Then he found me.
Our eyes locked.
The world exploded.
Heat slammed into me like a physical force. My wolf screamed—not in fear, but in recognition. Every nerve in my body lit up. The bond snapped into place like a rubber band pulled too tight, connecting me to him with invisible chains I could feel in my soul.
*MATE,* my wolf howled. *MATE MATE MATE—*
"No," I whispered.
This couldn't be happening. Not him. Not Kai Ashford. Not the golden prince who represented everything wrong with this world.
The Moon Goddess had to be joking.
Across the ballroom, Kai stood frozen. His face had gone pale. His eyes were wide with shock and something that looked like terror.
He felt it too.
"Kai?" Sera's voice cut through my panic. "What's wrong? Why are you staring at—" She followed his gaze and saw me. Her silver eyes went cold. "Her?"
Kai shook his head, like he could deny what was happening. But the bond pulled tighter. I could feel his emotions bleeding into mine—shock, fear, wonder, and underneath it all, a longing so deep it hurt.
He started walking toward me.
The crowd parted automatically. Whispers exploded around us. Every eye in the ballroom watched as the Alpha heir crossed the room toward the scholarship girl.
"Don't," I said, but he couldn't hear me. He was too far away.
Or maybe he just didn't care.
He stopped three feet from me. Close enough that I could see the gold flecks in his amber eyes. Close enough that his scent—pine and thunder and something uniquely him—made my wolf want to roll over and submit.
I would never submit.
"You," he said, his voice rough. "You're—"
"Don't say it." My hands were shaking. "Don't you dare say it."
"I can feel you." He reached out like he wanted to touch me, then stopped. "Your fear. Your anger. God, you hate me and I can feel it like it's my own emotion."
"Good. Stay away from me."
"I can't." He looked as miserable as I felt. "The bond—"
"I don't care about the bond!" My voice came out too loud. People were definitely staring now. "This is a mistake. Some cosmic joke. There's no way—"
"Isla Monroe," he said, and hearing my name in his voice made something in my chest crack. "That's your name, right? The girl Sera's been trying to frame?"
I blinked. "You know about that?"
"I've been looking for you all day. To warn you. To stop whatever game Sera's playing." He stepped closer. "I didn't know... I didn't realize you were my—"
"Don't." Tears burned my eyes. "Don't call me that. I'm not yours. I'll never be yours."
Pain flashed across his face. The bond twisted, making us both flinch.
"You don't mean that," he said desperately.
"I mean every word." I stepped back, putting distance between us even though it felt like tearing my own heart out. "You're a playboy. A spoiled prince who's never worked for anything in his life. You go through girls like they're disposable. And you expect me to just—what? Fall into your arms because of some magical bond?"
"That's not fair—"
"Life isn't fair!" I was shouting now. Everyone was watching. I didn't care. "I've fought for everything I have. Every grade, every scholarship, every breath. And the Moon Goddess pairs me with someone who's never had to fight for anything? Someone who represents everything I despise?"
Sera appeared beside Kai, her face twisted with rage. "You pathetic little—"
"Sera, not now," Kai growled, his Alpha power making her flinch.
But I wasn't done. The bond was pulling at me, trying to make me want him, and I refused. I would not lose control. Not for anyone.
"I reject this bond," I said clearly. "I reject you, Kai Ashford."
The words hit him like bullets. Around us, the ballroom gasped. Someone screamed. Camera phones appeared, capturing everything.
"Isla, wait—" Kai reached for me.
I slapped his hand away. Hard. Drew blood.
"Stay away from me," I said, my voice breaking. "Forever."
I ran.
Behind me, I heard Sera's triumphant laughter. Heard Kai call my name. Felt the bond screaming at me to go back, go back, go back—
I burst out of the ballroom into the cold night air.
And ran straight into someone's chest.
Strong hands grabbed my arms, steadying me. I looked up into eyes I didn't recognize—dark brown, calculating, cold.
"Isla Monroe," the man said softly. "We need to talk about your parents."
My blood turned to ice. "What about my parents?"
"They didn't die in a random rogue attack." His smile was terrifying. "They were murdered. And you're next."