Chapter 3 The Alpha's Threat

If the Moon Goddess was testing me, she wasn't being subtle about it.

After the public rejection, the shame, and the suffocating stares, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could fade into the background. Keep my head down. Survive the week.

But Dante Thorne wasn't done with me.

He wanted me crushed.

And he wasn't going to stop until I bled.

"Everyone, settle down. Take your seats. Today we'll be discussing wolf hierarchy, power dominance, and the Alpha Command," Professor Halford said as we filed into Advanced Pack Dynamics.

It was one of the only classes required for all senior Alphas and top-tier candidates. I wasn't supposed to be here. Not without a shifted wolf. But the headmaster had allowed my enrollment due to "academic merit," which only made the Alphas hate me more.

I walked in last, as usual, taking the empty seat in the back.

Two rows ahead of me, Dante sat sideways in his chair, legs stretched, lounging like a predator with no cage. His black shirt strained against his chest, jaw shadowed with the kind of effortless arrogance that made girls weak in the knees and made me want to punch something.

He hadn't even looked at me yet, but I could feel him, like gravity.

A dangerous pull I wanted to rip from my body.

"Today we'll be doing something different," Halford said. "We'll be practicing command projection; pair up and Alphas will issue a command. Submissives will resist."

My stomach twisted.

Pairing up meant exposure and resistance meant vulnerability.

My wolf still hadn't surfaced. I didn't know how to shield myself from an Alpha Command, let alone stand up to one.

"Eva Monroe," Halford called, his eyes flicking to the back. "Since you are, by default, unshifted, you'll be used to demonstrate up front." I froze.

The room went deathly quiet.

Dante's head turned.

And for the first time today, his eyes met mine, cold and sharp.

I stood slowly, every step toward the front of the room like dragging chains. Whispers followed me like a second skin.

"She's going to get wrecked."

"She shouldn't even be in this class."

"This is going to be hilarious."

I stood in front of the class, spine stiff, with my heart hammering.

Professor Halford gestured. "Alpha Dante, since you are the highest-ranking male here, you'll demonstrate the command."

My breath caught, of course, of course it had to be fucking Dante. Why did the Moon Goddess put me into these trials?

Dante rose smoothly from his seat, steps confident and slow as he walked to the center. He stopped in front of me, his scent hitting me like a punch-earth and ice something darker beneath it.

"Try not to cry this time, little mutt," he whispered.

I clenched my fists.

Halford stepped back. "Begin when ready."

Dante smiled.

But there was no kindness in it.

Only destruction.

He stepped closer, too close. His voice dropped to a smooth, lethal tone.

"Kneel."

The word hit me like a physical force.

It slammed into my skull, my chest, and my knees. My vision swam. The room blurred. My body screamed to obey.

My wolf-silent for days-let out a faint whimper in the back of my mind.

He's your Alpha; obey him.

No, I wouldn't.

I forced my legs to lock, grinding my teeth, every muscle trembling under the weight of the command.

I would not kneel; I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Seconds passed then more and my knees were buckled-but I didn't fall.

I stood tall, sweat running down my spine, heart breaking through my ribs.

"Interesting," Halford murmured. "She's resisting."

Dante's jaw tensed.

He stepped even closer, now only inches from me. His voice dropped to a growl.

"Kneel, Eva."

My body shook violently, my hands trembled, and my knees screamed, but still-I did not fall.

The pain was unbearable. The command was laced with raw Alpha power, crushing and dark.

Tears burned in the corners of my eyes.

But I kept my head up.

I looked him straight in the eyes and whispered, "You already broke the bond. What makes you think you can break me?"

A flicker of something passed over his face.

Surprise?

Frustration maybe?

He masked it quickly with a smirk. "You call this strength? You look like you're about to collapse."

"Better than crawling."

Gasps echoed behind me.

Halford cleared his throat. "That's enough, Thorne."

Dante stepped back, slow and deliberate, his gaze never leaving mine. But the smirk was gone.

I stood there, body aching, muscles trembling-but I stood.

"I didn't think you had a spine," he said quietly, just enough for me to hear.

I didn't answer.

I just turned and walked back to my seat.

And for the first time since the rejection-I saw something new in the room.

Not just disgust or laughter, but doubt.

Maybe even fear.

After class, I made it halfway down the hall before the footsteps came behind me fast and heavy.

Dante grabbed my wrist and yanked me into the empty stairwell, slamming the door shut behind us.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" he growled, eyes blazing.

I yanked my wrist free. "Existing."

"You don't get to play the victim."

"I'm not playing anything. You're the one who dragged me in here like a psycho."

His jaw clenched. "You humiliated me."

I barked a laugh. "You rejected me in front of the entire school-and I humiliated you?"

"You don't get to talk back to me."

I stepped in, toe-to-toe with him.

"I don't belong to you anymore, remember? You made damn sure of that."

His nostrils flared. He looked like he wanted to tear something apart.

"Why didn't you kneel?" he asked.

"Because you're not my Alpha."

His eyes darkened.

And for a brief second, I saw it, not anger but confusion.

Like he didn't understand why I wasn't broken.

Why I wasn't chasing him, why I didn't still want him. I turned away and pushed open the door.

"I may not have a wolf," I said, not looking back, "but whatever's growing inside me? It won't kneel for you."

I left him there-fuming with anger, speechless. And for the first time... I felt powerful, but I also knew one thing with certainty: Dante Thorne wasn't done with me and next time, he wouldn't just try to break me.

He'd try to destroy me.