Chapter 8 Headmaster's Warning(Cassian's POV)

I was out of the arena before Val even left the circle.

His nose was still bleeding. His eyes was a bit unsteady as if trying to maintain consciousness. His hands were shaking.

That wasn't normal. Especially for a full fledged alpha.

I didn't need to wait around to hear the rest of Renwick's lecture. I'd seen enough. Something was off with him.

If it wasn't compulsory for freshers and juniors to take this type of classes together, I would've missed it.

I knew it the second I caught him sleeping too still, breathing too light, like a predator pretending to be prey.

Now it was written all over his face. The way he froze when the blood wouldn't stop, like he expected it. Like he knew it would happen.

And then there was the wolfsbane.

You don't just carry that unless you've got something to hide.

I pushed through the hallways, ignoring the stares from students still buzzing about "the alpha who doesn't heal."

Dominion was brutal, sure-but we were alphas. We were supposed to heal in a moment. Fast. Without flinching.

That made Val a liability.

Or something worse.

I didn't bother knocking when I reached the Headmaster's office. I barged in like I owned the place. Because I kind of did.

"Soren," I said.

Headmaster Soren didn't look up right away. He was at his desk, fingers folded, eyes on some old document like he hadn't just watched one of his students bleed like a mortal.

The man looked the same as he always did-silver hair pulled back, face unreadable, wearing all black like dark colors were his fashion choice. Most people were scared of him. I wasn't most people.

"Cassian," he said without lifting his head. "To what do I owe this mid-day intrusion?"

I stayed standing. Pacing a little, trying to sort my thoughts before they exploded out of me. "It's about Val. Or-whatever the hell his real name is."

Soren looked up. Finally. His gaze was sharp. Alert.

"I told you I didn't want a roommate," I said. "I meant that. But you stuck me with him. And now-now I'm not just uncomfortable. I'm concerned."

"Concerned," Soren echoed, like he was testing the word on his tongue. "Go on."

"He doesn't sleep right. He carries wolfsbane in his bag. He barely talks. And in combat class today... he bled. Bad. And didn't heal."

Soren's expression didn't change, but his silence deepened. That meant something. With him, stillness was dangerous.

"I don't think he's an alpha," I added. "I'm not even sure he's a wolf."

Soren stood slowly, walked to the window that overlooked the southern grounds, hands behind his back. "And what do you feel about him?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" I snapped.

He turned halfway, one eye catching the light. "Humor me."

I hesitated. The question was too vague. Too deliberate.

"I feel... off," I said finally. "Like he's hiding in plain sight. And I'm just waiting for him to slip up."

Soren nodded once, like he already knew what I was going to say. "That's why I assigned him to you."

I stared. "Wait-what?"

He walked back toward his desk, calm and composed like he hadn't just dropped a bomb.

"I didn't make that decision lightly," he said. "Val-if that's even his real name-arrived here under direct transfer from an unlisted territory. No known pack. No lineage on record. Just a letter of recommendation from someone I very much doubt exists."

"Then why the hell let him in?" I demanded.

Soren studied me, tapping a finger against the wood of his desk. "Because something about him felt... incomplete. Like he's suppressing something. Or someone. I had two options-turn him away, or monitor him closely. And who better to do that than our golden boy?"

I clenched my fists. "So I'm a babysitter now."

"You're the top student in your class. Respected. Feared. Trusted. If anyone can detect a lie or a threat in its early stages-it's you."

I shook my head. "This isn't what I signed up for."

"No," he said. "But this is what your rank requires."

I turned toward the door. My blood was hot. My jaw ached from how tight I was clenching it.

"I don't trust him," I muttered.

Soren's voice stopped me cold. "Neither do I."

I looked over my shoulder.

"That's why I need you to watch him. Observe his habits. Track his behavior. See who he talks to, how he reacts under pressure. And if you find anything... unnatural," he paused, "you come to me first."

"And what if I find nothing?" I asked.

"Then we let it go," Soren said. "But I don't believe in coincidences. You know that."

He walked to the filing cabinet and opened a drawer. Pulled out a slim, worn folder. Tossed it onto his desk.

It was labeled: VAL RHEN.

I didn't reach for it. "Rhen?"

"Probably fake," he said. "But the name's come up before. Once. A long time ago. In a report about a particular pack deep in the woods."

I stared at the folder like it might bite.

"You're saying he's from one of the banned clans."

"I'm saying," Soren said slowly, "there's more to his appearance."

Silence stretched between us. Heavy and thick. Outside, a bell rang. A signal for lunch period.

"Cassian," Soren said, his voice lower now. "I don't just need a spy. I need someone who can get close. Close enough to catch him slipping."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. Because everything inside me was screaming no.

But part of me-deep, stupid, curious part-was already remembering the look on Val's face when the blood started pouring and he couldn't stop it. Not panic.

Shame.

Guilt.

Something more than fear.

I took a breath. "What happens if he's dangerous?"

Soren's lips thinned into a line. "Then we do what must be done."

I turned the doorknob, heart heavy with a decision I wasn't ready to make.

But halfway out, I stopped.

"I'll do it," I said without turning around. "I'll keep him as my roommate. And I'll watch him."

But I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe-just maybe-he was watching me too.