Jeremy walked over to where Damien was standing,“You ready?” he asked, lips pursed, brows drawn together in that half-frown he always wore when he was overthinking.Damien glanced at him and smiled, not a soft one, but the kind that almost looked like a challenge. “I haven’t forgiven you yet, buddy, so don’t act all chummy,” he said, tapping Jeremy’s shoulder. “But when have I ever not been ready?”He didn’t wait for a reply. With that same easy confidence that always seemed to follow him, Damien turned and strode toward the front doors of Ravenfalls High, determination written across his face.Jeremy stood there for a second, caught off guard. For a moment, the noise of the parking lot faded, and he saw a flash of memory, the first day he’d met Damien Graves. ******They’d both been fifteen, that strange, angry age where every guy thought he was invincible.It was behind Hallow Pines Forest, wolf territory, after school. He’d been up in one of the old trees, bored, earbuds in, watc

The lab smelled faintly of alcohol and disinfectant, sunlight slicing through the tall windows in sharp, golden lines. Beakers clinked, microscopes hummed faintly, and the low murmur of students arranging their stations filled the air. Damien perched on the edge of his stool, notebook open but mostly ignored. Across the room, Jeremy was elbow-deep in chemistry with his lab partner, Poppy, the vampire girl.“Of course,” Jeremy muttered under his breath, “I get stuck with her.”It was Isodel the vampire girl he was attracted to,their relationship was beyond complicated but that was something he would think about later Isodel leaned in, brushing his arm as she whispered instructions. Jeremy stiffened, his jaw tight, hands slightly shaking as he handled the beakers. Damien stifled a chuckle, shaking his head. Isodel’s sly grin told him everything: she was enjoying every second of this.Damien turned to his own assignment and froze. Iris Caldwyn. She already sat at the station, calm and p

Jeremy nodded. “My power doesn’t settle. It shifts, surges, like it’s trying to decide what I’m meant to be. When I get angry or emotional, my eyes… they change. Not the usual gold of our bloodline. Sometimes the gold burns into silver-blue, then back again. Like the moon can’t pick a side.”Damien frowned, remembering that flash he’d seen earlier. “I thought you said silvery-blue meant an Omega?”“It does,” Jeremy said quietly. “But I’m not one. That color, when it shows in someone like me, it’s not about exile. It’s about imbalance. My blood fights itself. The Ravenholtz dominance, the Silverfang discipline… they pull in opposite directions.”He ran a hand through his hair. “Sometimes, it feels like there’s two wolves inside me, both refusing to kneel.”Damien’s brows furrowed. “Sounds… exhausting.”Jeremy gave a soft laugh. “You have no idea. But I’ve learned to live with it. To channel it.” He paused, eyes distant. “I’m not the only one though… My elder brother has the same eyes a