Chapter 1

The Alpha heir of the Moonclaw Pack, Lucian Blackwood, made a bet with his friends. He bet he could make me fall for him within a month.

He was gentle, attentive, and incredibly generous. He acted like every girl’s dream boyfriend.

Everyone in the academy envied me. They said I scored an Alpha heir and wouldn’t have to struggle for the rest of my life.

After all, on the surface, I was just a weak werewolf who couldn't even summon her own wolf. Everyone thought I only got into this elite academy because my father happened to be a minor Alpha.

Behind my back, they were placing bets. They wanted to see how hard I would cry on the last day of the one-month deadline.

But none of them knew the truth.

I was actually the only daughter of the Alpha King.

And my wolf was watching every single one of them from the shadows, picking out my future mate.

My name is Elena Silverwood.

According to my files at the Royal Wolf Academy, I came from a small, insignificant pack.

To make things worse, my scent was so faint that I smelled like a weak, wolf-less human.

On my very first day, my roommate, Nora Hart, dragged me into our dorm and locked the door. She looked terrified as she tried to teach me the survival rules of the academy.

"Elena, you need to listen to me. There are two types of people here."

She lowered her voice, pointing out the window at a neon pink Porsche speeding away.

"First, there are regular wolves like us, with no inheritance rights."

"Second, there are the pack heirs who drive luxury sports cars to class."

"Especially the circle led by Lucian Blackwood, the Alpha heir of the Moonclaw Pack. You must stay away from them at all costs!"

Nora’s expression was dead serious.

"They are literal demons!"

"Lucian Blackwood is a notorious player. He changes girlfriends faster than he changes his shirts!"

I paused, holding my mug halfway to my mouth, and looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Seeing how calm I was, Nora got so anxious her voice started to shake.

"I overheard him talking to his friends. He bet them he could make you his girlfriend within a month."

"And once he gets you, he’s going to Mark you and then Reject you. This isn’t the first time he’s done this!"

Disgust and fear washed over Nora’s face.

"He plays the devoted boyfriend until he Marks the girl. Then, he publicly Rejects her. He loves the power trip of destroying people!"

We all knew that if a werewolf was Rejected, the emotional and spiritual damage was devastating.

For weaker wolves, a Rejection could literally kill their inner wolf.

Nora grabbed my arm tightly.

"Last semester, a girl from the herbology department was Targeted by him. After he Rejected her, she lost her wolf and ended up in a mental asylum."

"So, Elena, you are beautiful. Too beautiful. Please, don't let him catch your eye!"

I patted Nora’s tense shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'm just here to study."

But as Nora looked into my eyes, she shivered for some reason she couldn't explain.

That same night, in an exclusive VIP lounge.

Brittany Frost leaned in close to Lucian with a smirk.

"Lucian, remember our bet? Elena Silverwood. One month. Do you dare?"

Lucian Blackwood swirled his red wine, looking lazy and arrogant on the velvet sofa.

He raised an eyebrow, staying silent.

Brittany kept pushing.

"What, are you scared? I heard she's a hard nut to crack. If you can make her yours, Mark her, and Reject her in thirty days—now that would be a real show."

Hearing this, Lucian set his glass down and smirked.

"Are you playing reverse psychology on me? Fine. I'm in."

"I'll play with her for a month."