Bonds at War: The Untouched is Mine novel Chapter 6

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ARDEN

Cade took his spot next to Jaxon, completing the four Alphas from the different factions. Seeing them like this, I could feel the immense aura radiating from their bodies. They didn’t glance at each other, but the competition between them was clear as day.

“These four will determine our stay for the next two years,” Tessa continued, her eyes fixed on the stage with a determined expression. “This year, the stakes are even higher.”

I finally turned to her. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a monumental moment,” she replied, “because all of the True Alphas are here.”

True Alphas. How could I forget?

Once upon a time, our country, Fenra, didn’t have any factions.

I was born after the Breaking, so I never knew a united Fenra—only stories of the old days, when one Alpha ruled everything. But the power was too concentrated, and many fell into turmoil. Wolves rose in protest, demanding freedom from absolute rule. After much struggle, the public claimed victory. To quell the chaos, Fenra was split into four sovereign factions.

Each of Fenra’s four factions is made up of dozens of packs. But above them is a bloodline everyone bows to: the True Family.

The Trevanes were the True Family in the West. I didn’t know much about the other True Families, but it seemed they timed their pregnancies close together as all of their sons were now here.

But to keep the peace, there’s the United Faction—formed by the True Families, the most competent workers, and a handful of noteworthy individuals. Together, they form the spine of Fenra’s fragile harmony.

At the center of it all is the Praetor—an individual elected by the citizens of Fenra. Neither bound to a faction nor loyal to a bloodline, the Praetor serves as the middle ground. The neutral voice. The face of the people.

One of the United Faction’s most powerful institutions is Elite.

An academy built for the brightest and strongest of Fenra’s youth.

That was as much as I knew about the school—and also why I admired it so much.

“This year, the future Alphas of each faction have joined us!” Mr. Winters exclaimed, snapping me out of my thoughts. “This only happens once in a blue moon! I can’t believe we’ve finally reached a century where this is happening.” An excited glint was visible in his eyes through the large screen.

“Classes will officially start on Monday,” he continued, prompting cheers from the student body. “In the meantime, I want you to familiarize yourselves with the campus. Oh—and how can I forget? All students who attended the general assembly will receive 50 points each!”

Dings echoed across the room, followed by even louder cheers from the crowd.

“Thank you, everyone, and have an elite day ahead!” he concluded, ending his speech.

With that, students began to file out of the hall, but I remained rooted in place.

“Points?” I muttered.

Tessa glanced at me with pursed lips. “It seems you really don’t know much about Elite, huh?”

She held out her hand. “Want to grab some food so we can talk about it?”

“Sure,” I replied, running my fingers through my hair. I definitely needed food to process everything.

We began walking through the halls, and I was about to enter the first cafeteria when Tessa suddenly pulled me away.

“What are you doing?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“Going to eat?”

“Not there, silly,” she said. “That’s reserved for the Elites.”

“But aren’t we Elites?” I tilted my head to the side.

“Not officially,” she replied. “The Opulence Cafeteria is reserved for the wolves with the highest points—or in the freshmen’s case, the richest ones.”

“The segregation is insane.”