Lyra's POV
He stormed toward me and every instinct screamed at me to back down. I forced myself to keep watching the man with jet-black hair. The guy he'd been training with had risen from the bench press and was now staring in our direction.
Dark-haired like his companion, he appeared to be of East Asian heritage.
"Yo," he called out to the seething figure advancing on me. "This the girl, Ash?"
"Excuse me?" My temper flared instantly. "I don't even know who you are!"
"He knows everything he needs to," the towering man, Ash, snarled. "That you're some pathetic wolfless reject who somehow conned her way into this Academy."
"And I know everything I need to about you," I shot back without hesitation.
"You're nothing but a bully," I pressed on, my voice gaining strength. "Someone so insecure about his own position that he has to tear others down to feel better." I let a cold smile curve my lips. "And definitely not someone worth wasting my energy on."
"Holy hell," someone breathed behind me. I glanced back at the circle of students that had gathered around us. Every single wolf looked terrified out of their minds. I turned back to face my tormentor.
"So you intimidate everyone here?" I straightened my spine defiantly. "What are you, some kind of royalty?"
Ash glowered down at me. His massive frame made me look like a child in comparison. "I'm Ash Ironwood. Heir to the Ironwood bloodline," he spat with venom.
Ironwood. Ironwood. Ironwood.
That name kept echoing in my head for a reason.
"Oh," the word slipped out before I could stop it. Another brilliant response to add to my growing collection. This man was one of the potential matches my mother had selected for me. He was heir to the second most powerful wolf dynasty in existence.
And he was looking at me like I'd personally destroyed everything he held dear.
"Oh," he mimicked my stunned response. He shoved past me, his shoulder colliding hard with mine. The same electric shock I'd felt when he'd knocked me down yesterday coursed through my body again.
"I meant every word I said yesterday, human," Ash threw over his shoulder as he walked away. There was that degrading term again. "Stay the hell out of my way."
I followed his path across the gymnasium floor. He rejoined his group of friends and spun around to face me. His companions were engaged in casual conversation beside him, but his attention was completely focused on drilling holes through me with his stare. I let out an exasperated sigh.
So much for keeping a low profile, I thought bitterly.
"Silence! Everyone quiet down!" A commanding voice echoed through the gym. A man who was obviously the instructor based on his athletic wear emerged from the office adjacent to the training area. "Enough talking. We're conducting timed runs today. Give me one warmup lap, then Ash and Kenji will guide the stretching routine."
Without needing further instruction, the entire group began jogging around the track. I joined them, positioning myself toward the rear of the pack. Kenji must have been the East Asian man who'd been working out with Ash, as both of them took point at the front. I fought to maintain their pace.
My breathing became labored as I glanced across the track and caught Ash and Kenji watching me with expressions of pure disdain. Perfect, I thought grimly. Another enemy to add to my list.
Kenji was undeniably attractive. But he couldn't compare to Ash. Despite his cruel treatment of me, I found myself inexplicably drawn to him.
We completed the warmup lap near the back of the group, then arranged ourselves in rows for the stretching session. I ended up positioned next to the woman with long black hair I'd encountered earlier.
She made sure to communicate her dislike by nearly shoulder-checking me every time we changed positions.
Once stretching concluded, we formed a half-circle around the instructor. He stood before us with a clipboard clutched in his hands. He scribbled some notes, then sighed before tucking the board under his arm.
"Alright, I'm Coach Barker," he announced with obvious boredom. It seemed like he'd rather be anywhere else. "Today we're doing the endurance test. For you first-year students, that means twenty laps around this track in under forty-five minutes."
Twenty laps? Ten miles? In less than forty-five minutes?
My stomach lurched violently.
I'd been a runner in high school. I was decent at shorter distances. The mile had been my specialty. But I'd never attempted more than five miles, let alone ten. I scanned the faces around me, searching for any sign of similar panic. Everyone appeared completely unfazed. I turned my attention back to Coach Barker. He caught my eye and noticed the terror written across my features.
"Now, if you don't complete twenty laps," he explained, "you won't be expelled. However, you'll be required to attend supplementary training until you can pass. The goal is twenty, but if you manage fifteen, you'll avoid the extra sessions. Aim for twenty. Accept anything above fifteen. Clear?"
Everyone around me nodded in agreement. Fifteen laps. I could handle fifteen. That was seven and a half miles. Only two and a half more than my personal best. Completely manageable.
Coach Barker had everyone line up along the track. It was wide enough to accommodate three runners per row. Directly in front of me stood a woman with platinum blonde hair and brilliant purple eyes. In front of her was someone I hadn't been introduced to yet. The blonde woman slowly turned around and offered me a genuine smile before whispering "good luck" under her breath. Then Coach's whistle pierced the air and we were off.
Everyone ahead of me exploded from the starting line at an incredible pace. I stumbled at the beginning, still processing the fact that someone had actually shown me kindness. I attempted to match their speed but felt my lungs protesting, so I settled back into the familiar rhythm I'd mastered in high school.
Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot.
Slipping back into the mechanics of running felt natural. It had been my sanctuary during high school. On the track, there were no orphans or abandoned children. Just you and the red surface beneath your feet. Your worth was measured purely by your speed. And I could be fast.
I was rounding my tenth lap when Coach Barker shouted that ten minutes remained. I pushed my legs harder. Five laps in ten minutes. It wasn't impossible. I felt my muscles beginning to fail as I increased my intensity.
I hit the turn of my fourteenth lap and broke into an all-out sprint. I had no idea how much time was left, but I knew I had to prove myself.
I flew past the cluster of finished wolves, pumping my arms and legs with everything I had left. Sweat streamed down my neck as I chanted my internal mantra.
Prove it. Prove it. Show them you deserve to be here!
I reached the halfway point of the lap when my world came crashing down. Coach's whistle shrieked across the track and pierced my eardrums.
"Time!" he bellowed. "Cooper!" He called out my human surname and I stopped, doubled over, gasping for air. "You're in supplementary training!"
I trudged back across the track and stood beside the woman with platinum blonde hair. She gave me a small, sympathetic smile.
"That was genuinely impressive," she said softly. "Usually wolfless students don't make it past ten laps."
"Thanks," I wheezed. "Did anyone else miss the cutoff?"
She pressed her lips together and that expression told me everything I needed to know. Wonderful. I groaned and collapsed onto the ground.
A boot connected with my heel and swept my foot out from under me, sending me tumbling backward. I glared up at my attacker. Naturally, it was Ash.
"Only one student this year failed to complete the run," he taunted. "And surprise, she's wolfless. You can't convince me that's not the reason why."
I pushed myself upright and stood with my shoulders back proudly. "I may be wolfless, but I still came close enough to almost pass your ridiculous test."
"Almost," Ash echoed my words with a condescending smirk. "Which means you failed." He laughed and walked away from me.
"God," I hissed under my breath. "I despise him."
"He definitely doesn't care for you either," the blonde girl observed quietly.
I groaned and dragged my hand down my face. "Thanks for that insight." Maybe it's because he knows you're the Luna heir, the small voice in my head whispered.