The applause had just begun to swell again after the last diploma was handed out, the Alpha stepping forward to give what was meant to be a triumphant closing speech—words about unity, strength, and the future of the pack.
Nick barely heard any of it.
At first, it was a strange pressure in his chest, sharp and sudden, like the air had been ripped from his lungs. He frowned, a hand lifting instinctively to his sternum.
Then it hit.
Pain exploded through him like a blade driven straight into his heart.
Nick let out a strangled, inhuman sound as his knees buckled beneath him. He crashed to the ground, clutching his chest, his body curling in on itself as a howl tore from his throat—raw, broken, and filled with agony.
The ceremony dissolved into chaos.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. C
