| LUCA |

The wrought iron gates to the Cypress Pass Academy loomed ahead like prison bars rising from the early evening mist. Top and center, the intricate design of the letter "C" glistened like a crescent moon. Luca rested his head against the cool glass of the passenger-side window, tapping it in time with the bumps in the road.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Quit doing that," his father scolded, not even taking his eyes off the road to look at his son.

Luca straightened in his seat. "Sorry," he muttered under his breath.

They crossed beneath the black arch of the gate, and Luca's chest tightened. The pine trees in the surrounding forest drew in around the green of the small campus, enclosing it and cutting it off from the outside world. Ahead, the red brick building where classes were held towered into the twilight sky. The gym was just visible off to the right behind it—a place Luca had spent countless hours practicing.

So it began—another four months of classes and brutal training. At least this would be the last semester before the tournament. After that, Luca would no longer have to worry about this bullshit. His father would get off his back about constantly studying and practicing, and Luca would be recognized with the position of the next Alpha.

The possibility that he might not win the competition was something he didn't dare consider. Losing was not an option. If the shame didn't kill him, his father, Avi Wakelin, would take care of the job. He'd make it look like an accident, too. He wouldn't even get in trouble.

Luca's father drove them down the twists and turns of Academy Drive. They snaked around the main building to the back, where the dorms were located. Avi pulled into the unloading spot in front of the boys' dorm, the engine on the black, classic Jaguar 420 G sputtering as it came to a stop.

Miraculously, they'd made the entire hour drive without the antique rattling itself to bits or Luca getting lectured about training and keeping his grades up and paying attention in class and brushing his teeth after every meal.

Luca unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the handle to the door.

"Last semester, are you ready?" his father asked.

Luca's hand iced as he gripped the handle. "I've been ready since the day I was born, Father. I've been training for years. This is my destiny, and there is no one fitter or more deserving—"

"Cut the bullshit, Luca." His father flipped off the engine, and the car went silent.

"I'm sorry, your Highness," Luca said under his breath.

"Ditch the attitude, too." His father's face drew into a tense frown, the small wrinkles around his dark eyes even more pronounced than usual. "This tournament is serious. You know better than anyone that December and Aurora have been practicing and training just as hard as you have for it. If you don't stay focused and keep up with your studying and training . . . If you don't win, so help us."

Luca rolled his eyes. "December is blind. I could kick his ass with one hand tied behind my back. And Aurora is . . . she's—"

"A woman, yes," his father cut in. "A point I contested for months fruitlessly." He paused, rubbing his neatly trimmed, salt-and-pepper beard. After wiping his hand over his mouth, he continued to speak. "She's smart, though. Don't underestimate her, son. And December's wolf form is stronger than yours. You know that."

Luca ground his teeth. He hated when his father berated him about his shortcomings, but more than anything, he hated when his father compared him to December.

Luca would never be as strong a wolf as December. He was lucky December was blinded in that forest fire, because otherwise he wouldn't have stood a chance against him in human form, either. December was tying his shoes before Luca learned to walk. When Luca was saying his first words, December was already reciting Shakespeare. December, December, December. December was so destined for this that his mother even named him December.

"I'll figure something out," Luca finally said.

That was what he'd been telling himself for the past five years, though, and he still hadn't figured it out. Figuring, unfortunately, was another of his weaknesses, as Avi Wakelin often reminded him.

The tournament was comprised of three equally weighted parts representing the three pillars of the Cypress Pass Pack—strength, spirit, and strategy.

Strength involved fighting in human form, something Luca would have no trouble winning. Aurora was not nearly as strong as he was, and December might as well forfeit that round.

The spirit and strategy rounds were where it got tricky.

Spirit involved fighting in the wolf form, something Luca was also extremely skilled at, having trained for years. However, December was a natural—more animal than human. He literally slept in his wolf form. It would be a challenge to defeat him.

The strategy round was a test of intelligence and knowledge. This was what Luca was weakest at, and where Aurora excelled. December would probably try to take the test as a wolf and would not be able to hold a pencil. Luca tried to keep a grin from sneaking over him as he imagined that, but he couldn't help it. Yeah, count December out for the strategy round, too.

"What are you smiling at?" Avi's voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Just thinking about winning," Luca replied sarcastically before realizing it was the honest truth. That was exactly what was on his mind.

Avi glanced at him out of the corners of his eyes, his face taut in a stern frown. "Right," he said slowly.

"Can I go now, please?" Luca asked. "I understand the importance of this, believe me, I do."

His father narrowed his eyes at him. "The title of Alpha has been in the Wakelin family for the past three generations, Luca. You can't lose it."

"It's not my fault that December and Aurora were born on December's Moon, too," Luca snarled. "Uncle Rowan just got handed the position. No one else had to train for this fucking tournament."

"Watch your language!" Avi snapped.

Luca bit his tongue, frustration burning inside him. The position of Alpha should have been his, too, without this damn tournament. It wasn't fair!

Each generation, a blue moon rose on the thirty-first of December, known as December's Moon, and the next werewolf Alpha was born into the Cypress Pass Pack. That's how it'd been for generations. But, on Luca's birthday, for the first time, three children were born instead of one. The elders determined that there would be a tournament when they all came of age to decide who was the next rightful Alpha of the Pack.

Luca's father pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know it isn't your fault, Luca, but this is the situation we are in, unfortunately. To keep the high position and nobility of our family, you need to win this."

"I know," Luca growled. He didn't want to let his family down. He understood how much was riding on him.

When Avi was quiet for another moment, Luca shoved the door to the car open. "I've got to unpack my things. Thanks for the ride."

His father nodded, the muscles in his neck tightening as his hands clenched the wheel. Finally, he hit the button to release the trunk. It squeaked and screeched as it opened.

"Thanks," Luca muttered. He grabbed his luggage from the trunk, which was big enough to carry two bodies—or three in pieces—and began the walk up to the dorm.

"Luca!" his father called from the car.

Luca froze in place. What now?

"Don't go getting into any trouble. I'll be back in a few weeks to check on you." And with that, the Jaguar rumbled to life, and Luca's father drove off into the night.

Luca's bags weighed him down as he lugged them to the door of the boys' dorm. It was only clothes—since everything else he needed stayed in his dorm over the summer—but being a werewolf often resulted in accidentally lost or ripped clothing, so he always brought more than enough.

After setting one bag down, he punched in the code for the dorm. The keypad beeped once to indicate it was unlocked, but before he could grab the door handle, it swung open. Luca jumped back, narrowly avoiding getting hit.

"Hey!" Luca snapped.

December Inverno stood in the doorway in front of him, still holding the door open. Of course December's face would be the one Luca would have to see first upon arriving back at campus.

"I'm sorry," December finally said. "I didn't see you there, Luca."

December's long, dark hair hung in front of his face, obscuring his eyes. He wore a loose turquoise and white windbreaker over the tight silver bike-racer-like outfit that clung to his slim body. All the students were required to have the outfit for shifting class because it was the only thing that would adhere to the skin and not be destroyed through a transition; however, the silver woven into the material made it incredibly uncomfortable. December was the only one who wore it outside of class, where it was required.

"It's fine," Luca grumbled. "Excuse me." After the conversation with his father, the last thing he wanted right now was to have to talk to December. Luca tried to push past, but the other boy blocked the door.

"Where's your dog?" Luca asked. He rarely saw December without his black lab at his heels like the damn Grimm.

"Iris is in my room," December replied. "She's tired."

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps barreling down the stairs filled the air, and their classmate Nate skidded into the foyer behind December.

Nate pulled the hood of his oversized sweatshirt down and shook out his dirty blond hair like a wet dog. "Oh, welcome back, Luca," he said. "I was thinking you wouldn't be getting in 'til classes start tomorrow."

"My dad is busy tomorrow." Luca raised an eyebrow at Nate. "He had to drop me off tonight."

Nate elbowed December in the side, and a grin spread across December's face. He brushed his dark hair out of his unsettling icy-blue eyes, but it immediately fell back over them. As if he knew Luca was staring, he took a pair of silver-rimmed sunglasses out of the pocket of his windbreaker and put them on.

"We're going to the fire pit," December said. "It's the annual back-to-school party. You wanna come with us?"

Luca tensed. He knew his father hated the idea of him partying or getting drunk. It made the brain slow and the body sluggish.

"Isn't it a little early to be starting?" Luca glanced over his shoulder. Stars twinkled to life in the deep violet twilight. The crescent moon peeked out from behind the sharp treeline as it rose. "It's barely even dark out yet."

"We're going to set up the fire." Nate tossed his hood back over his head. "Get it going before everyone else shows up."

"You should come and help." December placed a hand on Luca's shoulder, like he was grounding himself against him. Luca tried not to flinch back.

"It's a new year, Luca. Have a bit of fun for once." December smiled, and Luca got the feeling it was genuine.

That was one of the things Luca hated about December the most. He was undeniably persuasive and charismatic. No wonder he was friends with just about everyone at school.

Luca shuffled to ease the strain his bag placed on his shoulder. He needed to unpack. Classes started tomorrow, and he didn't want to go to nine-am shifting class tired. Or worse, go to ten-am calculus with a hangover. Plus, Avi Wakelin would not approve of his son participating in any sort of partying out in the woods. It was reckless. It rotted the brain and weakened the body.

"Come on." Nate nudged December. "Let's just get going. I don't think he's up for it."

"No, wait," Luca said. "I'll come." He glanced at his bags. "Just give me five minutes to drop my shit in my room."

"Really?" December tilted his head to the side for a second, like a confused puppy trying to figure something out. Then, a smile spread across his face. Luca searched for something malicious in his expression, but he couldn't find anything.

"We'll wait for you outside," Nate said. He touched December on the shoulder as he passed, and December followed.

Luca hoisted the straps of his bags onto his shoulders, nodding to the other two boys as he headed up the stairs to his dorm. A small smile snuck over him. Fuck what his father wanted him to do. Luca had spent so long doing everything he was asked. He was tired of sitting and staying on command like a trained dog. Avi Wakelin wasn't here right now. For one night, Luca could let himself have a bit of fun.