Filed to story: Mated and Hated by My Brother’s Best Friend Book PDF Free by Anna Campbell
Eva hadn’t been pulled back into the circle yet.
She was gone.
Taken by Instructor Sira minutes ago under the pretense of “guidance,” and now nowhere in sight.
Which meant-
It was just me and Ethan now.
No warning pulse.
No Sentinel disruption.
Only raw power.
And timing.
My heart sank as I watched another student step forward-a boy this time. Tall, strong, sure. His blood hit the rune and flared blue. Another success.
They were stacking the line with the stronger ones first. Keeping the crowd hopeful. Blinding them to the truth until it was too late.
Until
Already, I turned on those who hadn’t manifested at all.
Sould see a few instructors dragging off a small group of students who hadn’t stepped forward-those who hadn’ t awakened anything during the Trials.
Their faces were blank with terror.
And nobody-noug one of the council, not one instructor-lifted a hand to stop it.
They were sacrifices.
Necessary losses.
I gritted my teeth.
The blood oath wasn’t a ritual of loyalty.
It was a damn chain.
A leash.
Another body stepped up to the pedestal.
Another hand bled.
Another life bound to the Academy forever.
I caught Ethan’s eye across the line.
He gave the smallest, sharpest nod.
Ready.
Even without Eva-he was ready.
And so was I.
We were the last three students in line now.
Me. Ethan. One other boy I didn’t recognize.
Panic clawed up my throat.
Without Eva’s pulse to weaken the runes, the disruption wouldn’t be enough. We would be trapped. Bound. Or worse.
The boy ahead of me moved.
Instructor Hadelyn motioned him forward, smiling grimly.
He hesitated.
Just a second.
Then he stepped up.
The blade sliced his palm.
Blood hit the stone.
And nothing happened.
No flare. No light.
The elder frowned.
Murmured.
Two guards stepped forward instantly.
The boy tried to run.
They caught him mid-turn, forcing him to the ground.
The crack of bone against stone echoed louder than any battle cry.
The guards dragged him off without a word.
The line moved.
Ethan stepped forward.
I held my breath.
Watched.
Prayed.
The blade bit his hand.
Blood spilled across the rune.
For a heartbeat-nothing.
And then-
Light burst from his veins, golden-red, like fire caught in wind.
The stone flared beneath him, and Ethan gritted his teeth, staying upright even as the magic fought to sink into him.
The Council elder nodded once.
Accepted.
Ethan stumbled back toward the crowd, his eyes meeting mine briefly.
‘Now,’ he mouthed.
I knew.
It was my turn.
My hands didn’t tremble as I stepped forward.
They burned.
Every step toward the pedestal, the power inside me coiled tighter. My wolf howled inside my chest-not in fear.
In rage.
In defiance.
The elder’s eyes were cold as he took my dagger.
He didn’t speak.
Just slashed my palm.
The sting barely registered through the roaring in my ears.
He pressed my bleeding hand to the rune.
The stone beneath my feet pulsed once-
And then-
Chaos.
An explosion rocked the chamber.
Stone cracked. Dust and smoke burst upward.
Screams split the air-students, instructors, council members alike.
The mountain shook.
Somewhere beyond the smoke, alarms began to wail-deep, sonorous, warning bells that hadn’t been heard in decades.
The Blood Oath ritual circle shattered at my feet, the runes breaking apart like dried leaves in the wind.
I stumbled back, coughing, shielding my eyes.
“ROGUES!” someone shouted.
Magic flared wild across the arena-ice, fire, wind-too much, uncontrolled.
Figures clad in dark, battle-worn armor poured into the chamber from the crumbling entrances, moving like a wave of fury and freedom.
The Council guards scrambled to form lines.
Students screamed and ran.
Chaos.
Real, living chaos.
I felt a hand grab my arm.
Ethan.
His face was grim, soot smeared across his cheek.
He shouted over the roar: “Is this part of the plan?!”
I grinned, wild and breathless, adrenaline crashing through my veins.
“No!” I shouted back. “But work with it!”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?