Chapter 3 The Flawless Alpha

Ronan POV

“What’s that scent? The words slipped out before I could stop them.

The boy froze. For a second, he looked like he couldn't breathe. His pupils dilated, his throat bobbed once, and then he blinked fast as if he could hide the reaction.

“I-I don't smell anything, sir,” he trembled as he spoke.

Sir. No one called me sir here. Not even the instructors, half of whom couldn't stand that I would outranked them before I even graduated.

I tilted my head slightly, keeping my tone casual. “You sure? You smell….off.”

His jaw tightened. “Maybe the train. It was packed.”

He didn't break eye contact this time. That alone was strange to me, because most new recruits looked away the second I stared at them, I couldn't say if it was out of fear or respect. He looked right at me exactly like he was daring me to keep asking.

For a moment, I almost admired his courage. Then, I caught the smell again, it was like a chemical buried under something. Suppressant?  No. That was impossible.

I took a little step closer, and he  immediately stepped back. Wow, that's smart.

“Relax, rookie,” I said. “I don't bite.”

He frowned. “Good to know.”

Then, I heard someone called behind me, “Vale! Headmaster wants you up front,”

I turned my head slightly, but I didn't move my gaze away from him until the last second. “Welcome to Aurelius, Quinn.”

His lips parted, like he wanted to say something else, but didn't. He just nodded. “Thanks.”

I walked away, but my thoughts stayed with him. That scent…there was no mistaking the undertone. It reminded me of…. something from years ago, like the kind that made Alphas go wide in the wars. Omega.

But that was absurd. There hadn't been an unregistered Omega in the entire eastern division for years. Every one of them was tagged, tracked, controlled, and the penalties for falsifying records were death. And no one, I meant no one was stupid enough to fake it here.

Yet, something in my mind told me Elias Quinn wasn't what he seemed like.

———————

Later that night, I found myself in the command office. The room was quiet, the only low buzz of the holographic screen glinting in front of me. I knew I wasn't supposed to be here after hours, but rules had never stopped me before.

The student registry was glowing blue on the consol. My fingers trailed across the glass, typing in his name.

Elias Quinn.

Age: 19.

Division: Alpha Advancement Program.

Medical Clearance: Level A.

Background: Orphaned, raised in state custody, transferred through three regional academies. No criminal record. No family. No inconsistencies.

His background was too perfect.

“Thought you’d be asleep by now,” a familiar voice said behind me.

I didn’t need to turn. “You’re supposed to be guarding the east wing, Cass.”

Cassian Hale was my second-in-command and probably the only person I trusted in this academy, he walked in, arms crossed. “I was, until I saw you breaking into the registry again. Who is it this time? Another overconfident Alpha who made you twitch?”

“Something like that.”

He came to stand beside me, reading the hologram over my shoulder. “Elias Quinn. New recruit?”

“Yeah.”

Cass smirked. “Let me guess, he beat your training score on the first day?”

“Funny,” I said flatly. “No. He smells wrong.”

Cass blinked. “He what?”

“Forget it.” I waved a hand, but Cass grabbed my wrist.

“Ronan. You’ve been tense all week. Now you’re sniffing recruits like a feral dog. What’s going on?”

I looked at him steadily, “Have you ever smelled something that didn’t make sense?”

Cass’s brow furrowed. “No?”

“Exactly.”

He sighed. “You’re losing it.”

“Maybe,” I said, scrolling through Elias’s data again. Every number lined up too neatly. Every transfer perfectly timed. There wasn’t a single note, not a disciplinary mark, not even a late attendance. No one had that clean of a record.

I zoomed in on his last medical scan. Perfect Alpha hormone levels. Perfect neurological balance. No anomalies detected.

“Run an unofficial check,” I said finally.

Cass stared. “On a student? You know that’s….”

“Illegal,” I finished for him. “Yeah, I’m aware.”

He groaned. “You know your father would…”

“My father isn’t here,” I snapped before I could stop myself. The silence that followed was heavy.

Cass’s expression loosened up. “Ronan…”

“Just do it,” I said quietly. “I need to know.”

He hesitated, then nodded and started the encrypted scan. While the system processed, I leaned my back against the desk, rubbing the bridge of my nose. My father’s voice echoed in my head like a curse.

“An Alpha without control is a weapon pointed at himself.”

He used to say that every time I hesitated. Every time I showed even a fraction of doubt. He’d trained me to suppress everything like pain, fear, emotion. Because weakness wasn’t tolerated in the Vale line. But right now, I could feel the crack forming.

That scent earlier, it  had pulled something out of me I didn’t recognize. Like instinct, hunger and chaos.

The system beeped softly. Cass frowned at the results.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing.” He hesitated, scrolling. “It’s just… everything checks out. Birth record, transfer history, medical scans are all verified. The kid’s clean.”

“Too clean,” I said under my breath.

Cass sighed. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

I didn’t answer. He pocketed his device and gave me that look, the one that said he was about to tell me something I didn’t want to hear. “You know what your father would say, right? ‘Focus on yourself. Emotions cloud judgment.’”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Then take his advice for once.”

I gave him a humorless smile. “You mean the man who thinks feelings are a disease?”

Cass didn’t reply. He didn’t need to. When he left, I stayed behind, staring at the hologram.

“Elias Quinn. Clean file. Clean history.”

But no one was that clean. I remembered the way he’d looked at me earlier, steady, composed, too still for someone standing face to face with the Academy’s top Alpha. Most people’s instincts made them flinch. He’d done the opposite. He’d matched me.

My father had always told me to trust my instincts above logic. “If something feels wrong,” he’d said, “it usually is.”

And right now, everything about Elias Quinn felt wrong.

——————

The next morning, the academy courtyard was chaotic. New recruits were scrambling for dorm assignments, instructors were yelling orders, and the sound of training droids filled the air. I watched from the upper balcony with my arms crossed, expression blank.

Cass joined me halfway through the drills. “You’re staring again.”

I didn’t deny it. Elias was below, standing at the edge of the sparring field, waiting for his turn. He moved differently from the others, efficient, deliberate, like someone who’d been trained before. But the thing that caught my attention wasn’t his form. It was the restraint.

Cass followed my gaze. “He’s good,” he admitted.

“Too good,” I said.

“You’re impossible,” Cass muttered. “You said that about me once.”

“You were impossible.”

He smirked. “And now I’m your best friend.”

I ignored him. Elias’s opponent, a bulkier Alpha lunged at him. The crowd jeered, expecting an easy takedown. Instead, Elias sidestepped, disarmed the guy in one move, and pinned him to the ground. Fast. Clean. No wasted energy. The other recruits went quiet.

Cass whistled. “Okay, that’s impressive.”

I didn’t respond. My eyes narrowed as Elias looked up, straight at me. It wasn’t arrogance. It wasn’t challenge. It was awareness. He knew I was watching.

For a long moment, our gazes locked. Then he broke contact first, turning away to help his opponent up.

Cass muttered under his breath, “You’re really going to lose sleep over this kid, aren’t you?”

I didn’t answer. Because deep down, I already knew the truth. Something about Elias Quinn was a lie. And I was going to uncover it, no matter what it cost.

I turned away from the railing, the echo of my father’s voice following me like a shadow.

“Control, Ronan. Always control.”

But control was exactly what I was starting to lose.

“If he’s hiding something,” I said quietly, mostly to myself, “I’ll find it.”

And I meant it.