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“I’m not here for your friends, Alex,” he said with a smirk. “Congratulations on passing your trial yesterday. You’re officially accepted into my Stealth and Subterfuge class.”

Um… What?

Alex wondered if she looked as confused as she felt. “I think there must be some kind of mistake.”

Hunter tilted his head, his smirk deepening. “It’s not often that I’m wrong.”

“Then this is your lucky day,” Alex said. “I didn’t try out for your class, so there’s no way I could’ve passed whatever your trial was. You have the wrong person.”

His dark eyes glittered with humour. “Is that so?”

“Yep,” Alex said confidently. “Sorry you wasted your time.”

She reached for the door, intent on closing it to end the conversation and not caring how rude the gesture might seem. But Hunter moved to lean against it, blocking her dismissal.

“Tell me, Alex,” he said, as relaxed as if he was lounging on a beach somewhere. “Did you or did you not venture into the forest at some point yesterday afternoon?”

Not by choice, Alex thought, but she didn’t say that out loud. “Yes, I was there for a few hours. So?”

His lips curled knowingly, and Alex felt her sense of dread rise up again.

“Then you entered the trial zone,” he said. “Despite the fact that you didn’t sign up for testing, your participation confirmed your entry to my class.”

“W—What?” Alex spluttered. “I didn’t participate! I didn’t even know where the trial was being held!”

“Intentional or not, you actively took part in the exercise, regardless of whether you were aware of it at the time,” Hunter said. “And out of all your classmates, you were the only one to succeed.”

No, no, no!This was all wrong. Hunter was wrong. This was a prank, right?

Alex backed away from the door and slumped down on the edge of her bed, too overwhelmed to stay on her feet.

“You should feel proud,” Hunter continued, still standing in the doorway. “Never before has a student slipped by me as expertly as you did.”

Alex rubbed her temples. “I don’t understand.”

“Should I spell it out for you?” Hunter asked, a hint of mockery in his voice. “It’s as I said: you’re now a student in my Stealth and Subterfuge class.”

She jerked her head from side to side. “No.”

“Yes.”

“No,” she repeated firmly. “I, uh, thank you for your offer, but I’m afraid I have to decline.”

There. That should do it.Despite her confusion about whatever trial he was talking about, at least she could decide yay or nay. And for her, it was a definite nay.

“I’m afraid you have little choice in the matter,” Hunter said, unconcerned by her growing frustration.

“It’s my life,” Alex argued.

“Remember the meeting on your first evening back at the academy?” Hunter asked. “Didn’t I say that any student who attended Saturday’s trial and was granted a position would find themselves mandatorily required to attend classes?”

Alex couldn’t recall his exact wording, but she did have a vague memory of him saying something along those lines. But shehadn’tattended the trial, let alone succeeded in it—whatever ‘it’ was.

“Yes, but—”

“What’s that around your neck, Alex?” Hunter interrupted.

Feeling off-balance from the abrupt change in topic, she looked down at the shimmery Myrox glinting in the light. “It’s a necklace. I found it in the…”