Ch. I Hid My Supreme Rank, Regret of the Pack 1 I Hid My Supreme Rank, Regret of the Pack 1

Clara’s Story: Chapter 1

Everyone crowded around my twin sister, arguing over which werewolf college she should pick.

My brother jabbed his finger at the top of the brochure list.

“The Healer Academy. Obviously. You’ll be an underclassman, and I’ll keep an eye on you.”

Grayson, my childhood friend and the Blood Moon Pack’s Heir, slid the Warrior Academy brochure across the table, right under her nose.

“Don’t listen to Declan. Come to the Warrior Academy with me. Four more years together.”

Mom and Dad—our pack’s Luna and Alpha—beamed.

“Both schools are in the capital. Someone will be there to look after you. We can finally stop worrying.”

A long stretch of minutes crawled by before anyone remembered I’d taken the Wolf Aptitude Test too.

“Clara, your rank is probably terrible. Just pick any random college up in the capital.”

Declan didn’t even glance up. “Yeah. All four of us in one city. Weekends together. Easy.”

Grayson clicked his tongue. “Thirty minutes till the deadline. Try not to screw it up this time.”

My knuckles went white around the application guide.

When we were little, we used to play pretend.

Catalina was always the precious Luna everyone raced to rescue.

Declan was the loyal warrior.

Grayson was the powerful Alpha hacking through rogue wolves to save her.

Me? I was the rogue. The one everyone hated.

Guess some things don’t change.

Fine. If nobody wanted me around, I’d pick the college farthest from home.

Somewhere too far to come back to. Somewhere I’d never have to miss.

…

I still hadn’t typed anything, so Grayson pushed.

“Cata and I both put down the Healer Academy. Hurry up and pick something in the capital.”

My eyes locked on the result burning on the screen.

Supreme Rank—the highest in history.

Nothing about it felt good.

I’d crushed the Wolf Aptitude Test. Blown past every practice trial I’d ever taken.

Both of those elite academies they were fawning over? I could walk right in.

But when the test ended, nobody asked how my wolf did.

When the ranks dropped, nobody cared what I got.

Because the second Catalina stepped out of the testing center, she’d melted into tears. “I don’t think I ranked well. What am I gonna do?”

Mom and Dad brushed it off. The Aptitude Test didn’t matter. They’d just make a hefty donation and buy her way in.

Declan flicked his hand like it was nothing.

“Relax. I’ll make the money. I’ll take care of you.”

Grayson softened his voice for her.

“Cata, even on your worst day, your wolf ranked higher than Clara’s.”

“Worst case, the three of us retake senior year together. We can train Clara while we’re at it.”

To them, I was the shadow that made Catalina glow.

Because she was gorgeous. She’d inherited every good gene Mom and Dad had.

Every wolf who saw her wanted to fuss over her, protect her, seek her approval.

Me? Plain older sister. Nothing to look at. Nothing to remember.

Even pack members fumbled for something to say when they got to me.

“She looks… well—behaved.”

When I was little, I thought well—behaved meant good.

So when Mom bought Catalina beautiful dresses and skipped me, I didn’t cry.

When Declan came home with snacks for her and nothing for me, I didn’t fight for a bite.

Even in winter, when Catalina got the warmest spot by the hearth and I was left shivering by the drafty door, I stayed quiet.

Because that was when Mom and Dad finally noticed me.

“Clara’s such a good girl. She loves her little sister.”

Years passed. Catalina and Grayson traded top rank in the pack training back and forth.

I was slow. My wolf didn’t surface like theirs.

I hovered somewhere in the bottom tier, never enough to matter.

I didn’t even qualify to be on the same training sheet as them.

This time, I’d finally caught up.

And they didn’t even see it. To them, I was still the same useless Clarinda Sinclair.

The question slipped out before I could stop it.

“You always said the Warrior Academy was your dream college. You’re really not going?”

Grayson blinked. Then he scoffed, like I was the ridiculous one. “What’s the difference between the Healer Academy and the Warrior Academy? All that matters is where Cata wants to go.”

He’d told me a hundred times. The Warrior Academy was the dream. It was everything.

He was supposed to be my mate. And now Catalina says one word, and it all evaporates.

Something quiet inside me finally cracked.

I dragged the mouse up to the top of the screen. Typed a few words into the search bar.

The Elite Lycan Academy.

It was the top school for wolves.

You couldn’t just apply. The hidden link only showed up if the system saw a Supreme Rank.

All the way down in the Southern Territory.

Seven hundred and fifty miles from home.

Click.

Submit.

Confirm.

Done.