"Move along, you useless mutts!"
The sharp bark of the Feral Dorm Master, Silas, cut through the tense air, but no one moved. We all just stood there, frozen, staring at the bodies.
He scowled, unimpressed. "I said, get to class before I start deducting your dorm points. Any of you idiots think you can afford to lose twenty?"
Still, no one spoke.
He didn't even look at the corpses at his feet. Didn't acknowledge them.
Or maybe, to him, they weren't even students.
Maybe, to him, they had never been alive in the first place.
I clenched my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms, but my feet wouldn't move.
These were our people. Our dorm mates. And they had been slaughtered like animals.
And no one cared.
"Come on."
A hand grabbed mine, tugging me away.
I barely registered that Elise was still beside me, her fingers tightening around mine as she dragged me forward, forcing me to walk. My body moved, but my head turned back.
Two men had arrived, dressed in dark uniforms, and they—
They weren't even carrying the bodies.
They were dragging them.
Their lifeless bodies scraped against the rough ground, limbs twisted awkwardly, their faces..... faces that had once belonged to people with names, with stories, with hopes—now reduced to nothing but corpses that weren't even worth lifting.
The men didn't even flinch.
Like this was normal.
Like this was how it was supposed to be.
I swallowed, my stomach twisting violently.
It could have been any of us.
It still could be any of us.
I forced my gaze forward as we neared the main academy buildings. The moment we stepped into the crowd of nobles, elites, and Lycans, the world shifted.
Laughter.
Chatter.
Smiling faces.
Like nothing had happened.
Like two of our people hadn't just been murdered in cold blood.
My chest tightened.
The nobles strolled casually through the halls, talking about last night's shopping spree. The elites leaned against the walls, discussing sparring matches and upcoming classes. The Lycans, the ones who ruled this world, walked with their heads high, as if their very presence demanded submission.
Not a single glance in our direction.
Not a single thought spared for the dead.
I exhaled slowly.
This was the world we lived in now
This was Lunar Crest Academy.
And no one here gave a damn if we lived or died.
The academy buildings loomed ahead, towering and pristine, a stark contrast to the Feral dorms. The massive glass windows reflected the morning sun, making the entire structure seem almost ethereal, a place meant for gods, not for the likes of me
Elise and I slowed as we reached the main entrance, students swarming around us, pushing past without sparing us a glance.
I pulled out my schedule, scanning the classes.
Combat and Strategy.
That was my first class.
I glanced at Elise. "What do you have?"
She frowned, checking her own schedule. "History of the Packs."
We locked eyes. This was it. Our first time separating.
For a brief moment, neither of us moved.
"I'll see you after class," she murmured.
I nodded. "Yeah."
And then we turned away from each other.
I wove through the halls, following the numbers on the doors until I reached mine. Classroom 9 was labeled in bold letters across the steel frame. This is where my class is supposed to hold.
I stopped, staring at it.
My hands clenched at my sides.
I didn't want to enter inside.
I wasn't ready for this.
I was never supposed to be ready for this.
I came to Lunar Crest Academy to die, not to actually attend classes.
Yet here I was, standing at the threshold of a classroom filled with Lycans, elites, and nobles who would definitely rather see me dead than sitting beside them.
I swallowed hard.
Just as I took a step forward, something slammed into my shoulder, hard, as a student rushed into the classroom without even glancing back.
I lost my balance, staggering back—
But before I could hit the ground, strong hands caught me, gripping me firmly, holding me in place.
I tensed.
Someone was touching me.
I turned sharply, jerking away, my heart pounding in my chest.
A stranger stood before me, a wide smile on his face.
He was tall, lean but well-built, with tousled brown hair that framed sharp, angular features. His eyes. a piercing blue, weere filled with something I couldn't quite place.
Amusement?
Curiosity?
Pity?
His uniform collar was green.
He is a noble.
He tilted his head slightly, still smiling. "Sorry about that. It seems like everyone's in a rush here."
I stared at him, my mind scrambling to make sense of the situation.
Why was he talking to me?
Why had he caught me?
No noble touched a feral.
Ever.
Well unless it's to kill them.
I took a step back, my body rigid.
His gaze flickered as he noticed my reaction. He raised his hands slightly, as if to show he meant no harm. "Sorry for grabbing you like that," he said easily. "I just didn't want to see you fall."
A pause.
Then, with that same relaxed smile, he added, "My name is Adrian Vale. And you are?"
I said nothing.
Instead, I turned on my heel and walked straight into the classroom.
I stepped into the classroom, then I froze.
My breath hitched.
He was there.
Kieran Valerius Hunter.
The Lycan prince.
He sat at the back, close to the window, his posture effortlessly regal, as if this entire place existed to serve him. The breeze from the open window played with his long, midnight-black hair, strands shifting against his sharp, defined jawline. His golden eyes, piercing and unreadable, flickered with something I couldn't name as he gazed out over the class, completely detached.
He was breathtaking. Devastatingly, unfairly beautiful.
The kind of beauty that wasn't meant to be admired but feared.
I felt my pulse quicken, but before I could fully process the sight of him, they came.
A group of nobles suddenly blocked my path.
One of them, a dark-haired girl with icy gray eyes, smirked before shoving me, forcing me back a step.
"What do you think you're doing here, feral?"
"You don't belong in this class," another sneered, stepping closer. "Your days here are already numbered. You should make things easier for yourself and just disappear."
The group of them circled me like vultures, their presence suffocating. My fists clenched. My body screamed at me to fight back, to do something.....
But then, suddenly, a figure stepped in front of me.
"Alright, that's enough."
Adrian Vale.
His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. A warning.
The nobles scowled, but Adrian didn't budge. "It's literally the first day of class," he said, exasperation lacing his tone. "You guys can at least wait until she breathes before making threats, right?"
The tension crackled. The nobles exchanged looks. Then, reluctantly, they backed off, their death stares burning into me as they walked away.
"Sorry about that, they—" Adrian started, turning toward me.
But I was already walking away.
I didn't thank him. I didn't acknowledge him.
I just needed to get away.
I made my way to the farthest corner of the room, finding an empty seat at the back. I kept my head down, focusing on steadying my breath, willing the tightness in my chest to ease.
But then—
I felt it.
A presence.
I looked up.
And my heart stopped.
Kieran was staring at me.
Not just looking. Staring.
His golden eyes burned into mine, unreadable, intense, like he was trying to figure me out.
I swallowed hard.
For some reason, I couldn't look away.