Then, that familiar playful flash bled back into his sharp face.
He let out a dry, clicking hum through his teeth, tilting his head back to fill the empty corridor with a low, muffled laugh.
Inside his mind, his inner wolf paced with wild thrill: *(Look at this auburn flame, Zane!…
She isn’t even thinking about brushing the dust off her shirt collar she’s already plotting to hit them back twice as hard!
Tonight’s welcoming banquet isn’t going to be just pathetic music and dancing…
It’s going to be the start of a magnificent fire!)* Zane crossed his thick arms over his chest.
He cocked his head, taking in her unyielding posture before parting his lips in a lazy, tantalizing drawl: “Revenge at the welcoming banquet?
Oh…” He smirked, leaning slightly against the wall.
“…you’re really getting me excited for tonight, sweetheart.” He shifted his weight, his eyes darkening with dangerous amusement.
“Just remember, the grand hall is going to be crawling with Royal Alphas and upper-tier packs.
Getting payback in the middle of a formal feast takes a lot more than a sharp tongue.” Roxy didn’t wait around.
She turned on her heel with a bold, rhythmic stride, brushing past his towering frame with absolute coldness leaving him mid-sentence without granting him the satisfaction of an audience.
She walked down the sunlit corridor, her thumb absently massaging the raw, reddened skin under the sleeve of her white shirt.
“Royal Alphas don’t scare me, Zane.” She kept walking, her voice carrying back down the hallway with bone-dry certainty.
“And whoever tried to extinguish the flame in the dark…
is going to learn tonight how it burns under the hall lights.” Zane halted in his tracks.
He watched her tall, slender figure retreat down the wide hallway with an unshakeable composure, the delicate trace of her perfume fighting against the harsh chemical reek still hanging in the air.
A dark, eager smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“We’ll see, Roxy…” He muttered under his breath, a low murmur meant only for his inner beast.
“…we’ll see what kind of mark you leave on this night.” Roxy stepped out into the sprawling outer courtyard.
The biting air whipped against her cheeks, washing away the oppressive dust of the dark closet.
She walked across the meticulously manicured lawn with a cold, regal air, taking a seat on a wooden bench beneath the sweeping shade of a massive willow tree.
A sharp, brief chime echoed from the pocket of her skirt.
She pulled out her phone, sliding her thumb across the screen to unlock it.
A new notification flashed from a contact saved under _A_: *(Miss me yet?
)* The corner of her lips twitched into a subtle, warm smile.
Her thumbs moved rapidly across the keyboard: *(You already know the answer.)* Barely a minute passed before the phone vibrated again: *(Cold-hearted…)* Roxy leaned her back against the wooden bench, her fingers flying over the glass: *(Anyone listening to you would think you’re the one with a fragile heart!)* The reply flashed back instantly: *(Why?
Am I not?)* Her smirk widened.
She tapped out a response dripping with affectionate sarcasm: *(Of course you are…
“Hitler”.)* The next message hit her screen almost instantly: *(My feelings are officially hurt!)* Roxy locked the screen with a single click and slid the phone back into her skirt pocket, letting out a soft exhale.
Right at that exact second, a shadow shifted beside her.
She felt the sudden weight of a body settling onto the far end of the wooden bench.
She turned her head slowly.
Her gray eyes locked onto sharp, refined features framed by immaculately styled blonde hair, paired with icy blue eyes radiating authority, order, and unadulterated haughtiness.
Roxy tilted her head, a dry, faint smile touching her lips.
“Mmm…” She leaned back, casually draping her forearm along the back of the bench.
“…is His Majesty gracing me with his presence?” The male kept his gaze fixed on her, his face completely devoid of humor.
His voice was rigid, clipped with formal authority: “Do you honestly think you can survive here?” Roxy lifted her left eyebrow with cool indifference.
“Why?” She let her gray eyes sweep over him.
“Are there dangerous monsters running around?” The male leaned his torso forward slightly, a stern, dark scowl locking onto his sharp features.
“There are rules here you must respect, human.” Roxy studied him for a silent beat, reading the formal crests and golden pins pinned neatly across the chest of his tailored school uniform.
“Listen…” She tapped her index finger against the wood.
“…Damian, right?
Is that your name?” His jaw clenched with suppressed anger.
He raised his index finger, pointing at her with rigid authority: “Alpha Damian.” His voice dropped into a stern growl.
“That is how you address me.” Roxy shook her head lightly, letting out a brief chuckle that barely left her throat.
“Too long…” She waved her hand dismissively.
“…Damian works just fine.” Damian narrowed his blue eyes, studying the terrifying composure sitting in her face.
His tone hardened: “If you don’t respect the rules, you will find yourself in perpetual trouble.” Roxy rested her elbows on her knees, leaning toward him with an intense, gray stare.
“Mmm…
So I take it you’re the lawman around here?” Damian swept the near-empty courtyard with a swift, calculated glance before locking back onto her eyes.
His tone delivered a cold, absolute warning: “You are here without anyone’s protection…” He leaned in closer, his voice dropping.
“…you will be easy prey.” Her lips curled into a dry, mocking smile.
She gestured with her eyes toward the vast expanse of the academy grounds.
“Didn’t you just say there are rules?” She tilted her chin.
“Are we in an academy, or a jungle?” Damian exhaled sharply through his nose, snapping his posture upright with an irritating rigidity.
“Human…” He looked down at her.
“…you made a grave mistake coming here.”