Soon, the shocking bewilderment paralyzing the center of the hall dissolved into angry shouts and bitter, venomous murmurs among the Beta ranks.
How could a human insect, a nameless newcomer, dare set her defiling feet upon the royal pavilion and eat from the masters’ table?
This act wasn’t merely a violation of the rules; it was a public spit in the face of every werewolf’s pride in the academy.
Three heavily muscled, towering Beta students lunged out from the center of the tables.
They were led by a young man with short brown hair and a brutal, naturally arrogant expression.
They surged up the sweeping marble stairs, their heavy, synchronized steps sending a rhythmic, thudding echo across the dead-silent hall.
Their violent advance halted right at the edge of the circular black marble table.
They expanded their broad chests in an overt display of physical intimidation.
The leader slammed his massive palms flat against the smooth marble surface with a dry, frightening crack, causing the golden platters to rattle.
He leaned his massive torso directly over Roxy, his eyes narrowing with a malicious spark as he roared in a harsh, aggressive, and menacing tone: * “Get off this pavilion right now, you human insect!” His massive hand shot forward, intentionally catching the rim of her plate to slide it away.
But Roxy didn’t flinch.
Instead, she slowly lowered a golden chalice she had been raising to her lips, the base of the cup hitting the marble with a soft, clear ring that resonated through the breathless anticipation of the thousands of students watching from below.
She tracked the Beta’s hand with a dry, detached glance, then tilted her head sideways, letting her gray eyes drift over the faces of the three Betas with agonizing slowness.
She scrutinized their furious features with a gaze completely devoid of fear infused, instead, with a cutting, blistering mockery.
The corner of her mouth pulled into a provocative, wicked smirk.
Locking her eyes squarely into the leader’s trembling pupils, she slowly pointed her golden fork right at his chest, continuing in a calm, measured voice that was as sharp and cold as a blade: * “I see you all possess massive builds and bulging muscles…” She lowered the fork, deliberately stabbing a piece of meat on her plate before adding, “…but it seems your brains are entirely vacant, unable to process the simplest of words.” The young man’s jaw locked instantly, his face flushing crimson with a suffocating rage at having his intelligence insulted in front of the entire student body.
He twisted his torso, gearing up to flip the entire table, but Roxy calmly raised her left hand in the air the universal, effortless gesture used to stop a misbehaving servant.
She pointed her spoon toward the other platters of meat, completely unbothered.
“I literally just stated that I am hungry, and the table was empty.
If your kings have long legs and can’t bother to arrive on time for their official dinner, that is hardly my fault.” She smoothly picked up her knife, the metal scraping with a faint, sharp hiss against the fork.
“Now…
step back and give me some space to finish my meal.
Your presence hovering over my head is ruining my appetite.” The Omegas cowering in the dark corners widened their eyes in doubled horror, and a paralyzing shock froze the rest of the students.
Never in the history of the academy had anyone addressed the fierce Beta warriors with such a dismissive, degrading tone.
The three Betas clenched their fists so hard the skin over their knuckles turned white.
Their facial features began to distort, the first ripples of their beastly instincts breaking through the surface.
The leader’s upper lip pulled back, saliva pooling slightly at the corners of his mouth as he exposed a row of sharp, gleaming canines that shifted into an offensive stance.
The Beta standing to his right executed a smooth, half-circular slide, completely cutting off her angle of escape, while the third rushed forward, lifting a heavy fist.
They were fully prepared to cross every line and crush this rebellious human’s head right against the black marble table to avenge the blatant insult.
A sudden, oppressive heat radiated from their bodies, accompanied by a hot, heavy exhale carrying the sharp scent of the wild the physical trigger that preceded a werewolf’s fatal pounce when control was lost.
Roxy didn’t retreat a single inch.
Instead, she slid her back firmly against the plush leather of the luxurious chair, easing her full weight into it.
She calmly interlaced her fingers over the table, projecting a piercing, ice-cold gray stare straight into the leader’s pupils, which were already dilating and shaking under the force of his instinct.
Before the young man’s claws could even graze the edge of her golden plate, a violent, dry shockwave of air struck the grand hall.
The massive crystal chandeliers overhead vibrated wildly, unleashing a sharp, ringing chime that pierced the silence.
This wasn’t a standard aura; it was a suffocating, untamed dominance that instantly locked the feet of the three Betas to the floorboards against their own will.
In a fraction of a second, their savage expressions shattered, shifting from arrogant hostility to automatic, hard-wired submission.
The leader’s extended fangs immediately retracted, and his raised fist went limp.
Every head in the hall whipped toward the base of the marble staircase.
The four Alphas stood there, their posture commanding, their faces as unyielding as solid stone.
Damian Blackwood took two measured steps forward, his piercing blue eyes surveying the scene with a lethal, chilling indifference.
Beside him, Zane Alistair let out a low, thoroughly amused chuckle, casually leaning his shoulder against the carved marble banister.
Cayden Wilder’s green eyes were already burning with a jagged golden flash, his gaze locked entirely on Roxy—who hadn’t even lifted her hands from the table.
Cayden marched up the steps, his heavy, deliberate strides echoing across the platform.
He threw a single, razor-sharp glance at the three Betas, and they immediately retorted two steps into the background, bowing their heads in silence.
Cayden stopped right at the edge of the table, occupying the exact spot the brown-haired Beta had just fled.
He bent his towering frame over the black marble, slamming both palms flat onto the surface as he closed the distance until their breaths mingled once more.
A sharp, predatory smile cut across his lips, and he spoke in a low, gravelly rasp loud enough for the entire room to hear: * “It seems you didn’t waste any time starting your own little party, redhead…” His long fingers extended, slowly tapping the rim of her chalice with a provocative, agonizing slowness.
“…But you’ve got the wrong address this time.
This table has no room for humans, and that exact seat you’re occupying belongs to me.” Roxy tilted her head slightly to the side, maintaining the absolute stillness of her features without a single blink in the face of his dangerous, suffocating proximity.
No trace of hesitation or panic registered on her skin.
Instead, the corner of her lips twisted into a subtle, mocking smirk.
She reached out with perfect composure, casually brushing his fingers away from her cup.
Locking her gaze directly into his glowing green eyes, she spoke in a low, steady whisper that practically brushed his ear: * “If this seat belongs to you, then you are remarkably late to claim it.” She picked up the chalice, took a small, elegant sip, and set it back down with a soft click.
“In the human world, a very simple rule applies: vacant seats belong to whoever arrives first…
especially if they are hungry and have no time to waste waiting around.” Cayden’s expression locked instantly, his brow furrowing with severe, dangerous tension at a stubbornness that utterly refused to bend.
Below the pavilion, a fresh wave of astonished whispers and terrified tremors rippled through the ranks of the students.
Everyone had expected this human to drop to her knees and beg for forgiveness the moment the Alphas appeared; instead, she was casually holding a steady, adversarial dialogue with the most volatile and vicious among them.
Damian Blackwood took two slow, calculated steps forward.
He stood beside the table, his towering build throwing a long shadow, his blue eyes radiating a coldness as sharp as steel.
He cast a strict, evaluating look over Roxy’s plate and her poised posture.
He slowly reached out and pulled back an adjacent chair, the heavy wood scraping sharply against the floorboards a sound that echoed loudly through the silent hall.
He spoke in a deep, resonant voice that carried an absolute, crushing authority: * “Enough of this tedious nonsense.
Human, your presence in this spot and your bypassing of the student queues is not merely a matter of ignorance.” He gripped the back of the leather chair with a terrifying strength, his tone growing even colder: “It is an explicit violation of the hierarchy that has governed this academy for centuries.
Vacate the seat immediately and return to your proper place below before this escalates into something you will deeply regret.” Roxy turned her gray eyes toward Damian with agonizing slowness.
Without losing a fraction of her calm, she gently placed her golden fork against the rim of her plate, the metal letting out a sharp, resonant ring.
She rested her elbows on the table, propping her chin up on her interlaced fingers as she analyzed his severe expression.
She spoke in a dry, unyielding tone that carried no retreat: “The system and hierarchy you are speaking of belong to your world and the rules of your pack.
I am a human.” She leaned forward slightly, her gaze locking onto his.
“And I am under no obligation to comply with rules that force a hungry person to wait in a line for hours while a table overflowing with food is left entirely vacant.
If you wish to preserve the dignity of your table, learn to be on time first.”