The drama surrounding Prince Eugene had gathered the attention of both students and staff, yet no one—absolutely no one—was saying anything.
It was almost as if they were afraid of the man and what he might do if anyone dared interfere.
Meanwhile, Noah looked seconds away from laughing his ass off.
Oh, this was entertaining.
Unfortunately, his stomach was still screaming for food, and right now that was a much bigger concern.
"That’s funny, dude. I didn’t know people here had a sense of humor like this, especially someone who looks as rich as you."
Noah saw it instantly.
The guy’s eyes darkened.
The small comment had clearly struck a nerve and somehow made him even angrier than before.
Not that Noah cared.
He had never been fond of spoiled boys who got bored and threw tantrums just to remind everyone they existed.
"It’s my fault, I know, so I’ll help clean it. But that joke about licking your shoes? You’re one delusional king."
Looking around, Noah spotted a leaf lying nearby. Picking it up, he bent down and brushed the part of the shoe he was sure he’d stepped on.
The black leather was already shining.
"There. Good as new."
Unfortunately, that seemed to make things worse.
Eugene’s face only grew darker.
Instead of calming him down, Noah’s actions appeared to be feeding his anger.
"Come with me. Maybe a week in the solitary room will help you understand your mistake."
Before Noah could protest, Eugene grabbed his arm and began dragging him away.
Whispers followed them.
Some students looked amused.
Others watched with irritation.
A few stared at him with pure disdain.
Noah met their gazes without flinching.
Seriously?
A solitary room?
Was this a school or a prison?
"Let me go. You’re hurting my arm."
His demand fell on deaf ears.
Eugene didn’t loosen his grip.
Everything about the man radiated authority and dominance. More importantly, he carried himself like someone who wasn’t accustomed to being challenged.
Oh, motherfucker.
You’re in for a ride.
A few moments later they entered a massive hall where food was being served.
Without warning, Eugene threw him toward the center of the floor.
Every movement inside the hall stopped.
Hundreds of eyes immediately landed on him.
Noah blinked.
Well.
At least he’d finally found the cafeteria.
The bastard had been rough about it, but he’d still gotten him where he needed to go.
And where the hell were the teachers?
Were they decorations?
Mannequins?
Did nobody do anything around here?
As Noah stood up, his gaze swept across the hall.
Then he noticed something strange.
A very clear distinction.
Nobody needed to explain it.
The seating arrangement said everything.
Alphas.
Betas.
Omegas.
And beneath that was another separation.
Money.
The filthy rich.
The middle class.
The poor.
The body Noah currently occupied belonged firmly to the last category.
Lucky him.
Actually, scratch that.
Unlucky him.
Because he wasn’t just poor.
He was an omega too.
Which basically placed him at the bottom of the social pyramid.
The front section was occupied by wealthy Type-A Alphas.
The strongest.
The richest.
The untouchable elite.
Behind them sat the middle-class Type-B Alphas. Not quite as powerful but still influential enough to command respect.
The same structure existed among Betas and Omegas.
Rich Type-A Betas.
Middle-class Type-B Betas.
Rich Omegas.
Middle-class Omegas.
But the treatment wasn’t equal.
Rich omegas still received a decent amount of respect because money could buy dignity.
Middle-class omegas received less.
And the poor section?
That area was practically overflowing with omegas.
Weak omegas.
Powerless omegas.
People with no influence, no status, and no protection.
Just a title and a body.
That was all society saw when they looked at them.
Noah glanced around the poor section.
Most of them kept their heads lowered.
Some looked frightened.
Others looked resigned.
Pathetic.
And unfortunately, he now belonged among them.
The whispers around the hall only intensified.
Students had clearly recognized him.
Honestly, Noah was starting to realize he had become ridiculously popular.
His name seemed to appear in every piece of gossip.
Not only had he already encountered one Golden Student.
Not two.
But now three.
On his very first day in this ridiculous world.
Fantastic.
So much for keeping a low profile.
"The solitary room is behind this hall. Go there and don’t come out."
The command echoed through the cafeteria.
Noah immediately recognized it.
An Alpha Command.
At least that’s what he assumed it was.
The reactions he’d witnessed earlier and the way Ashton’s body had responded gave him enough clues.
Eugene was trying to force obedience.
Trying to make him bend.
Trying to control him through sheer Alpha authority.
Unfortunately for Eugene...
Nothing happened.
Noah felt absolutely nothing.
"Okay, Your Highness. I’ll be on my way."
He took a few steps.
Then stopped.
A grin spread across his face.
"Just kidding. I didn’t feel anything."
Silence.
Pure silence.
Eugene’s expression shattered.
Shock flashed across his face.
For the first time since they’d met, the prince looked genuinely caught off guard.
Noah almost laughed.
Now that he looked closer, Eugene was annoyingly handsome.
Long crimson hair framed his face.
His hazel eyes carried a sharp intensity.
His jawline wasn’t quite as unfairly perfect as Damian’s, but it was still enough to make half the academy lose their minds.
"I’ll be right over after I grab my meal. Have a nice day, Eugene. It was fun playing fetch with you."
The reaction was immediate.
Gasps erupted around the room.
Students stared in horror.
Some even stood from their seats.
"He is dead."
"This time he’s definitely dead."
"Someone stop him."
Noah ignored them all.
His attention drifted toward the grandest table in the hall.
Located beside the wealthy section, it stood apart from every other table.
And sitting there was a girl.
No.
A beauty.
Her appearance was so delicate she looked as though harsh sunlight might burn her skin.
Silver hair cascaded down her shoulders.
Her features were soft and elegant.
Yet despite that fragile appearance, she radiated power.
The kind of power that made people submit without realizing it.
Noah immediately knew.
The heroine.
Who else could it be?
Damian sat nearby.
Marcus too.
The two males who had already caused him enough trouble for one lifetime.
Yet something felt strange.
Neither of them were looking at the heroine.
They were staring directly at him.
Their gazes carried an odd intensity.
Almost spellbound.
Then a soft voice drifted across the hall.
"Leave him, Eugene. That useless boy isn’t worth your time."
The words instantly reached their target.
Eugene froze.
The anger shaking through his body slowly settled.
Maybe it was her influence.
Maybe it was her status.
Whatever it was, Noah couldn’t care less.
She could take her loyal dog and keep him away from him.
That would be greatly appreciated.
The sharp click of heels echoed throughout the hall.
The heroine rose from her seat and approached.
Every step carried effortless elegance.
She stopped directly before Noah.
Her silver hair swayed gently as she tilted her head downward.
The gesture alone seemed designed to remind him of the gap between them.
To remind him that he was beneath her.
"Stop wasting your breath on a nobody like him."
She turned to leave.
Noah scoffed.
"Same to you, Lady Crab."
The heroine froze.
Shock flashed across her face.
Then embarrassment.
The entire hall gasped.
Several students nearly choked.
The males surrounding her immediately stood.
Damian.
Marcus.
Even Eugene.
The latter looked seconds away from slapping Noah across the face.
Then another voice rang out.
Clear.
Calm.
Authoritative.
"Don’t touch him, Eugene."
The entire hall froze.
Even Noah turned.
A handsome young man sat several tables away.
One of the male leads.
Great.
Just great.
" Ashton, bring your food and come sit with me."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The cafeteria looked as though someone had pressed pause on reality itself.
Noah’s eyes widened.
Wasn’t that another male lead?
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Now all the male leads were fighting because of him.
At this rate he was going to collect the entire cast before the week ended.
Good job, Noah Evernight.
Good freaking job.