The moment stretched, thick and suffocating.
I didn't even realize my supplies had slipped from my hands until I heard the soft thuds of cans hitting the floor, packets skidding across the marble. A glass bottle cracked, but the sound barely registered.
Because standing in front of me was him.
Kieran Valerius Hunter.
The Lycan Prince.
My breath stalled in my chest, my entire world shrinking down to the man before me. He was tall, towering over me like an unmovable force. His long black hair framed a face so sharp and defined it almost didn't seem real, strong jawline, high cheekbones, and those fiery golden eyes. Gods, those eyes. They gleamed like a predator's under the moonlight, piercing, cold, and unreadable.
Power rolled off him in waves, suffocating and inescapable.
I was frozen, every nerve in my body on high alert, my pulse hammering against my ribs.
Then—
"The fuck do you think you're doing?"
The snarl shattered the trance, and before I could react, rough hands grabbed me.
"How dare you bump into the prince like that?" One of the Lycan students accompanying Kieran yanked me forward, his grip bruising. "You should consider yourself dead."
I barely struggled, my mind still spinning. But I knew one thing for sure, these Lycans weren't just throwing around empty threats.
Another one raised his hand, claws elongating, aiming straight for my throat—
"Enough."
The word came like a command from the gods themselves, deep and absolute.
The Lycans immediately froze.
I felt it in my bones, the sheer authority in his voice. The one holding me instantly let go, stepping back like a scolded child.
Kieran's fiery gaze sweptt over me, lingering for a second too long.
Then, without a single word, he turned and walked away.
Just like that.
His men hesitated, throwing me lingering glares before sneering. "Today's your lucky day," one spat. "But we'll deal with you another time."
They followed their prince, disappearing into the mall.
I barely registered their words. My head was still spinning.
Callum, who had been standing behind me, looked like he had seen a ghost. His face was pale, his hands trembling as he hurried to pick up my scattered supplies.
"Shit—Lorraine, are you okay?" His voice was hushed, frantic.
I bent down, picking up a bag of rice with stiff fingers. "I'm fine," I muttered, though I wasn't sure if I believed it myself.
The walk back to the dorm was quiet.
The moment we stepped inside the dorm's common area, Elise and Felix rushed over.
"You got everything?" Elise asked, grabbing a few items from my bag. "Thank the goddess. I was starving."
Felix didn't waste time, taking some food and heading straight to the small communal kitchen with Elise. They worked fast, putting together something simple, boiled rice and whatever cheap seasonings we could afford.
I sat at the table, staring at my untouched plate.
I wasn't hungry.
"Lorraine?" Callum nudged my arm. "You okay?"
"Yeah." I forced the word out, but my mind was still stuck on that moment. On him.
On the way his gaze had felt like it stripped me bare.
On the sound of his voice, commanding and absolute.
On the way my entire body had gone still, breathless, under the weight of his presence.
There was something about him. Something I couldn't explain. Something I couldn't shake.
And no matter how much I tried to push it away, I knew one thing for certain.
This wasn't the last time I would cross paths with Kieran Valerius Hunter.
....
The sharp, blaring sound of the academy's morning siren jolted me awake.
I sat up abruptly, heart pounding, as the noise echoed through the dorm halls.
"Ohh I'll never get used to that," Elise groaned from the bed at the other corner of the room, rubbing her eyes.
I sighed, stretching my sore limbs, wincing slightly at the lingering pain from old wounds. It didn't matter how much time passed, some aches never fully faded.
We both got up, grabbing our towels before heading to the bathroom. The bathroom had two separate showers so we could take our bath at the same time.
We turned the shower on and the water was cold, but I barely flinched. I'd been through worse. Elise, on the other hand, yelped the second it hit her skin.
"Damn it, why is the water this freezing?" she whined.
"Because this is the Feral Dorm," I muttered, rinsing off quickly. "We're lucky we have water at all."
By the time we returned to our room, the sun had just begun to rise, casting pale light through the small window. I grabbed my uniform, a white blouse, black pants, and a purple-collared jacket marking me as a feral. Elise did the same, combing her damp blonde hair.
But when I pulled off my towel to change, she suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
"Lorraine…" Her voice was tight. "What the hell?"
I froze.
She was staring..... no, gaping, at me. At my body.
The bruises. The scars.
They stretched across my back, my arms, my ribs, a map of pain carved into my skin. Some old, some newer, some barely healed.
"Why do you have so many bruises, so many scars?" Elise asked, her voice a mix of shock and concern.
I stiffened, yanking my shirt over my head quickly, covering myself before she could say anything more.
"It's nothing," I muttered. "Just from a few falls… back at my pack."
Her eyes narrowed. "A few falls?" she echoed, clearly not buying it. "Lorraine, that—"
"I don't want to talk about it."
The words came out sharper than I intended. Elise flinched slightly but didn't push. Instead, she hesitated before nodding.
"Okay," she said softly. "Let's just… get ready."
I exhaled slowly, tension still gripping my shoulders.
How could I tell her the truth?
How could I explain that my own pack had done this to me? That they had treated me worse than an outsider, beating me down at every opportunity until pain became my constant companion?
No.
Some wounds weren't meant to be shared.
Once we were fully dressed, we grabbed our books and rushed out. My first class of the day was Combat & Strategy, one of the many ways this academy prepared its students for a life of hierarchy and bloodshed.
But as we stepped into the common area, we realized something was wrong.
An uneasy murmur filled the space. A crowd had gathered right outside the dorm, voices hushed yet urgent.
Elise and I exchanged a look before pushing our way through, our stomachs twisting with unease.
And then..... we saw it.
Two ferals.
Lying motionless on the ground.
Dead.
A large cardboard sign had been placed over their bodies, the bold, jagged words glaring up at us like a curse:
ALL FERAL DAYS ARE NUMBERED.
A heavy silence settled over the dorm. No one spoke. No one dared to.
Because we all knew exactly what this was.
A warning
And none of us were safe.