I shot Adrian a scornful look. "I didn't ask you to go looking for me," I snapped. "So whatever situation you've put yourself in, that's on you."
His golden eyes flashed with disbelief. "Seriously? That's all you have to say?"
I crossed my arms. "You think I wanted this? If you'd minded your own business, you wouldn't be stuck with me, would you?"
Adrian scoffed but didn't argue further. I wasn't in the mood to deal with him. With one last glare, I turned on my heel and walked off to my next class.
The rest of the day passed in a haze. I was exhausted—not just physically, but mentally. My body still ached from yesterday's attack, and I couldn't shake the lingering weight of Kieran's words. His voice haunted my mind.
"You will break."
I hated him.
I hated that he thought he knew me.
I hated that, deep down, a part of me feared he might be right.
By the time classes ended, I was barely holding myself together. I made my way to the feral dorm's common area, where Callum, Felix, and Elise were gathered.
Elise noticed me first. "There you are! Where the hell did you disappear to today?"
I was about to answer when my gaze landed on Callum. My stomach twisted.
New bruises.
Purple and red, scattered across his face like fresh wounds. His lip was split again, the cut still raw.
I felt a surge of rage. "Callum…"
He didn't meet my gaze.
Felix sighed. "We already asked him. He won't say a word."
I turned to Elise. She folded her arms. "We tried, but you know how stubborn he is."
Callum shifted uncomfortably. His eyes were cast downward, his jaw tight.
My fists clenched at my sides. I knew what this meant. He was protecting someone—or protecting us from whoever was doing this to him.
I exhaled sharply. "Fine. But if you ever decide to say something—"
"I won't," Callum muttered.
That pissed me off. "So you're just going to take this? Let them keep doing this to you?"
Callum finally met my eyes. "What else am I supposed to do, Lorraine?" His voice was quiet, but there was an edge of bitterness beneath it. "Fight back? And then what? Get beaten even worse? Get all of us targeted even more?"
I hated that he had a point.
My nails dug into my palms. I swallowed my frustration and sat beside him. "You're not alone, you know."
Callum didn't answer. But the slight tension in his shoulders eased, just a little.
Just then, an unwelcome voice interrupted the moment.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
I turned to see Adrian Vale striding toward me, looking particularly annoyed.
"We need to get started on our cleaning duty," he said flatly. "The earlier we start, the earlier we finish. And trust me, I have no plans of spending the rest of today stuck cleaning with you."
I sighed heavily. "Oh, what a tragedy for you," I muttered. "Having to spend time with a lowly feral."
Adrian smirked. "Exactly."
Felix chuckled under his breath. Elise rolled her eyes.
I stood up, shaking my head. "Let's just get this over with."
As I bid farewell to my friends and followed Adrian to the auditorium, I braced myself for what would no doubt be an unpleasant experience. Cleaning duty wasn't the problem, I had been forced to scrub floors and do far worse chores back in my pack. No, the real problem was being stuck with Adrian Vale, the noble who couldn't seem to mind his own business.
The school auditorium was massive, lined with rows of seats and a stage looming at the front. The scent of dust and old wood filled the air. Cleaning supplies were stacked against the far wall, buckets, mops, rags, and bottles of solution.
Adrian grabbed a mop and tossed one in my direction. "Try not to embarrass yourself."
I caught it, narrowing my eyes. "Oh, because mopping is such a noble skill."
He smirked. "For someone as weak as you? Maybe."
I huffed, gripping the mop handle tighter. "You're lucky we're stuck cleaning together, Vale. Otherwise, I'd show you just how 'weak' I am."
He chuckled. "Oh? And how exactly would you do that? By glaring me to death?"
I gritted my teeth and got to work, aggressively scrubbing the floor just to ignore him. He seemed to enjoy getting under my skin, which only made me want to punch him more.
For a while, we worked in silence, well, as silent as it could be with the occasional muttered insult from both of us. But after some time, my curiosity got the better of me.
I glanced at Adrian. "So tell me, why aren't you like the others?"
He raised a brow. "Elaborate."
"You're a noble," I said, wringing out the mop. "Most nobles treat ferals like we're dirt beneath their shoes. Yet, you…" I hesitated. "You don't seem to care about this whole 'hierarchy' nonsense. Why?"
Adrian's smirk faded slightly. For a moment, he seemed to consider his answer, then he shrugged.
"I've seen the world for what it is," he said simply. "I know how cruel it can be. This whole system, Lycans at the top, elites just beneath them, nobles trying to claw their way up, and ferals being treated like disposable trash, it's all bullshit."
I blinked. I hadn't expected such a blunt response.
Adrian continued, his voice calm but firm. "I don't care if someone is a Lycan, an elite, a noble, or a feral. At the end of the day, we're all just werewolves. The hierarchy means nothing to me."
I stared at him. For the first time since meeting Adrian Vale, I didn't have an immediate comeback.
Most nobles didn't think like that. Hell, none of them did.
And yet, here he was, telling me he didn't see me as lesser, when everyone sees me as lesser, everyone
I swallowed, not knowing how to respond.
Adrian noticed my silence and smirked. "What? No witty remark?"
I scowled, turning away. "Shut up and keep mopping, Adrian."
He chuckled but didn't press the matter.
For the first time since arriving at Lunar Crest Academy, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't as alone as I thought.
We continued to clean in silence and it seemed to make the work faster.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead, tossing the dirty rag into the bucket. The auditorium was finally clean. My hands ached, and I was sure I had inhaled enough dust to last me a lifetime.
Adrian stretched his arms with a satisfied sigh. "Well, that was fun."
I shot him a look. "You have a twisted definition of fun."
He grinned. "Shall we move on to the grand finale? The glorious toilets?"
I groaned. "Let's just get this over with."
We split up, Adrian heading to the male's restroom while I made my way into the female one. The smell of bleach and damp tiles hit my nose as I wrung out the mop and started scrubbing. The exhaustion weighed on my limbs, but I kept going, at least this wasn't as bad as the punishments back home.
Then I heard it.
A swoosh.
A shriek. Muffled, but unmistakable.
I froze, my grip tightening on the mop handle.
That wasn't just my imagination.
I hesitated for only a second before stepping out into the hallway, my ears straining. The corridor was empty, but something felt off. The air was thick, charged with a strange energy. My heartbeat quickened.
Then, I heard it again, a faint sound, a rustling movenment.
I followed it, my footsteps cautious but steady. The academy was eerily quiet at this hour, most students having returned to their dorms. The sound led me toward the cafeteria.
And then, I saw him.
A blur of movement. Someone, no, something, super-speeding out of the cafeteria.
I barely caught a glimpse. A red-collared uniform.
My breath caught in my throat.
A Lycan.
Who? What were they doing here?
I stepped closer, my pulse pounding in my ears. A heavy metallic scent hung in the air, blood.
I turned the corner and walked into the cafeteria.
And then I stopped.
My body locked in place. My lungs refused to pull in air.
The sight before me was pure horror.
A female feral. Hanging.
Her naked body was suspended from the ceiling, arms spread apart like an eagle.
Her chest... torn open.
Bones, flesh, and organs displayed in a grotesque mockery of life.
Blood dripped from her corpse, forming a slow, thick puddle beneath her dangling feet.
The world tilted. My stomach twisted violently.
I had seen death before. But not like this.
Not this cruel.
Not this monstrous.
My fingers trembled at my sides, and I felt something crawl beneath my skin.
Fear.