Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3— Unshifted and Unbothered

By the next morning, things were different.

Caius entered the lecture hall early, as usual, taking the same seat by the window. The sun fell directly over his desk, casting a soft light across his facial features, The boy was undoubtedly handsome, his Light brown coloured hair fell across his face covering his futures as he stared at the nite ahead of him.

The were already whispers nearby, all were talking about the beta who disrespected the Alpha yesterday.

The door opened, Miguel walked in, his steps unhurried, gaze unreadable. Students straightened immediately, voices dying out. He didn’t look at anyone except the figure sitting calmly at the window.

He walked right past every empty seat and stopped beside Caius’s desk.

“Move.”

The word was quiet, almost polite, but everyone heard it.

Caius didn’t look up. “You can sit somewhere else. Your name isn't written here.”

A ripple went through the room. Dax grinned from the back, already enjoying the show.

Miguel placed a hand on the edge of the desk, leaning forward slightly.

“You’re in my seat.” He stared at Caius menacingly.

Caius finally looked up. His tone didn’t change. “Then maybe you should’ve come earlier.”

The silence that followed was absolute. Even the ticking clock on the wall seemed to stop for a heartbeat.

Miguel’s smirk was small and dangerous. “You talk a lot for a Beta and it makes me want to really show people like you were you belong.”

“Only when someone doesn’t understand simple words,” Caius replied, eyes steady.

Dax shot up from his chair, but Miguel raised a hand without looking away. “Sit down.”

Dax froze.

Miguel straightened slowly, pushing off the desk. For a second, it looked like he might do something—something physical, something final but instead

Miguel’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “You’ve got guts,” he said finally, his tone smooth, quiet, and unsettlingly calm. “Let’s see how long that lasts when I start with you.”

He smirked at Cauis, stepped back, turning toward the next row, and sat down in the seat directly behind Caius. The tension in the room shifted as every student in the room pretended to focus on their books, but their eyes darted between the two of them.

Caius didn’t move again. He adjusted his notes, flipped a page, and began to write. Not a single tremor in his hand, it was like Miguel’s presence didn’t exist at all.

Miguel leaned back, watching the back of his head for a long moment, his fingers tapping once against the desk.

When the lecturer finally entered, the class tried to breathe normally again. But every so often, someone would glance toward the corner, expecting a fight that never came.

~~~~~

After class, Caius stood, packing his things with the same calm demeanor as always. He could feel eyes on him but he didn’t need to look around to know who they belonged to.

Miguel stood too, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He didn’t say anything as they both headed for the door, one after the other.

In the hallway, Dax was waiting. “You really let him take your spot again?”

Miguel didn’t respond immediately. He adjusted the strap of his bag, his gaze following Caius as he walked away through the crowd.

“Relax,” Miguel said finally, his voice low. “You can’t break what doesn’t bend.”

Dax frowned. “Meaning?”

Miguel’s smirk returned, colder this time. “When I teaches him, he'll learn. Everyone does.”

~~~~~

By the time evening rolled around, the boys’ hostel was alive with noise—doors slamming, laughter echoing down the corridors, the scent of different wolves mixing thick in the air.

Caius walked through it all silently, ignoring the curious looks that followed him to his room. Inside, his space was bare, there were just a bed, a desk, a small shelf, and a window overlooking the courtyard. His belongings weren't many since he had packed in, a day before yesterday.

He sat down, unwrapped a simple dinner pack from the cafeteria, and started eating. His movements were quiet, unhurried, even as muffled conversations drifted from the hallway.

“…he really talked back to Miguel, twice.”

“No one’s ever done that and gotten away with it.”

“Maybe he’s stupid.”

Caius didn’t react, he had heard all what was said. For a beta, he had a sense of hearing even an Alpha couldn't have. He finished eating, stood, and began to unpack his remaining things.

Across the courtyard, through another window, Miguel stood at his own desk, he was devising a plan to make Caius bow. That plan meant going back home for a day but his dad—The Alpha of the pack wasn't going to allow that.

Dax called from the hallway, “You coming down to the lounge?”

“In a minute,” Miguel replied, still looking outside.

~~~~~

Morning training at Juvenile Academy wasn’t optional. Miguel's Father had made it known to the pack schools, that every student must train his or her wolf as an Alpha or Beta, even the omegas must learn to be strong.

Every student—Alpha, Beta, and even the timid Omegas was expected to show up at the Juvenile Eastern field before sunrise.

By the time the whistle blew, the ground was already buzzing with movement. Wolves shifted one after another, fur glinting under the first light of dawn. Bones cracked, growls filled the air, and the ground shook beneath pounding paws.

Caius stood at the edge of the field, calm as ever. His uniform was still on, his hands placed on his pockets. While others bared their teeth and snarled for dominance, he simply watched with an unreadable expression.

Miguel noticed immediately.

From the center of the field, his white wolf tore through the line of trainees, swift and commanding. When he shifted back, sweat gleamed across his skin, his chest rising and falling with steady breath. His cold eyes swept across the students until they landed on the figure standing apart.

Caius. 

He was unshifted and unbothered.

Miguel’s jaw flexed. "Who does he think he is?" Miguel thought. Every student knew the rules. Training wasn’t just a routine, it was a hierarchy. To refuse to shift was to reject the system itself.

Dax, panting beside him, followed Miguel’s gaze and laughed breathlessly. “He’s really not gonna change, huh?”

Miguel didn’t respond. He just stared, something dark flickering in his eyes.

“Maybe he can’t shift,” Dax offered. “Maybe he’s—”

“Quiet,” Miguel cut in, voice low. He didn’t take his eyes off Caius.

Across the field, the instructor barked orders, calling out the next round. Students returned to formation, shifting again with obedient precision except for one.

Caius.

He still stood there, watching the chaos like a spectator at a play. When a boy, a younger Beta hesitated and finally jogged over, Miguel’s gaze sharpened.

“Hey, um…” the boy said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “You should probably join, the instructor doesn’t like slackers, people who don't follow rules always get punished.”

Caius looked at him, his expression soft but distant. “Thank you,” he said simply.

That was all.

The boy lingered, unsure, then gave an awkward nod and ran back to the others.

Miguel’s teeth clenched. The instructor finally noticed and shouted, “Caius Varyn! Shift or get off my field!”

Heads turned, the training came to a slow halt. Caius met the instructor’s glare from across the field. His voice carried clearly, unshaken. “Understood.”

He turned around and began walking off.

Miguel’s fingers curled into fists, he could hear Dax mutter, “What the hell is wrong with him?” but he didn’t answer.

"If you are leaving today, tomorrow, you wouldn't get to leave." The coach screamed at Caius who paid daft ear.