Chapter 10

Ronan’s POV

I didn't knock. I didn't think I had to. I was the Alpha heir, the future of the Bloodmoon Pack, and I was currently burning with a frustration that felt like acid in my veins.

 My test results were clutched in my hand, the paper crumpled from the force of my grip. I needed answers, and I needed them now.

I threw the door open with a crash that should have sent anyone in the room jumping out of their skin.

The words died in my throat. The air in the office was thick, smelling of old parchment and something far more intoxicating. 

My heart skipped a beat, then began to hammer against my ribs.

There, I met Vexley. She was standing there, and sitting behind the desk, lounging in his chair like a king on a throne, was Kael. He looked at her with a cold, triumphant expression that made my blood boil.

"What's going on here?" I demanded. My voice was a low growl, the sound of my wolf scratching at the surface, baring its teeth.

Vexley flinched at the sound of my voice.

As she stood, I saw it. The top two buttons of her blouse were loosened. The silk fabric hung open, revealing the soft, pale curve of her cleavage.

A hot, sudden surge of arousal hit me like a physical blow. It was visceral and unwanted, a tightening in my gut that I couldn't control. 

My wolf let out a sharp bark in the back of my mind. *Ours,* it whispered. *Protect. Mine.*

I forced my eyes back up to her face, my jaw tight. 

"Vexley?"

She didn't look at me. Her face was flushed a deep, burning crimson, her fingers fumbling with the buttons of her shirt, quickly hiding the boobs that had just set my mind on fire.

"Prince Ronan," she whispered. Her voice was thin as if she had been held underwater.

"I asked a question," I said, stepping further into the room. The tension in the air was so heavy it felt like I was walking through mud.

 "I asked what the hell is happening here?” My voice came out louder than I meant. 

Vexley finally looked at me, her silver eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears—or was it fear? 

"What is happening, how?…I don't seem to get your question.” 

I turned my glare toward Kael. He hadn't moved. He hadn't even stood up to greet me. He just leaned back, his fingers steepled under his chin, watching me with an amused, dark glint in his eyes.

"You have a very poor habit of barging in, Ronan," Kael said. His voice was smooth, completely unaffected by my rage. "Does your father not teach you that even an Alpha must respect boundaries? This is my private office. This is a private meeting between a professor and his student."

"Private meeting?" I barked, stepping toward his desk. “Don't play with me, Kael. I'm not in the mood for your riddles."

"I am not playing," Kael countered, his voice becoming dangerous. "I am teaching. Something you clearly haven't mastered yet. Respect. Protocol. Discipline."

He looked over at Vexley, his gaze lingering on her for a second too long. It made me more aggressive.

"You may leave, Miss Aleron," Kael said softly. "We will finish our... discussion later. We will pick up exactly where we stopped."

The words felt like a slap. *Where we stopped.* My mind went to dark places—her loose buttons, her cleavage, the way she had looked so broken and beautiful before Kael. 

What did this man have over her? Why was she here?

Vexley bowed her head, a quick, jerky movement. 

"Yes, Professor."

She turned and hurried toward the door. I couldn't help it; my eyes followed her. I watched the way her dark hair swayed against her back, the way her hips moved, even in her haste.

 She smelled of lilies and rain, but as she passed me, I caught a hint of something else—something sharp. Magic?

She disappeared into the hallway, and the room suddenly felt empty. I stood there, staring at the closed door, my heart still racing.

"Are you finished staring, Ronan? Or do I need to clear my throat again to get your attention?"

I snapped my head back to Kael. He was watching me with a smirk that made me want to leap across the desk and wrap my hands around his throat. 

I forced myself to take a breath. I had to focus. I had a reason for being here.

I threw the crumpled test paper onto his desk. 

"Why?" I asked, my voice trembling with suppressed fury. "Explain this to me. I wrote exactly what was in the scrolls. I cited the 14th Alliance perfectly. I followed every one of your 'protocols.' And you failed me again."

Kael didn't even look at the paper. "You wrote what was in the books, yes. But you didn't understand the soul of the strategy. A leader who only follows books is a puppet, not an Alpha."

"That's bullshit!" I slammed my hand onto the desk. 

"I have carried this subject over twice. Twice, Kael! This is my final year. If I fail this a third time, I repeat the entire year. My father will have my head. The Council will think I'm incompetent."

"Then perhaps you are," Kael said simply.

I fell silent, staring at him. I thought about the months of late nights, the hours spent in the library, the tutors my mother had hired in secret. All of it had been for nothing. Kael was a wall I couldn't climb.

My parents had tried to intervene. My father had threatened him, and my mother had tried to offer him a "grant" for his research—a bribe, in plain English. But Kael had laughed in their faces. 

He had told them that if they tried to buy his grades, he would report the Bloodmoon family to the High Academy Authorities. He would ruin our reputation before I even had the chance to lead.

And yet, we couldn't fire him. He had been recommended by one of the High Elders, a man even my father couldn't ignore. Kael was untouchable, and he knew it.

"Why?" I whispered, my anger turning into a cold, heavy realization. "I've done everything you asked. I've been your best student in every other class. Why is it always this one? Why is it always you?"

I leaned over the desk, my eyes boring into his. "It feels personal, Kael. It feels like you have a vendetta against me. Like you're trying to keep me from the throne on purpose."

Kael didn't flinch. He didn't blink. He slowly stood up, pushing his chair back. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked around the desk until he was standing right in front of me. He was shorter than me, but at that moment, he felt like a giant.

He leaned in, his face inches from mine, and the smirk on his lips grew wider, more cruel.

"Took you long enough to notice," he whispered.

My blood turned to ice. 

"What did I ever do to you?" I hissed, my wolf snarling in my chest.

Kael tilted his head, his eyes flashing with darkness. "It’s not just about what you did, Ronan. It’s about who you are. It’s about what your family took. And it’s about watching the 'perfect' heir realize he’s nothing more than a boy playing with a crown he doesn't deserve."