Chapter 13

Raveena's POV

The gossip in the advanced literature seminar had been a dull murmur until the door opened. When Silas, the Alpha’s personal Beta, stepped into the room and locked his eyes directly on me, the entire classroom went dead silent.

"Miss Aleron," Silas had said, his voice carrying the heavy weight of royal authority. "The Alpha heir requests your presence in his private study. Immediately."

A collective gasp rippled through the rows of students. Astrid’s jaw practically dropped to her desk, and the quiet whispers flared up like wildfire the moment I stood up and gathered my books.

 I kept my chin high, my face a mask of cold indifference as I walked out, but inside, my mind was racing.

I knew Ronan was shaken by what he saw in Kael's office, I thought as I followed Silas down the grand corridor, but I didn't think he would go this far. 

To summon a transfer student to his private quarters right after a public scandal with his fiancée was reckless. It smelled of desperation.

Now, standing inside his opulent, wood-paneled study, Ronan stood just inches away from me, his blue eyes burning with an intense curiosity.

"What were you doing with the professor back then?" he demanded. " I want the truth.”

I didn't flinch. I didn't lower my gaze. I stared at him head-on, letting a cold, mocking smile touch my lips.

"With all due respect, Prince Ronan," I said, my voice smooth and entirely unbothered, "what I do in a professor's office is absolutely none of your business. The last time I checked, you are not my mate, nor are you my Alpha yet. You have no right to question me, and you certainly have no reason to be jealous."

Ronan’s jaw clenched so hard I heard the bone click. A dark flush crept up his neck.

Pressing the blade in deeper, I tilted my head and stepped closer. "In fact, I wonder what your beautiful fiancée would think if she knew you were spending your afternoon keeping tabs on another woman. Doesn't the future Alpha have more important pack duties than tracking my movements?"

The insult hit its mark. Ronan’s eyes darkened. He stood up from his desk, his massive frame towering over me as he began to walk toward me. I stood my ground, though an internal sigh escaped me. 

*I haven't even caught a single break since I set foot on this cursed campus, I thought, keeping my breathing steady. *Yesterday it was Thalia, this morning it was Kael threatening me with black magic, and now I'm being cornered by the prince.* I was trapped squarely between two powerful, dangerous men—the rogue sorcerer and the arrogant heir.

But as I watched Ronan approach, I realized I wasn't actually complaining about his behavior. 

This was exactly what I wanted. I needed his attention. I needed him obsessed, unhinged, and blind to anything else. If he was watching me, he wasn't watching the knife I was preparing to slide into his ribs.

Ronan stopped just a foot away from me, the heat radiating off his body hitting me in waves. "I thought we were friends, Vexley," he said, his voice rough, sounding genuinely hurt beneath the anger. "After last night at the bar... I thought there was an understanding between us."

I let out a soft, melodic laugh that echoed off the high ceiling. "Friends? Just because we exchanged names and spoke once over a glass of wine doesn't make us friends, my Prince. You are far too trusting."

While he processed the rejection, I reached deep down into the dormant spaces of my soul. I didn't have a wolf, but the ancient Aleron magic running through my altered veins gave me a different kind of power.

 With a sharp wave of focus, I forced my scent to change. The soft fragrance of lilies and rain quickly deepened into something stronger, warm, tempting, and dangerously seductive.

It was an undeniable invitation, a concentrated dose of desire meant to drive a werewolf out of his mind.

Ronan’s nose twitched instantly.

He flared his nostrils as he breathed in the heavy scent around us, and I saw the exact moment his control slipped. His fists tightened at his sides until his knuckles turned white.

A low growl rumbled in his chest, shaky and filled with tension. His wolf was fighting to break free, desperate to pull me close and claim me as its own. He struggled against the urge, his breathing rough and uneven as he tried with everything he had not to touch me.

With a strained, violent jerk of his neck, Ronan threw his head to the side, forcing himself to look away from my face.

"I don't care," he growled, his voice thick and strained as he fought for breath. "I don't care what is between the two of you. Do whatever you want with him. But you should know better than to let him use you. Kael has a personal vendetta against me. It’s obvious he’s trying to sabotage my future, and if you join him to ruin me, I won't be merciful."

I pulled my scent back slightly, satisfied with the damage I had done. "I already told you, Prince Ronan. I don't care about you, and I don't care about your professor. I am only here to study and mind my own business. I suggest you do the same."

Suddenly, the frustration became too much for him. The rejection, the unattainable scent, and the humiliation of the morning boiled over.

"Leave," Ronan snapped, his voice booming through the study as he turned his back to me completely. "Get out of my sight, Vexley. And stay away from me."

"As you wish, my Alpha," I murmured.

I bowed elegantly, ensuring the movement was slow enough to mock his authority. Then, I turned and walked toward the door. 

As I moved, I deliberately swayed my hips, rolling my ass in a slow, hypnotic motion with every step I took across the polished floor. I didn't need to look back to know his eyes were glued to me, burning holes into my back.

*Let him watch,* I thought, a cold triumph settling into my chest as I gripped the brass handle. *Let him drown in it.*

I pushed the door open and stepped out into the quiet, sunlit hallway, letting the heavy wood click shut behind me. 

I took a deep breath, ready to head back to the dorms, when a sharp, familiar voice cut through the silence like broken glass.

"Oh... little Omega."

I froze.