Chapter 4: The explosion at the masquerade party  

Chapter 4: The explosion at the masquerade party  

I meant to open my mouth to refuse, but in the end, I still couldn't say a word. Actually, I didn't want to go to that party. Since no one welcomed my presence anyway, why bother forcing myself into crowded places like that.

That masquerade party took place on the third day after the enrollment ceremony. In reality, it was a party for Alphas and Betas to find their destined mates.

A noisy and complicated place like that was never where I should have been. But since Lucian had ordered it, I had no choice but to comply, picking out a somewhat nice dress and putting it on. As I combed my hair, I looked at myself in the mirror and silently sighed.

"Maybe I should show up for a bit, then find some excuse to head back."

I walked into the banquet hall with Lucian. Of course, there was no arm-in-arm entrance; Lucian walked ahead while I quietly followed right behind. Once inside, Lucian quickly went over to the most prominent group of Alpha friends to chat.

I was like a lost soul in the middle of the crowded hall, the looks from the female students like daggers on my skin, making me uncomfortable.

I glanced at Lucian. He didn't seem to remember me at all. So this was the best time to leave. I hurriedly ran out of the banquet hall, silently praying that I would make it back to the dorm safely.

And yet, in the end, I still couldn't escape.

Just as I turned the corner of the hallway, a group of female students grabbed me, shoved me hard against the wall, and surrounded me. I clenched my fists. This corner of the hallway had little foot traffic, and since the party was still going on inside, no one would pay attention to any commotion out here.

"Can't I even have a peaceful day today..."

I furrowed my brows, sneering bitterly to myself.

One of the female students grabbed my collar and yelled.

"Hey, do you dare to look down on us? You're just a weak, useless Omega, and you dare not answer our question?"

I was startled, because I had been lost in thought earlier and hadn't heard their question.

Either way, I was going to get hit. Struggling would only cause more trouble, so I decided not to respond to them. The girl angrily slapped me across the face, making me stagger and collapse to one side.

"You weak little thing, thinking you're so noble? Someone like you dares to cling to a Lycan? You really don't know your place."

Then she irritably grabbed a glass of red wine and poured it over my head. The wine stuck to my hair and face, making me feel terrible. I clenched my teeth, looked up at them, and spoke softly.

"You're asking me why I can cling to a Lycan? Then why don't you ask him directly why he didn't choose you?"

The group was immediately provoked into anger, their eyes turning red with fury.

Maybe they thought I didn't know how to fight back, but everyone has their limits. I only endured because I knew that resisting wouldn't change anything, not because I didn't know how to fight back.

The girl angrily grabbed me, about to slap me again, when a loud explosion rang out, shaking the very ground.

"What's going on?!"

"What the hell is happening?"

They immediately panicked, not knowing what was going on. A few seconds after the explosion, fire began to spread, throwing everyone into chaos. The group of female students no longer had any energy to care about me, hurriedly figuring out their bearings before shifting into wolf form and disappearing.

I forced myself to stand up. The heat from the flames had already reached where I was.

"What on earth is happening? I need to get out of here fast..."

I meant to run forward, but the flames ahead were even more intense, so I decided to turn back toward the main hall. Unfortunately, that path was also surrounded by fire.

I gasped for breath, my heart skipping a beat as I realized I was trapped in a sea of flames.

At this moment, no one else was here. Only I was trapped. The feeling of grievance and pain was something no one could understand. The fire spread along the large pillars and began to catch on the wooden beams overhead, the cracking sound of wood about to collapse telling me that time was truly running out.

I sighed, smiled bitterly, and muttered to myself.

"Maybe everything will just end like this. That's fine too,""No one will be bothered by my existence anymore, and I won't have to live with my head bowed."

I thought that to comfort myself, but the moment the wooden beam truly came crashing down, I still screamed in fear and clutched my head.

However, the absence of pain made me feel strange. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Lucian using his hand to block the beam. He was gritting his teeth, the veins on his neck bulging visibly.

Lucian flung the beam away with his hand and let out a sigh of relief. He turned to look at me and snapped.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing? Are you crazy or just stupid? Don't you know how to run, or do you want to die? If it weren't for me, you'd already be greeting your ancestors!"

I was still dazed, and the fear hadn't subsided, so my whole body was stiff, and my throat was choked up, unable to utter a word. At that moment, I truly thought I was going to die.

Lucian looked at me, rubbed his head in frustration, and reached out to grab my hand.

"Stop sitting there frozen. Let's get out of here! I have no interest in dying with you, you nuisance!"

I followed behind Lucian and asked quietly.

"How did you find me?"

Lucian looked around for an exit while replying nonchalantly.

"I don't know, but you have some very distinctive smell. I followed it and found you."

I didn't understand what Lucian meant, but the current situation didn't allow me to ask more. Getting out of here was more important, so I suppressed my curiosity and silently followed Lucian.

We crossed the long hallway to reach an emergency exit at the very end. When Lucian was about to step forward and open the door, the other side of it suddenly exploded.

"Boom!"

We were thrown back. The heat and the aftermath of the explosion left my head spinning. When I looked again, I found myself nestled in Lucian's warm chest.

My ears were ringing, and a warm sensation trickled from my forehead down my face. I tried to open my eyes, but all I could see was a murky red of blood.

I saw Lucian's annoyed, frowning face along with a large gash on his forehead bleeding profusely. It seemed that not just I, but he too, had been affected by the explosion.