Chapter 8: Assembly

ALEXANDRIA 

“What an asshole.”  

After telling me about the assembly, Chase just threw on a shirt and stormed out of the room. When I asked him if we could go together, he told me to figure it out for myself.  

Now, I was lost in the sprawling maze of this Academy. Who knew that finding the gymnasium would be so challenging? There were no more students left in the hallways, leaving me without anyone to follow. 

I silently cursed Chase in my mind. I should've gotten a better roommate.  

“Alex?”  

A soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned to see a tall, lanky guy with glasses and kind eyes. He studied me with a look of familiarity.  

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind.  

“Zeus!” I exclaimed, recalling Alexei’s stories about a friend he’d made in his combat class.  

I was taken aback when he suddenly enveloped me in a warm embrace. My eyes widened as I wondered if he had felt the swell of my breasts. I had bound them pretty well with Mandy’s help, but even then, I couldn’t be entirely sure.  

However, when Zeus pulled away and looked at me with concern in his eyes, I realized he was just as Alexei had described—dense and innocent.  

“Did you lose weight?” he asked. “You weren’t this skinny before.”  

“Umm…”  

“Anyway, I’m just so glad you’re alive. Do you know how worried I was when I couldn’t reach you?”  

I pursed my lips. “My phone was wrecked in the crash.”  

“I was so worried,” he said, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I saw the car wreck, and I can’t even fathom how you survived that.”  

He seemed on the verge of sobbing. Oh goodness, I had a crybaby friend. I quickly patted his shoulder to comfort him.  

“It’s okay. I’m here. I just suffered a few injuries. I didn’t even have any injuries on my head or face.”  

“I’m so happy,” he sighed in relief. “I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you as my friend in here.”  

I smiled as I patted his shoulder again. It seemed Alexei had actually met a good person in this place. Still, I couldn’t be too sure—maybe he knew something about my twin brother’s death.  

“Wait,” he said, inspecting me closely. “Why are you wearing the school uniform, though?”  

“Huh?” I muttered, then realized he was dressed in casual clothes. Come to think of it, Chase had also left the room in just shorts and a shirt.  

“Fucking Chase,” I growled under my breath.  

“Anyway, it’s too late to get changed now,” he said, grabbing my hand. “The assembly is about to start. They said they’d be giving demerits to anyone who arrives late.”  

He tugged my wrist and began leading me in what I assumed was the direction of the gymnasium. After a moment, he paused and held my wrist up.  

“You’ve really gotten skinnier. Your wrist is even delicate like this.”  

I pulled my wrist away from his grip. “I didn’t get to eat much while I was recovering. Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.”  

He nodded and, thankfully, released his grip on me. I followed after him for what felt like an eternity until we arrived at the gymnasium. 

The sound of someone speaking drifted through the air outside, sending Zeus into a panic. “Crap. I think it’s already started.” 

We hurried inside, but the moment we opened the doors, everyone seemed to turn our way. The room fell dead silent, and even the speaker at the podium glanced at our direction. 

Weak in the knees from the overwhelming Alpha scents that lingered in the air, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me, forcing me to briefly stop breathing. But that feeling was soon overshadowed by the whispers that began to circulate through the crowd, some of which I could hear all too clearly. 

“He’s still alive?” 

“Isn’t he the first one to survive a crash like that?” 

“He has some guts to come back here after that stunt he pulled.” 

At that moment, it felt like I was drowning. The weight of their words, combined with all the whispers I could not hear, threatened to pull me under. 

“Come on,” Zeus urged. “Let’s sit. The professors are already looking at us.” 

Snapping out of my daze, I nodded and began scanning for an empty spot. There were a few vacant places on the bleachers just behind the professors, which were the closest to us. 

I made my way there and took a seat, but when I glanced to my side, I noticed Zeus was not beside me. I turned back to find him with fearful eyes, almost coaxing me to leave. I gestured for him to sit next to me instead. 

He looked genuinely frightened as he lowered himself into the seat beside me, and I turned my attention to the front, where the speaker continued to introduce someone. 

Zeus gently poked me to draw my focus, and I turned to him. “Why would you sit here?” 

I tilted my head in confusion. “Why not?” 

“We should have sat in the back,” he replied, his voice shaky. 

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed numerous empty spaces in the back, as well as many gazes burning through us. Ignoring their stares, I turned back to Zeus. 

“It’s too far,” I reasoned. “We’d have to navigate our way around.” 

“Even so,” he said, his voice low. 

I chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood. “What’s there to be afraid of?” 

He visibly swallowed, and the fear in his eyes didn’t wane—not even slightly, which made me frown. 

“We can’t sit here,” he murmured. 

“It’s where the top Alphas sit.” 

That was when I noticed our row was significantly less congested compared to others. While other rows packed in at least twenty Alphas, ours had only about ten. Familiar faces sat nearby—Damon and Chad among a few others. My frown deepened as I turned back to Zeus. 

No wonder they were all staring at us. This Academy treasured hierarchy this much? 

Zeus tugged on my sleeve, urging me to stand and leave our seats. Just then, however, the entire Academy rose, heads bowing in a show of respect. Zeus quickly followed, also bowing his head. 

When I didn’t rise, Zeus looked at me as if I had lost my senses. 

As I lifted my gaze, a man stepped out from behind the curtains onto the stage. The very air seemed to change as he commanded everyone’s attention, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. When his gaze locked onto mine, my breath hitched, and instinctively, I stood and bowed my head. 

What was this presence? 

What kind of person commanded such respect? 

He cleared his throat into the mic. 

“Good day, Alphas.”