{Chapter 2: Emotion}

(A/n: TRIGGER WARNING: MENTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT. I'll put another warning just before the scene)

Nothing else could distract Radyn ever since the words on the letter were ingrained into his brain. The night was spent restless with those thoughts taking control of his mind and infecting it. He had decided that it was pathetic to be attached to such an old yet valued tradition. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Ever since he received the letter yesterday, the thoughts refused to leave him.

The trial will begin on the first day of your brief return back. From, Bahram

Vaslof.

A simple sentence was all it took. All the efforts to block out his pack and family were completely and utterly useless. Radyn couldn't avoid his future. He was like a bug caught in an inescapable spider's web, struggling to evade the inevitable. The Werewolf sat in his bed, a motionless figurine. Radyn realized his existence when his roommate entered the room, making one of the most extravagant entrances he had ever seen.

The door was still swinging by the time Jackson had thrown himself onto his bed. The bed frame creaked and struggled to not collapse into the floor. Radyn was relieved that they were on the ground floor otherwise that dragon would have made a large hole in the floor and had an unplanned visit to the other housemates. Radyn raised an eyebrow. He had only learnt a few things about his roommate, all being ancient myths and legends.

Recently, the dragon was elected as the student council after only one day since his arrival. Something told Radyn that Jackson's family had a say in this, which was not the most surprising fact. Animal shifter's had roles, a purpose to fulfil. It is their sworn duty to not only aim for perfection but be it. The young Werewolf related to this yet he found it pitiful.

He remembered the whippings he would get every time he misbehaved and refused to follow his mentor. Or the moments he would get locked in the main cellar to be made an example of. The multiple times he had tried to assure himself that it was to be the ideal leader, strong and powerful. When in fact, he was being moulded into an obedient servant for his father. Radyn was too blind to realise it before, just like his stuck-up roommate.

"Radyn?"

Radyn opened his eyes, not realising that he had closed it in the first place. He turned towards Jackson, whose head is slightly tilted to the side in curiosity. The Werewolf tended to get trapped in an endless cycle of worry after worry. After all, Alpha wolves tend to overthink anything and everything, a good trait when it came to planning. Not good when it came to randomly blanking out.

"Yeah?" Radyn answered, his voice strained and slightly rough. He was still not used to waking up to this intense brightness. He thought that it was too disgustingly positive. Then again, having a roommate that glowed the majority of the time didn't help much either.

"Would it be fine with you if I occasionally had a guest or two over?" Jackson asked. His tone seemed genuine. Radyn nodded his head even though the thought of more chaotic beings like him made him shudder. It was impossible to get some peace anywhere.

Radyn then decided it was time to leave. He looked over his timetable, yet to familiarise himself with when his lessons began. It was a physical education class without the movement. Radyn groaned to himself. The Werewolf was not especially bad at the class but found it to be extremely boring. He was going to skip it, a few absences won't hurt.

He knew exactly where to go, it was the first thing that he thought of. Scarlet's room. Her lessons did not start until later since she had chosen the afternoon classes. It was the perfect excuse to pay a visit to her. He exited his dorm and walked towards the school, where the humanoids were close to.

The wolf and Scarlet's relationship had blossomed in the past three weeks, moving from the occasional conversation to hot and heavy makeout sessions behind the dorm building. It was passionate, romantic...everything he had hoped for in a mate. Of course, their connection had happened rather hastily but Radyn was innocent to the dirty charms of the daring succubus.

Radyn arrived outside of the dorm, remembering to slip in undetected. He walked towards her room, heart pounding quicker than a dog in heat. The lovestruck Werewolf knocked on the door, awaiting an answer. Scarlet opened the door and tilted her head upwards for her eyes to meet with Radyn's. The sight of his partner always had him completely smitten around her.

She was moderately petite, only meeting his chest. Then again, most Werewolves were giants and Radyn had his second growth spurt in the past few weeks since arriving the school. He had prayed to the Goddess that his height would settle soon because he was starting to intimidate even the teachers. It had lead to a lot of false accusations of aggression or so-called attempts of assault.

The succubus batted her long, curled eyelashes at the Werewolf, placing a hand on her hips to emphasise her perfect curves. Radyn took notice of every single one of her movements. The little thing in front of him was attempting to seduce him but Radyn merely assumed that she was just happy to see him.

She smoothed down bits of her red-coloured hair, trying to fix the waves, that would naturally fly out if it were not for the magic of hairspray, to make herself look more presentable. It would have been a lie to say that the late mornings did not do her justice as Scarlet looked more extravagant than ever. With her lacy, crimson nightgown hugging her comfortably and her ruby irises vibrant in the light, it made sense why she was called Scarlet. She had an alluring yet devilish charm to her that the Werewolf adored.

"Are you going to stop gawking at me or should I just keep standing here?" Scarlet's tone was playful yet her expression had the word impatient written all over it. Radyn shook his head and stroked her cheek. Before they made their way out, Radyn's senses had just returned to introduce him to the dreadful atmosphere of death and decay.

The little Werewolf should've known that Scarlet's vampire roommate was still preparing for class. Although the creepy vibe of Vampires did not disgust him, it continually filled him with dread. It was like they had some eerie black aura surrounding them at all times, providing a natural people repellent. The vampire glanced back at Radyn and met his eyes.

"Dog."

Radyn chose to return the insult.

"Leech."

And with that, Radyn and Scarlet left the dorm together.

-----

"Was there a reason for your surprise visit today?" Scarlet hinted at when they were safely hidden behind the back of the dorm building. "Something you wanted to perhaps...do?"The succubus winked and pulled at his collar while leaning forwards. She drove Radyn crazy with excitement, his wolf threatening to escape out of him.

"Oh baby," Radyn wrapped his arm around her waist while his hand ran through her soft hair, taking in Scarlet's vulnerability and the desperate look on her face. "I think you know that I would much rather be spontaneous." He guided her to the wall with her back hitting it gently while the Werewolf towered over her. Her breathing was fast and heavy as he lifted her arms above her head. The Werewolf's lover was completely entranced by him.

Impulsively, Radyn's lowered himself until their lips met in the most scorchingly satisfying way. His hands found their way to her neck, loving how submissive she was even when being felt in such a delicate area. The Werewolf's canines began to extend and he decided to playfully nibble lightly on her partner's bottom lip. This earned him a gasp that broke the kiss.

Radyn took the opportunity to pull her closer while kissing her again, his tongue begging to be satisfied with hers. She willingly opened for him and let out a soft moan. Scarlet tasted like ripe strawberries during the brightest peak in summer. It seemed like a century had passed since they parted from their close embrace. Radyn let out a shaky breath.

"You drive me crazy, little demon," Radyn breathed, his tone kept to a low murmur. Scarlet smirked at him, running her hands through his hair. A few days ago, Radyn had decided to have his hair shaved at the sides with a heavily styled tapered undercut. As much as he tried to look more sophisticated, his curly hair would defy any sorts of hair gel and fly freely.

---

((TW

TW

TW!))

---

Scarlet gazed lustily into her partner's brown eyes, admiring how it appeared as a golden amber in the sunlight. His jawline was accentuated in that angle and the natural highlight on his cheekbones exaggerated his slimmer features. The Succubus then began to undress while gazing at the Werewolf with a fierce expression. She was going to win him over, the game of chase was hers to end.

"Scarlet, I-" Radyn started.

"I want you Radyn, more than I've ever wanted anyone. I've been waiting so long for this, I think it's time." Scarlet continued to remove her underwear so that only her nightgown remained. The Werewolf froze, a multitude of emotions running through him every second he paused.

Although they had done various acts in the dreamworld due to it being the succubus' way of feeding, he had been planning to save himself for his mate. The feelings he had for Scarlet was strong but his desire to find his one true soulmate overpowered that. Both of them knew that they were not going to stay together for all eternity yet Scarlet was slowly breaking down the boundaries they had first agreed on.

"I know you want me," Scarlet's eyes flashed brighter than usual, her powers of seduction fighting against Radyn. She was going to have him whether he wanted it or not. "Your eyes tell no lies, you want me as much as I want you."

She grabbed at his hoodie, attempting to pull it over him.

"Stop," He tried to put his arms slightly up to attempt to shield himself "I don't want this." Radyn panicked. The wolf hated how weak he seemed in this position, helpless and worried for what may happen. He refused to push Scarlet away because he was afraid to hurt the fragile being in front of him but the growing fear was going to overcome him. As her power took over his mind, he soon found himself unable to move at all. He was trapped.

"Don't fight it," Scarlet whispered into his ear. She rubbed herself against him, sounds of pleasure escaping her. "You love me don't you?"

Silence.

"Radyn." Scarlet threatened. "Do you fucking love me?"

"Yes," Radyn's whispered, eyes closed as he gave in fully to Scarlet's charm. His felt a sharp ringing in his head, Kronos fighting against her magic. Maybe he was overreacting, it's not like he was saving himself for his mate, right? He wants this as much as Scarlet. No...he needs this. He has to. The Werewolf used his remaining strength to press himself against Scarlet.

"Scarlet, I love you."

He hated himself for lying.

--------------

"I'll see you at lunch. The usual time," Scarlet smiled innocently "Don't be late."

Radyn's head pounded as he watched Scarlet simply walk away, hips swaying side to side. She had drained more energy from him than she usually did in their dreams. As his mind cleared, he realised what he just got himself into. The Werewolf attempted to get up but his vision blurred and the rest of him began to stumble around aimlessly, holding onto the wall to prevent himself from falling. The wolf had been tricked by the Succubus once again.

He would have to leave it and carry on with the rest of the day. He will talk to Scarlet another day, he needed to rest now. The Werewolf pulled himself up, this time he stayed standing without any support. Radyn was confused, angry yet he was still convinced that he loved Scarlet. Maybe there was no need for a mate.

Radyn went to open the door to his room but heard numerous voices in there. He had forgotten that Jackson asked if he could have friends over. Radyn trudged back outside and made his way to the forest. It was lunchtime so he should be allowed to go there and cool down. He steadily made his journey there.

When he arrived, he immediately noticed that there were two Werewolves waiting for him. Their expressions were filled with sympathy with the small hint of a smile. Radyn knew that one of them was a Delta and the other a lowly Omega. Whatever business they had with him could wait. As he got closer, they inched more towards him.

"Fuck off."

The pair paused, unsure of how to respond. They simply bowed their head down, made a path for him to sit down and remained motionless while he leaned against a tree. The Alpha wolf took that time to identify them properly. Orpheus and Iris Hemlock, the once star-crossed lovers that lived to tell the tale of their union. It was only 5 months ago that Orpheus had been transferred to his pack even though Radyn's father had disapproved of it. They saw him as a burden and a Delta had no right to be mated with someone of such a low rank.

"We heard of your upcoming challenge, Alpha Vaslof" Iris interrupted Radyn's analysis. "We're here to wish you luck."

Radyn shrugged and looked unbothered. On the inside, he was panicking as the pressure began to build faster. It was pack knowledge now which meant that all eyes were on him. He mentally growled in frustration and opened his mouth to respond.

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

They nodded.

"Good. Now leave me alone."

Orpheus tried to speak but hesitated. He looked upset because his mate was being openly disrespected but remembered his rank and held his tongue. Alpha's mates were the only ones that changed their rank to match their soulmates, the rest kept their previous ones so Orpheus was destined to remain an Omega forever. He wouldn't dare to speak without being spoken to, it was too risky.

Radyn glared at them even harder when he saw Orpheus wrap his arms around her waist. Stupid mates and their stupid bonds. He stared at the ground, carving patterns into the dirt with his foot. The movement caused the letter he had scrunched up in his pocket to dig slightly his skin, reminding him of his duties. He rolled his eyes and took out the paper. That's a problem for another day. The Werewolf tore it to pieces and threw it away.

Good riddance.