Chapter 4 - Encounter (1)

The heir of the county seemed irritated with what Charlene called him. He shifted his weight and saw the son of their Beta, Weiss Heran, that is walking by the entrance. Diatrus Kembal knew something was going on between Weiss and Charlene since last semester. People are even whispering about the possible agreement between Charlene’s and Weiss’s families.

‘This is your fault for insulting me, Charlene,’ 

“Hah! Big word for someone weaker than a werewolf commoner… oh wait, you’re even weaker than a human, isn’t that right?” DIatrus made sure that his voice was loud enough for Weiss to take notice of them. 

He glanced at the man and smirked when he saw Weiss walking in their direction. Charlene stays silent, though. She looks at him in silence. Diatrus felt proud as it seemed he hit a sore spot in Charlene’s.

“What? Cat got your tongue, pussy?” People around them laughed with Diatrus, but what followed was running students— hiding students when Weiss held Charlene’s shoulder.

“You don’t have to do this, Weiss,” Charlene brushed off his hands and took a step away from him. Weiss shrugged his shoulders and walked away. 

‘As always, you don’t get too involved,’ Charlene stared at his vanishing back and was about to walk to the dormitories when she saw a familiar figure. 

The man is laughing with other Lycans as they do their last project in order to graduate from the academy. He’s talking even with other races without much difference from when he speaks with his own kind. Charlene unconsciously found herself staring at the scene where she felt a cumbrous wave inside her.

‘How come I’m starting to notice him now when I have been studying here for years?’

A week has passed since the semester started. Charlene sent her father’s knights away after she settled in the dormitories. No one would really want to be guarded and be labeled as a baby at her age. 

She did argue with them a little, but there was nothing the nights could do when Charlene insisted she could handle herself. 

Charlene woke up a little earlier than she used to. She prepped herself for the morning classes that would start a few hours from now. When she had nothing more left to do, she went out of her room and was welcomed by a little dark and silent corridor.

Everyone must still be sleeping. It’s either they had hit the bed really late because of academic requirements, or they had too much fun with their friends that they had to stay up all night.

Charlene was neither.

Her stay in this academy was nothing sort of a life experience she needed to treasure. For Charlene, this is just something to let her be free in the future. Something that would add to her validation.

“You’re up early,” Charlene almost jumped when someone suddenly appeared behind her and whispered with a cold voice and warm breath.

“Good Selene! You scared me!”

“Well, do you think the Goddess allowed ghosts to roam around the academy grounds this morning?” 

“You are not even funny, you know that? And are we close enough to casually joke around with each other?” Charlene started taking huge strides. Her ears and cheeks are heating up. Her heart is racing as she makes her pace faster.

‘Goodness, that is so embarrassing!’ Charlene screams inside as she feels as if he has followed her. And his gentle and slight steps are making her stomach twist and her tongue itchy.

Charlene stopped walking and faced him. Adhler, the Lycan Prince, was taken off by surprise when Charlene made a sudden stop and accidentally landed his lips on her head. 

“Okay, that was unintentional—” Charlene did not let him finish his word and ran away.

“Seriously, why would you suddenly stop like that? Who walks fast and then stops?” the Lycan Prince sighed and stared at Charlene’s figure running with haste. He found himself smiling at her little gestures.

‘Well, you could have at least said hi to me last week,’ the Prince remembered the woman staring at him at the start of the semester. He was waiting for whether she would wave her hand and greet him, but she just walked away as if they did not know each other.

They technically don’t know each other yet besides their names, that is. 

“Staring would do you no good, Adhler,”

“Piss off,”

“Not her, man. Don’t get involved with her, don’t get involved with the werewolves at all,” Adhler looked at his friend, Karev, who was staring at him with serious eyes.

“I know you don’t have good memories with the werewolves, but who else doesn’t? We have issues with everyone except our own, Karev. And me getting involved with her is none of your puny business, so piss off before I let the Duke know you’re high on drugs again,” Adhler walked past him.

“Don’t say I never warned you, Adhler. You never know what a werewolf can do. You never know,”

Charlene stared at the professor, lecturing them about the importance of balance between races. Most of the students are hardly listening to him at all. They are simply waiting for the bell to ring so that they can escape this professor’s class.

“Hey, hey, Char,” Charlene glanced at Leila, one of her classmates. “Wanna hang out in our room tonight?” she whispered. Charlene immediately looked back at the professor when she heard that. 

A lot of people attempted to approach her, but none had succeeded in really getting Charlene on their boat. She’s a tough nut to crack, and it’s starting to piss off a few of their peers.

“We told you she would decline,”

“Why did you even invite her?”

“She’s no fun, Leila. Stop trying to hang out with her,”

“Don’t get involved with her, Leila,”

Charlene could hear all those whispers followed by anger and insults, but her eyes were set on the professor. She wrote down the important things to note and then stood up when the bell rang.

“You don’t get along with them, I see,”

“I don’t get along with anyone, you see,” Charlene rolled her eyes and left the man standing by the tree. Charlene stopped walking and looked at him again. Adhler raised his brows as if it was a surprise for Charlene to look back.

“And don’t use those damn abilities with me. It pisses me off,”

“Well, it’s not like I did it on purpose. My world is pretty loud, you know. I could even hear your breath from here,” Adhler chuckled, waived his hands, and walked away.

‘Seriously, why is he all over the place?’