Conflict Resolution Specialist 

Mara spent the next fifteen minutes pretending she was not curious about the man on the mezzanine. By the time she left the cafeteria, she had already developed several theories.

Theory one, rich schools employed decorative aristocrats purely for atmosphere. Theory two, Larkin College secretly operated a cult with excellent tailoring. Theory three, she needed significantly more sleep.

The black dining card remained tucked between her fingers as she crossed the courtyard. Students still stared occasionally, though now the stares no longer carried mockery but wariness beneath them. Mara disliked that even more.

She had grown up around dangerous things before. Men with tempers. Storms that flattened crops. Debt collectors. People who smiled before throwing punches. Fear had a rhythm and for some reason, this campus kept stumbling into it whenever certain students appeared.

Cold wind stirred through the courtyard and Mara adjusted her bag higher against her shoulder while mentally calculating how many cafeteria meals she could steal legally using Celeste Arden’s card. Probably enough to survive winter. Honestly, extortion really did improve educational morale.

By Thursday morning, Mara Vale had developed three important opinions about Larkin College. First, rich people were dramatically under-prepared for inconvenience. Second, nobody here understood the concept of minding their business. Third, the cafeteria coffee tasted like somebody had threatened beans professionally. Regardless, she carried the offending cup across campus anyway.

Mara noticed immediately that more people recognized her now because conversations dipped and eyes lingered when she passed. A few students even moved aside instinctively. Apparently humiliating Celeste Arden publicly had transformed Mara into campus folklore overnight. Which felt dramatic because obody had even required medical attention.

Near the fountain, a freshman boy struggled beneath a stack of books while two older students blocked his path deliberately. “Careful there,” one of them mocked loudly. “Wouldn’t want the scholarship kids damaging school property.” The freshman flushed red immediately.

Several nearby students noticed but nobody intervened and that irritated Mara on principle. Cruelty annoyed her but when performed for entertainment, it annoyed her even more.

One of the boys knocked a book from the freshman’s arms with the edge of his shoe. Mara changed direction instantly. The freshman bent down quickly. “Sorry,” he muttered automatically. Mara frowned faintly. "Victims apologize constantly at this school."

“We weren’t talking to you,” the taller boy sneered as she approached. “Clearly,” Mara replied. “Your communication style lacks warmth.” The second boy barked out a laugh. “Oh, it’s her.” “The cafeteria girl?” “The extortionist.” Mara looked mildly offended. “I prefer conflict resolution specialist. It sounds more professional.” Several nearby students snorted.

The taller boy stepped forward slowly, broad-shouldered and smug in the way wealthy boys often became when surrounded by audiences. “Well,” he drawled, “if it isn’t little Miss Scholarship herself.” “Mara Vale,” she corrected calmly. “If you’re going to irritate me, at least use my government name.”

Laughter rippled quietly through the courtyard. The boy’s smile disappeared. “I heard you’ve been making scenes.” “Heard you enjoy harassing people smaller than you,” Mara replied. “Unfortunately we all have hobbies.” “Careful, Ethan,” one of his friends muttered under his breath. Too late because Ethan had already noticed the growing audience.

And Mara was beginning to notice something else too. The atmosphere around him felt… wrong. Not dangerous exactly but predatory. Like watching a large animal decide whether violence counted as reasonable social interaction. “You think you’re tough?” Ethan asked. Mara sipped her terrible coffee thoughtfully. “I think you’re standing very confidently for somebody behaving like a parking lot raccoon.”

The freshman beside her made a strangled noise suspiciously close to laughter. Several nearby students immediately looked nervous. Not because of Mara, because of Ethan. Mara sighed. “You people react to conflict like villagers spotting a thunderstorm.” Ethan stepped forward suddenly and grabbed for her shoulder.

However, Mara moved first. She caught his wrist, pivoted sharply, and redirected his momentum hard enough to send him crashing into the stone edge of the fountain with a violent splash. Gasps erupted across the courtyard. His friend lunged immediately afterward but Mara sidestepped neatly and drove her elbow into his ribs before hooking her foot behind his ankle.

He hit the pavement hard enough to lose dignity but not teeth. She controlled the extent of the damage because Grandma Ruth always said unnecessary hospital visits complicated everybody’s day.

The third boy froze halfway through stepping forward. Smartest decision made all morning. Water streamed from Ethan’s expensive coat as he rose slowly from the fountain staring at Mara with stunned disbelief. Then something changed. The shift happened quickly enough that Mara almost missed it.

His posture slightly distorted and his expression sharpened. For one unsettling second, he looked vicious. Nearby students stiffened instantly. Unbeknownst to Mara, the wolf beneath Ethan Hale’s skin had surged violently close to the surface.

Humiliation and aggression were ugly enough in humans. In wolves, they became dangerous. Then that invisible pressure came again. It swept across the courtyard so sharply the air itself seemed to deepen and Ethan froze mid-step. Every muscle in his body locked instantly.

Mara felt it too, though only faintly. Confusion crossed Ethan’s face. Not resistance but submission. And somewhere above the courtyard, unseen by Mara but recognized instantly by every wolf present, an Alpha had spoken without uttering a single word. "Stand down."

Ethan stepped back immediately, barely controlled. Mara narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Okay...That was deeply weird." She mused. “You psycho...” “No,” Mara interrupted politely. “If I were a psycho, you’d be floating face-down in decorative architecture.” Silence struck the courtyard. Then somebody laughed and several people did.

Ethan looked moments away from spiritual collapse. Mara pointed toward the freshman’s scattered books. “Pick those up.” “What?” “You dropped them,” Mara said calmly. “Very careless.” “I didn’t-” “You did emotionally.” The freshman nearly choked trying not to laugh.

Slowly, with the expression of a man enduring public execution, Ethan bent and gathered the books. Mara nodded approvingly. “See? Growth.” Once the books were returned, she held out her hand expectantly. Ethan stared at her. “What now?” “Compensation.” Mara spoke seriously. “You cannot be serious.” Ethan sounded appalled.

“You interrupted my morning, threatened a minor academically, assaulted my patience, and forced me to spill coffee during combat.” Mara glanced sadly at the stain near her sleeve. “Frankly I’m showing remarkable restraint.” A horrified whisper rose nearby. “She’s doing it again." Mara ignored it completely. Ethan looked ready to refuse. Then he noticed the crowd.

Humiliation warred visibly against pride. Finally, swearing beneath his breath, he yanked a sleek black wallet from his pocket and shoved several bills into her hand. Mara blinked down at the money. That was significantly more cash than expected. Rich people truly had no survival instincts. “Wonderful,” she said sincerely. “Rehabilitation is possible after all.”

The boys stormed away beneath scattered laughter and murmured commentary. But Mara barely noticed. That strange awareness returned suddenly. The feeling of being watched. Her eyes lifted instinctively toward the upper library windows overlooking the courtyard. And there he was again. The dark-haired man from the cafeteria.

Even from this distance, his attention felt unnervingly focused on her. Heat prickled unexpectedly beneath Mara’s skin. Then, as if sensing she had noticed him, the man turned smoothly and disappeared from the window. 

Mara stared for another second. “Okay,” she muttered under her breath. "I’m developing stress hallucinations.” The freshman stared at her. "You didn't have to do that." Mara frowned. "Yes, I did." "Why?" Mara looked genuinely confused by the question. "Because somebody should have." Then she adjusted her bag and started walking. "Also, the situation was actively annoying me."