Chapter 6. Dark Beast

Raven POV

When I thought there was no escape, when I thought I’d die right there in that room, his cold, deep voice broke through the air.

“Leave.”

I froze, thinking I’d imagined it. “Huh?”

He looked at me, his eyes sharp as blades. “I said leave.”

I didn’t wait for him to change his mind. My heart jumped into my throat as I bolted out of the room. My legs barely kept up with me.

This school is insane. Everyone here is insane.

How can they just go around claiming girls like they’re property?

I can’t let anyone touch me. I can’t belong to anyone.

Never.

I ran straight to the low rank dorms, my chest burning, my legs aching. Finally, I slammed the door shut behind me and sank to the floor.

At least here, I could breathe.

Moments later, Monica rushed in, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“Did you get in any trouble?” she asked, panting.

I laughed bitterly. “Yeah. Trouble I didn’t even ask for. First, a vampire prince dragged me into his room and tried to claim me. Then some girl came in and looked at me like I was dirt. After that, a fae almost devoured me with his eyes, and when I tried to escape, I ran straight into the dragon prince’s room by mistake.”

Monica’s jaw dropped. “Wait—so you mean you actually met them? All of them? The most popular princes in the entire academy?”

“I don’t know them,” I muttered, rubbing my forehead. “But Lucky me.”

She gasped like I’d just told her I’d seen the gods themselves.

“I’d die to get noticed by any of them,” she whispered dreamily.

I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’m pretty sure I’ll die if they notice me again. I just want to finish school quietly and leave this cursed academy. I didn’t even come here by choice.”

Monica sighed and flopped on her bed. “There’s nothing like quietly here I tell you, this place is hell. If you ask me, it’d be better if one of the princes claimed you. At least you’d be protected. And if I had to pick, definitely the dragon prince. Quiet, deadly, and the hottest of them all.”

I groaned and threw myself on the bed. “I just want to sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be worse. I can feel it.”

A sudden bang at the door made both of us jump.

“Who’s that?” Monica called out, her voice trembling.

“Open the door, mutt!” a deep, dangerous voice growled from the other side.

We froze. My stomach turned cold.

“Who is that?” I whispered.

Monica’s face went pale. “The dark beast. He’s… he’s hideous. He always comes for low ranked newcomers. Not all of them, just the ones he likes.”

“What?” My voice broke.

“You… you must’ve caught his eye,” she whispered shakily. “Now you’ll have to spend the night with him.”

Another heavy bang shook the door.

“Open it,” the beast roared, “before I break it down.”

“No, no, no,” I whispered, backing away. “Monica, please… I don’t want to go.”

She looked just as terrified. The doorknob twisted violently—

—and my heart nearly stopped.

Hades POV

That girl.

There’s something about that girl, something I can’t explain.

That’s why I sent her out.

All my life, I’ve never lost control around anyone. Never.

But with her… I almost did.

I dragged a breath through my teeth and pulled my shirt on, the fabric sticking to my skin from the heat burning inside me. The damn heat cycle again. My veins pulsed, fire licking through every inch of me.

If I didn’t suppress it soon, every vampire female in this academy would lose their minds and come crawling.

I snatched the blue potion from the shelf and downed it in one gulp. The cool liquid slid down my throat, fighting the hunger clawing at my chest.

I slammed the glass down. It didn’t help much. My mind still flashed back to her, those eyes, that scent, that fragile little tremor in her voice.

“Calm down, Hades,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “You just need this damn heat to pass. Then you can think straight.”

I stepped out of my chamber, forcing my composure back on. The hallway buzzed with whispers and lust-filled stares.

“Oh, Hades,” a vampire female purred. “How’s the heat treating you?”

“Get lost,” I growled, voice low and dangerous.

She stumbled back instantly, her smile vanishing. I walked off, anger simmering beneath my skin. I hated this. Hated being watched like I was some prize to claim.

Then I caught a scent.

A thick, musky, beastly scent.

I closed my eyes and focused.

The dark beast.

He was on the prowl again. That lowlife never learned. Always going after weak, low ranked females, new ones especially.

I clenched my jaw, my fangs threatening to drop. “Who’s caught his attention this time?” I muttered under my breath, disgust curling in my gut.

Still, I walked past. He wasn’t worth my energy. The coward wouldn’t dare face me anyway.

As I walked out into the main courtyard, the heat inside me still burned, but my mind sharpened when I saw him, the Fae Prince.

Our eyes locked instantly.

He was standing with that same smug expression that always made me want to rip his wings off. His long hair caught the sunlight, his aura shimmering like he thought he was some kind of god. The air around him smelled like wild magic and arrogance.

“Still walking around like you own the place, dragon?” he said, voice dripping with mockery.

I smirked, though anger rolled inside me. “Better me than a fairy hiding behind glitter and spells.”

His jaw twitched. The wind around us shifted slightly, faint sparks of fae power rising off his skin. I could already tell he wanted to test me. Again.

“Careful,” he warned quietly. “I’d hate to destroy your scales in front of your admirers.”

My fangs lengthened slightly. I stepped closer until we were nearly chest to chest. “Try me, and I’ll snap those pretty wings of yours in half.”

Students nearby froze, watching us like it was a show. The tension between us crackled, dragon heat against fae magic.

Until—

A realization slammed into me like lightning.

That beast earlier only goes after new girls.

And there was only one new girl today.

Her.

My muscles tensed instantly. Rage tore through me as I followed his scent down the corridor, every step heavier than the last.

Then I saw him, standing outside the low rank dorm, hands gripping the door like he was about to break it down.

“The hell do you think you’re doing there?” I snarled, my voice echoing through the hall.