CHAPTER 30: YOU LITTLE....HOW DARE YOU?!

A powerful presence entered the room, each step sharp, controlled, and heavy with fury.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Darius’s voice thundered through the hall. There was no mistaking the raw anger in his tone or the cold authority layered beneath it. The energy shifted instantly.

Every head turned as he stormed into the room, his eyes scanning the wreckage, spilled juice, and food splattered across the floor before landing on the five girls sprawled across the ground. Victoria included. His gaze narrowed.

"What is this?" he snapped, his voice icy. "A playdate? Do you think this is your home, where you can act like spoiled brats?! This is a training facility, not a goddamn circus."

One of the girls, the purple-haired one scrambled to her feet, pointing a trembling, accusatory finger at Victoria, desperation rising in her shrill voice.

"It’s her, Alpha Darius! She poured juice on me! On all of us! Then she poured it on herself to make it look like she was the victim! She’s a liar! A deceiver! She started all of it!"

Darius didn’t even blink.

"Shut up. All of you." His voice dropped dangerously low, filled with quiet menace. "Seems like you’ve all gotten too comfortable here. Let me remind you, this isn’t a resort. Now get the hell out of the dining hall. Training starts now. Move it, you morons!"

He turned sharply on his heel and stormed out, the echo of his boots thudding against the floor, leaving behind a stunned silence.

Servants, frozen mid-step, exchanged looks of awe and dread.

The male students whispered among themselves, intrigued by the unexpected spectacle.

The four girls glared daggers at Victoria, who still lay on the floor, soaked, yet strangely composed. Her calmness was unnerving, her expression unreadable.

Slowly, with deliberate grace, she rose to her feet and smoothed down her damp clothes. A small smirk curved her lips.

"I’m not someone to be messed with," she said, her voice cool and clear. "Try that again, and I’ll teach you another lesson....one you won’t forget."

Then, with every eye locked on her, she turned and strode out of the dining hall as though nothing had happened.

***

Ten students now stood in two straight lines...males in one, females in the other. The tension was thick in the air. The girls remained drenched in juice and food, their clothes sticky and stained, as they hadn’t been allowed to change.

Darius, Master Austin, and Miss Ameera stood before them, their faces etched with cold fury.

Miss Ameera took a step forward, her heels clicking sharply against the polished stone.

"Since you all aren’t interested in enjoying a little calm before the storm," she began, "then I suppose it’s time for you to experience the storm immediately."

Her gaze settled on the girls.

"Just your first day here, and the females are already constituting a public nuisance."

"You’ve said it now, Miss Ameera....the females," a male student interjected from the second row. He was chubby but tall, with a head full of black curly hair that made him resemble a large teddy bear. His expression was curious, not insolent. "So why were we, the males, summoned here too?"

Miss Ameera didn’t even flinch. Her voice remained calm, but her words were firm.

"The males who pass the stages of this training will become students of the Elite Lycan Academy. And why does that academy exist? To raise future Alphas who will guide different packs."

She paused, allowing the silence to stretch.

"The females were fighting like rabid dogs before your very eyes. Instead of stepping in to restore order, you stood there watching. Laughing. That makes me wonder when you become Alphas, will your actions bring peace... or destruction?"

Master Austin, who had remained silent until now, folded his arms and spoke, his gravelly voice laced with disapproval.

"Why are the females fighting like wildcats anyway?" he asked, though the question was directed more at Miss Ameera than the students. His gaze, however, remained fixed on the group. "Some of them will become future Lunas. As Lunas, they’re supposed to support their Alphas...stabilize the pack, not incite chaos. But these ones?" He shook his head. "They reek of destruction. That’s assuming any of them make it far enough to be considered for Luna status."

"I told you she started it!" one of the blonde girls suddenly shrieked, breaking the heavy silence. Her voice was high-pitched with fury as she pointed a shaking, accusatory finger at Victoria. "She humiliated me and my friends just because we told her she couldn’t sit at our table!"

She turned to the male students, desperation creeping into her expression.

"You saw everything, didn’t you? Tell the instructors! They deserve to know the truth! She needs to be given a befitting punishment!"

Victoria tilted her head slightly, her smirk returning like a shadow. Her voice, when she spoke, was low and dangerous.

"Befitting punishment? You’ve been calling me a bitch since the moment I arrived. You said I couldn’t sit at your table as if you had the right to make rules in a place that doesn’t belong to you. When I refused to leave, what did you do? You dumped your disgusting leftovers into my food."

She turned, her gaze sweeping across the instructors and the students alike.

"If anyone deserves punishment, it’s you."

"Oh, just shut up, you lowlife!" the blonde girl spat, her hands trembling with rage. "You don’t deserve to sit at our table! You humiliated Alpha Darius by kissing him in public like some desperate street urchin! You brought disgrace upon him!"

She then whirled toward the instructors. "She doesn’t know her place. She thinks she’s special but she’s trash. And if she keeps insulting people in positions of power, she’s not just playing with her own life...she’s endangering her family too!"

Another girl stepped forward...this one with vibrant red hair, her face twisted in scorn.

"We’re only putting her in her place for kissing Alpha Darius," she said, sneering. "Someone like her doesn’t even deserve to clean an Alpha’s boots, let alone become an Alpha’s Luna. Street rats like her should know better than to dream above their station."

Victoria let out a quiet chuckle, her eyes sharp and unreadable.

"Funny. You talk about stations as if power is your birthright. As if being born privileged makes you worthy. But I’ve met wild dogs with more class than you."

The tension in the room spiked.

Master Austin cleared his throat loudly, silencing the escalating argument. Darius remained silent, his eyes focused not on the commotion, but on Victoria..watching, assessing, waiting.

"Getting back at her for me?" Darius finally said, his voice restoring order completely.

The students immediately turned to face him. His eyebrows were raised, and a sharp, irritated scowl was etched on his features. There was no mistaking the cold fury radiating from him.

"Who the hell asked you to avenge me?" he snapped. "Who gave you permission to speak or act on my behalf? Such insolence!"

The four girls flinched, visibly shaken. Their postures stiffened as they lowered their gazes to the ground, voices trembling as they spoke in unison.

"We’re sorry, Alpha Darius. We know you’re more than capable of handling disrespect yourself... We were just upset....please, forgive us."

Darius let out a low, unimpressed scoff.

Victoria, still standing tall despite the tension in the air, crossed her arms and tilted her head with a smirk. "You said I lived on the street and don’t even deserve to clean an Alpha’s shoes," she began coolly, her voice loud enough to reach everyone. "But your behavior? It’s more shameless than that of any street girl. Pathetic."

A few students gasped, but she pressed on, her tone sharp.

"Pretty faces hiding blackened hearts. And for the record,"...she turned to face them directly. "I never dreamed of being anyone’s Luna. Not Darius’s. Not any of yours."

She paused, then added with a sarcastic smile, "I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again....I refuse to touch what’s been passed around like candy. I hate being in messy, flirty places. So, no thanks."

"I didn’t come to this academy looking for a mate," she finished flatly. "Let’s all be clear about that before someone ends up embarrassing themselves."

"You little....how dare you?!" Darius suddenly barked, his voice laced with both offense and disbelief. His eyes locked on hers with anger etched in his features.

"I never said that directly Incase you think it applies to you Alpha Darius." Victoria replied as she swallowed hard.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the crowd.

"I told you this bitch needs to be put in her place!" the red-haired girl shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Victoria.

Miss Ameera took a step forward, her high heels clicking against the concrete. Her voice rang out...cold, deadly, and final.

"You’re all so reckless. So utterly stupid," she spat, her glare sweeping over the students. "I’m not even interested in the details of your petty squabbles. What disgusts me is how you dared to be so disrespectful toward me, toward Master Austin, and toward Darius, who is standing in for Master Joe."

Her eyes narrowed. "Clearly, you have too much free time. Time to fight. Time to create drama. Time to act like fools."

Master Austin stepped forward, his presence commanding. "Well then, let’s see how much time you have when we’re done with you."