47 TECH PRINCESS AND SHIFTER PRINCE

Rex made it to the mess hall late. As a result, eyes were hard on him. He didn't like the feeling— even though it was largely a self inflicted scenario.

Not to mention, he'd transformed physically again. Not as aggressively as before, but enough to be passively noticed.

Breakfast was eggs with a fruit blend that glowed in the dark.

He took his tray of food and circled around to face the field of trainees.

Hunter was seated with his military-brat followers, scowling from the morning beating he took from Victor and Rex.

Nearby, Caspien sat with Trish and a few others.

Syrus was at the table across from them with Tyson and Victor.

Gregory sat alone.

Imani was also alone. At least in thought as a dozen beautiful women sat with her at a table including Natasha.

All was calm.

Until Syrus caught him looking at her.

He grinned from his seat like a hungry wolf. His slicked back black hair seemed to even rise like lupine hackles at the idea of a hunt.

"Don't you fuckin—"

Syrus mouthed the words, "Paypack." Then he got up with Victor and Tyson and joined her table.

By now the trainees were getting used to the intersectional nepotism and absolute lack thereof.

But now it wasn't to Rex's benefit. Even as a large portion of the girls seated with Imani left at the sight of Syrus and Tyson.

"Dammit!" Rex cursed and made his way to Imani's table.

"Welcome to the cool kids table, Rex." Syrus grinned.

"I'm gonna kick your teeth in." Rex said as he sat across from him and Imani.

"Working to stay on the front of every big media page I see." Syrus replied.

"Right." Rex dug into his food as he eyeballed Imani.

She acted as if nothing had happened over the past day and a half. Calm. Collected. Reserved. Obviousled PR trained from a young age.

"No seriously, look." Tyson pulled out his phone and opened up the leading social media app. He opened up the public algo-nulled page and showed Rex a near endless feed of his face and clips of his training.

"That can't be good…." Rex thought.

"You even outdid me." Victor said.

"Well that's because you're boring." Syrus said as he spun one of Victor's dreads on his clawed finger.

"Back-up, silly strings." Victor smacked his hand away.

"What?! I'm being serious. You're just a well mannered nice guy. No one cares about rags to riches anymore. You're just some guy who used to play with dirt before becoming a militaristic Demi-god. LAME!"

"Uh-huh…" Victor rolled his eyes as he looked at Rex.

"But Rex— even though he's a heartless dickhead, he's mysterious. This guy came out of nowhere and was already hugged up with heavy hitters. That's real intrigue right there. I'm reading a fanfiction about him and Imani right now on Ro3….. it's ass." Syrus said.

"Report it for me." Rex said.

"I actually texted my business associates to sponsor them." Syrus said.

Rex waved him off and dug into his breakfast. His hypercarnivore origins as a werepanther made the breakfast useless and painful to eat. But he needed to blend in at least partially.

Imani watched him eat. Knowing he was forcing it after her own tactless scientific discovery after the last full moon.

"Your fruit blend looks good." Imani said suddenly.

"Is that irony?" Rex thought before saying, "It's alright."

"I'll trade you."

Rex raised an eyebrow at her plate of mineral infused cereal.

"Not this." Imani pulled a pod out of her pocket. It was red in color and vaccum sealed in plastic.

"Protein-pod. That's high quality military rations, right there." Tyson said, "I don't know if it's better than some fruit though."

"Only one way to find out." He could've kissed Imani as he took the pod and scarfed it down.

She took his fruit and continued eating.

"So, how was the disciplinary duty?" Victor asked.

"The what?" Imani asked.

"Rex missed this mornings training because he's being disciplined for blowing up the male barracks." Victor explained.

Imani looked to Rex.

Rex winked. Then he spoke to Rex, "It was fine. Boring... I would've preferred train—"

"WOAHH!" Tyson suddenly yelled.

They all turned their attention to him as he looked at his phone.

"Guys, there was a big vampire outbreak not far from here….."

Rex felt Imani look at him.

"I just got a news report. Tribal Religious figure and gang leader Beto Silva, The Blooded-God, was compromised by military forces earlier this morning."

"That had to have been us, right?" Tyson asked. "You guys think we have some sort of special forces group? I mean….. we should right?"

Imani continued to stare at Rex.

Her dark skin shimmered under the industrial lights. Her freshly oiled braids did too.

"No." She said suddenly, "The presence of unit diversity currently is enough. Plus, I don't know of any funding towards special forces units here. They tend to take up more donation money." Imani explained.

"I feel like you weren't supposed to say that." Syrus said.

"A lot of people would also say I'm not supposed to be seated at a table with you all either."

"Fair enough."

"So…." Tyson said, "Who killed the Vampire gang-leader, then? All I've got is this blurry image of….. a pillar of flaming sand and... is that a Lion?"

Imani got up suddenly, "Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom."

They all watched her leave.

"I have to take a piss too…." Rex got up.

"That was subtle." Tyson said as he continued reading the article.

"Tyson…"

Quickly, Tyson looked up at Rex, seemingly growing fearful.

"Send me that article."

"Ok…"

Rex looked to Victor and then to Syrus who seemed dead set on exacting all of his revenge.

As Rex left, Syrus tried to get up only for Victor to tackle him to the ground.

The students were suddenly watching the two military powerhouses scrap in the lunchroom while Rex snuck out after Imani.

The second he exited the mess hall, she was waiting outside the door.

She smelled like vanilla and cocoa-cinnamon.

"You've been busy." She began walking.

"Eh." Rex shrugged.

"Can you be serious?"

"I am serious. I've had a lot of downtime…. inbetween stuff." Rex said.

"Yea, how about you inform me?" Imani sideeyed him, "You're different….. again." Her eyes flashed blue, signifying that she was scanning his physical diagnostics.

"I….. I don't exactly know."

Casually, Rex grabbed Imani's arm and pulled her into a single-unit restroom.

The guard that was present at the end of the hall moved to engage before Rex heard his earpiece go off.

"Stand down."

Imani panicked as they squeezed into the small space. "Are you insane?!"

"Yea. But I'm also protected."

"What?"

Imani's chest pressed into him with the softened firmness of gumdrops.

"You're not as perceptive as you think you are." Rex said before looking down.

"Are you…. looking at my breasts?" Imani asked.

"No…. I'm looking at my chest."

It was then that Imani noticed his new rank tag.

"I don't understand." Imani whispered.

"Well you know, a specialist is a rank above—"

Imani knees him in the groin.

Rex flicked her in the forehead.

"OUXH!" They both groaned in intensified whispers as trainees were released from the mess hall to start classes.

"You know that's not what I meant?" Imani said.

The light flickered and shifted through the vents as bodies walked by the door, listening to the aggresive shuffling of their bodies.

"Right." Rex said, "Anyways, I got promoted. After AG Brennus sent you out, he spoke to me privately. He thinks my closeness to you is some sort of politically advantageous maneuver made by me."

"He thinks you're using me." Imani said.

"And he wants me to keep doing it." Rex said.

Imani raised an eyebrow at him. It was a good look on her.

"He wants more funding from your family. He thinks if I charm you, it can happen. So….. now I'm on a special forces unit and my first mission was to liberate a village overrun with vampires where I transformed into a giant prehistoric lion-panther." Rex left out the portion about Syphen leading the village survivors to new lands where they'd become Werepanther's. He couldn't risk it.

"The Chameleon's are here..?" Imani said.

"You know about them?" Rex whispered.

Imani nodded, "Of course I do. That makes sense, actually. AG Brennus must've relocated them after finding out I was enrolled here. This funding increase plan has been in the making for a while."

Rex nodded, "Brennus has big plans. But so do I."

Imani looked up at him, "Does it involve more high scale battles?"

"Probably. But that's not the point."

"Then what is?" Imani asked.

"We can get to our next target for who Remulus is. We have less than a month."

"Ultra-General Brennus." Imani realized where Rex was going.

"All you have to do is play along." Rex said.

Imani's breaths were hot on his neck. Her smells filled up the bathroom stall and made Rex's head tingle. He wanted to bite her. Just enough to get some sort of reaction out her. To break through that robotic shell.

He had to settle for a more human advance as the doors were yanked open.

Hunter stood in front of the open bathroom door to Rex and Imani kissing.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?