Chapter 25

All eyes turned towards the source of the noise. Standing there in all his glory was the one person that none of the students wanted to encounter.

His poker face and stone eyes silenced the room, and his hand remained on the door that he had slammed against the wall. The atmosphere became tense, and a wave of fear washed over everyone. The man's gaze roamed the room until it landed on a sobbing figure, huddled on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Tears of pain fell from Eve's eyes, creating a pool on the floor.

Ignoring the sobbing figure, Alpha moved forward confidently, and the students instinctively looked down, avoiding eye contact to prevent any potential confrontation with him. They know they're done for if their eyes meet with him.

Because that could cost them a lot more than what happened to Eve, and the 25th isn't far away. Alpha came to a halt beside Eve's strewn clothes.

"I see you're all having a good time. Can you tell me why I wasn't invited to this interesting event?" Alpha demanded from Marco, his voice devoid of pleasantness, as if he had come with the intention of destroying everything and everyone. He glanced around with boredom, his eyes once again landing on his roommate and the bloody mess surrounding him. "Oh, you did the decorations as well."

"It's great to see you here, Alpha," Marco stepped forward, deliberately stepping on Eve's clothes. Though tense, he wanted to demonstrate that he could stand beside Alpha.

Alpha looked down at his feet. "Even so, I was the last to learn about this lovely ongoing get-together party. That's rude. He deserves to be punished for insulting his king, doesn't he?" he asked everyone, and they all answered in unison, switching sides without hesitation.

No one wanted to be on the king's bad side. Marco began to feel unnerved.

"Yes, he does, my liege!" River yelled excitedly, eager for an adventure to unfold.

Alpha paid little attention to him, aware that his friend was an idiot. He turned his attention back to the person in question, observing the hidden hatred in his eyes that he was trying to hide.

"Eyes down," Alpha's words were simple, yet they held a powerful and murderous effect. "Or I don't mind closing them permanently."

Marco embarrassingly looked down, showing his respect. Clenching his fist to his side.

When the red batch members targeted their victims, they typically chose the weakest and most vulnerable, often targeting the yellow batches for easy prey so that they would hunt them easily.

However, when Alpha selects his target, he did so without discrimination. He would go from the bottom to the top of the food chain, from the weakest to the strongest. He does not attack when threatened but rather out of territorial instinct and a craving for blood. He doesn't wait for his prey to approach him; instead, he dragged them and tore them apart himself, relishing in their torment and satisfying his insatiable thirst for carnage.

Nevertheless, Marco rebelled. "But you didn't say anything to him when he looked you in the eyes, and you didn't punish him. So why could he and not us?"

Alpha understood what Marco was attempting to do by asking these questions in front of everyone.

"And why should I answer you?" Alpha's grunted words carried an air of unpredictability and danger. Fear washed over everyone as his dark presence filled the room, compelling them to submit. "I don't need to learn what I should and shouldn't do from you."

"Tell 'em, my esteemed sovereign!" River yelled again, while Sage rolled his eyes, tempted to smack him.

"Pick them," Alpha commanded in a low, authoritative voice, pointing at the clothes under Marco's feet. However, Marco made no effort to comply.

As the muscles in Alpha's jaw moved, his voice turned colder and more commanding. "I said, pick them up."

Marco visibly flinched and hesitated for a moment, his face contorted with defiance, but the intensity in Alpha's gaze was suffocating. With a trembling hand, he reluctantly bent down and picked up Eve's torn clothes from the ground, careful not to meet Alpha's eyes.

He felt the embarrassment washing over him because of how the king forced him to bend for a mere weakling.

Alpha turned his attention to the rest of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over them like a predator assessing its prey. The atmosphere grew heavier, and even the bravest among them felt a chill running down their spines.

"You think you can take what belongs to me?" Alpha's voice reverberated through the auditorium, carrying a mix of anger and disappointment. "You think you can challenge me? Then why is nobody coming out?!"

The silence that followed was deafening. No one dared to respond, their eyes cast downward, their bodies frozen in fear. The realization of their audacity and the consequences of their actions sank in.

Alpha took a step forward to Marco making him tremble, his presence commanding the attention of every individual in the room. "You forget that your existence is subject to my will. I allow you to breathe, to live within the walls of this school. But do not mistake that privilege. I can make you disappear easily."

"I'm s-sorry–"

Alpha extended his hand to him for the clothes, Marco quickly handed him. And with that, Alpha ignored the self-proclaimed leader and proceeded to Eve. With each step, the student's breathing rate increased but they watched with piqued interest.

Alpha squatted in front of Eve, carefully covering his body. His eyes barely met those glistening sapphire eyes, full of dread and anguish, because Alpha quickly averted his gaze. Once he was sure Eve was properly covered, he stood up, ignoring the blood and dirt left on his hands from Eve's body.

Everyone was shocked beyond belief when they witnessed Alpha willingly go down on his knees for someone so weak, especially considering his disdain for those who couldn't fight for themselves.

Alpha walked back to Marco and said, "So, I heard you believe I'm biased and a pathetic ruler."

"I-I... What I said was..." Marco stammered.

Alpha rolled his eyes at Marco's failed attempt to speak and suggested, "Let's have a game before the night's hunt," capturing everyone's attention. "If you win, I will give you my position."

River's eyes widened, along with those of every student. Some even strained to ensure they heard correctly.

Marco inhaled sharply, clearly taken aback. "I don't want your position because I know I can't win against you."

"I'm glad you're self-aware," Alpha deadpanned. Before he could make another sarcastic comment, Marco spoke up again.

"I want his position," Marco pointed at Eve, who had no idea what was happening. Sage looked at Marco, wanting to remove him from the situation and get him some medical help, but he couldn't do so with Alpha present. "I don't mind sharing the position with you. Besides, the Luna should be a strong and intelligent candidate who matches your power."

Alpha let out a humourless chuckle, cutting Marco off once again and causing him to lose face in front of everyone.

"I don't appreciate jokes, and I hate when people make me laugh. But I'll forgive you since you tried your best," Alpha laughed, then suddenly turned solemn. "You can't have Luna's position."

"Why?" Marco looked up abruptly, only to be met with Alpha's glare, causing him to lower his eyes again.

"Because there's already a Luna, and I don't think he ever consented to giving his position to you," Alpha's deep and low tone resonated.

However, all Eve felt was a sense of humiliating weakness, unable to comprehend why this guy was now standing up for him after expressing hatred towards him just a few hours ago.

Even River was taken aback by Alpha's stance.

"You'll let him become Luna just like that?" Marco questioned.

"I'm done talking," Alpha's patience was wearing thin.

"But–!"

"The only thing that will be speaking from now on are my fists. Still want to talk?"

Alpha approached Eve and discreetly picked him up in his strong arms. Eve's screeches were met with indifference as Alpha walked in the center of the hall, disregarding the astonished looks from the students who were shocked to see Alpha behaving so out of character.

"Here's what we'll do. Instead of me, there will be a match between you and him. I'll inform you of the game and its rules after discussing it with My Luna," Alpha groaned, making Marco feel degraded in front of his own gang.

"And if he loses? What will the loser have to do?" Marco asked, his expression twitching with confidence, believing there was no way Eve could defeat him.

"You won't have to do anything, so don't worry. I'll personally deal with the loser," Alpha declared, leaving the room with his roommate cradled in his arms.

The only sounds echoing through the quiet hallways were the loud sniffles and the rhythmic footsteps of Alpha. However, as Eve trembled against his chest, hyperventilating and sobbing, a whirlwind of emotions coursed through Alpha's body. He couldn't quite comprehend or label these feelings—anger, caution, protectiveness, or perhaps even a hint of tenderness.

"Hey, fat cheeks. Get your hands off me, you stink," he uttered, intentionally infusing annoyance into his voice.

Alpha came to an abrupt halt, frozen in his tracks, as Eve couldn't hold back any longer and cried out loudly in apprehension, burying their face in Alpha's neck.

And even though he was grumpy and irritated, he stood there holding a warm body closer to his cold one.