Chapter 3: Vivienne's Provocation

It was five in the morning, and I was utterly exhausted. My roommate Evelyn was probably still asleep. After tidying up, I lay down and fell asleep.

In my hazy dreams, I encountered a wolf. Its eyes glowed with a golden light, fixed intently on me. Then, the wolf opened its mouth and spoke: "Seraphina."

Damn! That was Kael's voice! Why would Kael become a wolf?!

I woke up in a panic and with a splitting headache—a consequence of drinking so much the night before. Even though I often drank with customers at the bar, I had never consumed so much in one go.

Clutching my head, I felt a wave of regret wash over me.

A knock came at the door. It was Evelyn.

"Seraph, are you back? I was worried about you last night!" Her voice was tinged with urgency. "My divination told me something bad happened. Are you hurt?"

I jumped out of bed and opened the door. "I'm sorry, Evelyn. I should have told you where I was going."

"So, where did you go?"

"I broke up with my boyfriend. I was so upset that I went to a bar and drank." I still didn’t want to tell Evelyn about Kael. She would only worry more.

Evelyn was the best friend I had made here. She always helped me with both life and studies. I was deeply grateful to her.

"What? Hold up—since when do you have a boyfriend?" Evelyn's face was a picture of shock.

I knew I was in for an interrogation, but there was no way around it.

"It was Lucian," I said.

As a member of the Eagle Club, every one of its members was well-known among the girls at our school. Just mentioning his name made Evelyn gasp and grab my shoulders.

"Holy shit! Seraph, are you telling me you were dating Lucian from the Eagle Club?"

I nodded. "He *was* my boyfriend."

Thinking about what I had seen yesterday still hurt deeply.

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"Lucian didn't want me to. He said he was worried that going public would mess up my life. He wanted to wait until he was ready. " That’s what Lucian had told me. So, for six months, I had kept our relationship a secret.

But now, he had slept with Vivienne. The whole thing left me tortured by this silly sadness.

I continued, "But I never expected he’d sleep with Vivienne. Evelyn, I saw them in bed together, they were... they were naked and wriggling like they were some worms!"

I wasn’t a good girl—forgive my crude language.

"Poor Seraph. I had no idea you were carrying all this alone." Evelyn didn’t seem angry that I had kept it from her. Instead, she stepped forward and hugged me.

Evelyn handed me a tissue to wipe my tears.

My best friend didn’t blame me for hiding things from her. Instead, she comforted me when I needed it most.

"Don’t be sad, Seraph. Vivienne is just a slut. Every guy in the boxing club has had a go with her!"

"It doesn’t matter. Lucian wasn’t even good in bed. When I saw him with Vivienne, it only lasted two minutes before he went soft."

Evelyn’s words lightened the mood.

Perhaps it was because of last night with Kael. Losing Lucian didn’t feel so tragic anymore.

"You should meet more guys. Honestly, you’re just as pretty as Vivienne. You just don’t dress up enough." Evelyn patted my shoulder. "Lucian losing you is his loss. He’ll regret it forever."

After that, we went to the cafeteria for breakfast and then to class.

My major was Animal Science. I even wanted to explore undiscovered animal species. I always felt that beyond human knowledge, there were intelligent species that had lived on Earth for a long time.

I thought back to when I was seven, encountering a wolf in the forest. It didn’t harm me. Instead, it brought me a rabbit.

Its eyes were filled with sadness as it nudged the rabbit toward me, then ran off.

When I told anyone about it, including my parents, they all thought I was hallucinating.

In a world where humans dominate the food chain, everyone told me animals don’t have complex emotions like humans.

But that wolf made me feel emotions as deep as any human’s.

I wanted to understand what that wolf felt for me. That’s why I chose this major in college.

I returned to my usual attire: a black T-shirt, blue jeans, black-framed glasses, and a ponytail.

I didn’t pay too much attention to my appearances.

My goal was to finish my studies and find a suitable job.

Though my dream was to research animals in the African savannah and tropical rainforests, my financial situation didn’t allow it.

My parents weren’t wealthy. Besides paying my tuition, I had to earn my own living expenses.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have needed to work part-time at the bar.

As we walked to class, I saw a group of girls surrounding a man in the distance.

He was tall, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt that showed off his muscular arms. His well-defined muscles exuded a strong, undeniable presence.

The girls were chatting with him, clearly trying to get closer.

He smiled at all of them.

Evelyn was excited. "Look, it’s Kael! The captain of the Eagle Club. He’s undefeated. I heard usually he knocks out his opponents in under ten seconds."

"Of course, that’s not the point. His body is amazing! Rumor has it, every woman who goes to his apartment leaves the next day with weak legs."

Evelyn’s words reminded me of last night with Kael. Our passion had shown me what real pleasure felt like.

Even though I had initially seduced him to get back at Vivienne, I couldn’t forget Kael’s body.

Now, seeing him surrounded by all those girls, I couldn’t help but imagine him sleeping with different women every night.

Did he make them feel endless pleasure too?

I felt terrible, like a used tissue tossed into the trash.

Just then, Kael looked up.

Oddly, his gaze seemed to land on me. His deep brown eyes were as calm as a lake.

Suddenly, my ears buzzed, and my heart raced.

Why was this happening?

Did he recognize me?

But before I could process it, he looked away, his expression turning cold.

I felt a pang of disappointment.

See? He wouldn’t remember a one-night stand.

I turned to leave, not wanting to stay in this awful place.

But Evelyn grabbed me. "Kael’s coming this way! Is he coming for us?"

I turned back, but Kael wasn’t walking toward us. Instead, Vivienne had appeared in front of him.

She was chatting with him, her face lit up with a bright smile. She clung to his arm, looking like a sweetheart beside him.

Watching them laugh and talk, my heart felt like it had been stabbed.

Even though I had used her man last night, I didn’t feel victorious.

Evelyn said, annoyed. "Vivienne’s the queen of this school, so popular with the boxing club. Even Kael can’t escape her."

The girls who had surrounded Kael were now gone.

No doubt, even though Vivienne had been with so many men, it seemed Kael was her favorite.

But no matter how powerful she was, she couldn’t keep her favorite man’s... attention.

Thinking this, I couldn’t help but laugh—a bitter, mocking laugh.

I hadn’t won, but neither had Vivienne.

Just then, I noticed Kael’s gaze shifting in my direction.