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Violet stood paralyzed, watching the chaos unfold around her, her heart hammering against her ribcage. She had known her decision would shake the school, but she hadn’t expected it to unravel into complete madness.

Griffin struggled to keep the peace, but it was a losing battle. Asher was beyond livid, his rage rippling through his pack, igniting an instinctive aggression in them

His wolves had taken aggressive stances, snarling and baring their fangs, their bodies coiled. They were ready to defend their Alpha, to strike down anyone who dared oppose him.

On the other hand, Roman, who had borne the brunt of Asher’s punch was not pushing for revenge, no, it was his pack demanding for violence.

Both packs might have been friends in the past but they weren’t about to stand back and let their Alpha be attacked without retaliation, especially when Asher had already sunk his teeth into him.

The agitation was too much, with the low growls and hisses filling the air like the prelude to an all-out war. The human students were frozen in place, unsure whether to flee or stay, while others whispered anxiously among themselves, their eyes darting between the enraged Alphas.

"That’s enough!"

Alaric’s voice thundered across the space, carrying a command so powerful it shattered the air like a storm’s fury.

As if the heavens themselves answered, lightning tore across the sky, striking the earth with a deafening crack. The ground sizzled where the bolt landed, dangerously close to where Asher, Griffin and Roman stood.

The reaction was instant. The Cardinal Alphas recoiled, breaking apart as another bolt of lightning struck closer to their wolves. The scattered sparks sent the snarling pack members scrambling, their yelps filling the night as they backed away in alarm.

All eyes snapped toward Alaric Storm.

He stood at the spot, his eyes sparking with uncontained electricity, his platinum hair glowing under the eerie flicker of lightning. The air around him pulsed with so much power that no one dared to move or speak.

Slowly, Alaric ascended the stairs leading to the entrance, elevating himself above the others and demanding the full attention of everyone present.

He gazed out at the crowd, his expression looking like it was carved from stone. Then he spoke with a voice so cold it felt like a death sentence.

"You heard them. They rejected the four houses. They refuse to be governed. They deny the protection of a pack."

The bitterness in his tone was obvious, and was edged with something close to betrayal and disappointment.

"They have turned their backs on the natural order. They owe no allegiance to the Cardinal Alphas. And we all know what that means."

Alaric let the words settle, his furious gaze sweeping over the assembled crowd, challenging them to speak the truth aloud.

At first, there was nothing but silence until a lone voice whispered. "Rogues."

Another voice picked it up, louder this time. "Rogues."

Then another, and another, until, like a flood breaking free, the entire school chanted in unison, their voices filled with scorn and condemnation.

"ROGUES! ROGUES! ROGUES!"

The name reverberated through the school ground, the collective judgment crashing down like a hammer.

Violet’s stomach twisted into knots.

Daisy, her face paling, ran a hand down her face. "Fuck. I knew this was a bad idea."

Ivy took a step back, eyes wide with panic when one of the werewolves began to circle her.

It moved slow on purpose like a predator sizing up its prey. His nostrils flared as he inhaled, and the snarl that followed sent a chill down her spine.

"Violet, what is happening?!"

More wolves followed suit, shifting into a strange, menacing dance, their eyes locked onto Violet, Lila, Ivy, and Daisy with unhidden hostility. They weren’t just looking at them. No, they were claiming them as outcasts, treating them as threats.

Violet’s heart sank like a stone as she realized this was a mistake. A horrible, irreversible mistake.

Violet knew rejecting the houses would mark her as an outcast, but she never thought it was this serious. Her decision marked her and her friends as enemies to the very system that governed the school.

And now, she stood amidst the snarling wolves, whose eyes burned with the primal need to put the rogues in their place.

She turned her gaze toward Roman, the one who had convinced her to do this. The look on his face was indecipherable, but something in his eyes told her he knew exactly what he had done.

He had set her up for this. And now, there was no turning back.

"What does he mean, Rogues?" Lila cried with disbelief. "We’re not even werewolves!"

Rogues were the lowest of the low in werewolf society, considered beasts without a home, wolves without a pack.

Some were outcasts, banished for breaking the sacred laws of their kind.

Others were lone wanderers, forsaking their packs for reasons of their own.

But no matter the cause, the label carried the same weight.

A rogue was a threat.

Without a pack, there was no structure. Without structure, there was

unpredictability, which was a danger to the established order of werewolf society. And if a rogue gathered enough numbers, they could pose an even bigger threat to the alphas, to the packs, to everything they had built.

That was why most alphas eliminated them on sight. It was an unspoken rule of survival—kill first before they became a problem.

And now, Violet and her friends had just been branded as one of them.

"It doesn’t matter," Daisy muttered, shaking her head, her tone heavy with resignation. "Even if we aren’t werewolves or rogues in the traditional sense, our choice puts us in the same category in the eyes of the houses."

She turned to them, her jaw tight with frustration. "Or have you forgotten that Lunaris Academy operates under a strict werewolf hierarchy? The alphas take their traditions very seriously."

Then, her gaze cut straight to Violet, her tone scathing. "It’s clear to me now why you did what you did." A dry, humorless laugh escaped her lips. "But congratulations, Violet. You just doomed us all."

Violet sucked in a sharp breath, the words hitting her harder than any blow.

She had tried to warn them. She had told them not to follow her. And yet, they had still chosen to stand by her side. It was no excuse but now, they were suffering the consequences alongside her.

Violet’s mouth opened but no words came out.

Her throat was tight, as if an invisible noose had cinched around her neck.

Her mind scrambled for something to say, for a way to explain, but the words refused to form.

She hadn’t wanted this. She had just wanted freedom.

A way out. She didn’t know it would be this bad.

Before she could even attempt to apologize, Alaric’s voice rose above the murmurs of the crowd.

"And that concludes today’s events.All changes to the houses would be executed tomorrow. Enjoy what’s left of your morning." His voice was different now, it sounded lower, and sadder.

Violet snapped her gaze up to him, only to see his back already turned to her. His broad shoulders, once squared with strength and confidence, now sagged slightly as he began walking away.

She had never seen him like this before. Defeated. It was like a knife through her chest.

"No—Alaric, wait!" she blurted, stepping forward.

But she never made it.

A vicious snarl tore through the air, stopping her in her tracks. A wolf stood in her path, its gleaming fangs bared, hackles raised. Then Finn, Alaric’s beta stepped out from beside the wolf.

"You are not to approach or associate with Alaric Storm or any Cardinal Alpha from now on, rogue." His voice was as cold as steel, his eyes burning with rage.

Violet swallowed hard. "No, Finn, I just need to talk to him one last—"

The beta growled this time, it’s sound vibrating deeply in his chest. It was a warning.

It was no use, there was no room for negotiation. Violet clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palm. Fine. She would find a way to talk to Alaric later.

For a long moment, Finn held her gaze, his fury unhidden. And then, finally, he turned on his heel and walked away, taking the remaining wolves with him.

And just like that, it was over.

The students, now satisfied that the event had concluded, began to disperse. Their judgmental glances burned into Violet’s skin, whispers floating between them like knives in the dark.

The other Cardinal alphas had long gone. Not one had stayed behind.

The weight of reality settled on Violet’s chest painfully. She was nothing now. No house. No allies. No place.

But of course, the night wasn’t over yet.

A smug voice sliced through the silence.

"Well, well... look at this tragic little sight."

Violet’s stomach twisted, recognizing the voice.

Elsie Lancaster.

Her nostrils flared as Elsie stepped forward, her lips curled into a triumphant smirk.

The self-proclaimed queen of the academy had never looked more delighted.

"To think, all this time, I was racking my brain for ways to get rid of your crazy ass, and yet, you just did the job for me." She cackled, crossing her arms with a mocking tilt of her head. "I mean, really... you’re even crazier than they say."

Violet’s hands itched to wipe that smirk right off her face. Instead, she met her gaze with cold defiance.

"If I’m that crazy," she said evenly, "then you should be scared."

Elsie didn’t flinch. She only laughed, full of unshaken confidence.

"No, sweetheart." She leaned in slightly, her voice dipping into something darker, something venomous. "You’re done. For real, this time."

She let that sink in before adding, almost sweetly, "If I were you, I’d start watching my back."

It was a warning and a promise.

Then, with one last glance at Daisy, Ivy, and Lila, her expression twisted with disgust.

"See you later, losers."

And with that, she spun on her heel, laughing like a witch.

Finally, her prayers has been answered. Violet Purple has been delivered into her hands and there would be no one to save her!