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Lila was crouched low in the backyard of their shack, hovering over a small bed of flowers that she had grown. A strange lilting hum escaped from the back of her throat, sounding like the chant of the ancient. One that her other partner could never understand.

Ivy was the other partner. She was standing a few feet away on watch but precisely came to offer moral support. She glanced over her shoulder for what had to be the umpteenth time, frowning.

"You’ve been making that noise forever and nothing’s happening," the girl said with her arms crossed, and the slightest edge of boredom in her tone.

Lila, who by now looked like she had completely transformed into that strange, cold, otherworldly version of herself—the same one from the night of the Running Game —turned to Ivy with a glare.

"Don’t distract me."

That tone alone was enough to shut Ivy up. She lifted her hands in surrender and kept her mouth shut, deciding to just wait it out and see whatever weird Fae spell Lila was weaving.

Not long after, Lila’s whistling changed pitch, and the petals on the flowers began to tremble. One by one, they peeled themselves from the stems, lifting into the air like delicate dancers caught in a breeze.

Ivy’s eyes widened in disbelief as the petals bunched together, forming one large blossom. And then, with a sound like a soft pop, it exploded in a flurry of pink confetti-like fragments. A trio of tiny creatures emerged from the fluttering pieces, each barely the size of a thumb.

This time around, Ivy’s jaw dropped. They were pixies! She had to be seeing things!

Each pixy had delicate wings that shimmered in a different color: one with iridescent sapphire blue, another with a fiery crimson sheen, and the last a glistening green like new spring leaves.

They had bright eyes, button noses, and plump cheeks, undeniably cute even if their high-pitched chirps filled the space with an almost hectic energy. Yet, despite their constant bickering among themselves, they somehow managed to flutter about in sync.

Lila began chattering back in a language Ivy guessed was Fae. Though Ivy couldn’t understand a word, the little pixies seemed to follow Lila’s every word. Still, the three small creatures quarreled incessantly, batting each other as if they just couldn’t agree on one opinion.

Then Lila said something and pulled out the green strand of Roman’s hair. Except

the moment she held it up, the pixies went wild. Their eyes gleamed with mischief, and in a blink, one of them snatched the hair. Only for the second to yank it from her. Then the third swooped down and claimed it as her own.

They began spinning around each other, trading the hair like it was a prized relic in a game of sky-tag. Ivy didn’t understand a word they were saying, but she could swear the next thing Lila hissed under her breath had to mean: "Behave."

And they did stop fighting.

Then one of the pixies flitted up to Lila’s face, squeaking demandingly. From the dramatic way she thrust out her miniature arm, Ivy guessed she was asking for payment.

Without hesitation, Lila pressed her palm to the earth, and from the ground rose a massive, knotted nut, easily three times the size of the pixie.

But the little creature squealed in absolute delight, threw her arms around the nut like it was a long-lost lover, and chirped madly to her companions. They squeaked back, circled the prize, and in a flash of glittering wings, vanished. The nut included.

Lila dusted her hands and stood. "It’s done."

Ivy blinked, still trying to wrap her head around everything she had just seen. "What just happened?"

"I summoned them from our realm to help," Lila said casually, as if she hadn’t just pulled mischievous spirits from thin air. "When it comes to hexes, those creatures are the best."

Ivy, now half-impressed and half-terrified, dared to ask, "What exactly is going to happen to Roman?"

Lila’s lips curved into a wicked grin that sent a chill down Ivy’s spine. "That is what we’re about to find out."

........

Roman stared at the threatening message from Asher, and instead of panicking, he burst into laughter. The fact that even the puppet master had taken the bait meant the act was sold.

He didn’t bother replying. Let Asher stew in it. Besides, he made peace with the fact that the West Alpha would likely deal with him if they crossed paths in this mood of his. But until then, he would enjoy every second of the fun.

It was break period, and the school lawn was alive with students, wolves and humans alike lounging on the grass, playing games, or gossiping in circles. And amidst the crowd, Roman’s gaze found her. The purple-haired beauty, Violet Purple.

She sat under the sun with her roommate, laughing at something the beautiful nerdy one had said.

Only days ago, Roman might have gone after the beautiful nerd just to know if she was good down there as she was smart up there.

But strangely enough, no other woman interested him any longer.

He was hooked on Violet Purple. Fully, helplessly, hooked.

His eyes trailed over her long legs, the same ones that had wrapped around him earlier in the restroom. The memory made him shift where he stood. His gaze dropped to her lips, the ones he’d kissed as well. It hadn’t been enough. He wanted more.

Fine. Tonight, he’d visit her again. And this time, he’d push a little further. Roman was confident he would soon have Violet Purple screaming and moaning beneath him as he fucked the daylight out of her.

He was so lost in his wicked thoughts, he didn’t see the ball flying at him until it smacked him square in the face.

"Oooh!" whooped one of his packmates, presumably the culprit behind the throw. "Sorry, Alpha," his Beta, Abel, added with a mischievous grin. "D’you mind tossing it back?"

Roman rubbed his face and gave them a dry look. "Funny," he drawled, grabbing the ball as he rose to his feet, already planning on launching it straight at Abel’s gut.

But as he raised the ball, a sudden jolt of agony made his grip falter, and the ball dropped from his hand.

"What the hell—" he gasped, groaning loudly.

It felt like a thousand fiery ant bites had targeted one very sensitive spot. Grimacing, he yanked his pants down in a frenzy, scratching his nether region with manic urgency. A chorus of gasps and exclamations rippled across the lawn.

"Alpha!" Abel shouted, rushing up to him.

"You can’t—this is—" But Roman let out a strangled moan, doubling over.

The moment he stopped scratching, the vicious, maddening itch flared again.

So he kept going, completely disregarding that an entire audience was witnessing the spectacle, and filming it.

"I can’t stop!" He cried in a heady mix of agony and embarrassing relief.

While Roman was scratching the itch, it looked as if he was relieving himself in public instead. A few students snickered at the ’view’, while others cringed in secondhand horror.

Abel tried once more to yank his Alpha away from prying eyes. "Get a hold of yourself—"

But Roman jerked free. "No—this... oh, God, it’s getting worse!" His eyes wild, he sprinted to a nearby tree and started scratching himself up against the trunk, like a deranged person.

"Oh my God..." one girl muttered, looking both horrified and morbidly fascinated.

"He’s gone rabid!" another announced.

"This is going viral," another student gleefully announced, phone angled for the best shot.

"Someone call a nurse!" came another.

But it was too late.

By the time Abel managed to drag him away, all the students present at the time had glimpsed far more of Roman Draven than they ever thought possible.

And later that day, virtually every student’s phone in Lunaris Academy contained some evidence of the cardinal alpha’s bizarre meltdown.