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"Thank you for seeing me out, but I really don’t see the need. I’m going to be fine," Violet told Griffin, who had insisted on being her escort that morning.

She had been in bed, blissfully relishing the warmth of her boyfriends when the message came into her phone.

And just like that, Violet was forced to leave the fine sandwich of bodies she’d been stuck between.

4

Roman had unconsciously shifted back to his human form during the night, Asher had sprawled on her other side, while Alaric occupied the foot of her bed like a loyal hound. Everyone was still dead asleep except Griffin, who had taken up guard duty on the couch.

The moment her phone beeped, Griffin was already up, alert as always. And now here they were.

"The message didn’t seem fine," he answered gruffly, his gaze cautiously scanning their surroundings as if expecting someone to pop out of the forest and attack her.

Violet gave him a teasing smile. "Or maybe you just wanted an excuse to spend more time with me." She leaned in and stole a quick kiss from his lips.

Now that everything was out in the open, Violet didn’t care if anyone saw. They could all go to hell. She was the Rogue Queen, and she’d do whatever the hell she wanted.

12

Griffin’s rare smile broke across his face and Violet couldn’t help grinning like an idiot, swinging their hands together like they were kids.It was so nice.

But that feeling shattered the moment they neared the shack only to find a crowd of students gathered there.

"What the fuck?" Violet breathed, her heart racing.

Her first instinct was that something bad had happened, and that they were about to drop devastating news on her. But then she spotted Daisy, Ivy, and Lila talking animatedly with some students and exhaled in relief.

Until one of the students turned, pointed, and shouted, "There she is!"

Before Violet could process what was happening, about fifteen students rushed toward her like a stampede.

Startled, Violet froze at the spot but she didn’t have to worry for long. Griffin moved without thinking, stepping in front of her like a living barricade. At once, the students skidded to a halt, intimidated into stillness by his towering presence.

However, one of the girls, unfazed by the tension, waved her hand excitedly.

"Violet! You are so cool! I want to be like you!"

"Huh?" Violet blinked, completely dumbfounded. Had she heard right?

But that wasn’t the end of it. Another student chimed in eagerly, "We saw the video of your match yesterday and it was amazing! That’s why I want to join the Rogue House."

"What?!" Violet shouted, louder this time, but no one seemed to care.

"Yes, Rogue Queen! We want to be part of your pack!" another declared, eyes shining.

5

Fuck her life. Violet cursed under her breath as the crowd gathered even tighter around her, all chanting in unison now.

"Yes! We want to be part of the Rogue Pack! I plead rogue!"

"Oh God..." Violet swallowed hard as she turned to catch Griffin’s expression.

To be honest, Violet had never had a clear plan about expanding or increasing the Rogue House after they dumped her there. Her intentions had only ever been to defy the alphas while enjoying the best of education Lunaris offered.

It had all been about staking her claim. She had been satisfied with her close-knit group of friends, never once entertaining the idea of starting a movement.

Perhaps, in the past, her old self might have been excited about this development — back then, when she wasn’t tangled in the complexities of the cardinal alphas and didn’t fully understand what this kind of situation meant for them now.

3

Since Violet technically held no authority and the Alphas were rulers-in-training, this sudden increase of the Rogue pack would surely put their position under scrutiny, especially from their parents, the school board, and even the packs.

Think of someone with a crazy father like Henry.

If Alpha Henry caught wind of this? It would not end well for Asher.

Yes, Henry might have been banned from Lunaris, but Violet knew him well enough to know he’d find a way to remind his son of his place — and that place definitely did not involve letting a girl disrupt the structure of things here at Lunaris.

Griffin was shocked. That much was obvious. But in the next breath, his expression hardened like steel.

"I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen," Violet said firmly.

And just like that, the energy died off in an instant.

But one of the students stubbornly raised her hand. "Why exactly? We could have renounced our houses right in front of the cardinal alphas, but instead, we came to you directly. Why are you rejecting us?"

"Exactly! Why?!" another bellowed, rallying the rest.

"Is it because of Alpha Griffin standing in front of you? We’re not afraid of him!" someone else shouted boldly.

5

God. This was fast becoming a nightmare.

"Tell us!" The students began to howl in frustration, their voices rising like a mob.

Violet swallowed again, panic building inside her like a balloon about to pop. She hadn’t been prepared for this. No, this was the last thing she expected to face today.

Then, an idea, albeit a desperate one, hit her.

"There’s no space!" she blurted. "The shack can’t possibly contain all of you! Or do you want to live outside in the woods?" she asked, exasperated.

But her relief was short-lived when one of them grinned and said, "We can camp openly! Or claim the field?"

5

"Yes, it would be camping!" another supported, clearly thrilled. "Until we build our own Rogue House!"

The answer might have sounded clever, but Violet saw the disaster coming.

It would provoke the alphas without being a direct rebellion, stir chaos and frustration, and make the classism in Lunaris Academy glaringly obvious. And that was never Violet’s goal. She wanted to change Lunaris, not destroy it — though she knew some changes came with fire and blood.

3

"I’d rather sleep in the cold than spend a second among those snobbish elites anyway!" another student shouted.

And just like that, a ruckus exploded.

Everyone shouted their own opinions, the chaos swallowing her whole.

But then, Griffin roared, "That’s enough!"

6