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One might assume that after such a distressing event, classes would be canceled for the rest of the day to allow students time to recover and process the unnerving experience. However, nothing of the sort happened.

Instead, Principal Jameson announced through the speakers that the Alphas had been "cooled down," and students were now free to resume their normal activities. And, of course, she added ever so gracefully:

"Loitering during class hours will not be permitted and would be punished. Missing classes will result in point deductions and may lead to disciplinary actions at the teacher’s discretion.

Most importantly, fighting is strictly prohibited on academy grounds unless supervised and conducted as part of the approved curriculum. And that would be all. For now."

And yes, that was indeed all. Fights like that were surprisingly common, though not as frequent as Griffin unleashing his beast, which was a true game-changer. For the older students, such events were almost routine, something they breezed through without much thought.

However, for Violet, a newcomer, witnessing nearly all the Alphas display their powers for the first time had left her shaken.

To everyone else, though, it was just another power struggle between the Cardinal Alphas, the reigning kings of the school.

And, as if to make matters worse, it seemed to excite them.

Clips of the fight were already trending on Moonfeed, solidifying why the Cardinal Alphas remained at the top.

Their constant drama kept the students captivated, so why wouldn’t they be popular?

They provided endless entertainment, allowing the students to live vicariously through their chaos and excitement.

However, if such violent outbursts occurred daily, Violet wondered why she hadn’t come across them on other social platforms. While she hadn’t owned a phone back home, gossip still made its rounds, and her old school’s outdated computers, as crappy as they were, had been her go-to for "research. " if you know what she meant.

Even when she had first researched Lunaris after receiving the scholarship, she hadn’t found a single piece of dirt on them. Not one negative video about fights or bullying surfaced.

Their website painted an idealized picture, boasting about a holistic learning environment and other flattering claims meant to impress the public. Their record was impeccably clean, and now Violet finally understood why.

Whatever happened in Lunaris, stayed in Lunaris. Every student understood the unspoken rule: no incriminating information that could tarnish the academy’s reputation was ever to leave its walls.

This expectation was clearly outlined in the welcome handbook, and students were expected to comply.

Failure to do so came with consequences.

While the specific punishments weren’t explicitly detailed, Violet had already learned one thing, and it was that when it came to discipline, Lunaris knew how to make their point.

After all, if people knew what really happened at Lunaris, who in their right mind would send their children here? Especially the wealthy, elite families.

For kids like her, though—those from the gutter—Lunaris was a dream come true. Even if students were murdered here, Violet had no doubt her kind would still come, drawn by the chance to escape their rotten districts and seize the opportunity for a better life.

Right now, Violet stood in the cubicle of the locker room, washing away the sweat and grime from the earlier training session. Her hands moved robotically, while her mind buzzed with a load of thoughts.

Was Asher alright? From what she had overheard, it was Alaric who had finally zapped Griffin until the beast receded, allowing him to return to himself again.

Why she worried about Asher, however, was beyond her. That idiotic Alpha of the West had brought the entire situation upon himself. If only he had released Griffin from his mind control sooner, and not pushed the beast to the brink, none of it would have escalated.

Yet, as if that was enough, Violet also found her thoughts straying to Griffin.

How did he have a beast? Wasn’t his ability supposed to be just super strength?

Was the beast some kind of unique extension of his power, or could it be a case of identity crisis?

You know, a split personality taking physical form?

Did Griffin and the beast share the same mind, or were they two separate entities? Did they even get along?

Fuck! What was she even thinking?

She wasn’t supposed to think about Griffin like this.

She was supposed to hate him for what he did to her, not become fascinated by him, or, more specifically, by his beast. God, she was a lost cause.

Violet knew she had to leave this place as soon as possible; otherwise, she’d lose herself to the madness completely.

A sudden knock on the door snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts, nearly startling her.

"What the fuck are you doing in there? Giving birth?" came a frustrated voice from outside the cubicle.

It dawned on Violet that she had been in there for quite a while. "I’m almost done. Give me a minute!" she shouted back.

Quickly wrapping a towel around herself, Violet stepped out of the cubicle to face the impatient girl waiting just outside.

The girl shot her a nasty glare. "Next time you want to jerk off, do it when there isn’t a line of people waiting for you to finish," she snarled before disappearing into the cubicle, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Wait—what?" Violet stood there, dumbfounded.

Did the girl actually think she had spent all that time in there pleasuring herself?

Unfortunately, there was no point trying to explain herself now, not when the door was already shut in her face.

With a sigh, Violet moved further into the room, only to feel the weight of several eyes falling on her. Conversations quieted around her, and the once buzzing locker room went still as the other girls turned to stare at her in unison.

Even without them saying a word, Violet knew what this was all about. They had been talking about her, probably blaming her for what had gone down out there.

But Violet She didn’t care. Let them gossip all they wanted.

Turning her back to the room, the purple haired girl let her towel slip to the floor, stripping without hesitation. If they had something to say, they could say it to her face.

Without shame or fear, she quickly changed into her school uniform, slammed her locker shut with a loud bang, and walked out, startling a few girls nearby.

Cowards were they for not Confronting her directly. After what had happened with Asher’s violent display, it was clear none of them wanted to risk becoming a target.

With her head held high, Violet walked away. She would deal with one problem at a time.

Except it seems in Lunaris, problems never seem to finish.