Kiren Redvel left the Chancellor's office, his mind racing through countless scenarios—what might happen next, how he would respond when it did. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the person in front of him until he collided with them.
He looked up. "My apolo—"
He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes met a familiar face. A sly grin spread across his lips.
"We keep meeting, Vane Drayton. Could you be stalking me?"
Vane narrowed his eyes. "Don't kid yourself. It's coincidence and nothing more."
"You missed orientation," Vane added sharply.
"So you were watching me?" Kiren teased.
"I'm simply following the Chancellor's orders," Vane replied.
"I thought you didn't care for babysitting."
Vane looked down. "The problem you're in will probably affect me now that I've been tied to you. Right?"
Kiren remembered Micaque's words.
"The King will devour him, just like all the others."
"You came to this school for protection, but you've just sealed their fate."
He smiled sheepishly. "Kind of."
Vane sighed. It was the reality of things, though he had hoped he was wrong.
"You're sticking with me from now on."
Kiren smirked. "Oooh, so you are babysitting?"
Vane looked up at him. He didn't realize it himself, but his eyes were faintly glowing.
"I'm doing this for my own sake. My days of ordinary ended the moment I met you. So I'm going to help you solve your problem—and I'm going to have fun doing it."
A beat of silence passed.
"So you've decided to help me, huh?" Kiren said. "Guess I should explain my... situation."
Vane raised a hand. "Later. We have Advanced Potion Making."
Kiren blinked. "Didn't take you for someone interested in that."
"I'm not," Vane replied flatly. "But I'm not getting expelled for skipping classes."
Kiren groaned and shoved his hands into his pockets as he trailed behind him.
"I'm terrible at potions."
"Have you tried?"
"Werewolves don't exactly dabble in such arts."
"Well," Vane said dryly, "you might make history. The first werewolf potion master."
Kiren opened his mouth to respond—but then a girl appeared beside Vane. Literally. One blink, and she was there.
"The spatial mage," Kiren muttered.
She looked at him. "The wolf. You're not going to eat me, are you?"
He frowned.
"Just kidding." She extended her hand. "Lyra Ainsworth."
"Kiren Redvel."
"You can call him Furball," Vane added over his shoulder.
Kiren smirked. "You want to fight, Purple Eyes?"
Vane didn't turn, but his hand twitched. "Anytime, Flea bag."
Lyra sighed. "We have class right now. No fighting."
"Agreed," Vane said. "We kill each other later."
Lyra facepalmed. "Wrecking the arena wasn't bad enough—now you want to destroy the hallways?"
"Actually," Kiren said, "Vane wrecked the arena."
"You destroyed half the stands."
"Your storm took care of the rest."
Lyra groaned. "This is going to be a pain."
---
Their potions lecturer was a short, plump woman with wavy grey hair. Kiren proved to be just as bad at potions as he'd warned, while Vane and Lyra quickly caught on.
A short bell rang, ending the period.
The next few hours passed in a blur of classrooms and corridors. By the time the long bell rang for lunch, all three of them were exhausted. Along with the rest of the students, they shuffled into the Great Hall.
They claimed a bench in the far corner.
"When do we hunt our meal?" Kiren asked.
Vane glanced around. "I don't think we're hunting anything. But I don't see a serving line."
Lyra watched the upperclassmen. "I think you imagine what you want."
Vane looked down at his plate. Instantly, rice and curry appeared.
Kiren followed suit. What looked like an entire animal leg materialized—far too large for anything Vane recognized, and he decided not to ask.
Lyra's plate filled with a mix of fruits and leafy greens.
"You're a herbivore?" Kiren asked.
"Vegetarian," she replied. "But close enough."
Vane dropped his spoon. "So... I guess it's time you told me what kind of trouble you're in."
Lyra stopped chewing.
Kiren took a breath.
"You both heard what the Chancellor said yesterday," Kiren began. "He was right. Werewolves are on the brink of extinction. There are only a handful left—and one remaining pack, led by the Wolf King, Agaius Vulpin."
"You were part of his pack," Lyra said.
Kiren nodded.
Vane leaned forward. "I'm sorry about your kind and all, but where does me helping come in? Why come to me?"
"Because I was told," Kiren said.
"By who?"
"A seer."
"What's a seer?" Vane asked.
Lyra spoke up. "Mages who can see possible futures. People don't trust them much anymore—their visions are vague, and never unfold exactly as predicted."
"The Vulpin pack has one?" Vane asked.
"No," Kiren said. "I met her on a mission."
"Mission?"
"Agaius Vulpin conquers territories to expand his power. Taqir. Orvin. Kiln. Reyr. Recognize those names?"
Lyra gasped. "Those are cities, they just seemed to vanished overnight, no one has heard of them since. You're saying... werewolves did that?"
Kiren nodded.
"You met the seer during one of those attacks," Vane deduced.
"I was searching for survivors," Kiren continued. "That's when I saw her. She told me my place wasn't with the Vulpin pack—but with humans. She told me to come to this school, and—"
"And what?" Vane pressed.
"She told me to find you."
Vane tilted his head. "Me?"
"She might have also implied," Kiren added nervously, "that my actions might lead to the school being destroyed by... you."
Silence.
Vane looked down at his plate. "What did you do?"
"I ignored her. I thought I was doing right by my kind." Kiren clenched his fists. "But as I grew stronger, I began to understand. Agaius Vulpin doesn't just want to save werewolves—he wants to rule everything. Humans. Vampires. Even dragons. He doesn't want to be king. He wants to be a god."
Vane laughed sharply. "I get why that's bad for us. Why does it bother you?"
"The creators made different races for a reason," Kiren said quietly. "Agaius wants to destroy that balance."
Vane studied him. "Are all werewolves as strong as you? Because if they are, we don't stand a chance."
Kiren laughed. "Thankfully, no. I was one of Agaius Vulpin's nine warheads. We're... different."
Vane relaxed slightly.
"If I defeat the King," Kiren continued, "I become the next Alpha. The pack will follow me."
"That sounds pretty straightforward," Vane said.
"It would be," Kiren replied, "but if we go up against him now, we would die before we get the chance to try."
Vane sighed. "Of course."
Lyra smiled faintly. "If you work together, it's hard to imagine anyone you can't beat."
Vane could imagine one—but kept it to himself.
"If we face him now, we wouldn't land a single blow," Kiren said.
"So the transfer student story was a lie?" Vane asked.
"I am a transfer student," Kiren said. "I ran away from my pack and transferred here."
Lyra frowned. "If you were that important, won't he come after you?"
"He already has."
Kiren told them about Micaque—leaving out the Chancellor, and the warning.
Vane rubbed his temples. "This is giving me a headache."
"Save it for Monster History," Lyra said as the bell rang, ending lunch.
---