My mind was still utterly consumed by the vivid memory of Kael’s sculpted, naked body in the hockey locker room.

Damn it. Just recalling the way his striking golden eyes had locked onto mine made my cheeks burn all over again. I shook my head violently, forcing myself to focus on the pop quiz in my financial management class this morning.

I needed a perfect score on this quiz to salvage my grades, which had plummeted solely because of Victoria's antics yesterday.

The classroom was deathly quiet, filled only with the soft scratching of pens against paper. Seated in the middle row, I drowned myself in rows of accounting formulas. However, my focus was suddenly shattered when I sensed a shadow shifting to my right.

A Beta student from a minority pack leaned blatantly toward my desk, his eyes darting wildly as he tried to copy my answers right under my nose.

I let out an irritated sigh, sliding my exam sheet away and shielding it with my palm.

Turning my head slightly, I warned him in a sharp whisper, "Don't look at things you aren't supposed to see."

"Don't look at things you aren't supposed to see, huh?"

A deep, commanding voice laced with thick sarcasm suddenly echoed from the row directly behind me. The voice was so incredibly close that his warm breath brushed against the nape of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.

My heart dropped. Freezing in place, I slowly turned my head.

There, leaning back casually in his chair, was Kael. He was lazily spinning an expensive pen between his long fingers, wearing an oversized team hockey jacket.

His golden eyes stared directly into mine, burning with an intense mix of amusement and heavy intimidation.

How on earth was the crown prince of Alphas in this classroom? Wasn't he an upperclassman?

Kael leaned forward slightly, holding my gaze with a mocking smirk. "The same rule applies to you, sweetheart. You shouldn't have looked at something you weren't supposed to see, either."

My face instantly caught fire, flushing a deep crimson all the way to the tips of my ears. His words were a blatant reference to my mortifying intrusion into the locker room yesterday afternoon.

"You?" I gasped under my breath, quickly snapping my gaze back to the front as my heart hammered violently against my ribs.

At that exact moment, the rest of the class finally noticed Kael’s presence. The quiet room erupted into chaos as students began whispering his name, staring at him with eyes full of absolute adoration.

Kael slid out of his seat and strolled toward the exit. Just as he reached the threshold, he paused, casting a mocking glance back at me. Slowly, he raised his hand to show me what he was holding.

"Is that—?"

My breath caught. How did he get his hands on my mother’s heirloom pendant? Had I dropped it yesterday?

That afternoon, the moment my management classes ended, I was forced to make my way toward the academy's ice hockey arena.

As soon as I stepped through the grand entrance of the rink, a deafening roar of voices slammed into my senses.

The rink was encircled by massive, towering tiers of bleachers, and right now, the venue was packed to the brim with hundreds of spectators. Most of them were noble female students from high-ranking packs.

"Kael! Kael! Kael!"

The chants shook the very rafters of the arena, echoing louder each time the figure wearing jersey number 01 glided across the ice with terrifying speed.

Kael was a magnificent sight in the center of the rink. Clad in his full hockey gear, the protective shoulder pads making his frame look even broader and more dominant, he maneuvered the puck with lethal agility.

I stood near the barrier of the lower stands, wrapping my worn hoodie tightly around myself to ward off the freezing chill rising from the ice. Just as I adjusted my hood, Kael executed a powerful slap shot, sending the puck rocketing into the top corner of the opponent’s net.

The stands instantly exploded into hysterical shrieks. Among the chaotic crowd, I spotted Victoria standing at the very front of the VIP section, cheering loudest of all with eyes full of absolute worship.

Suddenly, amidst the deafening cheers chanting his name, Kael dug his skates hard into the ice. His blades scraped the surface, sending a spray of white crystal frost flying into the air.

He spun around, unbuckling and pulling off his helmet. His damp, sweat-glistened black hair fell messily across his forehead. Ignoring the crowd's mounting hysteria at the sight of his face, Kael's sharp golden eyes scanned the arena entrance until his gaze locked onto mine the exact second I stepped foot inside.

Kael stared at me from across the ice. Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of adoring spectators, he raised a single gloved hand and casually tapped his chest—right over the spot where my mother's pendant lay hidden beneath his jersey.

An arrogant, victorious smirk played on his handsome lips. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that as long as my most precious possession was in his hands, I couldn't run away.

Damn him. He is absolutely ruthless.

Suddenly, I felt a wave of hostile, piercing glares directed at me. Driven by a sense of impending dread, I glanced up at the stands. Sure enough, Victoria and her inner circle of sycophants were glaring down at me with pure venom.

I immediately spun on my heel, intending to leave the arena as fast as my legs could carry me. The warning bells in my head screamed at me to flee from the wrath of Kael's fan club. The last thing I wanted was to deal with girls who would inevitably blame me for his attention.

I had only managed to walk a few yards away from the arena gates when three of Victoria's lackeys blocked my path, cutting off my escape and dragging me by force into a deserted girls' restroom at the corner of the sports complex.

Thud!

They threw me violently onto the cold tile floor. A second later, Victoria sauntered in, shutting the heavy oak door and locking it from the inside. Her beautiful face, usually adorned with flawless Douyin makeup, was twisted into a terrifying mask of rage.

"You really don't know your place, do you, Iris!" Victoria hissed, stepping closer while her cronies pinned my arms behind my back. "How dare you even breathe near Kael? Do you honestly think your pathetic, disgusting silhouette belongs in his line of sight?!"

Before I could utter a word, one of her friends grabbed a bucket of freezing tap water and dumped it directly over my head.

Splash!

The ice-cold water drenched me completely, making my worn hoodie cling heavily to my skin.

The biting chill instantly pierced through my hybrid body, which lacked the extreme temperature resistance of a pureblood wolf.

Before I could even gasp for air, a brutal kick landed squarely in my stomach, followed by a violent blow to my right shoulder—right over the dark purple bruise Victoria had given me at home. An agonizing pain throbbed through my body, making my vision temporarily blur.

Yet, I didn’t make a single sound. I simply let myself fall onto the wet restroom floor.

Slowly, I lifted my head, brushing my wet black hair away from my face. I stared straight into Victoria's eyes.

There were no tears. There was no fear. My expression remained ice-cold, flat, and entirely hollow—as if their physical blows were nothing more than mere mosquito bites.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Victoria shrieked, her voice cracking with pure frustration. Her inner wolf felt deeply insulted because her dominant aura failed to make me tremble. "Cry, you idiot! Beg for my mercy! Admit that you're just a defective hybrid who doesn't deserve to live!"

"Beg me for your life," Victoria sneered, prompting her friends to break into cruel laughter.

But I remained silent. There was nothing funny about this. Why should I beg them for my life when I survived solely on my own strength?

Seeing me remain completely unfazed and silent only seemed to provoke Victoria's rage further.

Losing all control over her temper, she raised her right hand high, channeling the full strength of her wolf as she swung a violent slap aimed directly at my face.

Whoosh!

Victoria’s eyes widened in sheer shock as a hand suddenly clamped down around her wrist, halting her mid-swing.

***

"Damn it, let me go, you filthy mutt!" Victoria spat, pulling violently at the arm I held in my grip.

I didn't just let her go. Instead, my grip on Victoria’s wrist tightened, pressing down on her pressure points until her fingernails turned stark white.

"Let me go, damn it!" Victoria shrieked once more, her eyes flashing a dangerous crimson from a volatile mix of fury and pain.

She attempted to swing her left hand to claw my face, but before her sharp talons could even extend, the restroom door behind us suddenly shattered into splinters.

Crash!

The heavy oak door buckled completely, ripping off its hinges and slamming onto the floor with a deafening roar. A dense, freezing gust from the outside immediately rushed in, violently dispelling the damp warmth of the restroom.

Along with the cold, a sharp, suffocating aura of a high-tier Alpha’s pheromones flooded the entire space, instantly seizing the lungs of everyone inside.

Victoria’s friends, who had been pinning my arms just seconds ago, instantly released their grip and dropped straight to their knees. Their bodies trembled violently, utterly unable to withstand the crushing pressure of such a massive Alpha aura.

I let go of Victoria’s wrist, letting her stumble backward as she gasped for air.

Standing in the ruined doorway was Kael.

He was still wearing his hockey jersey, but this time, the mocking smirk was entirely gone from his face. His golden eyes swept over the room with lethal intensity.

His gaze slowly lowered, taking in the overturned bucket, the puddles of water on the floor, and finally landing on my drenched form and the dark purple bruise on my shoulder, which lay exposed through my torn hoodie.

"K-Kael?" Victoria whimpered, her voice instantly softening into a meek whine. "Help me, Kael. She... that mutt is bullying me," she sobbed, taking a step toward Kael, who stood completely still.

"Don't touch me," Kael barked coldly as Victoria reached out to grab his arm.

I knew exactly what Victoria was doing. She was trying to win Kael’s sympathy by twisting the facts and painting me as the abuser. How utterly pathetic these pureblood wolves could be.

Kael walked right past Victoria, leaving her frozen by the blunt rejection. His Alpha pheromones continued to roll off him in heavy waves, sending Victoria’s friends scrambling backward in sheer terror until their backs hit the wall.

The prince stopped right in front of me. Looking down, he took in my disheveled, soaking-wet appearance from head to toe, his jaw clenching tightly.

"You really are a handful, sweetheart," Kael muttered under his breath. His voice sounded as sarcastic as always, but he immediately stripped off the thick hockey jacket draped over his shoulders and tossed it over my head.

"Kael! Why are you helping her?!" Victoria shrieked from behind, her voice cracking with pure frustration. She couldn't accept that the man she worshipped was giving his attention to the illegitimate sister she hated most. "She attacked me first! She intentionally trapped me in here!"

Kael turned around slowly. His golden eyes locked onto Victoria with a gaze so chilling it practically froze the air in the room.

A cruel, mocking smirk carved its way onto his handsome lips. "Attacked you?" Kael chuckled darkly, a sound that sent a shiver of pure intimidation through the air. "She’s completely alone, she's the one who looks like a total mess, and you girls have her outnumbered. How on earth could she attack you and trap you in here? Don't make an absolute fool of yourself," he said, emphasizing every single word.

Victoria was silenced instantly, her face turning pale.

Without giving them another glance, Kael turned back to face me. His grip felt incredibly solid and warm as he grabbed my arm to pull me out of there.

"Come with me," Kael commanded, leaving no room for argument as he led me right past the shattered restroom door.

I had no choice but to resign myself to his strength and follow him, entirely ignoring the venomous, vengeful glares Victoria shot at my back.

"Enough!" my voice flared, successfully halting Kael's steps in front of me.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at me. "What?"

"This is far enough," I said, pulling his jacket off my shoulders and thrusting it back to him. "Now, give me back my pendant."

"No," Kael replied casually.

I stared at him in utter disbelief. "What do you mean, no? It’s mine. Give it back!"

Instead of complying, Kael crossed his arms over his chest, letting the hockey jacket hang loosely from one of his forearms. His golden eyes stared straight at me, scanning my dripping wet body from head to toe before locking back onto my gaze.

"Do you honestly think I walked into a ladies' room, destroyed a door, and rescued you from those annoying wolves for free?" Kael took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance.

"I never asked for your help. I could have handled it myself."

"Oh, really? And yet, you managed to walk out of that place because of me, didn't you?" he countered. I couldn't deny it; he was right.

"Regardless, I thank you. But please, just give me the pendant," I pleaded, holding out my hand.

"I can't do that," he said, a thoroughly infuriating expression crossing his face. If he weren't the future Alpha, I would have punched him right in his handsome, smug face. "Consider this pendant collateral."

"Collateral for what?!" I snapped, fighting to keep my voice from rising.

"Collateral for laying your eyes on my priceless body. You do know, don't you, that an Alpha's body isn't meant to be seen by just anyone? Especially someone who isn't his fated mate," Kael replied, a sly, predatory glint in his eyes.

My eyes widened as a surge of disbelief washed over me. What kind of ridiculous excuse was that?

"Are you insane?!" I hissed, completely unable to contain my annoyance this time. "It was an accident! The instructor punished me by making me clean that room, and I had absolutely no idea you were in the showers!"

Instead of backing off, Kael merely arched an eyebrow, thoroughly enjoying every spark of fury radiating from my face. He took another step forward, closing the gap between us until I could smell the rich, masculine scent of his skin.

"Accident or not, your eyes saw everything, sweetheart," Kael whispered deeply, his playful smirk shifting into an intense gaze that entirely pinned me in place. "And in my world, everything requires accountability."

"I refuse to take accountability for something so indecent! Give me back my pendant!" I thrust my palm right in front of his chest, demanding the precious heirloom that belonged to my mother.

Rather than answering, his gaze drifted down to my drab, soaking hoodie, which clung tightly to my skin and revealed the deep purple bruises beneath the torn fabric. Ignoring my protests entirely, his large, powerful hands moved swiftly to take the heavy hockey jacket and forcefully drape it back over my shoulders.

This time, he pulled both sides of the collar forward, gripping them tightly to ensure I couldn't rip it off again.

"Wear it and stop being so stubborn. Your hybrid body will freeze to death before you ever manage to take this thing back from me," Kael commanded, his voice sharp and laced with the absolute authority of an Alpha.

He released his grip on the collar and turned on his heel to lead the way. "Come to my lounge. Clean yourself up and tend to those bruises. Once you look more like a human and less like a drowned rat, then we'll talk about this pendant."

I clenched my fists inside the oversized sleeves of his hockey jacket. This man was incredibly sarcastic, stubborn, and always did exactly as he pleased. However, watching his broad back as he walked away, I knew it was pointless to argue with a dominant wolf in my current, weakened state.

With extreme reluctance, I took a breath and followed him.

Kael stopped in front of a heavy teak door carved with the emblem of a golden wolf. He swiped his keycard, causing the electronic lock to emit a soft click, and pushed the door open.

"Get in," he ordered without looking back, walking straight toward a mini-counter inside the room.

I stepped inside hesitantly, my eyes scanning the vast, luxurious space. It was the epitome of a crown prince Alpha's quarters. However, my attention was quickly brought back as Kael turned around and tossed a small first-aid kit and a clean towel onto the couch in the center of the room.

"The bathroom is on the left. Change your clothes into one of the shirts in that closet, then treat your bruises," he said in a curt, utterly unwelcoming tone. "Oh, and get out of here the moment you're done. I have to leave. We'll talk about the pendant another time."

"Hey—" Before I could even voice my protest, he had already sauntered out. What an incredibly infuriating, self-centered man.

I let out a long sigh, my gaze falling back onto the clean towel resting on the sofa.

I had just arrived back at the estate of Gamma Julius, my father. I had intentionally left Kael’s jacket back at the lounge and hadn't changed into his clothes. It would have been far too dangerous to return home wearing his things.

Besides, I knew trouble was already brewing, considering the chaos that had unfolded at the academy.

Slap!

A brutal, heavy backhand struck my left cheek with full force.

The impact was so powerful it sent my body reeling, crashing hard onto the cold marble floor. A searing heat burned across the skin of my cheek, followed immediately by the metallic taste of blood welling up at the corner of my lips.

***

I slowly lifted my head, brushing away my disheveled black hair.

In front of me stood Julius, my biological father—the man who had always viewed me as nothing more than dirt in this house. His face was flushed crimson, his breathing heavy and ragged, fueled by a volatile, exploding wrath. Behind him, Victoria stood side-by-side with her mother, staring down at me with a satisfied smirk hidden behind the facade of a victimized face.

"You ungrateful brat!" Father roared. "How dare you cause trouble at the academy?! Victoria just came home crying because you humiliated her in front of His Highness Kael!"

I didn't answer. My expression remained ice-cold, staring straight into the eyes of the man who was supposed to protect me, without a single tear or trace of fear.

“How dare you glare at me like that!” The complete lack of reaction from me only seemed to infuriate him further.

Julius lunged forward, violently grabbing the collar of my hoodie and forcing me to my feet to face him.

"You intentionally set up your own sister just to seek attention, didn't you?! You tried to humiliate this family by seducing His Highness Kael!" Father roared right into my face, his grip on my collar tightening into a chokehold. "Shameless creature. Know your place, Iris! You're just a half-blood hybrid! How dare you try to seduce the crown prince!"

Julius threw my body back onto the floor violently. He then turned around, grabbing the leather riding crop he regularly used to discipline me.

Kael’s intense golden eyes, my mother’s hostage pendant, and now the tip of a whip ready to tear my skin apart—tonight, everything felt like it was hurtling toward the edge of a cliff.

Julius raised the whip high in the air, ready to unleash it on my helpless body sprawled on the floor. "Tonight, I will make sure you remember exactly where you belong in this house!"

I dragged my limping feet into my bedroom, feeling as though I no longer had the strength to stand. Every inch of my body throbbed with agony, leaving me utterly exhausted. I hated this life; I hated living.

Why?

I could only cry silently, burying my face as I hugged my pillow tightly against the mattress. I had endured this suffering for several years, ever since my mother passed away. Even though I did nothing, even though I kept to the darkest corners of this house, I was always blamed for things I hadn't even done.

The next day, I knocked on the door of the lounge I had visited yesterday—the room with the golden wolf emblem on the door, the private quarters of the crown prince and his inner circle.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Yeah, yeah... why are you so impatient!" a grumble echoed from behind the door before it finally swung open.

Another guy stood behind the door. I recognized him—it was Dimitri, one of the hockey players who was always trailing Kael. But he wasn't alone. Inside the room, I could see Theo and Ian lounging casually. All three were pureblood noble wolves and Kael's closest friends.

As soon as the door opened fully, the three of them instantly cast condescending glares toward me.

“Who are you?” Dimitri asked, breaking the silence and snapping me out of my daze.

“I want to see His Highness Kael.” I stared at him without a shred of hesitation or fear.

“Ha, you want to deliver a love letter and ask for a photo of our captain, right? Go away, you won't get anything here,” Dimitri dismissed me, clearly looking down on me.

“I have no interest in such things, especially not when it comes to His Highness Kael. I came to retrieve my property.” I hated small talk, so I stated my purpose bluntly.

“Ha, how dare you utter words that insult the royal family,” Kael taunted, suddenly appearing behind Dimitri.

I only glared at him sharply, entirely unprovoked and unafraid of his sarcastic jab.

“Fine, follow me,” Kael said, walking past me to leave the place. Without saying goodbye to the others, I immediately followed, leaving the three noble wolves looking completely shocked.

The condescending expressions on their faces instantly warped into profound confusion. They exchanged glances, seemingly unable to believe that Kael, the highly revered crown prince Alpha, would have anything to do with a lowly hybrid girl like me.

Yes, and I didn't care. Right now, I just needed that pendant so I could get as far away as possible from the infuriating man in front of me.

We entered the deserted ice hockey arena; not a single soul was there.

Kael stopped in his tracks and turned to face me with a sharp gaze.

“Return my property.” Without wasting words, I immediately demanded what was mine.

“I refuse,” he replied casually. “This item is suspicious. I have to confiscate it. After all, I am the student council president at this academy.”

“Suspicious? What do you mean?” I asked, staring at him with mounting fury.

“You don't even feel afraid or threatened by me. You truly are a unique hybrid; usually, everyone on this campus is terrified and respectful of me. But you are highly suspicious,” Kael said, sounding more absurd by the second.

“Listen, His Highness Kael, that item belongs to me. So please return it right now. You don't have to worry about me causing you any trouble; I will never show my face in front of you again once you give it back,” I said, still suppressing my intense irritation.

“Why do you want this item so badly? Is it a gift from someone special?” he asked, continuously stalling for time and being thoroughly annoying.

“That is none of your business. Please give it back to me.”

“I already told you, I need collateral so I can keep an eye on you.” That answer completely frustrated me, and I felt my anger reaching its boiling point.

“Is this incredibly amusing to you?!” I snapped, watching a flicker of surprise cross his eyes at my sharp words. “Do you enjoy playing with me and teasing me like this? Do you love seeing low-status people oppressed?”

Damn it. I couldn't stop my tears. I felt completely frustrated and resentful.

I snapped my face away, desperately trying to hide the single tear that managed to escape down my cheek. I hated the fact that I was still weak, even though I fought with everything I had to hold it in.

The atmosphere in the middle of the empty hockey arena suddenly turned deathly quiet. The already cold air felt completely frozen.

Kael didn't reply right away. The spark of amusement that usually danced in his golden eyes suddenly went completely dark. The sarcastic smirk I hated most vanished, replaced by an unreadable, flat expression.

The prince lowered his hands and took a step toward me.

"I have never found oppression amusing, sweetheart," Kael said. His voice no longer carried a trace of mockery; instead, it sounded heavy, deep, and chillingly serious.

He stopped exactly two steps away from me. His golden eyes swept down, scanning my slightly rigid posture as I struggled against the stinging pain of the whip wounds on my back.

"And I'm not playing games with you, either," he continued, slipping his hand into his pants pocket.

When his hand reemerged, the silver chain holding the withered rose pendant gleamed beneath the corridor lights outside the rink.

My heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, I reached out to snatch it, but with lightning-fast reflexes, Kael clamped his hand shut tightly over it.

I glared at him fiercely.

"I will give it back," Kael cut in sharply, looking down at me from his towering height. "But on one condition."

I clenched my fists tightly, staring into his handsome face with pure fury. "What condition now? I already told you I will never appear in front of you again!"

Kael leaned his body slightly toward me, causing his rich, masculine scent to envelope my senses once again.

"Oh, you will definitely appear in front of me, sweetheart. Starting tomorrow, you are the personal assistant to the student council president of this academy," Kael whispered with absolute emphasis, as if every word were an absolute decree that couldn't be challenged.

I stood frozen in place, my breath catching in my throat. Becoming his personal assistant was no different than putting my neck right under the blades of his fan club.

***