The both of them had obviously been talking but the teacher had intentionally picked her out because, after all, who would want to punish the cardinal alphas! Violet was pissed off.
"I asked you a question, Violet Purple." Mrs. Anita repeated, this time wrapping her arms across her chest with a stern expression.
Violet blinked, her mind scrambling to process the question. She had barely been paying attention to the lecture, let alone any equations.
"I—uh—" she began, panic bubbling in her chest. It was made worse when she discovered all eyes were fixed on her.
Fuck her life. They were looking at her to fail so they could laugh at her.
While Violet was still thinking of what to do, from beside her, a deep, calm voice whispered, "Use the power rule. The derivative is \( f’(x) = 9x^2 + 4x - 1 \). Substitute \( x = 2 \), and you get 33."
Her heart skipped as she realized Alaric had leaned in, his breath brushing her ear as he delivered the answer with maddening ease.
She turned to look at him, a small gasp leaving her mouth when she found out they were so close her lips had nearly brushed against his. "Nearly" being the word.
And yet, her heart skipped a beat while heat rushed rushed over her body, only to concentrate between her legs. Violet gulped. This was getting really bad.
Violet looked away at that moment only to realize Mrs. Anita had her eyes on them, which as well, meant that she knew Alaric fed her the answer.
So she waited, waiting for the woman to call out Alaric for the cheating, but none of that happened, if anything, she looked at her expectantly to answer her question. Violet frowned. Were these people fucking with her right now?
"Don’t say I didn’t help, " Alaric whispered proudly, like a peacock flaunting it’s feathers.
Violet’s hands clenched into fist beneath her desk when the teacher said nothing.
She hated this power play, the arrogance.
Violet now knew the answer, but if she used it, Alaric would never let her hear the end of it. The guy was arrogant enough as it was.
"I’m still waiting for that answer, Miss. Violet Purple." Anita said, inclining her head to the side.
Gritting her teeth, she turned to face her and said, loud and clear, "I don’t know."
A stunned silence fell over the room. Mrs. Anita’s brows furrowed in disbelief. "You don’t know? But I just saw—" She stopped herself abruptly, catching her mistake. Supporting such behavior was wrong, and they both knew it.
Violet’s lips curved into a smirk. She had the teacher exactly where she wanted her.
Mrs. Anita’s eyes narrowed, catching the smirk, her expression hardening. "Minus twenty points for West House," she snapped.
The class buzzed with murmurs. Like individual rankings, the houses competed fiercely against one another. While individuals could earn personal points, house points were collective and significantly harder to come by. Yet, West House often dominated, thanks to Asher’s clever tactics and strict discipline over his pack members.
However, Asher wasn’t the only brilliant alpha. Alaric, with his sharp intellect ensured North House was always a formidable rival. The competition between the two houses was relentless as one day, West House claimed the top spot; the next, North House had overtaken them. This fierce rivalry bred mutual dislike between the two houses, each determined to outshine the other.
Now, Violet had cost West House points. Disapproving whispers and hisses came from her housemates almost immediately. Feeling the pressure of their irritation, Violet turned and glared at Alaric, who had effectively painted a target on her back.
When the teacher turned to continue the lesson, Alaric said to her with a low tone laced with incredulity. "I gave you the answer."
Without turning to face him, Violet hissed, "I don’t need your help. I can handle my own problems."
Alaric sat back, his usually composed expression slipping into something more uncertain. He watched her for a long moment as if trying to figure out her.
"You’re too head strong for your own good. While it’s an admirable trait, it would lead you in trouble at Lunaris Academy, Violet Purple." Alaric told her.
"Allow me to worry about that, then." Violet said, and focused her attention on the board, the conversation firmly closed.
Violet tried to focus on the lesson, but the teacher’s droning voice only irritated her further. After that earlier confrontation, a sudden dislike for the woman bloomed within her, and concentrating became impossible.
She yawned loudly, earning a few glances, but she didn’t care. Thanks to fucking Asher, she’d had barely three hours of sleep, and now the exhaustion was catching up with her.
If only I could sleep, she thought longingly, her eyes glazing over as the teacher scribbled on the board. But no, here she was, trapped in this boring class, the minutes dragging like hours. And just like that, one moment, Violet was awake, and the next, she was out cold.
A clean, sweet, soothing and electrifying scent wafted into her nose, pulling her deeper into the haze of semi-consciousness. She moaned softly, instinctively leaning closer to the source, craving more of the intoxicating fragrance. It felt like energy, like life itself. She was pressed against something firm yet soft, the warmth and comfort of it making her never want to move again.
"Are you going to sleep forever?" a baritone voice murmured into her ear,
breaking through the fog of her dreams.
Weirdly enough, it sounded familiar.
Violet’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing her blurry vision registered was pale skin, then as her gaze cleared, the icy, intense stare of Alaric Storm. His raised brow and faint smirk made her heart sink
Oh well....