Chapter 115: Who Said We Wouldn’t Attend?
"There are rules between the houses. Break them, and someone answers for it."
~ Rebel Beast
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By the time they arrived at House Therion, there was a new set of guards that hadn’t been there before. Aria noticed them and frowned. It was undoubtedly Maverick’s doing.
What was he trying to protect her from? Rhydian’s dragon? What was so bad about accepting a jewelry gift from a dragon? The more she thought about it, the more questions she was left with.
"Whoa, that looks serious," Brittney commented as she stepped out of the car after the others, taking in the security as well.
"Why do I feel Professor Maverick is taking precautions after the attack in the dining hall?" Trisha wondered.
Alek looked at Aria as though she had the answer.
"You don’t think Rhydian would return and try to attack us again?"
"No, he won’t," Aria said immediately, a fierce protectiveness rising inside her. "He’s not like that."
The moment those words left her mouth, all eyes turned to her.
Realizing what she had said, Aria cleared her throat.
"I mean, what happened in the dining hall was a complete accident. Rhydian hadn’t meant to shift there. It wasn’t intentional. So he has no reason to come after us," she blurted.
For a moment, they simply stared at her. Aria couldn’t help but notice the way Brittney, Alek, and Trisha looked at one another, their eyes communicating without words. They knew she wasn’t being entirely honest with them.
"Anyway, Aria’s right," Variant said, breaking the awkward silence. "Rhydian isn’t some wild dragon that goes around destroying buildings because he’s pissed. However, it’s in Alpha Maverick’s nature to be thorough. Trust me, you girls haven’t seen half of his protective side."
"Oh, I’m sure Aria would be delighted to know that," Brittney teased shamelessly.
"Fuck you, Brittney," Aria shot back, thoroughly annoyed.
"Oh, I’m a good fuck, darling," Brittney replied without the slightest bit of shame.
Aria let out a long breath of exasperation. The girl was simply impossible.
Variant shook her head. "Come on already. You girls need to settle in."
Just like that, they returned to House Therion.
Classes must have changed because the corridors were now filled with Therion students making their way to the next lecture while others lingered outside in small groups, talking among themselves.
The moment they spotted Aria and the others, conversations faltered. Then the whispers began.
"Isn’t she the human Rhydian cornered in the restroom?"
"I heard Alpha Maverick had to save her. Otherwise she’d be dead by now."
"I knew bringing humans into House Therion would only cause trouble."
"I bet she keeps getting into danger just to catch Alpha Maverick’s attention."
Aria’s brows knitted together. What the hell?
Didn’t these beasts realize she could hear every word they were saying? More importantly, how had news traveled through the academy this quickly?
"Just ignore them," Valerie said, noticing the look on Aria’s face. "Most of the beasts around here have far too much free time. Gossip is practically a competitive sport."
Variant laughed. "They’ll find someone else to talk about when the next big story comes along. Though I should warn you, today’s incident is the hottest topic on campus. The gossip won’t be dying down anytime soon."
Aria couldn’t help but sigh. Pretending not to care about their gossip proved much easier in theory than in practice.
They eventually reached their suite and stepped inside.
"Routine inspection," Valerie announced. "Alpha Maverick’s orders."
"Be my guest," Trisha replied. "I’ll be damned if another one of those oversized rats sneaks into my room. I’m still traumatized from the last one."
Variant and Valerie exchanged amused looks before splitting up.
"I’ll take this one."
"I’ll check this."
Variant entered Alek’s room while Valerie pushed open Trisha’s door. Neither room had been locked, making the inspection quick. A few moments later, both women stepped back into the living room.
"Clear," Variant reported.
"Nothing unusual here either," Valerie added. "The rooms are safe."
"Let’s finish the last two," Variant said, already turning toward the remaining bedrooms.
Aria’s and Brittney’s rooms stood opposite each other. Valerie had barely reached for Brittney’s doorknob when—
"Wait!"
Brittney rushed over, nearly throwing herself between Valerie and the door, spreading both arms protectively across it.
Everyone stared at her, surprised by her reaction.
"I..." Brittney’s eyes darted around wildly as she searched for an explanation. "I made a mess in there," she blurted out.
The room wasn’t messy. The problem, however, was what she’d left inside it.
Between the trip wires, rat traps, tranquilizer launcher, and every other precaution she’d rigged against unwanted visitors, her room looked less like a bedroom and more like a military obstacle course.
If Aria and the others saw all that, they’d probably think she was one bad day away from murdering them in their sleep. Yeah, she definitely didn’t want to make that impression.
It wasn’t her fault she’d arrived at the Concordia Program... thoroughly prepared.
But Valerie said to her, "We’re all girls here, Brittney. Our rooms end up looking like that sometimes, don’t they?" She glanced over her shoulder, looking to the others for support.
"She’s right," Variant agreed with a nod. "Mine certainly isn’t spotless at the moment."
"My room isn’t exactly perfect either," Aria admitted with an awkward shrug.
All eyes shifted to Alek.
"Sorry," she said unapologetically. "I have an unhealthy obsession with cleanliness."
"Exactly," Trisha chimed in. "Not everyone is a pig."
Normally, Brittney would have rolled her eyes or fired back at her cousin’s jab. But today, Trisha’s insult was accidentally working in her favor.
"See?" Brittney said quickly, seizing the opportunity. "I’m just a little sensitive about the state of my room right now. Besides..." She gestured toward the rooms Variant and Valerie had already searched. "If every other room is clear, then mine should be too, right?"
Variant and Valerie exchanged a thoughtful look, thinking it through.
Finally, Valerie breathed. "Fair enough."
She stepped away from Brittney’s door and turned toward Aria’s room instead.
"Let’s check the last one."
Variant nodded and reached for Aria’s doorknob.
The moment their attention shifted elsewhere, the breath Brittney had been holding escaped her lungs in a slow, silent sigh.
That had been close.
Variant disappeared into Aria’s room, and unlike Brittney’s supposedly messy room, Aria’s was neat and orderly.
Variant took her time searching it. It was obvious Alpha Maverick was fiercely protective of Aria, which meant she had to make absolutely certain the oblivious "Lady boss" wasn’t in any danger.
She checked beneath the bed in case a snake was hiding there, inside the wardrobe, behind the curtains covering the balcony doors, and even inside the adjoining bathroom. Satisfied that nothing seemed out of place, she stepped back into the living room.
"Aria’s room is safe," she announced.
Brittney clapped her hands dramatically. "That’s what I like to hear. We’re officially in the clear then."
"I believe we’re finally done here," Valerie said with satisfaction. "We should probably leave you all to rest for a while. It’s been quite the day."
None of them argued with that.
"You already have our contact information," Variant said. "If you need anything, call or send us a message. And whatever you do, don’t open the door for anyone unless it’s one of us, Alpha Maverick, or Beta Dimitri."
"We’ll remember," Aria assured them. "And thank you. Really. For everything today. For looking out for us."
Valerie’s face softened instantly. "Aww, don’t mention it. You girls are adorable." She grinned. "We’ll have breakfast together again tomorrow..."
She paused midway through the sentence.
"...Actually, we don’t exactly have a dining hall anymore."
"I’m sure Alpha Maverick will figure something out. He always does," Variant said confidently. "And if not, we can always meet downstairs in the common room and gossip about absolutely everything."
"Speaking of everything..." Valerie suddenly snapped her fingers. "The party!"
Variant blinked. "Oh! That’s right." She turned back to the girls. "You are all coming, aren’t you? Rhydian invited all the humans."
"What party?" Alek and Trisha asked in unison.
Brittney’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Wait... did you just say party?"
Three pairs of bewildered eyes turned toward the two beast girls. Only Aria remained relatively unsurprised.
If she remembered correctly, Rhydian had mentioned a party back in the restroom. At the time, she’d been too overwhelmed by everything else to ask what he meant.
Now, judging from the stunned expressions around her, she realized this wasn’t an ordinary party.
"Yes, a party!" Valerie announced excitedly. "It’s tomorrow night. And after that comes the fight between Rhydian and Alpha Maverick."
"Wait." Aria’s head snapped up. "Did you just say a fight between Rhydian and Maverick?"
Valerie paused. "Um... yeah?"
A curse slipped beneath Aria’s breath before she could stop it.
"Is this because of me?" she asked, her voice tightening with alarm. "Because of what happened today? If that’s the case, then I don’t agree to this fight."
"I think you need to slow down a little, Aria," Variant said gently.
"But you just told me Maverick and Rhydian are going to fight."
"They are."
"Then how is that not because of me?"
Variant and Valerie exchanged a look.
"It’s sort of complicated," Variant admitted.
Valerie scratched the back of her neck, trying to explain. "Technically, there are rules between the houses. When Rhydian attacked the human quarters, a few boundaries were crossed, and now the challenge has to be settled properly." She waved her hand dismissively. "It’s a whole beast thing."
"Besides," Variant added, "this sort of challenge isn’t exactly unusual here."
Valerie nodded. "Exactly. The reasons go beyond just you."
Relief loosened the knot in Aria’s chest, though only slightly.
"So no one is fighting over me?"
Both beast girls stared at her. Then Valerie burst into laughter.
"Oh, trust me," she said between laughs. "If two apex predators were actually fighting over a girl, the academy would’ve shut down by now."
She breathed."Fortunately for everyone, that’s not what’s happening. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. You girls won’t be coming to watch it."
"Who said we wouldn’t?" Brittney demanded, folding her arms.
Valerie looked surprised. "You want to attend?"
"Of course we do," Brittney replied without hesitation. "You announce a party, then casually mention a fight between two apex predators like it’s part of the entertainment schedule, and expect us to stay home?"
Even Alek admitted. "I have to admit, I’m curious too."
"So am I," Trisha agreed. "You can’t tell people something like that and expect them not to ask questions."
Everyone turned to Aria, waiting for her response.
"If everyone is going," she said after a moment, "then I don’t want to be left behind either."
Watching two fully grown beastmen beat each other senseless wasn’t Aria’s idea of entertainment. If anything, she wanted nothing to do with it.
But after everything that had happened today, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sit peacefully in her room wondering if either of them had gotten seriously hurt.
She needed to see that fight with her own eyes.
"If that’s the case," Variant told them, "I’ll let Alpha Maverick know you’ve all decided to attend. Something tells me he’s going to be pleasantly surprised."