The Alpha Twins' Lottery Mate

"How dare you speak to me like that?" the brunette snapped, glaring at Starlight with a mixture of surprise and irritation, clearly not expecting her to push back. "Have you no manners? Not only did you bump into me, but you actually have the nerve to insult me? Apologize to me right now."

Unbelievable. Starlight couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Her gaze flickered from the girl’s head to her toes, her disbelief only growing. How could someone with such a beautiful face be this unreasonable? The stranger was undeniably gorgeous, with striking features, flawless skin, and sharp amber eyes that practically glowed beneath the academy lights. Her brunette hair was pulled into a tight ponytail so neat that not a single strand appeared out of place. Under different circumstances, Starlight might have admitted the brunette was stunning.

Unfortunately, the moment she opened her mouth, all that beauty went to waste.

In Starlight’s eyes, she looked more like an angry frog than a beautiful girl.

Maybe that ridiculously tight ponytail was giving her a headache. Or could it be that it had been pulled so tight it had actually damaged something in her brain? Otherwise, why was she demanding an apology when she was clearly the one at fault?

"Are you deaf?" the girl demanded sharply when Starlight failed to respond immediately. "I said apologize to me right now."

Ezabel let out a quiet exhale and walked back toward them. "Beatrice," she said, her tone calm but firm. "What seems to be the problem here?"

Beatrice immediately pointed a finger at Starlight. "This lowlife just—"

"Who the hell are you calling a lowlife, you arrogant frog?" Starlight cut in before she could finish. "It was you who intentionally bumped into me, yet you’re the one standing here crying about it."

A stunned silence fell over the small crowd that was beginning to gather around the commotion.

Beatrice’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"How dare you—"

Her expression twisted with fury as she suddenly raised her hand and swung.

The slap never reached Starlight. Ezabel stepped between them at the last second.

Smack.

The sound echoed through the foyer. Ezabel’s head snapped slightly to the side from the impact. A collective gasp erupted from the gathering students.

"What the—"

"Did she just slap Ezabel?"

"Oh my God..."

Starlight’s eyes widened, shock written all over her face as she stared at the reddening mark on Ezabel’s cheek. For a moment, she didn’t know what to think. Never in her life had she imagined she’d see a werewolf get hurt on her behalf. A strange, uncomfortable feeling stirred within her chest, but she immediately pushed it down, refusing to examine whatever useless emotion was trying to surface.

There was no way she was going to feel sorry for one of those beasts. For all she knew, this could be some kind of elaborated act designed to lower her guard. Besides, she hadn’t asked Ezabel, or whatever she called herself, to jump in front of her. She had made that choice on her own.

Ezabel slowly turned her head back toward Beatrice. The warmth had vanished from her expression. Her gaze hardened into something cold enough to make the surrounding students fall silent.

Beatrice visibly stiffened. The anger on her face faltered, replaced by immediate regret.

"Beatrice," Ezabel said quietly, her voice calm but carrying a sharp edge that sent a chill through the air. "What exactly do you think you’re doing right now?"

"I..." Beatrice hesitated, uncertainty flashing across her face. "I’m sorry, Ezabel. I didn’t mean to slap you," she said quickly. "The slap was meant for her." She jabbed a finger toward Starlight. "Not you."

Starlight’s eyes narrowed slightly. Just who exactly was Ezabel? Did she hold some kind of authority within the academy?

Everyone around them looked shocked that she had been slapped. Even Beatrice, who had been acting like she owned the place moments ago, suddenly looked genuinely rattled, as though she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. The arrogance that had filled her face earlier was nowhere to be seen now.

Was she really that afraid of Ezabel?

Ezabel, on the other hand, regarded Beatrice calmly. "And why exactly were you trying to slap her when the two of you were merely exchanging words?" she asked.

Beatrice lowered her gaze.

"Have you forgotten the academy’s rules regarding humans?" Ezabel continued, her voice remaining level. "Or do you require a reminder that we are forbidden from physically harming them?"

"No, Ezabel." Beatrice immediately shook her head. "I’m very sorry. I was just upset by the way I was being spoken to by a lowly human."

The moment the words left her mouth, something inside Starlight tightened.

Lowly human.

She still couldn’t explain why that particular phrase always rubbed her the wrong way. It wasn’t as though she had never been insulted before. Growing up poor had practically painted a target on her back. People had called her cheap, trashy, worthless, pathetic, and every other insult imaginable. But none of those words had ever affected her quite like lowly. Maybe it was because when a werewolf said it, it wasn’t merely an insult.

It was a reminder. A reminder that no matter what happened, they would always view humans as lesser beings. Even back in secondary school, she could tolerate almost any insult thrown her way, no matter how cruel it was. But the moment someone called her lowly, especially a werewolf, her blood would boil. Even now, it was taking every ounce of self-control she possessed not to launch herself at this tight-ponytailed brunette and claw the smugness off her face.

Ezabel’s expression remained unreadable.

"I’ll pretend this never happened," she said at last. "But be careful, Beatrice. I don’t want a repeat of this incident."

"Yes, Ezabel." Beatrice nodded immediately. "It won’t happen again."

Ezabel turned toward Starlight. "Let’s go."

Starlight studied her for a brief moment before giving a small nod and falling into step beside her. She refused to walk behind her again and attract any more unnecessary attention than she already had. Behind them, Beatrice stood frozen in place, her fists clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palms.

How dare Ezabel reprimand her in front of a human? The humiliation burned hotter with every passing second. If it weren’t for the Alpha Twins backing Ezabel, she would have wiped that condescending look right off her face. And as for Starlight Dawson, her jaw tightened. The human would pay for today’s humiliation. One way or another, she would make sure of it.

xxx

Starlight had expected Ezabel to say something about what had just happened, maybe even lecture her for provoking Beatrice, but the girl didn’t so much as mention it. Instead, the young lady led her toward a bank of elevators positioned at the far end of the foyer. Starlight followed in silence as Ezabel pressed a sleek touch-sensitive button mounted beside one of the metallic doors. A second later, the doors parted soundlessly.

They stepped into the brushed-steel cabin, and Ezabel pressed 21 on the illuminated panel. The doors slid shut, and the elevator began to rise almost silently.

Immediately, Starlight felt a sudden heaviness settle in her legs. Her stomach dropped sharply as gravity shifted beneath her, sending a jolt of pure panic racing through her nerves. It was her first time riding an elevator, and the sensation of being launched upward inside a closed metal box was entirely nerve-racking. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she clenched her jaw and kept her eyes fixed on the digital floor indicator, determined not to embarrass herself.

After several moments of silence, Ezabel finally spoke. "As much as I admire you for standing up for yourself," she said, her gaze remaining on the steadily changing floor numbers, "it would do you good to tread carefully, especially around someone like Beatrice. People like her can hold petty grudges for a very long time, and eventually look for opportunities to settle the score."

Starlight snorted internally. Here she had thought Ezabel had decided to say nothing about what had happened with Beatrice. Apparently, she had simply been waiting until they were in the privacy of the elevator.

"I’m not scared of Beatrice," Starlight said flatly. "And I’m certainly not going to cower every time someone decides to pick a fight with me. I didn’t do anything wrong. She was the one who deliberately bumped into me, then demanded an apology. How does that even make any sense?"