Chapter 24: Not Afraid
Mikhail had imagined their first real meeting with Starlight Dawson countless times since learning about her. In some versions, she was cautious and nervous around them. In others, she was excited and completely awestruck to meet them. He had considered dozens of possibilities, but not a single one had prepared him for this.
Standing in the middle of a crowded corridor, facing down an enraged werewolf from one of the Empire’s most influential clans, Starlight looked anything but frightened. If anything, she looked ready for a fight. There wasn’t a trace of panic in her eyes. No hesitation. No instinctive retreat.
From the look of it, if he hadn’t interrupted when he did, she might have met Beatrice head-on without a second thought. That alone was enough to make Mikhail’s curiosity flare even further. A human should have been intimidated when confronted by an angry werewolf.
Yet Starlight stood there with her shoulders squared and her chin slightly raised, as though Beatrice wasn’t someone she needed to fear. It made him wonder what exactly was going through her mind. Did she genuinely not understand the difference in strength between humans and werewolves? Or did she know something that nobody else knew? There was also the possibility that she was simply reckless, but somehow Mikhail doubted it. Maybe the girl truly knew what she was and believed she could stand against a werewolf.
The Alpha Twins strode toward the scene, the gathered students quickly moving aside to clear a path for them. Mikhail’s gaze remained fixed on Starlight the entire time. Strangely enough, she hadn’t even spared them a glance. Her entire focus remained on Beatrice, the anger in her eyes completely undiminished.
"I said, what is going on here?" Mikhail repeated, his voice colder this time.
Beatrice turned at once. Her entire demeanor changed the instant she saw the twins. The fury that had been directed at Starlight vanished almost immediately, replaced by relief and indignation. "Alpha Mikhail!" she exclaimed.
Before Mikhail could react, she hurried over and wrapped both hands around his arm, clinging to it as though staking her lclaim. "I’m glad you’re here. You have to do something about her!" she complained, pointing an accusing finger at Starlight. "This human attacked me! She slapped me for no reason and split my lip."
She tilted her face toward him, drawing attention to the injury. Mikhail’s gaze left Starlight momentarily and settled on the split lip.
"Everyone here saw it. You need to teach her a lesson before she gets even more arrogant!" Beatrice’s voice grew louder with every word. "And it’s not even the first time she’s attacked me. Earlier she bumped into me in the foyer for no reason and refused to apologize. She must think she’s special just because she’s gotten a bit of the Alpha Twins’ attention."
Across the corridor, Starlight rolled her eyes so hard it was almost impressive. To Mikhail’s surprise, he nearly laughed. The sheer disbelief written across her face made it painfully obvious what she thought of Beatrice’s version of events.
Beside him, Nikolai stared at Beatrice for a long moment before raising an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me a human slapped you hard enough to split your lip?" he asked, sounding far more intrigued than concerned.
Beatrice visibly stiffened. "I... well..." She faltered, her grip on Mikhail’s arm tightening. "It wasn’t like that." Nikolai’s eyebrow climbed even higher. Beatrice’s flushed face deepened with embarrassment. Having her split lip pointed out was bad enough. Having to explain how a human girl had managed to give it to her was an entirely different level of humiliation.
Her face burned as she desperately tried to recover what little dignity remained. This was just one of the many reasons why she disliked Nikolai. He always knew how to make her feel embarrassed with just a few words. Sometimes, she couldn’t believe someone like him shared a womb with someone as respectable as Mikhail.
"She caught me off guard," she said quickly. "I wasn’t expecting her to attack me. If I had been prepared, that never would have happened."
Mikhail tilted his head slightly. "A human caught a werewolf off guard?" he asked.
Beatrice nearly choked. The amusement in Nikolai’s eyes immediately deepened.
"That’s not what I meant," Beatrice said hastily. "I was distracted. I wasn’t paying attention. She just... she just attacked me out of nowhere."
Starlight did not know what to make of the situation anymore. She had already made up her mind not to go anywhere near the Alpha Twins throughout her entire time at the academy in order not to attract their attention, yet somehow she had ended up standing in front of them. The last thing she wanted was to give them any more reason to focus on her, especially when she still had no idea what she had done to catch their interest in the first place. Yet here she was, forced to watch that arrogant beast act as though she was the victim while conveniently leaving out the true reason behind what had happened.
The entire situation felt ridiculous, if not completely absurd and she had no desire to witness the performance any longer. With a quiet sigh, Starlight reached out and grabbed Elle by the arm. "Let’s go," she said as she pulled her roommate toward the dining hall entrance. Elle blinked in surprise but followed. Ariel and Chloe exchanged worried looks before quickly following behind. Neither of them seemed to know whether they should be impressed by Starlight’s confidence or terrified by her complete lack of concern about walking away after creating such a shocking scene in front of the Alpha Twins.
"Won’t you share your side of the story, Starlight?" Mikhail’s voice stopped them before they could walk through the threshold.
Starlight slowly looked back at him.
Their eyes met across the distance between them, and for a brief moment, she felt a strange chill run through her. There was something about the man standing before her that made her instincts react, something she couldn’t quite explain. It wasn’t fear exactly, but rather an uncomfortable feeling she couldn’t put into words, as though something about him unsettled her on a level she didn’t fully understand.
She quickly shook off the strange sensation.
She had promised herself she would never be intimidated by any werewolf ever again, and she had no reason to feel that way now. The man before her was just another werewolf who enjoyed having people look up to him and obey his every word. With a calm expression, she asked, "Who exactly are you for me to explain myself to? Are you one of the teachers or some kind of academy authority?"
Mikhail’s expression shifted slightly, clearly not expecting her question.
"Because unless you are one of the school’s authorities, I have no reason to stand here and justify myself to you," Starlight added. With that, she turned away from him and continued walking, her roommates following closely behind.
"Did you see that?" Beatrice exclaimed in disbelief. "Did you see the way she just spoke to you, Alpha? A mere human just walked away from you without a second thought!" Her voice grew louder with every word. "She clearly has no respect for werewolves, no respect for authority, and no respect for Alpha Mikhail. You can’t just let someone like that continue acting however she wants. She must be punished!"
Mikhail let out a soft chuckle, unable to hide his amusement. There was something strangely refreshing about someone who did not immediately try to impress him or seek his approval. "The show is over," he announced, his voice carrying through the corridor. "There’s nothing more to see here. Everyone, go on your way." The surrounding students immediately obeyed, dispersing throughout the corridor .
"Alpha, you won’t let her get away with this, right?" Beatrice asked, looking at him hopefully.
Mikhail glanced down at her hand still wrapped around his arm. Without much effort, he removed her grip and stepped back. "You must be really hungry," he said calmly. "Go eat and replenish the energy you wasted shrieking."
Beatrice froze. Before she could respond, Mikhail turned away and entered the dining hall with Nikolai beside him.
She stood there in disbelief, staring after them. "Did he just..." she muttered, unable to finish the sentence.