Chapter 4 4. CAFETERIA

SERAPHINA

What cruel twist of fate was this? How could Alpha Ronan end up as one of my roommates? I had resigned myself to sharing the room with the other three Alphas, but he was an entirely different matter. He didn't even attempt to conceal the predatory glint in his eyes. Clenching my fists at my sides, I questioned why it had to be him. Living with him would be akin to residing with a hungry lion.

Biting my cheek discreetly, I stepped out of his path and proceeded to my bed to unpack. Fortunately, new students were granted a day off to settle in, so I wasn't required to be anywhere else.

"Ronan, we didn't expect you to be here today," Reed remarked with a hesitant, panicked smile, a stark contrast to the smug expression he had worn earlier.

What did they mean by not expecting him? I continued unpacking, choosing to ignore them until Ronan responded, "Something interesting caught my eye, so I came to play."

My hand froze mid-motion, sensing Ronan's gaze fixed on my back.

At that moment, a bell rang.

Cassius groaned, "Oh, I'm starving after morning training. Let's go." Reed followed him almost immediately.

I watched their retreating figures. Was it time for breakfast? Finn paused, meeting my confused gaze, and informed me, "It's breakfast time, and the cafeteria is on the ground floor. If you don't arrive on time, there won't be any food left for you." His voice was softer than the others', almost gentlemanly.

I blinked. Did he just help me? "Thank you," I replied.

He nodded and left the room. It seemed not all Alphas were mean-spirited; some, like Finn, appeared kind. A small smile formed on my lips, but I soon felt it again-an intense gaze boring into me.

I slowly glanced to the side, where Alpha Ronan sat on the king-size bed, legs crossed, back straight, his violet eyes unblinkingly staring at me. Why hadn't he left with them? And why was he staring so intently? I looked away and resumed unpacking, hoping he would leave soon. I desired some time alone to arrange my personal belongings without an audience, but he showed no intention of leaving. With each passing second, my uneasiness grew as his stare intensified.

Unable to bear it any longer, I stopped unpacking and left the room without looking back. As I walked down the hallway, I glanced over my shoulder. What was his deal? He remained in the room, but now I had to head to the cafeteria, even though I wasn't particularly hungry.

However, when I reached the ground floor, my wolf caught the delicious scent of food. Without needing directions, I found the cafeteria. Upon entering, I was surrounded by hundreds of Alphas in academy uniforms. I quietly made my way to the serving area and began filling my plate, but my small stature still attracted attention. Unbothered by their mockery, I served myself and searched for an empty seat, which seemed impossible to find. Everyone was seated in their own groups, and sitting with random Alphas could be risky in many ways. Newcomers were often unwelcome, especially when perceived as weak.

"Seth!" someone called.

I tilted my head to the right to find Cassius waving at me. "Come, sit with us," he offered.

Reed and Finn were with him. I hesitated. They were still strangers, and our first encounter hadn't been pleasant. So why was he inviting me over? I scanned the room for another option but found no empty seats.

"What are you waiting for? Come on. There's an empty seat here," Cassius called again.

Having no other option, I nodded and started toward their table, carefully holding my plate. But Finn's gaze seemed to convey a warning. My steps slowed as I realized he was advising me not to join them. Something felt off-Reed's smile, Cassius' sudden kindness. Nothing came free in this world, and this felt suspicious. So, I decided not to approach them. Instead, I turned around, noting Reed's subtle clenching of his teeth as his plan failed.

Just as I found an empty seat and was about to sit, thinking I had avoided unwanted trouble, someone bumped into me hard, causing me to stumble forward. In an attempt to save my food and myself, I didn't notice someone was directly in front of me, and my entire plate spilled all over his uniform.

I gasped as the entire cafeteria fell into a dead silence. Holding the plate still in my hand, I felt the aura of the Alpha before me, mysterious and sharp as a blade, enveloping me in furious energy.

As I steadied myself and looked up, I was met with the imposing figure of a breathtakingly handsome Alpha. His dark, wavy hair framed a chiseled face marked by high cheekbones and a strong jawline. His piercing blue eyes were reminiscent of a stormy sea, locked onto mine with an intensity that froze me.

Whispers spread through the cafeteria like wildfire.

"He spoiled Dante's uniform!"

"On the very first day, he messed with the wrong person!"

My hand tightened on the plate. Did I just hear them call this Alpha... Dante? Dante Blackwood?!

His tall, muscular build loomed over me, the academy uniform straining slightly over broad shoulders and a chest carved from stone. Every inch of him radiated power and precision, as if he'd been sculpted for battle. His face was all sharp angles and impossible beauty-high cheekbones, a square jaw dusted with stubble, and a mouth set in a dangerous, unreadable line. But it was his eyes that pinned me in place-icy blue, glinting with fury and something far more lethal. No wonder he was ranked second among the Alphas.

Shit. This was a disaster. He looked extremely pissed off.

Trying to avoid escalating things, I quickly decided to apologize. "I am sor-"

Before I could finish, he closed the distance between us, his presence overwhelming as he growled low in my face, "You little fucker, how dare you mess with me?"

I met his eyes with forced calm, though his aura pressed against me like a vise. "Someone bumped into me. It wasn't intentional," I clarified, voice steady.

"Is that so?" A cold grin spread on his lips. "Then let me be clear-whatever I do to you from now on will be very, very intentional." His voice was a low, dangerous murmur, his eyes flicking over my face like he was memorizing it. "Watch your back."

With that, he stalked past me.

The cafeteria slowly returned to its noisy rhythm, but I remained frozen, still clutching the plate.

First Ronan, now Dante.

On my very first day, I had managed to offend both of the top-ranked Alphas. Why them? Why me?

Cursing under my breath, I dumped the plate and left the cafeteria without a backward glance-unaware that from the far end, Ronan had seen everything. And he hadn't looked away once from my back.