Rumors were like poison.
They seeped into every crack of the academy, slow at first, then swelling until the whole place stank of it. At first, Auren ignored them. Whispered nonsense wasn't worth his time when he was busy trying to merge his bloodlines further. Eiran rolled his eyes at them too, pretending to shrug off the gossip, the way a fox shakes rain from its fur.
But rumors, left unchecked, grow teeth and become a festering wound.
Every day, the stories twisted more and more. At first, it was talk of their closeness, of how the wolf and the fox always sat together, trained together, fought side by side. Then it turned into whispers of exclusivity. Then it changed disgustingly, mockingly and it became something far worse.
"They're lovers. They probably fuck every night."
"Obviously Auren's the top. He's colder, stricter and look at how Eiran follows him around. Eiran's the bottom. He just doesn't have that bite. Makes sense, doesn't it?"
"But they're both Omegas, does it work that way?"
"Our species, us Therions, doesn't really care. Honestly some Omegas get together if they don't want to sire kids. Same with Alphas. But who's rod do you think is bigger?"
When those words finally reached the ears of Auren and Eiran, they both snapped.
For Auren, it wasn't the gossip about intimacy. He could've laughed at that, dismissed it as children's chatter. What enraged him was that it dirtied his bond with Eiran. It turned loyalty into ridicule. The one person he allowed close enough to see his emotional walls from the inside was now dragged through the filth because of him. That, he could not forgive.
For Eiran, the fury burned in an entirely different place. The fox could've handled the "couple" talk with a sneer. But the claim of him being a bottom for Auren? That hit a place deeper than pride. It attacked his identity, his entire foxfire arrogance. Eiran was no one's bottom. He wasn't built to bow. To be painted as submissive, especially next to Auren of all people, was an insult that gnawed at him like acid.
Eiran knew better than most how submissive Auren is, it's only that nobody can handle him yet. So when they decided enough was enough, it was without hesitation. They would find the root, tear it out, and salt the ground.
The chance came sooner than they expected.
Katelyn, the butterfly princess of Bloom Dominion, found them first. She appeared before them in the corridor after class, nervousness clinging to her like dew. She probably thought she was brave for stepping forward. She probably thought she would appeal to their reason.
She thought wrong.
In an instant, Auren's hand was at her throat. His grip was firm but not crushing, his claws grazing just enough to remind her of what could happen. Her breath hitched, eyes widening as her back slammed against the wall.
"Speak," Auren commanded, voice cold as the north wind.
At the same time, Eiran caught her wrists and pinned them high above her head. His onyx eyes glowed with anger, his seven tails released and twitching with restrained irritation. His voice was deceptively light when he added, "You'd better answer honestly, Princess, or you'll regret the silence more than the words."
Katelyn's lips trembled. "It.....it wasn't me. I swear."
Auren narrowed his eyes. "Convenient. Everyone denies, yet the rumor grows. Should I take that as proof of guilt?"
"No!" she gasped, struggling for air. "It's Aura, she… she spread it. I tried to stop her, but she… she turned everyone against me! I've been nothing but her victim for weeks."
Eiran tilted his head, studying her with the cold patience of a predator. His grip on her wrists didn't loosen. "Victim, hm? That's a pretty story. You expect us to pity you? Aren't you a princess?"
"I don't care for pity," Katelyn whispered, desperation in her eyes. "I just… I just want it to end. Aura abandoned me the moment it suited her. I'm not her ally anymore. It's because I'm a princess that the treatment I received wasn't as bad as a commoners."
Auren scoffed softly, his grip tightening around her throat. "And why should we believe you?"
"Because," she choked, "you don't trust anyone. But he does." Her eyes flicked toward Eiran. "And you both need bait."
The silence stretched long. For a long, sharp moment, only Katelyn's labored breaths filled the corridor. The students passed by ignoring the ruckus hoping to avoid getting on the bad side of the rumoured pair.
Then Eiran released her wrists and stepped back. His expression was unreadable, but his next words cut through the air with precision.
"You'll eat with us. You'll walk with us. You'll smile as though we've claimed you as our little follower. And Aura will see it. She'll choke on it. If what you say is true, she won't be able to stand you rising where she's falling."
Katelyn swallowed hard, her wrists numb but she still couldn't move. "You'd use me as bait."
Eiran's smile was thin and foxlike. "Congratulations. You learn fast."
Auren's hand withdrew from her throat, though his eyes never softened. "Try anything, and I'll end you before Aura does."
Katelyn nodded quickly rubbing her wrists together. "I understand."
And so, their strange alliance was forged.
For a month, Katelyn played her part. She sat with them at meals, endured the stares, ignored the whispers. She walked beside them in the halls, her once fragile presence now carrying the weight of dangerous proximity. Aura seethed from the sidelines, her fury palpable. The bait dangled beautifully, and the trap drew tighter with every passing day.
But just as the tension promised to snap, something else shattered the calm first.
One morning, as the class 1-N buzzed with its usual pre class chatter, the broadcasting speakers crackled to life. A hush fell over the room as the voice of the announcer boomed across the campus.
"Attention students. An official challenge has been issued. Hanul of Myrra Dominion has invoked the right of duel. His opponent Eiran, Prince of the Myrra Dominion."
The class erupted in chaos. Gasps, whispers, shouts of surprise, everyone drank in the news like wildfire. Eyes occasionally turned to the back of the class catching glimpses of Eiran's shock then his fury.
Eiran's shifted into something between amusement and irritation. "So the peacock couldn't keep his feathers down after all."
Auren, however, felt the burn of fury rise in him like a storm tide. His first instinct was annihilation. Not just Hanul or Aura but All of them. Every single fool who had laughed, whispered, or dared stain what was his. He wanted to wipe the board clean in one brutal sweep. Even if it means facing expulsion for killing within school grounds, Auren was wiling to risk it.
But before he could act, Eiran's hand landed on his arm. That hand was Firm and Steady.
"This is mine," Eiran said, his voice low but sharp. His onyx eyes glimmered like a fox's in the dark. "He challenged me. Not us. Don't take this from me Auren."
Auren stared at him, jaw clenched, the storm raging just beneath his skin. Finally, he exhaled through his nose, the sound sharp. "If you lose, I'll kill him myself."
Eiran smirked. "Good thing I won't lose then."
After that class ended, the two headed straight for the central ring that was at the back of the school grounds. Behind them, Katelyn lingered, quieter than usual. But her eyes followed them with a strange light, her presence now less bait and more shadow trailing faithfully. She is in a different class,that is 1-E and in her class is Aura.
When the broadcast had been made, Aura had smiled beautifully, a sense of accomplishment filled her arrogant face. Katelyn immediately knew that she's the one who,arranged this and set up Hanul to challenge Auren. This is because Aura knew she's the weaker party so, in order to make Auren and Eiran pay, she needed a strong pawn.
As they arrived at the central ring they found that the stage was set. The instructor chosen for supervising the fight was already present and life saving wards were placed all around the central ring. The morning sun was warm upon the skin but it foreshadowed a bloody afternoon. And as the academy's whispers reached their fever pitch, one thing became clear.
This wasn't just a duel. It was the spark that would set fire to everything.