A month had passed since Auren uncovered the truth of his Thread. The Thread of Pursuit, a name that clung to him like a second skin, both a revelation and a burden. The knowledge had shifted something deep inside, though outwardly he remained unchanged: cold eyes, steady hands, a mind sharper than blades.
He had sent Zevaros a message in Mortal's Heaven the very night he discovered it. Not just one message but several, spaced apart, each word sharpened to pierce through silence. But Zevaros never replied. Not a single acknowledgment, not even the shadow of a reaction.
The absence gnawed at him. His thoughts turned in restless circles, chasing the phantom of a wolf he could not grasp. It twisted his gut and itched at the edges of his mind, but he buried it. He buried everything. Because if he unraveled here, in the academy, where every eye was measuring him, where every step was scored in points, he would lose control. And control, even when he pretended he didn't want it, was survival.
So he worked. Day after day, he fought for his points. Tasks, drills, challenges, he poured himself into them with unrelenting focus. The number never grew fast enough. His ledger crawled upward, each hard-earned point clutched like treasure.
Yesterday, his total had stood at 207.
And yet, this morning, when he stood at the checkpoint screen with his usual dispassionate stare, the number mocked him.
247.
His eyes narrowed. He ran through his calculations again. No, he had not miscounted. Fourty points had appeared overnight, as if the system of the universe itself had played a cruel trick.
"Where did these come from?" he asked the school points attendant, his voice low, edged with suspicion.
The staff smiled politely. "That information is confidential, Mr. Auren."
Auren clicked his tongue softly. [Confidential fuck that Meaningless word.] His gut told him there was intent behind this gift, and intent always came with strings attached or favours to be asked. But for now, he let it go.
He turned, left the checkpoint, and made his way to class. His gait was calm, shoulders straight, the usual aloof predator's poise. Yet a faint disquiet stirred under his skin. When he slid open the door to Class 1-N, his instincts screamed.
A burst of sound — pop! Confetti exploded in his face.
Auren reacted instantly, body twisting into motion, hand raised to strike. His aura flared cold, the sharp bite of winter in human form, and the fist strike was met in a perfectly timed manner, by Eiran's counter.
The fox's palm met his wrist, steady and fluid, breaking the strike with practiced ease. The two locked eyes, predator to predator, wolf to fox. For a moment, the room froze in terror. The weren't sparing buddies for no reason, they understood each other to the finest detail.
Then as though registering the action, Auren blinked looking dazed. His gaze rose to see what he had missed at first glance. A banner hung across the chalkboard.
'Happy Birthday.'
The words glimmered in bright ink, simple yet overwhelming. His chest tightened. His birthday. Of course, seventeen years old today. He had marked the date in his mind but dismissed it, another pointless milestone. Yet here it was, hanging in bold letters for all to see.
He inhaled sharply, and for once, his composure cracked.
The class could not have done this, he reasoned. They were too distant, too wary of him. His eyes slid instinctively to Eiran. The fox was smirking faintly, but his hands were folded, trying to act innocent. He had set this in motion, no doubt, but not alone.
"Auren," Eiran said smoothly, "before you start snarling at me, listen."
Two figures shuffled forward. Nemea, their dignified class president, and Katelyn, whose noble lineage carried weight even here. Both girls looked nervous, clutching something in their hands.
"We…" Nemea began, her voice uncertain, "we wanted to give you something. To celebrate."
Katelyn nodded quickly, cheeks flushed. "We know you don't like… frills. So, we gave you what matters most here."
They extended their hands. Auren blinked down at the small tokens. His ledger pinged with the confirmation. +12 points from Nemea. +28 points from Katelyn.
Auren froze.
It was a gift beyond generosity. Points were what he needed to participate in the Inter-Academy games. These points meant freedom to participate, comfort to pursue his goal, and to so,e students of this school points could signify even life. To hand them over so freely,
His chest trembled with something he could not name.
"You…" his voice was low, shaking slightly, "gave this to me?"
The girls nodded. "Happy birthday, Auren."
Auren's usual icy veneer melted for the barest moment. He bowed. It was not shallowly, nor dismissively, but a full formal bow of respect. The weight of his father's teachings was in the motion, a gesture nobles reserved for equals or for gratitude they could not put into words.
Gasps filled the room.
Then, with deliberate care, Auren produced two tokens from his inner pocket of his storage ring. Each bore his father's mark, the Blest Dominion crest. A rare and precious seal.
"With these," Auren said, his voice smooth again, "you may travel using the Blest Dominion's teleportation waypoints freely. Consider it… my return gift."
Both Nemea and Katelyn flinched, eyes widening. They tried to refuse, stammering protests, but Auren's eyes silenced them. Cold, unyielding, yet with a flicker of warmth buried deep. He had made his decision. They would accept.
Around them, the nobles murmured with awe, and whispers filled the air. Auren ignored them. His gaze shifted to Eiran. The fox leaned casually against the desk, tail swaying, watching the scene unfold with his sly, knowing smile.
"If you even try to say thanks," Eiran drawled, "I won't talk to you. Not in the game, not in class, not even when we go home for the holidays. I only did this to remind myself that the holiday is close and we're about to finish our 1st year in school."
Auren's lips twitched. The tension, the cold, the twisted hunger inside him cracked. For the first time since joining this academy, truly and wholly, he laughed out loud. It wasn't a quiet laugh, or the sharp mocking kind he sometimes let slip. It was full, bright, and unguarded, echoing across the classroom like the shattering of ice.
The students of Class 1-N stared, stunned. The icy wolf, the boy who held himself apart, who seemed carved of winter had actually laughed. And in that laughter, they glimpsed warmth. Humanity. Joy and his Omega beauty that many seemed to forget.
Eiran's smile widened, satisfied. He had wanted this moment, and he had won.
Auren felt it too. For once, the weight of the pursuit, the ache of obsession, the silence of unanswered messages, all of it eased. He stood not as a predator, not as a noble's son, but as a boy turning seventeen, surrounded by those who had chosen to stand beside him.
For the first time, Auren allowed himself to feel it: the warmth of belonging. The day proceeded as smoothly as usual but when evening arrived, Eiran dragged Auren's hand and took him towards the school gates. Auren knows you can't leave school but when Eiran flashed a pass to the guard Auren was take aback.
"How'd you do it?" Auren asked curiously as they stopped running.
"I used some of the points to buy it." Eiran answered casually but Auren frowned,
"Then you won't participate in the Inter-Academy games with me. You.." Eiran laughed hugging Auren's shoulder, " It's okay. Just being in the audience's cheering for you is enough plus I got us a night out of the academy. We can go have cake, watch a movie then come back."
Auren smiled, his heart more than content and he followed Eiran. They went to a cake store and bought their best selling cake then Eiran went to a restaurant and declared it the prince of Blest Dominion birthday so they got a free VIP room but they paid for the meal.
When Eiran brought out the cake the servers and some of the guests came and sang happy birthday to Auren. By the time they were leaving it was around 9pm in the evening and some nice movies were in the cinema. Eiran chose a horror just to see if it was as scary and he ended up cowering beside Auren the whole time.
Auren just watched for the sake of it but seeing Eiran's reactions made the movie sweeter. After the movie,Auren received multiple calls from his family so he just set them in one video call group.
"Auren, son happy birthday." Seraphina said with a smile while Fenvaros just smiled beside her at Auren.
" little bro, happy birthday. May you grow to be a strong and proud Therion." Raleith said with a smile even though his face was covered in soot.
"Auren it's almost time for your official adult heat. Don't let men fool you." Caelith added causing everyone in the call to gang up on him,
"Caelith he's only seventeen, eighteen years is a whole 12 months away." Rai'en said clearly lying on his bed in school.
"Son, you worry too much," Fenvaros added, seraphina nodding in agreement.
"It appears your mind is becoming the very metal you shape everyday." Vorren added with a diss.
"You calling me fucking dense?! Huh Vorren?" Caelith roared but Vorren ignored him.
The night was beautiful and Auren was more than happy but still.... somewhere in his heart he still waited for the lion to say it too. Eiran seated beside Auren saw all this emotion and sent a very offensive threat to the said lion.