~Daphne~
I couldn't remember.
No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many times I replayed last night in my head, nothing came to mind. It was like someone had taken an eraser to my memory and wiped it clean.
Did I... did I feed on Elowen?
The thought made my stomach twist violently as I brushed my teeth, staring at my reflection. My canines looked normal now. No fangs. No evidence of anything wrong.
But I remembered the hunger. The craving. The way her heartbeat had called to me.
And then….I remembered nothing.
I dried my face with shaking hands and got dressed, jeans, a plain sweater, sneakers. Simple. Understated. The complete opposite of how I usually dressed back home, but I couldn't afford to draw attention to myself here.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Elowen was already dressed and waiting, bouncing on her heels with way too much energy for someone who might have been attacked by their roommate in the middle of the night.
I took one glance at her and nearly whistled. Girl knew how to dress.
She wore furry boots, a short skirt, a crop top, and layers of chains and jewelry that clinked when she moved.
Damn.
"You ready?" she chirped.
"Yeah," I said weakly. "Ready."
As we walked toward the cafeteria, Elowen chattered nonstop about breakfast.
"So, you'll see everyone since we all eat together," she said, grinning. "Especially the dragons. Oh my gods, Daphne, the dragons are so hot. Like, unfairly hot. The vampires are a close second, but they're at least more open. Dragons think they're above everyone because of their immense power."
"Oh. Okay. Sure." Dragons? Heck.
When we reached the cafeteria, I stopped in my tracks.
It was massive. The ceiling stretched high, with chandeliers made of glowing crystals casting warm light over the space. Students filled the tables, laughing, talking, eating. Werewolves, vampires, Fae, dragons, all mixed together.
"More explanations. Some people stick to their own species and eat separately," Elowen explained as we walked in. "But the rest of us don't really care."
"Why is that? Why do people eat separately I mean?" I asked.
She stopped and looked at me, confused. "Girl.….aren't you a werewolf? You should know this. The Great War? That doesn't ring any bells?"
I laughed awkwardly. "I—uh—"
"Whatever. It's fine. Maybe some werewolf packs shield their pups from the truth." She waved it off. "Our teacher will explain in History class today anyway."
She paused, tilting her head. "So what pack are you coming from?"
My heart stopped. "I—I—erm—"
"Elowen!"
Thank God.
A guy appeared beside us, Fae, with bright blue skin and electric blue hair styled in a messy, rockstar kind of way. He was hot. Piercings, sharp cheekbones, a confident smirk.
"This is Caelith," Elowen said, beaming. "My best friend. Cael, this is my new roommate."
"Daphne June," I said quickly.
"Aight, aight. Nice to meet you, Daphne. Werewolf I presume?"
"Yep. That's me." I nodded weakly.
He grinned. "Awesome. Come on, let's get some food."
The cafeteria was divided into two sections. One side had rows of glass bottles filled with dark red liquid, blood. For the vampires. The other side had normal food.
I followed Elowen and Caelith to the food line, my eyes darting around nervously. There were people with golden scales running down their arms. Others who looked completely normal. Some with pointed ears and shimmering skin.
"Those are the Nightborn," Caelith said, pointing to a table full of pale, sharp-featured students dressed in black. "They're THE vampire clique. And over there—" He gestured to another group. "The Moonfang pack. Werewolves. They stick together like glue."
"What about dragons? Do they have cliques too?" I asked.
"Rare," he said. "There are not many of them, and the few here hate each other. Mostly. And Fae?" He smirked. "We don't give a fuck. We sit wherever and do whatever."
A kind-looking woman, normal-looking, so probably a werewolf, handed me a tray with food. "Here you go, sweetheart."
"Thank you," I said, managing a small smile.
I turned to follow Elowen and Caelith….and that's when I saw him.
Zephros.
He was sitting in the far corner with another guy, and his violet eyes were locked directly on me.
I froze.
Why was he staring?
Remembering that I was still standing, I quickly snapped out of it and continued moving. But I was too late.
I crashed into someone.
My tray flew out of my hands, food splattering everywhere, on the floor, on the table, on him.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"
I looked up.
The guy I had just crashed into was gorgeous. Dark hair with hints of brown, glowing amber eyes that seemed to flicker like actual fire. He wore a short-sleeved hoodie, and small, iridescent scales ran along his cheekbones.
Dragon.
He smiled, which made me more frightened.
"What do we have here?" he said, his voice smooth. "A new werewolf pup."
"I'm really sorry," I stammered. "I didn't mean to—"
"Intent means nothing," he said, stepping closer. "What are you going to do about it, little wolf?"
Behind me, Elowen and Caelith had turned back. Their faces went pale.
"I—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it—"
He leaned down, towering over me. "Do you know who I am?"
"I—I—"
"You stammer a lot. Do you by chance have a speech problem?"
"Back off, Knox."
I spun around, my heart lurching. Who said that?
Zephros.
He was standing right behind me, his violet eyes blazing, his jaw clenched. And then, to my complete shock, he stepped in front of me, pushing me protectively behind him.
The cafeteria went quiet. People were staring now. Whispering.
Is Zephros Silvain defending a werewolf?
Knox chuckled, clearly entertained. "Oh you. Silvain. How the mighty have fallen. Mingling with a lowly werewolf pup? I see first-year suits you once more."
Zephros's teeth clenched. "Fuck you, and fuck off."
He grabbed my wrist. "Let's go."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Knox called, gesturing to his stained hoodie.
"I said fuck off" Zephros growled, his eyes glowing that eerie violet.
Knox raised his hands, smirking. "Whatever you say, freak."
For a split second, it was as though Zephros froze. His eyes glowed even brighter, then he clenched his fist and lunged. But someone grabbed his arm, another guy, with ruffled brown hair and an easy smile.
"Don't do it, Zephros," he said calmly.
Knox's gaze shifted to him. "Ah, Ash Emberfang. The bodyguard. You shouldn't be moving with him, you know. You're a dragon heir."
"Whatever. Let it go Zephros," Ash said, clearly unbothered.
Zephros glared at Knox for another long moment before finally turning and stalking back to their table.
Knox chuckled, looked at me, and winked before walking away.
I stood there, frozen, my heart pounding. What the hell? My first….should I say altercation? Great going Daphne, solid A plus work. You've just drawn just enough attention to yourself.
Ash sighed and turned to me. "Let's get you something new to eat."
"Oh….yes. Thank you."
He walked me back to the food line. "I'm Ash. You're Daphne, yeah?"
"Yes. Yeah. Thanks for that, by the way."
"No problem." He grabbed a new tray and handed it to me. "Let's go."
I blinked. Eh? "Go where?"
"Sit down. With us."
"With.…him?"
Ash chuckled. "Would you rather face the possibility of bumping into someone worse than Knox, because I promise you, there a lot."
I swallowed. "No."
"Good," he said. "Then follow me."