"Well, well, if it isn't the newly minted princess of the pack," Becky's voice cut through the air like nails on a chalkboard.
Elise tensed, and before she could even prepare herself for the encounter, Becky and Luka appeared, standing with their arms crossed, the same mocking expressions they always wore.
"You think you're better than everyone else now?" Becky taunted, stepping forward with that same, familiar arrogance. "Just because you're with him? You think you've suddenly become someone special?"
Elise's stomach twisted, but she didn't allow herself to react. She was no longer the shy, timid girl they had tormented. She couldn't be. Not anymore.
"I'm not the same girl, Becky," Elise replied, keeping her voice calm. "And I don't need your approval."
Becky's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Oh, I think you do. What else would you do without me, huh? You're just a nobody pretending to be someone important. Do you honestly think this will last? One day, you'll be back in the gutter where you belong."
The air was thick with tension.
Elise could feel the weight of every eye on her as the silence stretched.
She stood tall, keeping her chin up, although, her heart was pounding in her chest.
Becky's smirk widened as she saw Elise stepping forward with confidence radiating off her like smoke from a fire.
"Well, well, if it isn't the newly minted princess of the pack," Becky's voice cut through the air.
She was angry now.
She hasn't expected that Elise would actually come to because of her.
She has specifically told the principal to make sure her name echoed in Elise's hears.
"That weak old man would hear from me after all these shenanigans!"
She was pretty sure it was because he didn't spell it out correctly to her.
If he did, the good for nothing won't have half the nerve to come with the aim of challenging her.
"Ohhhhh!" Becky finally thought!
The good for nothing came to beg. Now it all made sense.
She better come to her senses and do just that instead of trying to piss her off first!
"Well?" Becky said, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Aren't you going to say something? Or is your precious Alpha mate here to fight your battles now?"
The crowd murmured.
Elise took a deep breath. The old her would have shrunk back, would have lowered her eyes and prayed for the confrontation to end. But not today.
Today, she was someone else.
"Elise," Kai whispered beside her, his voice low and warning. "You don't have to—"
But she cut him off with a small shake of her head. "I do."
She stepped forward, closing the space between her and Becky.
Her eyes were steady now, focused. She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to.
"You've always needed a crowd to feel powerful," Elise said evenly. "You think people watching makes you stronger. But you know what I think?"
Becky's smirk faltered slightly.
"I think you're afraid. Afraid someone else might shine brighter than you. That someone might finally stand up and show the school exactly what a coward you really are."
Becky's hand twitched at her side.
"A moment of silence for the good girl!" Now, I can't leave here without beating her mercilessly! Beckly smirked!
"You've bullied people for years. Sofia, Anna, the humans—anyone who couldn't fight back. But guess what, Becky?" Elise said, stepping even closer, her voice clear.
"I'm not afraid of you anymore."
The crowd gasped softly, the buzz growing louder.
Becky's expression twisted into something ugly.
"You think you're tough now just because some Alpha marked you? Don't forget where you came from, Elise. You're still the wolfless, pathetic girl you've always been."
Elise smiled. "Maybe I am wolfless. But pathetic? No. Not anymore."
Becky let out a loud laugh, but the sound felt forced.
"You need to be put in your place," she growled.
Before Kai could stop her, Becky lunged.
But Elise was ready.
She sidestepped quickly, years of dodging Becky's aggression giving her the advantage.
Becky stumbled past her, and before she could regain her balance, Elise spun and knocked her off with a swift shoulder.
Gasps echoed around them.
Becky growled, furious now. "Lucky hit!"
She came at Elise again, fists clenched, but Elise ducked the first blow and jabbed forward, knocking Becky squarely in the ribs. The crowd roared.
Years of fear, humiliation, and silence had built up inside Elise like a storm, and now, it was finally being unleashed.
She had practiced judo since 4th grade in elementary school.
And now, Elise wondered why she hadn't used it to defend herself against Becky or anybody else.
Becky was right.
Being with Kai had brought up the confidence in her. But not in a bad jealous way Becky was trying to put it.
Becky came again, this time more calculated, but Elise was calm, her reflexes sharper than she ever remembered. Every move felt natural—like something inside her had been waiting for this moment.
"You fight dirty," Becky snarled.
"You fight stupid," Elise shot back, ducking again and sweeping Becky's legs from under her. The girl landed hard on her back, gasping for air.
Elise didn't press the attack. She simply stepped back, chest rising and falling as she stared down at her former tormentor.
The crowd was stunned.
Kai stood at the edge, arms crossed, eyes burning with pride. Lucien, beside him, let out a low whistle. "Well, damn."
Elise extended a hand—not in surrender, but in strength. Becky looked up, confused, embarrassed, and furious.
"This isn't about dominance," Elise said, her voice ringing loud and clear.
"I'm not here to fight you for a place in this school. I already have one. Whether you like it or not."
Becky didn't take the hand. Instead, she scrambled to her feet, face red with rage.
She was starting to feel a little dizzy.
The fall was a hard one, and the tiles were made of shiny marbles.
It felt like she landed on glass. But she would never accept the defeat!
"You'll regret this," she hissed. "Just because you're sleeping with the Alpha doesn't mean—"
"Elise doesn't need me to protect her," Kai said, finally stepping forward.
The crowd turned their heads to look at Kai.
Gasps and awes cut through the air.
His voice was calm, but the warning in it was unmistakable. "But if you ever speak about her like that again, I promise you, you'll be cut unaware by what'll befall you."
Becky's mouth opened, but no words came out.
She was fuming inside.
Even though, she could insult Elise because of Kai, she dared not insult Kai because of Elise.
No one in their right state of mind dared to do that.
The guy was a menace!
Underneath his dark amber eyes which looked so lovingly, he was a cold guy who would never went back on a word!
"You'll be cut unaware by what'll befall you" the weight of these words sent shivers down Becky's spine.
She stared at Kai who was now watching Elise with so much love.
The headmistress, who had been watching silently from the entrance, finally spoke up.
"Enough. This is a school, not a battlefield. Becky, Luka—my office. Now."
Luka, who had been lurking behind his sister the whole time, paled and followed the headmistress without a word.
The headmaster was a pushover who was always hungry for money, but the head mistress was nithing like that.
She never lets anyone talk down to her for the sake of material things.
She was pretty loaded herself!
The crowd began to thin, people whispering excitedly as they walked away.
"Elise really fought Becky."
"She won."
"She didn't even shift."
"She's stronger than we thought."
Elise stood there, her chest still rising and falling, adrenaline still racing through her veins.
Kai walked over, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
She nodded. "More than okay."
Lucien grinned. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."
Elise laughed—genuinely laughed—for the first time in what felt like forever.
Kai laughed alongside her, he looked like a proud boyfriend in high school.
As they walked away from the school, Elise realized something important.
She had always believed her strength had to come from a wolf, from shifting, from raw power.
But that wasn't true.
Her strength came from surviving,
From refusing to break,
From rising after every blow life had dealt her.
She didn't need fangs or claws to prove her worth.
She just needed to believe in herself.
And finally, she did.
And for the first time, Elise was proud of herself.
She was proud that she put an end to Becky's madness.
Back at the packhouse, Kai poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.
"I've never been more proud," he said.
Elise smiled, sipping slowly. "I'm just getting started."
He leaned down, his forehead brushing hers.
"You've always been powerful. You just needed a reason to see it."
She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his presence, and whispered, "Thank you for being mine."
Kai's eyes darkened with affection. "Always."
And as the sun set behind them, casting golden light through the windows of the packhouse, Elise felt something deep and undeniable settle inside her.
She was no longer the girl who cowered in the shadows.
She was the Alpha's mate.
And one day soon… she'd be their Luna.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Elise stood on the balcony of the packhouse, staring out at the woods.
Everything felt different now.
She had faced Becky.
She had reclaimed her voice.
And she'd walked away stronger than ever.
But as she stood there, breathing in the cool evening air, a strange scent hit her nose—sharp, unfamiliar… dangerous.
She turned slightly, narrowing her eyes at the tree line.
It was the same feeling she had felt since the attack at the silver moon ball.
Almost everything had been false alarm.
But this time, she couldn't shake off the feeling that—
Something—or someone—was watching.
A low growl echoed faintly through the woods, too far for human ears, but just close enough for a Lycan's.
Elise stepped back, her pulse quickening.
She glanced behind her—Kai wasn't in the room anymore.
She was alone.
Then, out of the shadows, a figure stepped into view.
Tall. Hooded. Not of this pack.
And definitely not human.
"Elise," the figure rasped, voice like gravel. "We've been waiting for you."
Her blood turned cold.
Before she could scream, the figure vanished.