The silence at the table stretched too long, tension hanging heavy in the air. Velithra's fake friends shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting between her and Kai like they were watching a storm form.
Finally, one of them—Maya, the loudest of the group—snorted, breaking the spell."So what, Kai? You're just gonna sit here now? With her?"
Velithra's stomach dropped.
Kai didn't move, didn't blink. His eyes stayed fixed on Maya, calm and unreadable. "Yeah. Problem?"
Maya smirked, emboldened by the attention from the others. "Kinda. Like, no offense, but… she's not exactly the type guys like you hang out with." She flicked her eyes toward Velithra. "I mean, look at her."
The words sliced clean, brutal. Laughter rippled from the other girls, hushed but poisonous.
Velithra's chest tightened. She kept her eyes on her tray, willing herself not to break, not here, not now—
"Say that again."
Kai's voice was low, cold enough to silence the entire table. The laughter died instantly.
Maya blinked. "What—"
"I said, say it again."
The air shifted. His calm, careless mask slipped, and underneath it, something darker showed—sharp, dangerous, unflinching. His black eyes pinned her like a predator eyeing prey.
Maya's smirk faltered. "I—I was just joking—"
"No," Kai cut her off, leaning forward, his voice like steel wrapped in fire. "You don't joke like that. Not about her. Ever."
The table was frozen, whispers around the cafeteria rising again as people realized what was happening.
Velithra's fake friends looked shaken, but none of them spoke. Maya swallowed hard, shrinking under Kai's gaze.
Finally, he leaned back, casual again, though his eyes still burned. "That's what I thought."
The table remained silent. Nobody dared say another word.
Velithra, on the other hand, couldn't breathe. Her heart thundered in her chest, her hands trembling under the table. Not from fear of him—but from the terrifying, overwhelming realization that someone had just defended her.
Really defended her.
And everyone saw it.