The night air clung cold against Elena's skin as she stepped out of the library with Adrian. The echo of Lila's laughter still scratched at her ears. Every step felt heavy, as if the ground itself remembered the venom that had been spilled within those walls.
But outside, the academy grounds weren't as empty as they should have been.
From the courtyard, a voice drifted lazily, carrying mock and amusement.
"Well, well. Midnight strolls with Adrian? How bold of you, Elena."
Elena's head snapped up. Ryan Li leaned casually against the marble fountain, the silver moonlight catching the sharpness of his smirk. His uniform jacket hung carelessly from one shoulder, but his eyes were far from careless—keen, searching, predatory.
Adrian tensed at her side, his posture shifting into quiet defense. "Ryan," he said flatly.
Ryan ignored him, his gaze locked on Elena. "The library? At this hour? You're either fearless… or foolish."
Before Elena could answer, the sound of soft heels clicked against the stone path. Clara stepped into view, her expression perfectly poised, as though she had expected this gathering all along. Her arms were folded neatly, and yet her eyes gleamed with sharp calculation.
"Fearless?" Clara's lips curved faintly. "No. Elena is reckless. There's a difference."
Elena stiffened, biting back a retort. Of course Clara would use this moment to jab.
And then—
From the shadows at the edge of the courtyard, a slow clap echoed.
All four turned.
Lila emerged, her smile sweet, poisonous. "How touching. All the academy's little stars gathered together, under the moon. I almost feel honored to intrude."
The tension snapped tight like a bowstring.
Ryan's smirk widened, though his tone was edged. "So the snake shows herself."
Lila only tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Snake? Ryan, you wound me. I'd rather call it… surviving." Her gaze slid to Elena, pointed and unblinking. "Some of us are very good at survival."
Elena's fists clenched at her sides.
Clara's cool voice cut through the night. "Whatever game you're all playing, keep me out of it. I have no interest in childish play". But her eyes lingered too long on Adrian, betraying that she did, in fact, care.
Adrian finally broke his silence, his voice like steel. "Enough. If you've all come here to circle and bare your teeth, then at least admit it. No one here is innocent. Not one of us."
The words struck like a challenge, his gaze sweeping each of them in turn from Ryan, Clara ,Lila and then on Elena.
For a heartbeat, no one spoke. The night seemed to hold its breath.
Then Lila laughed, soft and sharp, her voice wrapping around them like smoke. "He's right, and that's what makes this interesting."
Her eyes glittered as she stepped back into the shadows, her voice floating after her.
"Let's see which of us survives the longest."
She left.
Ryan chuckled lowly, shaking his head. "She's not wrong." His gaze flicked between Adrian and Elena. "Careful Elena, Wolves don't only hunt sheep, they hunt each other."
With that, he strode away, his figure vanishing into the mist.
Clara gave Elena one last, cool look, then turned on her heel without a word, her perfume lingering faintly in the cold air.
And then—silence.
Only Elena and Adrian remained beneath the watchful moon.
Elena's chest rose and fell sharply. Lila, Ryan, and Clara weren't just bystanders anymore. Each of them was watching Elena closely, waiting for the right moment to reveal their true intentions.
This academy wasn't just a place of learning. It was an arena.
Adrian's voice broke the quiet, low and deliberate. "Now you see. No one here is harmless."
Elena swallowed hard, her heart beating like a war drum.
No one was harmless. Not even her.