The next morning, Kira kept recalling Pascal's last words before he left. She lowered her eyelids thoughtfully, her mind drifting. After finishing her breakfast, she stood up, grabbed her schoolbag, slung it over her shoulder, and stepped out of the house.
As she entered the courtyard, she heard her mother saying, "Whiskey seems to be unusually quiet these days. Do you think we should take him to the vet?"
Her father responded, "He hasn't barked in days. I'll take him to the vet when I return from the farm later."
Kira looked toward the doghouse and saw her parents. Her dad was standing beside her mother, who was squatting and gently touching their dog, Whiskey.
She retracted her gaze, lowered her eyelids once more—already guessing what was behind Whiskey's silence. She pursed her lips tightly and walked over to the bus stop.
She sat down and waited. A few minutes later, the school bus arrived, and she got on, settling into her seat as it drove her to school.
When she stepped off the bus, Sophia rushed over, shouting, "Kira! Kira!!"
Kira rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what her friend was about to say—Sophia had a new gossip to share. Sophia hurried up, looking at her as if she'd suddenly grown a second head. Kira raised an eyebrow, curious about what was going on.
"Cut the act," Kira said, crossing her arms. "What's up?"
Sophia grinned excitedly. "Girl, you are famous now! The most famous girl on campus!"
Kira was speechless. She had always kept a low profile—so how had she become so prominent?
Sophia continued, "Guess?"
Kira shrugged dismissively. "Whatever."
She turned to walk away, but Sophia hurried after her, frustrated. "You really want to know? Davies Kant made a public confession of his love for you. Not just a text in the school forum—he made a whole video, girl! Daaaaamn!"
Sophia's eyes widened in curiosity. "How come you're so good at bagging men? Is it because you hate men? Hating men must make you get all the best of them."
Kira's face fell. Whatever Sophia was about to say after revealing Davies's confession didn't matter to her. She was upset that Davies would do such a thing.
She listened quietly as the gossip spread around her—the whispers and stares. Suddenly, she knew exactly where Davies was.
Without a word, she turned and headed off. Sophia called after her, worried. "Where are you going?"
Kira's voice was cold. "To fix some bug."
Sophia was stunned. She had no idea Kira possessed computer skills, and she was still trying to figure it out when Kira suddenly added, "Don't follow me."
Sophia stopped in her tracks, realizing what Kira was up to. Whenever her friend said that, it usually meant trouble—like when Kira once went after a guy who broke a girl's heart on campus and ended up beating him up badly.
"Don't get anyone killed," Sophia shouted after her as Kira disappeared into the distance.
Kira didn't bother to turn her head or respond. She simply walked to the back of the school stadium, where Davies and three of his friends were gathered, chatting casually.
The moment she appeared, they all turned to face her. She studied their expressions—eyes, faces, scent—knowing full well she didn't need to hide her true nature as a werewolf.
"I told them you'd come running over to see me," Davies said with a grin, clearly pleased. "Thanks for making me win the bet. I'll get you something with the money I won."
Kira's voice was cold and cutting. "Keep it. Use it for hospital bills. You probably need it more than I do."
Laughter erupted from Davies's friends, one of them teasing, "Davies, man, your charm's gone. Your mate doesn't seem interested in you."
Kira wasn't in the mood for their games. She glanced at her wristwatch, then aggressively rolled up her sleeves, her face set in a serious, cold expression.
"Hold on, hold on," one of Davies's friends said nervously. "Looks like she's really about to start a war."
Davies stepped forward, his tone icy. "I am your mate. Show some respect."
Kira didn't bother with words. Without warning, she threw a fist directly at Davies's face. He raised his arm to block, but she followed up with a swift kick. The two crashed into a fierce melee, exchanging over a hundred punches in rapid succession.
Within two minutes, after what felt like an eternity, Davies was thrown off balance and slammed into a nearby tree. The trunk cracked under his weight, snapping with a loud crack.
His friends watched in stunned silence, eyes wide with fear. They didn't dare breathe loudly as Kira turned on her heel and walked away.
Davies crawled out and pushed himself to his feet, his face twisted with anger. He was furious.
"Dude, let's get out of here," one of his friends suggested.
Davies didn't argue. He simply followed them, knowing the campus management would definitely investigate how the tree got broken.
His friends headed inside the basketball team locker room, leaving Davies behind.
Leaning against the wall was Pascal, hands in his pockets, a sly smile playing on his face. "You can't even stand your ground against her," he said mockingly.
Davies's face darkened. His anger flared at the sight of Pascal. "What's that got to do with you, bastard?"
Pascal stepped closer, each step deliberate, saying, "You don't deserve to be her mate. You're weak and pathetic…"
Davies snapped back angrily, "It's your parents who are weak and pathetic, bastard!"
Pascal's eyes flickered with something dangerous. He raised his hand, scratching the wall with his claws, carving deep lines into the surface. He spoke slowly, "Pretty boy, you're too emotionally fragile."
Before Pascal could strike, they heard footsteps approaching. Pascal glanced at Davies and then sneered. "Lucky you. Next time, you might need more than luck."
With that, he turned and left.
Meanwhile, Kira wasn't aware that Pascal had visited her school again. After her second set of lectures for the day, she kept looking around, trying to spot Clifford. But he seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Sophia noticed Kira's distracted gaze and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Kira replied nonchalantly, "Nobody."
But Sophia wasn't convinced. She gasped, "Your boyfriend?"
Her eyes widened, and she sat up abruptly, staring at Kira with disbelief. "You're in love with Clifford?"