Lila took a deep breath of the surprisingly fresh, pine-scented morning air on the Academy grounds. She had successfully made it out of the Omega dorm without bumping into anyone—a small, silent victory. Anna, her maid, walked a few respectful paces behind her, carrying a small, unnecessary satchel.
Lila was outwardly immaculate in her uniform, but internally, she was a wreck.
Just get to the main lecture hall. Find the back row. Sit in the corner. Be invisible. I am Lila Blackwood, the beautiful wallpaper, nothing more!
Her focus was entirely on the marble pathway, trying to project an air of untouchable arrogance that would repel casual conversation. She was so focused on avoiding eye contact that she didn't realize her too-small heels had caught on a slightly raised paving stone until she was already airborne.
"Whoopsie," she thought with the casual panic of her old self, trying to stop the elegant form of Lila Blackwood from performing a spectacular face-plant.
She flailed, recovering at the last second by slamming her shoulder against a large, decorative stone planter filled with deep purple flowering vines. The Omega uniform saved her from a scrape, but the impact jarred her badly.
Catching her breath, she glanced up, rubbing her shoulder—and froze.
Less than fifty feet away, walking directly toward the main academic building, were Rose Williams and Harry Westwell. They weren't holding hands, but Rose was laughing at something Harry had said, and Harry was gazing at her with the possessive warmth of an Alpha who had found his destined mate.
Moon Goddess, they look sickeningly happy! And they are directly in my path!
She remembered this scene from the book: they would enter the main lecture hall together, sparking immediate gossip and cementing their destined status. If Lila was seen anywhere near them, the plot would assume she was stalking them, and the consequences would escalate.
Ava acted purely on instinct. She performed an action utterly unbefitting a high-ranking Blackwood: she dropped behind the decorative planter, hiding amidst the thick, scratchy purple vines.
"I cannot believe I am hiding behind a decorative shrub. I am a beautiful, powerful villainess, and I am currently camouflaging myself like a slightly oversized lizard."
A snort of genuine laughter escaped her before she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Lila? What are you doing?"
Ava nearly leaped out of her skin. She twisted around to see two girls—perfectly manicured Betas from mid-level packs—staring at her. Ava recognized them instantly: Chloe Evans and Tiffany Lowell, the two most dedicated, and slightly dim, followers of the original Lila Blackwood. The minor villain characters were here, and they had found their Queen in the bushes.
"Oh, ladies," Lila forced out, adjusting her blazer with affected boredom. "I was merely... testing the structural integrity of this flora. One must ensure the Academy maintains its standards, mustn't one?"
Chloe and Tiffany exchanged a confused look, but quickly nodded. "Of course, Lila. We were just heading to the main entrance. Are you joining us?" Tiffany asked.
Perfect. An escort and human shields. "Naturally. I do not dawdle." She stood up, brushing imaginary dirt from her skirt, and let them flank her.
As the trio approached the wide, columned entrance of the main building, the inevitable happened.
They were physically blocked by a student who was a head taller than Harry. He was broad, radiating a raw, untamed power that wasn't as crushing as the True Blood Alpha's but was undeniably aggressive. His uniform was slightly rumpled, and the sneer on his face was pure antagonism.
"Well, well, well," the Alpha drawled, crossing his arms and planting himself squarely in their path. "If it isn't the Blackwood Omega. I hear your father's pack had a bit of an embarrassing kerfuffle recently. Are you sure you can even attend, Blackwood, or should we send the little Omegas home to hide behind Daddy?"
The pressure of his Alpha pheromones was immediate. Lila felt the familiar tightness in her chest and the unwanted, involuntary urge to drop her gaze. This is not the True Blood Alpha, but he is a standard, aggressive jerk Alpha. I need a response that sounds arrogant but doesn't escalate to an actual physical fight where I, the weak Omega, will definitely lose.
Chloe and Tiffany shifted nervously, but they couldn't intervene.
Lila took a steadying breath, preparing to launch into a withering, but dangerously antagonistic, Blackwood insult—the kind that would guarantee her a lifetime of enemies.
Before she could speak, a third voice—soft, slightly shaky, but remarkably firm—intervened.
"Excuse me, but we are going to be late for the orientation lecture. Perhaps this conversation could wait until a break time?"
The aggressive Alpha, already annoyed, turned his full, sneering attention onto the interrupter. "And who, exactly, are you, little Beta? Are you trying to protect this joke of an Omega?"
The girl who had spoken was small and unassuming, with mouse-brown hair and a plain, uncrested uniform. She was clearly a non-affiliated Beta, terrified, but holding her ground.
"I--I am Elara Hawthorne"
Lila's internal reader-brain short-circuited. Wait. Elara Hawthorne. Non-affiliated Beta. Cannon-fodder character who was supposed to be saved by Rose Williams in a later subplot! Why is she intervening NOW? She is not supposed to be here!
The rival Alpha looked ready to tear Elara apart simply for speaking, but Elara held a handful of papers with an official-looking stamp.
"I'm sorry," Elara said, her voice trembling slightly. "But Professor Rian just asked me to deliver these revised seating charts to the main hall immediately. If I am late, he will be... unhappy. And I'm quite sure he would be even more unhappy if a high-ranking Alpha was responsible for the delay."
It was a bluff. A desperate, terrified bluff, but it worked. The Alpha sneered, unwilling to risk the wrath of a senior professor, even if he was only dealing with a Beta messenger.
"Fine," he spat, shoving past Elara and Lila. "But this conversation isn't over, Blackwood."
Lila stared after him, then slowly turned to Elara. She was stunned silent. This girl, this insignificant side character, had just saved her from a confrontation where she would have either submitted or been drawn further into the plot's violent orbit.
"Lila, are you okay?" Tiffany whispered, checking her nails, seemingly more concerned with the drama than the danger.
Lila looked at Elara, whose face was pale with shock but whose eyes were wide with relief and admiration.
"I—I'm fine," Lila managed, using her most aloof tone. "You did well, Elara. Come. You can deliver those charts now."
Elara, believing she had just bonded with the most intimidating girl at the Academy, practically melted. "Thank you, Lila! I—I didn't think you'd notice me! I'm so honored!"
Oh, no. I've accidentally acquired a loyal, brave sidekick. This is either going to save my life or get her killed.
Lila, flanked by the two brainless Betas and one terrified, surprisingly competent Beta, finally entered the main lecture hall.
The vast room was packed. Students were milling around, finding their seats, their voices a deafening roar. In the front row, right next to the Alpha section, were Rose and Harry, already the center of attention.
Lila scanned the room, looking for the back corner, her sanctuary. She located three empty seats against the rear wall, a safe distance from the plot.
"Let's go," she ordered her new entourage.
But as she took her first step, she saw a cluster of older, more confident students surrounding one particular table. They were the minor antagonists from the later half of the book—the ones who ran the Academy's underground gambling ring and who would eventually frame Rose for cheating. Their leader, a scowling Alpha named Marcus, looked straight at Lila.
He grinned. It was a predatory, calculating grin. He didn't come over, but the message was clear: The game has begun.
Lila sank into her back-row seat, Chloe, Tiffany, and Elara settling around her. I survived the first five minutes. Now I have the whole year to go. And I'm already sitting with three people I shouldn't know.