Chapter 89: A Date

Adeline’s pov~

"Adeline???"

Sierra’s voice snapped through the air, dragging me violently back to the harsh reality of the bright lecture hall.

I blinked rapidly, pushing myself up from my folded arms. "Yeah... yeah... tell me," I murmured.

"What should I tell you?" Sierra chuckled, her eyes dancing with an unbearable excitement. "You should be the one talking! No—no, wait, it’s already decided! We are definitely not wasting any more time. We are going to have fun, Adeline. I already have a whole list of eligible alpha guys from our academy lined up for you, so all you have to do is pick one and go on a simple date!"

A date? An alpha from this academy?

"No, Sierra... it won’t work," I cut in immediately, my voice sharp and flat.

Sierra didn’t take my rejection seriously. She let out a light, melodious laugh and leaned over, wrapping her arm around my shoulders in a warm, protective squeeze as I sat up straight in my seat.

"There’s no problem at all if you don’t like the first date," she insisted passionately, with relentless excitement. "We have so many options, like dozens of other options, Adeline! And we have plenty of time, too. We are nowhere near running out of choices for you!"

Options? Time?

I didn’t have time for silly romance or innocent campus dates. I was living on borrowed time, drowning in lethal secrets, running from assassins’ traps, and being blackmailed by royal Lycan Kings who viewed me like a prize or a pawn. Every breath I took in this academy was a battle to keep my head above water, and here she was, planning double dates like my life wasn’t hanging by a single, frayed thread.

The idea of playing dress-up and going on a naive, romantic date was a luxury for girls who weren’t fighting for their literal survival every single second of the day.

Sierra’s voice rose a notch, her enthusiasm spilling over as she pulled out her phone again.

"Look, Adeline, I’m serious!" she declared. "You spend every single day hiding under that dark hoodie, dodging everyone, and you act like you don’t deserve to breathe the same air as everyone else in this academy."

"Why are you pushing every single good thing away from you?! Why won’t you just let yourself be happy for once?! You deserve to smile! You deserve a guy who actually looks at you, treats you like a queen, and takes you out! Just give one of them a chance. What could possibly go wrong?"

I stared at her, my throat tight, my heart pounding a terrifying rhythm against my ribs. What could go wrong?

"Sierra, stop," I said, my voice dropping into a low, deadly serious whisper as I gently but firmly slid her arm off my shoulder. "I’m not doing this. I don’t need a date, and I certainly don’t need a boyfriend."

Before I could open my mouth to protest again, Sierra’s phone pinged with a sharp, high-pitched notification.

She immediately tore her gaze away from me and looked down at her screen. The tight, frustrated line of her mouth instantly melted into a triumphant, radiant smile.

She looked up at me, her eyes flashing with absolute determination.

"Confirmed," Sierra declared. "We are definitely doing this."

Before I could protest, her gaze shifted toward the front doors of the lecture hall, her cheerful expression instantly hardening into pure ice.

I followed her bitter gaze toward the doorway.

It was Lucas, Logan, and Chloe.

The trio moved with their usual high-born arrogance, cutting through the hall until they slid into the seats in the row right in front of us, off to the right. Chloe leaned in close to Lucas, whispering something against his ear before bursting into a quiet, cruel laugh that made my stomach churn. They were looking in our direction, their eyes filled with the same disgust they always reserved for someone like me, maybe only for me.

Sierra glared at the back of Chloe’s head, her eyes flashing with a dangerous alpha light.

She lifted her phone and held it right in front of my face, intentionally raising her voice so it echoed across the quiet back rows.

"See? Your first date is completely set," Sierra announced loudly, her tone dripping with deliberate provocation. "It’s Adrian Wolfe, the Alpha of the Mooncrest pack. He’s my boyfriend’s best friend... and he is so damn excited to meet you."

My heart did a sharp stutter.

Adrian Wolfe? The future Alpha of the Mooncrest pack? Is she out of her mind?!

At the sound of Sierra’s loud announcement, Lucas, Logan, and Chloe all snapped their heads around to look at us. Their faces twisted into a mix of cold shock, disbelief, and petty amusement.

A scentless defect on a date with an alpha pack leader? I could read the mocking thoughts on their faces without them saying a single word.

I chose to completely ignore them, sinking lower into my seat and keeping my lips sealed tight. I didn’t say a single word to Sierra. I couldn’t. I was too terrified that if I opened my mouth, I would scream.

And then, the heavy mahogany doors swung open again.

Raw power flooded the air, making every wolf in the room instinctively lower their heads. The four Lycan Princes had stepped through the front doors.

The entire class parted, whispering hushed, respectful greetings as the four royals made their way up the steps. They were moving toward their usual seats near the top, but midway up the aisle, Prince Keiran suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

His eyes swept over the crowded rows, locking instantly onto me. He leaned in slightly, whispering a few quiet, sharp words to Blake, who raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Keiran turned away from the other three princes and began walking straight toward our corner. Straight toward my desk. What is he doing? Why is he coming over here?!

Keiran reached my side, reached out his massive hand, and casually pulled out the empty chair sitting on my left. Without asking for permission, he slid smoothly into the seat beside me.

The entire lecture hall had gone dead silent. Dozens of eyes were pinned straight onto the back row, staring at the royal prince sitting right beside me.

"What are you doing, Lord Keiran?" I whispered, staring at him.

Keiran remained dead silent. He didn’t answer me right away.

Instead, he slowly turned his head, his sharp, dark eyes sweeping across the entire classroom with a cold, terrifying glare that promised absolute slaughter to anyone who kept looking.

In less than a second, every student violently snapped their heads back, breaking their gaze and looking anywhere but at our desk.

Once the room was forced back into order, Keiran turned his heavy, unyielding gaze back to me.

"Don’t you think you have a lot to confess, Adeline?" Keiran murmured, his voice calm and quiet.