Chapter 3

　　CRYSTAL POV

　　My knees hit the stone before I could process what I had just did.

　　Just a command that slid straight under my skin and wrapped itself around my spine. My traitrous body obeys, while my mind screams no.

　　I lift my head, and my breath hitched.

　　He steps closer, he steps was slow and predatory. His scent hits me instantly, he smell of smoke, cigars, and something fresh, dangerous, and addictive. It floods my lungs, and made my head spin.

　　Two fingers catch my chin, tilting my face up. Not rough, nor gentle. Just firm enough to remind me I was exactly where he wanted me.

　　His dark, unreadable, and searching locked on mine. As if he were looking past my face, past my defenses, into something buried deep within me.

　　My heart slams against my ribs.

　　I should have slapped his hand away. Anger should have come first.

　　Instead, my stomach clenches at the contact, heat pooling down. The realization terrified me.

　　His gaze flicked briefly to my mouth before returning to my eyes.

　　"C...Crystal," I stuttered strangely, which surprise me, because I never did.

　　His thumb brushed the edge of my lower lip, slowly, like he was testing how far he could push before I snapped.

　　I should have bitten him.

　　Instead, my mouth parted on a shaky breath.

　　He noticed.

　　A low rumble sound vibrated in his chest, not quite a growl, more like satisfaction. His thumb pressed in, parting my lips farther, sliding just enough inside.

　　The pad of it was rough from years of whatever brutal life an alpha like him led, calluses scraping my tongue as he pushed deeper.

　　My tongue moved before I could stop it. I Wrapped it around his finger instinctively, tasting salt and smoke and something darker, something that made my core clench hard. Heat flooded me, soaking my panties.

　　I hated it, I hated him. But I didn't care, what I felt for him was far greater.

　　His eyes darkened to black, revealing only his pupil. "Good girl," he murmured, his voice rough, the words sliding straight to my spine like his command had earlier.

　　My knees ached against the cold stone floor, but I couldn't move, I couldn't pull away. His free hand cupped the back of my neck, not gentle, just firm enough to remind me he could snap it if he wanted. Or tilt my head exactly how he pleased.

　　He did.

　　He withdrew his thumb slowly, dragging it across my tongue one last time, leaving a wet trail that cooled instantly on my swollen lips. Then he smeared the dampness over my bottom lip, painting it like he was marking territory.

　　Then he pulled back suddenly, like something snapped within him. His face hardened, colder than before.

　　"You shouldn't be without a pack," he said, already turning away as if nothing had happened.

　　I stayed frozen, my body still humming with awareness.

　　He opened a thin file. "Moon Crest."

　　I nodded, swallowing. "I chose to cut ties with them. With everything that connects me to my parents."

　　"Stand."

　　This time, my body hesitated.

　　That hesitation drew his attention immediately.

　　I pushed myself up, my legs shaking slightly as I faced him. His gaze dropped briefly, to my lips, my neck, before snapping back to my eyes, sharper than before.

　　His eyes bore into me. The room was silent except for the faint sound of my own breathing. I fought the urge to look away, to run, but something anchored me to stay.

　　"You know the rules," he said, voice low. "Packless wolves here don't just suffer from loneliness or exclusion. They're... degraded, marked, reduced to shadows without support or standing."

　　I swallowed hard.

　　I heard stories, warnings about the fate of those without a pack in this place. They are forced to fend for scraps, denied protection, often used as pawns or punished more harshly. Some never survived.

　　"They are stripped of their rights," he continued, "forced to serve others, their voices are silenced, their bodies often broken."

　　I glanced away, trying to hide the hint of fear in my face.

　　"Yet," he said, stepping closer again, "you are not one of them."

　　I blinked up at him, confused.

　　"You have a pack," he stated flatly, flipping the file closed with a hard slam. "Moon Crest may have cast you out, but that tie exists. You cannot pretend otherwise."

　　I shook my head, my voice shaking, still I put on a strong look. "I chose this, they didn't cast me out. I cut every tie to them, because of my parents. I am no longer theirs, I don't want tie with them."

　　His eyes narrowed, and they became dark and dangerous. "That's not how it works, cutting ties with pack doesn't work that way. You may walk away, but you still belong to the pack, until they reject you by oath, send you out to join the rogue or remain packless."

　　I stood my ground, forcing my voice to stay strong. "Then I'll break it."

　　He studied me for a long moment, then his tone shifted, turning cold. "You don't get to decide that, not in my domain."

　　I felt the harshness in his words, and that hurt me more than it should.

　　"But I don't want ties with them," I said softly, though deep down I don't want to experience whatever the packless experience here.

　　"Rules are rules," he said turning his back at me.

　　I stared at him, contemplating whether to ask the question on my mind. "Why are you so supportive of me?"

　　I asked quietly.

　　The question landed heavier than I expected.

　　For a moment, he didn't move. His hands rested flat on the desk, fingers spread, like he was grounding himself. When he finally turned, his face held no softness.

　　"Supportive?" he echoed, low.

　　"Yes," I said, forcing myself not to retreat. "You keeps trying to discourage me from becoming a packless."

　　Everywhere suddenly became silent.

　　Then he let out a short and humorless laugh.

　　"You confuse discouragement with norms," he said. "They are not the same."

　　He moved around the desk, stopping a few steps away from me. Not close enough to touch me, but close enough that I felt him anyway.

　　"I don't discourage packlessness because I care what happens to you," he said calmly. "I discourage it because allowing it would be negligence."

　　My chest tightened. "Negligence?"

　　"Yes." His eyes turned red. "Packless wolves destabilize territory, they create imbalance, they are desperation, and violent." He added, clenching his jaw.

　　I flinched.

　　"You think the rules exist to punish them or make them suffer?" he continued. "No. They exist to contain what happens when a wolf has nothing left to lose."

　　His gaze swept over me slowly, though this time not with desire.

　　"Packless wolves lie," he said. "They steal, they submit when it benefits them and bite when it doesn't. They don't belong anywhere, so they destroy what they touch."

　　I glared at him, still refusing to bow no matter how his words hurt me. I felt stupid for mistaking such little act as care. Well I wouldn't blame me, it was probably because I haven't experienced a tiny bit of care since birth. I forgot the Alpha's who own such Academy doesn't have a heart.

　　I stared at him, anger taking over the fear in me. And before I could stop myself, I mutter what I shouldn't have.

　　"Is this how you deal with everyone who comes into your office?" I asked. My voice was quiet. "Touch their lips. Intimidate them until they obey?"

　　The temperature in the room dropped.

　　His expression didn't change, but something behind his eyes did. His eyes held so much danger.

　　He stepped back, creating distance between us. "Careful," he said softly.

　　My heart was beating fast, but I held his gaze. "I'm asking."

　　"You're accusing," he corrected. His voice was calm now, and far more frightening. "And you are crossing a line."

　　I opened my mouth.

　　"Enough!" He yelled, with so much finality.

　　He turned and pointed toward the door, his Alpha instinct coming out.

　　"Get out."

　　I didn't move fast enough.

　　His eyes snapped to mine, glowing faintly. "Now."

　　My body reacted before my pride could protest. I turned, my legs walking faster than possible, as I reached for the door.

　　I left his office my cheek red from embarrassment. Because despite everything, part of me still wanted to turn back.