The halls of Castel Granatefel were carved from stone older than history, stitched with glowing runes that pulsed like veins under skin. Lumi's boots echoed faintly as she followed the twisting path toward her assigned House—Ulvhenra.
She wore her new uniform: dark charcoal jacket with silver clasps, the sigil of the Lone Moon stitched above her heart. The scent patches held firm beneath her collar and along her wrists, cold and pulsing with subtle magic. Not a single Alpha had lunged at her today.
Progress.
The moment she stepped into the Ulvhenra common wing, the air changed.
It wasn't louder—if anything, it was quieter. But the quiet was heavy, coiled, alert. Like walking into a den where no one was asleep, but everyone pretended to be.
The House was nothing like she expected.
No grand banners, no lavish displays. Just stone, iron, candlelight. Clean lines and cold edges. The walls were dark, scratched with claw-marks in places. A single long tapestry hung across the hearth—midnight blue, with the House motto in old wolf-tongue:
"We Bow to None."
Headmistress Selene waited just inside the doorway, flanked by two students.
"These are your House peers," she said without preamble. "They'll introduce you to Ulvhenra."
The boy to the left looked like he'd been carved out of dusk and muscle. Beta, Lumi guessed immediately. Not because he looked soft—far from it—but because he wasn't looking at her the way Alphas did. His eyes were alert, skeptical. Not hungry.
He wore his uniform half-unbuttoned and had a chain looped through his belt with strange bone-carved charms.
"Ryn Delvar," he said with a nod. "Beta. Ulvhenra veteran. Don't expect a welcome basket."
The girl beside him was lean, tall, and had a scar that curved down from her temple to the edge of her mouth. Her eyes were too sharp to be kind.
"Calixe," she said. "Alpha. Technically. Don't mistake that for obedience."
Selene gave Lumi a subtle look. See? You're not the only one who doesn't fit.
Lumi crossed her arms. "Do all introductions come with disclaimers here?"
"You're not here for friendship," Calixe said. "You're here because you can't be trusted with the other Houses."
"That makes two of us," Lumi replied smoothly.
Ryn grinned—just a flicker. "She's got teeth. Good."
Selene stepped back. "They'll give you the tour. Orientation is short. Ulvhenra isn't like the others."
"You mean less organized," Lumi muttered.
"I mean freer." Selene nodded to the others. "Keep her alive."
Then she left.
The moment the door closed, Ryn sighed dramatically. "Well, let's get the awkward out of the way: yes, we know what you are. No, we're not going to grovel or faint."
"I'm relieved," Lumi said dryly. "I left my fainting couch back home."
Calixe's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're lucky Selene dumped you here. Any other House would've eaten you alive—or auctioned you off."
Lumi didn't flinch. "I'd like to see them try."
"You'd lose," Calixe said, without malice. Just fact.
Ryn stepped between them with a lazy stretch. "Let's move. I'll show you the essentials—where to train and where to hide when the Alphas from other Houses start sniffing around."
"Comforting," Lumi muttered.
Ryn stretched. "Let's start with what matters: nobody here cares what you are—until it affects them."
"You mean until they smell me," Lumi said.
Calixe's expression didn't change. "Most won't. Not with the wards. Not unless your control slips."
"So no pressure," Lumi muttered.
They led her through the hall—low, warm, full of burnished stone and scratched iron. This place didn't try to impress. It felt lived-in. Functional. Every corner told the same story: We're not here for status. We're here because nowhere else will take us.
"Ulvhenra's not like the other Houses," Ryn explained, his tone somewhere between casual and dead serious. "We don't do heir games. No duels for dominance. No scented pissing contests."
"Mostly Betas," Calixe added. "Few Alphas. The ones who don't like...playing king."
"And now, one Omega," Ryn finished, glancing sideways at Lumi. "A rare beast."
She smirked. "Sorry to ruin your perfect pack dynamic."
He snorted. "Oh, Ulvhenra's never been perfect. We're wolves that run sideways. Outcasts. Runt nobles, burned-out prodigies, bloodline rejects. We don't chase hierarchy. We survive it."
Lumi slowed near a side hall. A few students passed them—silent, distant, unreadable. Some looked at her. Most didn't bother.
She noticed something else: no one smelled like power. Not the way Alphas did. Here, the air was dense but quiet.
"They know what I am?" she asked softly.
"They know enough," Calixe said. "Selene didn't blurt it to the towers, but… you're not subtle, Brightspear. Every wolf in this House can feel a pressure shift when you walk in."
"They won't come for me?"
"Not here," Ryn said. "Not in Ulvhenra. You're safe—ish."
"Ish?"
He grinned. "Depends how badly you piss people off."
"As our motto states," Calixe further said. "You don't bow to Alphas, to Houses, to bloodlines."
"And we don't bow to you, either," Ryn added, sharp but not cruel.
Lumi stood straighter. "I wouldn't want you to."
Silence returned. But not tension—something quieter. Like a test had been passed. Or maybe just postponed.
Calixe stepped closer, lowering her voice. "We're not the kingdom's elite, Brightspear. We're the wolves that slipped through the cracks. But we bite when cornered. If you're smart, you'll fit."
Lumi nodded once.
"I don't plan to be cornered," she said.
Ryn laughed softly, then gestured toward the hallway. "We'll leave you here. You've seen enough for now. Supper's in two hours in the main hall. You'll hear the bell."
"I won't starve before then."
"Good. Because we don't do hand-holding here either."
Lumi watched them go.