"Alpha, I understand that the world is changing," principal Scott, of BrightStar Boys High School said, flipping through Jade's file with stiff fingers.
His tone was formal, and it sounded rehearsed, as if he had practiced this conversation more than once. "But within the walls of this school, there are rules we must uphold. What your nephew has been doing cannot be ignored."
He paused for a second, then continued, "Staring at his fellow boy students while they shower, and showing what can only be described as clear sexual interest in them… that behavior is unacceptable here. They feel uncomfortable, they have complained, and their parents have complained as well. And now, those parents are demanding action."
Jade sat slouched in the chair beside her uncle, one leg crossed lazily over the other, her expression bordering on bored.
If anything, she looked more irritated by the principal's long-winded explanation than ashamed.
She almost scoffed, but stopped herself. She was exhausted by the constant accusations, aching to shout that she wasn't a boy, but a girl.
But she knew she couldn't say it.
Alpha Norman sat rigidly beside her. His sharp gaze remained fixed on her. Jade, on the other hand, did not bother to look back at him.
She stared at the wall, as though the entire conversation did not concern her at all.
The principal cleared his throat nervously, clearly aware of the power seated across from him. "I'm afraid," he added, his voice dropping and wavering slightly, "that for the comfort and safety of the other boys, we will have to expel him from this school."
The words had barely left his mouth when Alpha Norman's attention snapped away from Jade and locked onto the principal.
The irritation in his eyes was no longer restrained.
"What did you say?" Alpha Norman asked quietly.
His voice was deep, carrying the kind of pressure that made men tremble without him ever raising it.
Principal Scott visibly stiffened, panic flickering across his face.
"Alpha, please understand," he hurried to explain, sweat forming along his hairline. "This is not something I wish to do. Truly, it isn't. But..."
"Did he force himself on anyone?" Alpha Norman cut in sharply, rising from his seat. "Did he touch them? Try to coerce them into anything?"
His anger surged rapidly now, barely contained.
"No! No, Alpha," principal Scott said quickly, raising his hands as if to calm a beast. "Nothing of that sort happened. But the interest itself, the way he looks at them, the attention has made the students deeply uncomfortable. Their parents insist that either your nephew leaves, or they will withdraw their sons from this school. I… I don't know how else to handle this situation."
He hesitated, then added with visible strain, "Perhaps this is something the Emperor himself could help resolve."
At the mention of the Emperor, Alpha Norman did not lash out again. He did not argue further. He simply reached for Jade's wrist, and pulled her to her feet.
Without another word, he turned and stormed out of the office.
That was the effect the Emperor's name had within Crest Empire. Even powerful alphas knew better than to push matters when the Emperor ruler was invoked.
He was a chosen rare-blood Enigma, the one who ruled the entire Empire. Before him, even alphas bowed.
Outside, Alpha Norman shoved Jade toward the car with enough force to make her stumble. She winced as she hit the seat.
"This is the fifth school!" Alpha Norman roared the moment the door slammed shut. "The fifth one you've been expelled from for the same reason! What is wrong with you? Do you have a heat problem?!"
Jade rolled her eyes, rubbing her wrist. "Well, Uncle," she shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "I can't really help myself, can I? I'm just a teenage girl forced into an all-boys school full of hot guys. And even staring is a crime. I'm tired too. Maybe it would be easier if I just showed my real identity, because I honestly can't take this anymore..."
"Don't you ever say that again!" Alpha Norman snapped, cutting her off violently. "Show your identity?! Do you have any idea what I would do if you ever utter such words again? No? I'll send you to the rogue lands. Do you know what that means? No pack. No protection. Left to be taken by any rogue wolf who comes across you."
Jade froze.
"I am trying to protect you," he continued, "Do you know the danger you would be in if your parents' killers discovered that you are still alive? That you are the daughter they failed to finish off? How many times do I have to explain this to you?!"
His anger rose so sharply that Jade flinched despite herself.
But she didn't back down.
"You keep telling me I have to hide because my parents' murderers are after me," she shot back, her own frustration finally spilling over. "But you're powerful. You're the most powerful Alpha. Wouldn't it be easier to just find them and make them disappear? Why do I have to suffer in hiding while they walk freely out there?!"
"Watch your tone when you speak to me!" Alpha Norman said, "And watch your words as well! Do you think I haven't been working on this?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "I told you to be patient. To control yourself while I handle things. Since you refuse to listen, there will be no more school for you. You stay home until you learn your lesson."
Jade opened her mouth to argue, but Alpha Norman cut her off instantly.
"Not another word!"
He got into the driver's seat himself and drove off.
Jade remained silent after that, but her mind raced. The question that haunted her several times returned once again, louder than ever.
Why did her uncle's words sometimes feel less like protection and more like he had other reasons for forcing her to hide her identity?
And Jade was right to question it.
Because the truth was, there were no killers hunting her.
Her mother had died during childbirth. No one even knew who her father was, he had abandoned her mother the moment he learned of the pregnancy, and for that reason, her mother never told anyone about him.
There was no threat.
No enemy searching for her.
The real reason Alpha Norman forced Jade to live as a boy lay in the mark she had been born with, a mark that unmistakably signified she was the destined mate of the Enigma heir.
All Enigmas were born with a mark. And when a girl from outside the Enigma bloodline bore the same mark, it meant destiny had chosen her.
When Alpha Norman discovered that his sister's child, born of an unknown man carried that sacred mark instead of his own daughter, Aria, bitterness consumed him.
He sought out witches to erase Jade's mark and forge it onto Aria.
But the witches were unable to erase it. All they managed was to hide it beneath Jade's skin and create a false copy on Aria.
Alpha Norman forced Jade to live as a boy, ensuring that even if she ever crossed paths with the Enigma heir, he would never recognize her.
And even if he felt drawn to her, he would never dare pursue another man.
Meanwhile, Alpha Norman rushed Aria's engagement to the Enigma prince, despite her young age.