Chapter 114: Calling The Bluffs

"Alright, break time is over! Everyone line up!" Ezabel barked, her voice carrying effortlessly across the room. "We have no time to waste, and we need to finish today’s combat training before the next class bell rings! Move it!"

A chorus of reluctant groans immediately followed as the students pushed themselves to their feet, wiping sweat from their foreheads and shuffling back into formation.

Starlight, however, did not make a single move to stand up from the bench.

While everyone else rose from the benches, she remained exactly where she was, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees. Without a hint of urgency, she reached for one of the sealed water bottles provided by the academy. Unscrewing the cap with a quiet snap, she brought it to her lips and took a long, slow drink.

Ezabel’s eyes immediately narrowed at her. "Miss Dawson. Didn’t you hear what I said? Join the rest of the class and line up. We don’t have time to waste."

Still seated, Starlight calmly took another sip without showing the slightest intention of obeying. She didn’t even bother looking up at Ezabel. Instead, she leisurely finished her drink before capping the bottle with a deliberate click.

A deep frown creased Ezabel’s forehead as her tone hardened. "Don’t you dare ignore me while I’m speaking to you, Miss Dawson. I said get up and join the others."

Starlight finally looked up.

Lowering the bottle onto her lap, she met Ezabel’s gaze with an expression that was completely flat and utterly unbothered.

"Why should I?"

The entire hall went dead silent.

Students paused in their tracks, exchanging wide-eyed glances. Challenging an instructor directly was practically unheard of at Asterion Academy, especially for a first-year human. Meanwhile, Elle looked positively delighted, as though she had just been handed front-row seats to the most entertaining event of the semester.

That mean woman had been giving Starlight a hard time since the beginning of class, and Elle was more than happy to see Starlight finally stand up for herself and challenge the instructor instead of quietly taking the unfair treatment.

Despite the fact that Elle generally hated violence and wanted no part in unnecessary conflict, this was getting out of hand. This Ezabel woman had been singling Starlight out since the beginning of the class, pushing her harder than everyone else and continuing to demand more even after she had completed every exercise without a single mistake. If push came to shove, Elle was fully prepared to support Starlight, even if it meant reporting the matter to the dean or the headmistress. At this point, it was becoming increasingly difficult to see Ezabel’s treatment as anything other than deliberate targeting, and Elle wasn’t about to stand by and watch her friend be bullied simply because she was human.

Ezabel stared at Starlight, and Starlight stared right back, neither of them willing to back down.

To her own surprise, Ezabel felt a spark of excitement shoot through her. For nearly the entire class, Starlight had followed every order she was given with tacit compliance. She had completed every exercise, every drill, and every ridiculous demand Ezabel had thrown at her without a single complaint. Seeing her finally push back sent a thrill through Ezabel’s veins. She had been waiting for this, a moment to put the arrogant brat in her place. She still didn’t understand why the Crown Twins had insisted on assigning Starlight to her as an academic daughter, but if she was stuck with the girl, she might as well teach her some discipline.

From the moment Starlight had stood her ground against Beatrice Hawthorne, Ezabel had known she was trouble. She was too bold, too stubborn, and far too fearless for a human. And now she was openly challenging an instructor in front of an entire class. Part of Ezabel couldn’t wait to knock that attitude down a few pegs.

Werewolves had spent years becoming more accommodating toward humans, and some of them were starting to forget exactly where they stood in the hierarchy.

"Excuse me?" She finally asked, raising a brow.

"I asked, why should I line up with them right now?" Starlight replied calmly. "They were resting while I was busy running laps trying to perfect my posture, according to you. So why exactly should I be standing when they were resting while I was training?"

Subtle murmurs rippled through the gathered students. Several glanced between Starlight’s serene face and Ezabel’s stiffening jaw.

Starlight gestured vaguely toward the benches. "They rested for almost ten minutes. I, on the other hand, haven’t even rested for five. Don’t you think it’s fair for me to take my own rest just like they did?" She leaned back slightly against the bench, making herself comfortable. "Unless your goal is to make me collapse."

Several students immediately lowered their heads to hide their reactions, but some still let out a snort. Ezabel’s eyebrow twitched as she stepped toward the bench. "Your extra laps were a consequence of your own shortcomings."

Starlight looked unconvinced.

"If your posture had been correct from the beginning, you would have been resting with everyone else."

The disbelief on several students’ faces became impossible to hide. They had all watched Starlight run, and they had seen her complete every exercise without making a single mistake.

Nobody believed that explanation.

"That still doesn’t explain why I shouldn’t be resting now," Starlight pointed out calmly. "Everyone else was allowed to rest after completing their exercises, so why am I being denied the same opportunity?"

"I don’t care how tired you think you are, Miss Dawson. It is your own fault your form required correction. You will stand up and join this formation immediately, unless you want a direct record of insubordination filed against your conduct report."

"I am tired. I can’t stand up. I can’t even move my legs right now, even if I wanted to," Starlight said flatly, resting her wrists on her knees. "I have been obeying every single order you’ve given me since this class started. I completed every circuit faster than anyone else, carried extra weight, and ran extra laps. I am resting for the next ten minutes just like everyone else. If that delays my training, feel free to keep me after class. I have Apex privilege access to recorded lectures. If I miss the next class, I’ll just watch the lesson on my phone later. Problem solved, so I don’t need to worry about missing anything."

Ezabel’s expression darkened, her posture rigid as she towered over the bench. "If you do not get on that line in three seconds, Miss Dawson, I will personally drag you onto—"

Starlight let out a dry, low breath, cutting her off as she tilted her head up to meet the instructor’s stern gaze. "Is this a werewolf thing, or is it just a personal habit of yours to bully human students?" Starlight asked quietly, her tone laced with cool detachment. "Because from where I am sitting, it seems like I somehow offended you, and you are intentionally singling me out. If I am being punished, I would at least like to know what my offense was."

"Punished?" Ezabel scoffed, crossing her arms tightly. "Don’t flatter yourself. I am pushing you because your movements lack proper tension, and your foundation is sloppy. As your instructor, it is my job to correct those flaws."

"Please don’t feed me that bullshit," Starlight replied instantly, her voice cutting through the tense silence of the hall.

A collective gasp echoed across the room.

"I am sorry to be direct, but everyone here can testify that if there’s one person not making mistakes, it’s me. In case you didn’t know, I’m not an amateur. I trained long before I ever set foot in this academy. My form is precise, and my balance is fine. So I am asking you again, Ma’am Ezabel. Why are you singling me out? Tell me what I did wrong so I know how to amend it."

Ezabel’s expression remained rigid, but something shifted behind her eyes. This was not how she had expected the confrontation to go. From the moment Starlight had stepped into the training hall, Ezabel had already decided she would find a reason to push the girl harder than the others. She wanted an excuse to deal with Starlight herself, to test the strange human who had been causing a stir throughout the academy. The extra laps, heavier weights, shorter recovery periods, and relentless corrections had all been deliberate. She had expected Starlight to eventually lose her temper, make a mistake, or reveal some weakness that would justify Ezabel’s treatment of her. She had not expected the girl to sit there calmly and force her to explain herself in front of an entire class.

For several seconds, Ezabel simply stared at her. Starlight’s expression held no fear, no nervousness, and not even the slightest hint of uncertainty. She was sitting there with her forearms resting on her knees, looking up at Ezabel as though she were demanding an answer from an equal rather than standing before one of the academy’s instructors. Worse, Starlight’s words had drawn the attention of everyone in the hall. Every student was watching them now, and Ezabel could practically feel their curiosity and scrutiny pressing against her back.