Chapter 55: Sudden Summons

Luckily for Starlight and Elle, before Mr. Vargen could do anything about their little disruption, the sharp, resonant chime of the bell rang, echoing across the lecture hall and signaling the end of the period. He held his gaze on them for one agonizing second longer, his expression unreadable, before finally looking away. Without a word, he retrieved his tablet from the podium, offered no closing remarks, and headed for the door. The students immediately took it as their cue to begin filing out as well.

Starlight let out a long, heavy breath, her shoulders slumping in sheer relief.

So this was what it actually felt like to be saved by the bell. The absolute last thing she needed right now was more attention. The amount she had already attracted was becoming a massive headache, and she had no plans to add offending a lecturer to her growing list of problems. If only she would stop reacting before thinking, her life would probably be a lot less complicated.

"He definitely heard us, right?" Elle squeaked the moment Mr. Vargen disappeared through the doors.

"I bet he did," Starlight murmured, unhooking her phone from the adjustable stand. "He clearly inherited more than just their physique."

"Oh, God," Elle groaned, throwing her head back. "Does that mean I’ve completely lost all my chances of wooing my big bad wolf?"

Starlight shot her an incredulous glare.

"Elle, he is literally your lecturer."

"How does that matter?" Elle countered smoothly, completely unbothered. "It’s not like there’s a written rule against student-lecturer relationships. Eighteen is legally an adult. Hello! I can date whoever I want."

Starlight’s eye twitched.

"Why are you guys still sitting there?" Chloe asked, already on her feet and ready to leave.

"Yeah, what are you two still waiting for?" Ariel added, adjusting the phone stand she had just removed her phone from.

"I’m waiting for Queen Star to stand up, of course. I literally can’t leave without her," Elle said, pointing down at her blocked path since she was trapped in the wall seat with Starlight right beside her.

Starlight glanced at the crowd of students squeezing into the aisles. "I prefer waiting for the crowd to clear out first," she said, leaning back in her seat as streams of students flooded toward the main exits. As someone who hated physical contact, the chaotic process of hundreds of people trying to leave a packed room at the same time was one of her worst nightmares. The pushing, the squeezing, and the constant brushing against strangers gave her skin-crawling creeps. Just the thought of joining that mass of bodies trying to funnel through the same doorway at once made her feel like insects were crawling beneath her skin.

"Fine, we can wait together then. We still have a few minutes before the next class," Ariel said, dropping back into her seat. Chloe sat back down as well, but at the mention of the next class, Elle let out a dramatic sound of pure dismay.

"Ughhh. Why do we even have to take combat class? This is the modern age, for God’s sake. It’s not like we’re marching off to war."

"You don’t know when you might need it," Chloe said with a shrug. "What if you end up mated to an abusive werewolf? At least you’ll be able to defend yourself until help comes."

"The Moon Goddess would never let me fall into such a situation," Elle declared. "I’m going to be mated to a tall, strong, handsome, cute, rich, ridiculously devoted, kind, and loving werewolf who will treat me like a precious treasure and worship the ground I walk on."

"Congratulations in advance, but unfortunately for you, the class is compulsory for all Lunar Lottery winners," Ariel said dryly. "So you’re stuck with it whether your future mate is an unrealistic dream man or a terror."

Starlight couldn’t help the snort that escaped her.

"I think we should go now," she said, glancing over to see that the lecture hall aisle had finally cleared. "The crowd has thinned out."

She pushed back her seat and stood up. The other three girls followed suit, sliding out of the row and falling into step as they made their way toward the exit.

"I heard some of the third-year students are going to be joining the first-year combat class," Chloe said. "Apparently, they’re assigning them to assist us with basic drills and techniques, making sure there aren’t any accidents during training."

Elle’s eyes lit up immediately. "Oh, I hope the Alpha twins are assigned to our group! I would pay good money to watch them help Starlight through combat training. Oh, I can’t wait. The mere thought of it is making me giddy."

Starlight shot her a warning glare.

"What?" Elle asked with an innocent shrug. "I mean, it’s totally obvious they have a thing for you. And if they end up helping during combat class, I bet my left kidney that the students are going to lose their minds and eat up the drama."

Starlight’s glare deepened.

"Elle, just drop it. You know how much she hates it when you try to ship her with the Alpha twins," Ariel said with a sigh.

Elle rolled her eyes dramatically. "I’m just saying, a little attention from them wouldn’t hurt. And honestly, the publicity it would generate could really work in our favor for that upcoming ranking challenge Sera Morgan threw at you."

"A challenge I wouldn’t have accepted if you hadn’t accepted it on my behalf," Starlight shot back.

"I’m just trying to do what’s best for your growing popularity," Elle said defensively.

"A popularity I never wanted in the first place," Starlight replied flatly.

"If only you knew how rich you’d become if you actually won the ranking challenge. You’ll be swimming in money, and brands will practically be begging you for deals and endorsements," Elle said with a conspiratorial grin, waving her hands for emphasis.

Before Starlight could give Elle a piece of her mind, a notification chimed from her phone. Frowning, she unlocked the screen and found a crisp message from the school administration:

Miss Dawson, you are requested to report to the Headmistress’s office immediately.