Chapter 99: We Coexist

Starlight’s expression immediately fell. "Of course we are." She rubbed her forehead, already dreading the hours of nonstop chatter she was about to endure.

Elle nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Which means I’m going to stick to your side and talk your ear off for the next few hours, aren’t you excited? We’re going to spend time together all alone for the first time!"

Starlight let out a long, exhausted groan and sank deeper into the sofa. She had thought she could finally enjoy a few hours of peace and quiet. It was not as if she disliked Elle’s company. It was just that her roommate could be utterly exhausting most of the time, and she was putting a lot of emphasis on the "most of the time." Right now, Starlight simply did not have the energy for all that hyperactivity.

"Just my luck," she murmured under her breath as she pushed herself off the soft leather sofa, smoothing the front of her uniform as she stood. "I’m going to take a good look at the kitchen. I’ll be back in a minute."

If there was one thing Starlight loved almost as much as training, it was cooking, and she had been dying to get a proper look at the kitchen ever since they had entered the suite. But she had barely taken a step toward it when Elle reached out, caught her by the wrist, and snagged her sleeve, pulling her back.

"Wait. Before you go anywhere, I need to talk to you about something."

Starlight turned around with a weary sigh. "Seriously, Elle? I just want to take a look at the kitchen. Whatever it is you want to say, can it wait?"

"No, it won’t wait," Elle said, her grip on Starlight’s sleeve tightening slightly. Her expression had lost its usual playful brightness, settling into a serious, almost solemn look. "You have to listen to me. It’s really important."

Starlight looked down at Elle’s hand, then up at her face, catching the tight, earnest expression in the other girl’s eyes. It was jarring. Elle was usually a hurricane of frantic excitement and rapid chatter, making this sudden, quiet seriousness feel almost heavy.

"Fine," Starlight said slowly, unclenching her hands. "Make it quick, please."

"Thank you." Elle let go of her sleeve, sitting up straight on the edge of the coffee table. She clasped her hands tightly in her lap. For once, she did not look like she was about to make some ridiculous joke or launch into another one of her excited speeches. Her expression was unusually serious. "Listen to me, Starlight. What I’m about to say is very serious."

"Okay, now you’re scaring me." Starlight’s eyebrows drew together. It was rare to see Elle this serious. In all the time they had spent together, she had seen her excited, dramatic, nosy, hyperactive, annoying, and occasionally surprisingly thoughtful, but rarely this composed. Something about the change immediately put Starlight on edge.

"What is this all about?" she asked cautiously.

Elle took a slow breath. "Now that you are living up here, right next to the Imperial Twins, you’re practically neighbors with them. And considering everything that’s happened since you arrived at Asterion, I think it is beyond obvious that they are interested in you," she said, looking directly into Starlight’s eyes. "You can’t keep being rude to them simply because you have some kind of issue with werewolves."

Starlight’s expression immediately tightened.

"Please, Starlight, don’t interrupt me until I’m done, okay?" Elle pleaded gently, holding up a hand. "Just hear me out."

Starlight frowned but remained silent, setting her jaw even as her tension remained high.

"I don’t know what kind of history or problem you have with werewolves," Elle continued, her voice soft but direct. "You don’t have to tell me until you’re ready. I’m not going to force you to explain something that clearly makes you uncomfortable. But even I don’t need to be told that something happened to you. I can see how on edge you get every single time one of them gets near you. It’s obvious that you don’t trust them, and I just want you to understand that not every werewolf is bad. Some of them are genuinely good people. Some are kind, compassionate, protective, and willing to risk themselves for humans."

Starlight’s eyes narrowed slightly. "How do you know that?" she asked, her tone sharp with implicit defensiveness. "How can you be so sure they’re not just pretending to be good to gain my trust?"

Elle’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "Aha. I knew it. I knew a werewolf did something to you."

Starlight’s expression hardened.

"I’m not going to pry into your past, okay?" Elle quickly added. "I’m serious. Whatever happened, you can tell me when you’re ready. I’m not going to force it out of you. But I’m going to answer your question."

Her expression softened as she leaned back slightly. "When I was a kid, my family went camping near a river basin. The current swelled after a storm, and I fell in. The waves were heavy, pulling me under, and the only thing keeping me from drowning was a single tree branch I managed to grab onto. Nobody could reach me. Not even my parents could step into the water because the current was sweeping everything away. Everyone was panicking, crying for help on the shore."

Elle looked down at her hands, her fingers tracing her knuckles. "It was a stranger — a female werewolf who happened to be passing through — who jumped in. Even with their physical strength, werewolves can drown just as easily as humans if the current pins them down. She risked her life, fought the water, and pulled me out to the bank. I owe my life to her. My whole family does."

She looked back up, meeting Starlight’s guarded gaze. "And that’s not just a one-off story. There are countless times werewolves have used their strength to protect humans. Look, I know a lot of them can be insufferable, entitled, arrogant, and downright obnoxious. Trust me, I know. But, Starlight, we can’t deny that a lot of them are genuine, kind, and just trying to live their lives. They have the physical power to completely suppress humans if they wanted to, but they don’t. We coexist."