CHAPTER 1

The clattering of a porcelain cup smashing against the marble floor was always my morning alarm. No alarm clock was needed. The vibration traveling through the ceiling of my servant's quarters—located directly beneath the main kitchen—followed by my stepmother’s shrill screech, was more than enough.

"Iris! Are you deaf?! Do you know what time it is?!"

I bolted awake. My eyes darted to the cheap wall clock ticking away in the corner of my cramped room.

It was 4:30 AM. My body felt utterly broken, a grueling souvenir from spending three hours scrubbing the backyard in the pouring rain last night.

As a hybrid—half-human, half-werewolf—I did not possess the instant healing abilities of a pureblood wolf. The bruise on my shoulder from Victoria’s kick yesterday was still a deep shade of purple, throbbing painfully with every breath I took.

I quickly grabbed a worn, loose-fitting hoodie, carefully adjusting it to hide my neck. In this house, displaying vulnerability was an open invitation for a whipping.

When I arrived in the kitchen, Victoria was already seated at the dining table, wearing her Silverwood Academy uniform with pride. The navy blue fabric, adorned with gold embroidery on the collar, proudly bore the crest of the Gamma caste. Meanwhile, lying on the counter was a drab, dull gray cotton dress—the uniform assigned to hybrids and academy staff.

"Slow," Victoria hissed without looking up from her small vanity mirror.

She was carefully applying a light touch of lipstick, matching her Douyin-style eye makeup which made her look like a fragile porcelain doll. Yet, beneath that exquisite face lay sharp werewolf claws ready to flay the skin off my back at any moment.

"I’m sorry," I whispered, keeping my head bowed. In this Gamma household, I was nothing but an illegitimate child—the daughter of a poor human woman who had died giving birth to me.

"Don't cause any trouble or embarrass me today. You are just my servant, remember that, Iris!" she commanded, emphasizing every word.

She reached for the steaming cup of tea on the table. I caught the sly smirk playing at the corner of her lips right before she intentionally pretended to bump her hand against a flower vase.

Shatter!

The hot Earl Grey tea spilled completely, soaking a stack of papers at the corner of the counter. My heart stopped. It was my assignment. A thick essay I had written by hand until my fingers went numb for three consecutive nights.

"Oh, goodness. My hand slipped," Victoria said, her voice devoid of any actual regret.

She stared at the drenched sheets of my assignment, where the ink was already bleeding into hideous black smudges. "Besides, a flawed hybrid like you doesn't need good grades anyway. This assignment would have only wasted the proctor's time."

With the tip of her pristine shoe, Victoria kicked the pile of wet papers into the trash can in the corner of the kitchen.

My hands clenched into tight fists inside my hoodie pockets. A boiling anger surged deep within my chest. For a split second, I desperately wanted to lung at her and claw her beautiful face.

But suddenly, the suffocating scent of a dominant Gamma's pheromones heavy-pressed the air in the room. Our father walked in.

"What is going on here?" he asked coldly.

"Nothing, Father. Iris was careless again and spilled the tea," Victoria lied, her face a mask of perfect innocence.

Father merely grunted, looking down at me with utter disdain. "Clean it up. Then leave through the back door immediately. Victoria's ride will be here soon, and I do don't want a servant's vehicle blocking the driveway."

Without saying a word, I gathered my ruined papers and walked away.

"Tch, what a disrespectful child." I could still hear Father's muttering behind my back.

Silverwood Academy stood majestically atop the hills, surrounded by a dense pine forest. The Gothic-style architecture gave it the appearance of a grand palace, but inside, it was a brutal battlefield of castes. And every single day, I had to endure the insults and degrading stares of the elite.

As I walked down the corridor, condescending glares pierced right through me. My human side left me without a distinct, powerful wolf scent, causing me to be branded as defective and weak.

Meanwhile, Victoria was instantly swarmed by blonde girls from other noble families. She was highly popular among the nobility, especially the girls.

I quickened my pace, pulling my worn hood lower to escape the whispers that began to hum along the marble hallway.

In this cruel world, my status as a management student in the hybrid class carried a permanent label of servitude. Across the hallway, Victoria laughed gracefully, surrounded by high-born students who doted on her like a princess.

As I stepped into the management classroom, the chatter abruptly died down before giggles erupted from the back rows.

"Look at that. The defective hybrid doesn't even have a spare uniform," sneered a cat-eyed girl, nudging her friend as I walked past their desks.

I chose to ignore them. My main focus was Professor Ibrahim, a notoriously strict instructor who tolerated absolutely zero negligence.

When my name was called, my heart pounded so hard I thought it would burst from my chest. I walked up to the front with heavy steps, presenting the torn, soggy remnants of my assignment, its ink smeared into dark, illegible stains.

"This is my assignment, Professor. I apologize, but my papers—"

"What is the meaning of this, Iris!" Professor Ibrahim cut me off, swatting the wet papers so hard they tore further and scattered across the floor. "This assignment accounts for half of your semester grade. Due to your negligence, you are barred from attending my class today. As punishment, you will clean the entire gymnasium!"

Triumphant snickers echoed from the back benches, and I caught sight of one of Victoria’s cronies smiling smugly from behind the classroom door. They had orchestrated this.

"Sir, I can rewrite it. Just please give me a little more time," I pleaded. This grade was critical for my final semester marks.

"There is no extra time for lack of discipline, Iris!" Professor Ibrahim replied coldly, his voice crushing my last shred of hope.

He turned his back, stepping on the ruined sheets of paper on the floor as he walked away. "Get out of my classroom now, or I will record a failing grade for the rest of this semester."

Muffled laughter erupted again. I could feel the victorious gaze of Victoria's accomplice standing near the exit.

My chest burned with suppressed rage, but I knew that arguing with a dominant pureblood wolf like Professor Ibrahim would only result in a harsher physical punishment for my hybrid body.

Kneeling down, I gathered the shredded remains of my hard work, then walked out of the classroom amidst the sheer satisfaction of those who despised me.

I had to endure this. At least until I finished my studies.

The Silverwood Academy gymnasium was situated in a somewhat isolated area, sheltered by a row of ancient pine trees. The building was vast and chilly, serving as the absolute territory of the academy's ice hockey team—a place dominated by pureblood Alpha wolves and high nobility possessing the highest physical prowess.

An unwritten rule governed the students: never set foot in the hockey team’s lounge unless you wanted to face their wrath.

I exhaled a long sigh, pushing the cleaning cart with weary steps. The work was grueling, especially since the bruise on my shoulder from Victoria's kick had yet to heal.

I needed to finish this quickly so I could get some lunch. I began sweeping the outer corridors, dusting the lockers, until my steps eventually led me to a heavy oak door marked: Team Only.

The door was not fully latched. Thinking the room would be empty since the morning practice had concluded, I pushed it open gently to clean the interior.

A rich, masculine scent instantly assaulted my senses—a potent blend of cedarwood, the crisp cold of ice, and dominant pheromones so powerful they made the hairs on my arms stand up.

The air inside was warm and misty. I walked toward the counter area, intending to wipe down the puddles of water on the floor.

Ssshhhh...

The sound of the shower behind the glass stall suddenly died. White steam billowed into the air, and a second later, a broad-shouldered, muscular man walked out without a single thread of clothing covering his body.

He held only a small towel, using it to dry his wet, pitch-black hair.

My heart stopped dead in my chest.

It was Kael. The crown prince of the Alpha lineage and the most feared captain of the hockey team.

Droplets of water glistened against the broad planes of his chest and his sculpted, rock-hard abs. His jawline looked incredibly sharp through the lingering mist. He moved with an effortless, predatory grace before his striking golden eyes swept over and locked directly onto mine.

For several agonizing seconds, time seemed to stand completely still. I froze, my eyes wide with shock, staring at the naked, raw form of the most powerful figure in the academy—utterly unable to blink.

The moment reality crashed back into my mind, every drop of blood in my body rushed straight to my face.

My cheeks burned with intense heat, flushing a deep crimson from sheer shock and embarrassment. Without a second thought, I dropped the cleaning rag in my hand, spun on my heel, and bolted out of the hockey locker room as fast as my legs could carry me, leaving the heavy oak doors to slam shut with a loud bang behind me.

***