It was five in the morning, and I was utterly exhausted. My roommate Evelyn was probably still asleep. After tidying up, I lay down and fell asleep.
In my hazy dreams, I encountered a wolf. Its eyes glowed with a golden light, fixed intently on me. Then, the wolf opened its mouth and spoke: “Seraphina.”
Damn! That was Kael’s voice!
I woke up in a panic.
The next morning, I woke up with a splitting headache-a consequence of drinking so much the night before. Even though I often drank with customers at the bar, I had never consumed so much in one go.
Clutching my head, I felt a wave of regret wash over me.
A knock came at the door. It was Evelyn.
“Seraph, are you back? I was worried about you last night!” Her voice was tinged with urgency. “My divination told me something bad happened. Are you hurt?”
I jumped out of bed and opened the door. “I’m sorry, Evelyn. I should have told you where I was going.”
“So, where did you go?”
“I broke up with my boyfriend. I was so upset that I went to a bar and drank.” I still didn’t want to tell Evelyn about Kael. She would only worry more.
Evelyn was the best friend I had made here. She always helped me with both life and studies. I was deeply grateful to her.
“What? God, when did you even start dating?” Evelyn’s face was a picture of shock.
I knew I was in for an interrogation, but there was no way around it.
“It was Lucian,” I said.
As a member of the Eagle Club, every one of its members was well-known among the girls at our school. Just mentioning his name made Evelyn gasp and grab my shoulders.
“What the hell? Seraph, are you saying your boyfriend was Lucian from the Eagle Club?”
I nodded. “He *was* my boyfriend.”
Thinking about what I had seen yesterday still hurt deeply.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Lucian didn’t want me to. He said he was worried that going public would disrupt my life. He wanted to wait until he was ready. He even said he’d announce our relationship on his birthday.” That’s what Lucian had told me. So, for six months, I had kept our relationship a secret.
But now, he had slept with Vivienne. The whole thing made me feel worthless.
My heart ached again.
Yes, I admit I’m not cold-hearted. Six months of emotions don’t just disappear overnight. Even if I had acted out of revenge, it was just a momentary impulse. Now, I was starting to regret it.
I continued, “But I never expected he’d sleep with Vivienne. Evelyn, I saw them in bed together, his… thing inside her!”
I wasn’t a good girl-forgive my crude language.
“Poor Seraph. I had no idea you were carrying all this alone.” Evelyn didn’t seem angry that I had kept it from her. Instead, she stepped forward and hugged me.
“It’s okay, Seraph. You’ve never been in a relationship before. It’s normal to be deceived by men, especially those from that celebrity club. They’re such lowlifes, they’d get off on a hole in a tree!”
I laughed, and Evelyn handed me a tissue to wipe my tears.
My best friend didn’t blame me for hiding things from her. Instead, she comforted me when I needed it most.
“You’re right, Evelyn. Men are no good,” I said, hugging her back.
Looking into Evelyn’s green eyes, I could see she was still in shock herself.
I felt sorry. She must have been shaken by all this.
“Don’t be sad, Seraph. Vivienne is just a slut. Every guy in the boxing club has slept with her!” Evelyn cursed.
“It doesn’t matter. Lucian wasn’t even good in bed. When I saw him with Vivienne, it only lasted two minutes before he went soft. I never even came with him.”
Evelyn’s words lightened the mood.
Perhaps it was because of last night with Kael. At least in terms of sex, I had seen Lucian’s shortcomings. Losing him didn’t feel so tragic anymore.
“Why keep a man like that? You should meet more guys. Honestly, you’re just as pretty as Vivienne. You just don’t dress up enough. You should try it.” Evelyn patted my shoulder. “Lucian losing you is his loss. He’ll regret it forever.”
After that, we went to the cafeteria for breakfast and then to class.
My major was Animal Science. I even wanted to explore undiscovered animal species. I always felt that beyond human knowledge, there were intelligent species that had lived on Earth for a long time.
I thought back to when I was seven, encountering a wolf in the forest. It didn’t harm me. Instead, it brought me a rabbit.
Its eyes were filled with sadness as it nudged the rabbit toward me, then ran off.
When I told anyone about it, including my parents, they all thought I was hallucinating.
In a world where humans dominate the food chain, everyone told me animals don’t have complex emotions like humans.
But that wolf made me feel emotions as deep as any human’s.
I wanted to understand what that wolf felt for me. That’s why I chose this major in college.
I returned to my usual attire: a black T-shirt, blue jeans, black-framed glasses, and a ponytail.
I looked like a nerd.
For me, it felt safe.
Evelyn couldn’t help but comment, “Seraph, you should buy more fashionable clothes, wear makeup, and dress up. Make that bastard Lucian regret cheating.”
I smiled at Evelyn. If I could, I would. But I didn’t want to focus too much on appearances.
My goal was to finish my studies and find a suitable job.
Though my dream was to research animals in the African savannah and tropical rainforests, my financial situation didn’t allow it.
My parents weren’t wealthy. Besides paying my tuition, I had to earn my own living expenses.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have needed to work part-time at the bar.
As we walked to class, I saw a group of girls surrounding a man in the distance.
He was tall, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt that showed off his muscular arms. His well-defined muscles exuded a strong, undeniable presence.
The girls were chatting with him, clearly trying to get closer.
He smiled at all of them.
Evelyn was excited. “Look, it’s Kael! The leader of the Eagle Club. He’s undefeated, often knocking out opponents in under ten seconds.”
“Of course, that’s not the point. His body is amazing! Rumor has it, every woman who goes to his apartment leaves the next day with weak legs.”
Evelyn’s words reminded me of last night with Kael. Our passion had shown me what real pleasure felt like.
Even though I had initially seduced him to get back at Vivienne, I couldn’t forget Kael’s body.
Now, seeing him surrounded by girls, watching him be gentle with all of them, I couldn’t help but imagine him sleeping with different women every night.
Did he treat them the same way? Gently teasing, asking how they felt, kissing them tenderly?
Did he make them feel endless pleasure too?
At that moment, a sour feeling bubbled up inside me, like I had eaten a lemon.
At the same time, anger surged, threatening to drown me.
I felt terrible, like a used tissue tossed into the trash.
I struggled to breathe, trying to look away.
I shouldn’t focus on Kael. We were just a one-night thing.
Just then, Kael looked up.
Oddly, his gaze seemed to land on me. His deep brown eyes were as calm as a lake.
Suddenly, my ears buzzed, and my heart raced.
Why was this happening?
Just like last night.
Did he recognize me?
But before I could process it, he looked away, his expression turning cold.
I felt a pang of disappointment.
See? He wouldn’t remember a one-night stand.
Like trash, no one remembers what they’ve thrown away.
I turned to leave, not wanting to stay in this awful place.
But Evelyn grabbed me. “Kael’s coming this way! Is he coming for us?”
My heart stopped.
I turned back, but Kael wasn’t walking toward us. Instead, Vivienne had appeared in front of him.
She was chatting with him, her face lit up with a bright smile. She clung to his arm, looking like a sweetheart beside him.
Watching them laugh and talk, my heart felt like it had been stabbed.
Even though I had used her man last night, I didn’t feel victorious.
I desperately wanted to escape.
“Seraph, look, those girls are all running away. They’re scared of Vivienne,” Evelyn said, annoyed. “Vivienne’s the queen of this school, so popular with the boxing club. Even Kael can’t escape her.”
The girls who had surrounded Kael were now gone.
No doubt, even though Vivienne had been with so many men, it seemed Kael was her favorite.
But no matter how powerful she was, she couldn’t keep her favorite man’s… attention.
Thinking this, I couldn’t help but laugh-a bitter, mocking laugh.
I hadn’t won, but neither had Vivienne.
Just then, I noticed Kael’s gaze shifting in my direction.