My Vampire King And Wolf King Wants To Claim Me

Chapter 2

By the time the lunch bell rang, I had already learned one important thing about Blackwood University.

There was never such a thing as a quiet day.

Especially not when Victoria Sterling was around.

I packed my notebook and slipped it into my bag before turning toward the girl sitting beside me.

"Are you coming to the canteen?" she asked.

I looked at her and smiled.

She was one of the few people who had actually spoken to me normally since I arrived at the university.

Her name was Mia Carter.

Unlike most of the girls here, Mia didn't seem interested in designer clothes, expensive cars, or knowing which student's parents owned which company.

She was simple.

And, honestly, that made me like her.

"Sure," I replied. "I'm starving."

Mia laughed.

"Finally. I thought scholarship girls survived on books and determination."

I gave her a look.

"Very funny."

"I know."

We walked out of the classroom together.

As we made our way through the crowded hallway, I noticed several students looking in my direction.

I didn't need to ask why.

After what had happened that morning with Victoria, apparently I had already become interesting.

I hated it.

I hadn't come to this university to become someone's entertainment.

I had come here because I needed the scholarship.

Because my mother needed me.

That was it.

Nothing more.

When we reached the canteen, Mia immediately pulled me toward one of the tables near the window.

"Sit."

"You sound like my mother."

"Then your mother has good taste."

I laughed for the first time that day.

For a few minutes, everything felt normal.

We talked about our classes, professors, assignments, and the ridiculous amount of homework we'd already been given.

Mia was telling me about one of our professors when I noticed her suddenly stop talking.

Her eyes moved toward the entrance.

I followed her gaze.

And immediately understood.

Victoria.

Of course.

She walked into the canteen with her usual group of friends behind her.

She looked perfectly put together, as if she had never experienced a bad hair day in her entire life.

Her friends followed her like shadows.

The moment her eyes landed on me, her expression changed.

A slow smile appeared on her lips.

I sighed.

"Please don't tell me she is coming here."

Mia leaned closer.

"I think she is."

"Wonderful."

Victoria didn't just walk toward our table.

She made sure everyone noticed her.

Her heels clicked against the floor as she approached.

Then she stopped directly in front of us.

"Well, well."

Her eyes moved over me.

"Look who has found herself a friend."

Mia rolled her eyes.

"Victoria, don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Victoria looked at her.

"Did I ask you?"

"No."

"Then stay out of it."

Mia opened her mouth to respond, but I touched her arm.

"Don't."

I didn't want another scene.

I just wanted to eat.

Victoria crossed her arms.

"So, Amelia."

I looked up.

"What?"

"How quickly you've settled in."

"I've only been here one day."

"Exactly."

Her friends giggled.

I stared at them.

"Is there a point?"

Victoria smiled.

"You seem much more confident than yesterday."

"I'm just less tired."

Mia tried not to laugh.

One of Victoria's friends covered her mouth.

Victoria's smile disappeared for a second.

Then she leaned closer.

"Don't get too comfortable."

I frowned.

"Why?"

"Because this isn't the kind of university where people like you belong."

There it was again.

People like you.

I was beginning to understand what that phrase meant in Victoria's world.

People without money.

People without famous parents.

People who had earned their place instead of inheriting it.

I looked directly into her eyes.

"I think the university decides who belongs here."

Victoria's jaw tightened.

"Careful."

"About what?"

"You really don't know when to stop."

I shrugged.

"I could say the same about you."

Mia looked between us.

"Maybe we should just leave."

I nodded.

That was exactly what I wanted.

I picked up my plate.

But Victoria stepped in front of me.

"Not so fast."

I stopped.

"What now?"

She glanced at my food.

"Do you really think you can sit here like you're one of us?"

I stared at her.

"No."

She looked pleased.

"Good."

"I don't want to be one of you."

The table beside us went silent.

Mia's eyes widened.

Victoria stared at me.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me."

Her face turned red.

"You really think you're better than me?"

"No."

I looked at her calmly.

"I just don't think you're better than me."

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then Victoria's hand moved toward the plate sitting on the table.

My eyes followed it.

"Victoria..."

She grabbed the plate.

Mia stood immediately.

"Don't you dare."

Victoria ignored her.

Her eyes stayed on me.

"You need to learn your place."

She raised the plate.

Everything happened so quickly.

I instinctively stepped backward.

But before Victoria could throw it—

A hand caught the plate.

The motion stopped.

Completely.

Everyone went silent.

I looked up.

A tall man stood beside us.

He had dark hair, sharp features, and an expression so calm that it somehow made the entire situation feel even more serious.

He slowly took the plate from Victoria's hand.

Then he looked at her.

Not angrily.

Not loudly.

Just coldly.

"Are you done?"

Victoria's expression changed instantly.

"Damon..."

So this was Damon Ashford.

I'd heard his name before.

Even during my first day, people had mentioned him.

Rich.

Powerful.

One of the most influential students on campus.

Apparently, his family owned businesses in several countries.

But until that moment, I hadn't cared enough to remember his face.

Now I couldn't ignore him.

Damon placed the plate back on the table.

"You were about to throw that at her."

Victoria quickly changed her expression.

"I wasn't."

I almost laughed.

"You were."

She glared at me.

"I was just trying to scare her."

Damon's eyes remained on Victoria.

"Then find another way to entertain yourself."

Victoria's cheeks reddened.

"You don't understand."

"I understand enough."

His voice wasn't loud.

But somehow, it carried across the entire table.

Victoria suddenly looked nervous.

That was the first time I realized something.

People weren't afraid of Victoria.

They were afraid of people like Damon.

And Victoria knew it.

She immediately softened her expression.

"Damon, I didn't mean anything."

He didn't answer.

He simply looked at her.

For some reason, that silence was worse than an argument.

Then another voice came from behind us.

"Well."

I turned.

Adrian.

He walked toward us with his hands in his pockets.

His eyes moved from Victoria to Damon.

Then a faint smile appeared.

"Oh."

He stopped in front of Damon.

"Long time no see, dear friend."

Damon's expression barely changed.

Adrian looked at him for another second.

Then his smile became sharper.

"Since when did the blood-thirsty monster start caring about someone?"

I frowned.

Blood-thirsty monster?

What kind of strange joke was that?

Damon simply glanced at him.

"I don't know."

His eyes moved toward the plate.

"I was having snacks."

He shrugged.

"I saw what was happening, so I came over."

Adrian stared at him.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Damon didn't explain anything else.

He simply turned and walked away from the table.

I watched him go.

There was something strange about him.

Something I couldn't explain.

Before I could think about it any further, Adrian spoke.

"Victoria."

She turned toward him.

"Yes?"

His expression immediately became serious.

"Don't bother Amelia again."

Victoria looked shocked.

"But—"

"I said don't."

She lowered her eyes.

Adrian then turned toward me.

For some reason, I felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

Not because he was threatening me.

It was the opposite.

He looked at me like he was trying to understand something.

Then he stepped closer.

"Come on."

"Where?"

"You're leaving."

I blinked.

"I'm eating."

"Not anymore."

"What?"

Before I could argue, Adrian gently caught my arm and pulled me away from the table.

I looked back at Mia.

She was staring at us with the most confused expression I'd ever seen.

I mouthed, I'll explain later.

Adrian kept walking.

I finally pulled my arm away.

"Adrian."

He stopped.

I crossed my arms.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Helping you."

"I didn't ask for help."

"I know."

"Then why do you keep doing it?"

He looked at me.

Before he could answer, Victoria's voice came from behind us.

"Adrian!"

He ignored her.

I sighed.

Then I heard him speak.

"Stay away from my girl."

I froze.

I slowly turned toward him.

"Excuse me?"

He looked completely calm.

I pointed at myself.

"Your girl?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"What?"

His expression almost amused me.

"Relax."

"I'm relaxed."

"You don't look relaxed."

"You just called me your girl!"

"I know."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"So no one bothers you."

I stared at him.

"That makes absolutely no sense."

"It does to me."

I shook my head.

"You can't just say things like that."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not your girl."

His expression softened slightly.

"I know."

"Then don't call me that."

"I was only saying it so people would leave you alone."

I looked away.

For a second, I didn't know what to say.

Finally, I sighed.

"Thank you."

He smiled faintly.

"But don't misunderstand something."

He waited.

"I appreciate what you did."

Then I looked directly at him.

"But I don't need you to save me every time."

Something changed in his expression.

Not anger.

Something else.

"You think you can handle everything yourself?"

"Yes."

He looked at me for a moment.

"You're stubborn."

"So I've been told."

Then I walked away.

I didn't look back.

I wasn't going to let Adrian think I needed him to protect me.

I had survived much worse things than a spoiled university girl.

I could handle Victoria.

I could handle this university.

And I could definitely handle myself.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

---

By the time classes ended, I was exhausted.

Mia had already left because she had to meet her brother.

I adjusted my bag over my shoulder and headed toward the university entrance.

I was thinking about my mother.

I needed to get home before it became too late.

She always told me she was fine.

She wasn't.

I knew her too well.

I was almost at the gate when I noticed a black car parked nearby.

Damon was standing beside it.

I slowed down.

Victoria appeared almost immediately.

Of course.

She walked toward him with a smile.

"Damon!"

He looked at her.

She moved closer to the car.

"You said you'd give me a ride."

Damon said nothing.

Victoria looked around.

Her friends were standing a little distance away.

She raised her voice.

"Everyone already knows I'm going with Damon."

I stopped walking.

Not because I cared.

I was just surprised by how confidently she said it.

One of her friends whispered something.

Victoria smiled.

"I told you. We're going together."

Damon looked at her.

Then his eyes shifted.

Straight toward me.

Our eyes met.

Only for a second.

I immediately looked away.

This had nothing to do with me.

Victoria noticed.

Her expression changed.

She suddenly leaned closer to the car window and started talking loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"Damon, come on. You said you'd take me."

He looked at her.

"No."

Her smile disappeared.

"What?"

"I'm not taking you."

"But you—"

"I never said that."

Victoria looked embarrassed.

Her friends were watching.

She quickly tried to cover it.

"We had a misunderstanding."

Damon opened the car door.

Victoria stepped closer again.

"Damon..."

He didn't respond.

He got into the car.

Then, just before closing the door, he looked at me once more.

I couldn't understand why.

Then the door closed.

The car drove away.

Without Victoria.

The silence that followed was almost funny.

Victoria stood there.

Her friends stared at her.

She quickly turned toward them.

"We had a fight."

I nearly rolled my eyes.

Sure.

A fight.

Whatever.

It wasn't my business.

I adjusted my bag and continued walking.

I didn't care about Damon.

I didn't care about Adrian.

And I definitely didn't care about Victoria's strange drama.

At least, that was what I told myself.

But one thought stayed in my mind.

Victoria had spent the entire day trying to get Adrian's attention.

And now she was doing the exact same thing with Damon.

I shook my head.

How pathetic.

Was attention really that important to her?

I couldn't understand people like her.

Maybe this was simply how rich girls lived.

They had everything.

Money.

Power.

Connections.

And apparently, still not enough attention.

I looked toward the road and continued walking.

I had a sick mother waiting for me at home.

Bills waiting on the table.

A part-time job waiting tomorrow.

Assignments waiting in my bag.

I didn't have the luxury of wasting my time chasing someone else's attention.

I had a life to build.

And I had promised my mother that I would make something of it.

So why, despite everything, did one sentence keep repeating in my head?

Stay away from my girl.

I groaned quietly.

"Seriously, Amelia?"

I shook my head.

"Forget it."

I walked faster.