The Rogue Triplets’ Little Nerd

CH 2 - Persefone

PERSEFONE POV

I was lying on the sand, on a beautiful beach surrounded by palms and wilderness.

A quiet, secluded beach. Maybe on a private island because there were no screaming kids, no music blasting from someone’s speaker.

Just… silence.

The sun was high, warm against my skin, a little too bright but not enough to burn my skin. Waves rolled in slow, steady, the sound wrapping around me like a wonderful lullaby. The air smelled like salt and pine and—

Sandalwood.

Those didn’t belong.

Still, I didn’t question it.

Because I felt… so good.

No tension. No noise in my head. No constant need to stay alert.

Just calm.

Just -

“Sissy.”

I frowned slightly.

What was Penny doing here?

And where exactly was here?

I turned around, expecting to see her waving at me from somewhere down the shoreline.

Nothing.

Empty sand. Endless water.

No Penny.

Weird.

“Persefone Savage!”

The world snapped.

A sharp bang on my desk ripped me out of the dream so fast my head actually jerked up, heart slamming against my ribs.

Shit.

I’d done it again.

Maybe hacking into things I definitely wasn’t supposed to access at ungodly hours wasn’t the best life choice to survive high school drama.

'I tried to warn you,' Penny’s voice whispered in my mind, way too amused for my liking.

I blinked, dragging a hand down my face as reality settled back in—fluorescent lights, stale classroom air, and Professor Chandler glaring at me from behind his thick glasses like I’d personally offended his entire bloodline. I probably had. A long bloodline of oily English teachers.

“This is unacceptable,” he snapped. “Third time this week, Miss Savage. Third.”

I squinted one eye as his voice climbed into full banshee territory.

“Detention,” he continued, slamming his hand on the desk again for emphasis. “And the principal will hear about this. I don’t care if your GPA is a perfect 4.0—you will stay awake when I am speaking.”

Fair.

Annoying.

But fair.

“Sorry, Professor,” I muttered, already grabbing my bag before he could keep going.

There was no point arguing and if I gave him even a raised eyebrow he would go on and on about new generations and disrespect and lack of authoritative figures and goddess knew what else.

If he only knew the kind of parents me and my sister had... he wouldn't even think about the lack of education or authority in our family.

Still, for him, I was just a pain in his ass. Not the third golden wolf in history, nor the daughter of one of the most scary werewolves on earth. My mom.

He wouldn’t win that verbal route.

But neither would I today.

I slung the strap over my shoulder and stood, ignoring the way a few students glanced up, some amused, some sympathetic.

Most just relieved it wasn’t them.

My eyes flicked toward Penny.

She was biting her lip, trying—and failing—not to laugh.

'Better if you go home with Rachel,' I told her through the link, already heading toward the door. 'I’ll be late.'

'Again,' she added sweetly.'Mom will handle your ass in training tomorrow for sure'

'Shut up.' I bit back, even if she was right. Warrior training was going to hurt like hell.

I dragged my feet down the hallway, already dreading the moment I’d get home and find Daddy waiting in my room.

Again.

Another lecture about me being underage, the dangers of the dark web, and how I absolutely needed a proper degree if I wanted to be admitted to the Alpha Academy next year.

Like I didn’t know.

Like I hadn’t heard it a hundred times already.

Like he didn't get caught in the same s**t when he was my age.

I exhaled slowly, rolling my eyes to myself as I turned the corner—

and Eden snapped to the front of my mind so fast it almost made me stumble.

Ears up.

Alert.

Sniffing.

'What’s up?' I asked instinctively.

'Rachel.' she answered 'she's scared and not alone'

My body reacted before my brain could catch up.

Because Rachel didn’t even have her wolf yet.

Sixteen. Gamma’s daughter or not, she was still human enough to be vulnerable—and this school wasn’t exactly filled with forgiving humans.

Nope. Witches, rogues, a bear or two... humans were a blissfully unaware minority.

I was already running, almost at full speed.

The scent of fear hit me halfway down the hall.

Sharp. Metallic. Too familiar.

And underneath it—

Them.

Of course.

I turned the corner hard enough that my shoulder brushed the wall, and there they were.

Three against one.

Rachel stood with her back to the lockers, shoulders tense, chin lifted like she was trying to look braver than she felt.

She wasn’t fooling anyone, unfortunately.

“What did you just say?” Keres hissed, leaning in just enough to crowd her space. The lazy smirk always plastered on his pretty face was gone. He was a mask of rage, and I could feel his wolf close to the surface.

I didn’t wait to hear anything else.

Didn’t f*****g care.

Aiden was just a step back, watching the drama unfold, and Thane?

He was the usual mask of stone.

But my pack member was trembling, distressed, and at an obvious disadvantage.

I didn’t slow down.

Didn’t hesitate.

“Back off,” I said dryly, stepping into the space like I belonged there. “Three against one. That’s new. Or are you just so bad at fighting?”

All three of them turned.

And Keres’ anger disappeared, turning into the usual half-amused, half-pissed-off expression that had become his brand.

“Look who decided to join,” he said. “You always this protective of your pack, nerd?”

I moved until I was standing in front of Rachel, her front pressed against my back.

Putting myself in the line of fire.

Metaphorical fire for now.

“You’ve seen nothing,” I shot back, “ and pray you never see how protective I can be. ”

Keres didn’t step back.

Of course he didn’t.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly, that cocky half-smile creeping back onto his face as he reached for me, slow and... careful... like he had all the time in the world.

“I’d love to see you try,” he murmured, voice low enough that it didn’t carry past me. “Handle me, I mean.”

I didn’t hesitate.

His fingers barely brushed my sleeve before I caught his wrist.

Twisted.

Hard.

A sharp hiss slipped past his teeth.

Good.

For a second, the world narrowed down to that point of contact—his pulse under my grip, the tension in his muscles, the way his smirk faltered just enough to make it satisfying.

Behind him, Aiden laughed.

Like this was exactly the kind of entertainment he’d been hoping for.

And Thane just watched us for a beat longer, something unreadable flickering in his eyes… before he turned.

“Not worth it,” he said flatly, already walking away.

Just like that.

My teeth clenched and my claws were already half way down, Eden was begging for a fight. So was I.

But Keres yanked his hand free a second later, rolling his wrist once, that grin already creeping back into place like nothing had happened.

“See you around, nerd,” he muttered, stepping back.

Aiden followed without another word, walking backwards just to keep eye contact with me. Creep.

And then they were gone.

Just like that.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my shoulders to relax before turning back to Rachel.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She blinked at me like she was still catching up, then nodded too quickly.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. I just—”

She didn’t finish, already backing away, then turning completely and heading for the nearest bathroom like distance alone could fix it.

Poor girl.

I watched her go for a second, then reached out through the link.

'Penny, check on Rachel, please. She had a not so pleasant encounter with the resident devils'

A pause.

Then—

'Already on it.'

A blessing, my twin was a blessing.

I adjusted my bag again, rolling my shoulders once before turning back toward the hallway.

Detention.

At this rate, I was never getting home on time.

Not that it mattered.

Daddy was still going to be waiting.

And I was still going to get that lecture.

Again.

Lucky me.