The Coffee Incident.
1996 Words
Lena
I should have known that my first day at Mooncrest Academy was going too smoothly.
I had found my classes.
I had made two friends.
And surprisingly, I hadn't embarrassed myself.
That alone felt like an achievement.
Mia and Sophie had spent most of the morning helping me understand the confusing world of Mooncrest. They explained which teachers were strict, which hallways were shortcuts, and which students I should avoid annoying.
Although, according to Mia, avoiding annoying people at Mooncrest was almost impossible.
"There are too many people here who think they own the place," she said as we walked through the hallway.
I looked around at the students passing by.
She wasn't wrong.
Everyone carried themselves with confidence.
Some students looked like they had been born wearing expensive clothes and carrying family names that opened every door for them.
I still felt like the girl who had walked out of a small town and accidentally entered a completely different world.
"You're thinking too much again," Sophie said.
I looked at her.
"How did you know?"
She shrugged.
"Your face gives everything away."
I laughed.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No," Sophie replied. "It's just unusual."
"Unusual?"
Mia smiled.
"Most people here spend their time pretending to be someone they're not. You're the opposite."
I wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or an insult.
Before I could ask, the warning bell rang.
"Coffee break," Mia announced happily.
I followed them toward the cafeteria.
And that was where everything went wrong.
The Mooncrest cafeteria was almost as impressive as the rest of the school.
It wasn't just a place to eat.
It looked like a luxury restaurant.
Students sat in groups, talking and laughing while servants moved around delivering food and drinks.
I was still amazed by everything.
Back home, our cafeteria had old tables and simple meals.
Here, students were casually drinking drinks that probably cost more than my weekly allowance.
"I still can't believe this is a school," I whispered.
Mia laughed.
"You'll get used to it."
I walked toward the counter with them and ordered a coffee.
Maybe I was trying too hard to act normal.
Maybe I was still overwhelmed.
Because the moment I turned around with the cup in my hand...
I crashed into someone.
The impact happened so quickly that I barely had time to react.
The cup slipped.
Coffee spilled.
And the entire cafeteria went silent.
I looked down.
The dark liquid had stained the expensive-looking uniform of the person standing in front of me.
My heart dropped.
"Oh no."
Slowly, I looked up.
And the first thing I noticed was his eyes.
Cold.
Sharp.
Intimidating.
The second thing I noticed was that everyone around us had stopped moving.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody even breathed.
The boy stared at me like I had committed the greatest crime in history.
I immediately stepped back.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Do you have any idea what you just did?"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Which somehow made it worse.
I looked at the coffee stain.
"I spilled coffee on your shirt. I know."
A few students around us looked shocked.
I ignored them.
"I already apologized."
His expression hardened.
"You think an apology fixes everything?"
I blinked.
Was he serious?
"It's coffee, not a broken building."
The silence around us became even heavier.
Mia suddenly appeared beside me.
"Lena..."
The warning in her voice made me realize I had probably said something I shouldn't have.
The boy took a step closer.
Only then did I understand why everyone had moved away from him.
Why everyone looked afraid.
This wasn't just a random student.
This was Adrian
The name Sophie had whispered earlier.
The future Alpha King.
The person everyone at Mooncrest respected and feared.
And apparently, the person I had just offended on my first day.
Great.
Just great.
Adrian looked at me for a long moment.
Then, without warning, he grabbed my wrist.
My eyes widened.
"Hey!"
The entire cafeteria erupted into whispers.
"What is he doing?"
"Is she crazy?"
"She actually talked back to Adrian?"
I tried pulling my hand away.
"Let go of me."
But he didn't listen.
Instead, he started walking.
"Where are you taking me?"
He didn't answer.
My confusion quickly turned into anger.
I had apologized.
I didn't understand why he was acting like I had ruined his entire life.
A few moments later, he pushed open a door.
I froze.
The sign on the wall made my eyes widen.
The boys' bathroom.
I turned to him in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"
He finally looked at me.
His expression was unreadable.
"Wait here."
Before I could respond, he reached for his uniform jacket.
My eyes widened.
"Are you seriously taking off your clothes right now?"
For the first time, his expression changed slightly.
Almost like he was amused.
"Relax. I don't have any interest in you."
My face heated with embarrassment and annoyance.
"Trust me, the feeling is mutual."
His eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
That was the first thought that crossed Adrian's mind.
Nobody spoke to him like that.
Nobody challenged him.
But this girl...
She wasn't afraid.
He removed the stained shirt and handed it to me.
"Wash it."
I stared at the shirt in his hand.
"Excuse me?"
"You caused the problem. Fix it."
I looked at him.
The arrogance was unbelievable.
"You really are impossible."
He simply stared back.
"And yet you're still here."
I hated that he had a point.
I was new.
I didn't know the rules of this place.
And picking a fight with the Alpha King's son probably wasn't the smartest decision.
With a frustrated sigh, I took the shirt.
"Fine."
A small smile almost appeared on his face.
Almost.
But it disappeared quickly.
I didn't know why, but looking at him only made my frustration grow.
---
Adrian
I had dealt with many things in my life.
Pressure from the pack.
Expectations from my father.
People trying to get close to me because of my name.
I could handle all of that.
But one thing I couldn't stand was disrespect.
And that was exactly what happened today.
I walked into the cafeteria expecting nothing more than another normal day at Mooncrest Academy.
The usual whispers followed me.
The usual stares.
I had grown used to them.
Being Adrian Sinclair meant people always noticed me.
They knew my name.
They knew my family.
They knew my position.
The son of the most powerful Alpha.
The future Alpha King.
To most people, my name alone was enough reason to keep their distance.
But then she appeared.
A girl I had never seen before.
A transfer student.
And before I even knew what was happening, a cup of coffee was spilled all over me.
The entire cafeteria went silent.
I looked down at the stain on my uniform, then back at her.
I expected panic.
An apology filled with fear.
Maybe even tears.
That was usually how people reacted when they realized they had offended me.
But she didn't.
She looked shocked, yes.
She knew she had made a mistake.
But she wasn't afraid.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Her voice was sincere.
But there was something about her expression that bothered me.
She wasn't looking at me like everyone else did.
She wasn't seeing my title.
She wasn't seeing the Alpha King's son.
She was just looking at me.
Like I was a normal person.
And somehow, that annoyed me more than the coffee.
"Do you have any idea what you just did?"
My voice came out colder than I intended.
She glanced at the stain.
"I spilled coffee on your shirt. I know."
I stared at her.
Was she serious?
Most people would have been apologizing repeatedly by now.
Instead, she looked like she was already losing patience with me.
"I already apologized."
A few students around us looked horrified.
I almost couldn't believe it.
She was actually arguing with me.
"It's coffee, not a broken building."
For a moment, I just looked at her.
Who was this girl?
Nobody talked to me that way.
Not because I forced them not to.
Because they knew better.
But she clearly didn't.
Before I could stop myself, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the crowd.
I told myself it was because she needed to take responsibility.
Because she had ruined my uniform and needed to fix it.
That was the logical reason.
At least, that's what I wanted to believe.
But the moment my hand touched her skin...
My wolf reacted.
Hard.
A powerful growl echoed inside my mind.
I froze.
What was that?
My wolf had always been controlled.
Disciplined.
He didn't react without reason.
But now he was restless.
Almost desperate.
I looked at the girl in front of me.
A name I had never heard before today.
A girl who was supposed to be just another student at Mooncrest Academy.
So why did my wolf react like he had finally found something he had been searching for?
The thought was impossible.
A stray thought I immediately pushed away.
It couldn't be.
I had never believed in fate choosing my path for me.
Especially not with someone I had just met.
And yet...
Something about her felt different.
When I forcefully dragged her to the male restroom, took off my stained shirt and told her to wash it, I expected her to be embarrassed.
Instead, she looked annoyed.
"You really are impossible."
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Because she was right.
But the strange thing was...
I didn't hate the way she said it.
She wasn't trying to impress me.
She wasn't trying to gain my attention.
She wasn't pretending.
She was simply being herself.
And that was rare.
When she finally took the shirt and walked away, I watched her leave.
I didn't know why that girl bothered me so much.
She was just a transfer student.
Just another face at Mooncrest Academy.
So why had my wolf reacted the way it did when I touched her?
Why did her scent feel familiar?
Why did every instinct inside me tell me she was important?
I clenched my jaw.
No matter what was happening, I would figure it out.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD