When Professor Zion opened the door, a middle-aged man in a black suit stood upright. His serious eyes enveloped the atmosphere with immediate tension.
"Professor Zion," he said firmly, "the campus council is holding an emergency meeting. It's about a student named Arwen."
Arwen reflexively lowered her head, her heart almost jumping out of her chest.
Zion looked at the messenger coldly before nodding slowly. He then turned to Arwen and approached her once more.
"Wait for me here," he said in a deep voice, like an order that could not be disobeyed, in order to protect the girl. "Whatever happens outside, you stay inside. Understood? "
Arwen nodded slowly." Yes, I understand... "
Only then did Zion step outside with the messenger, leaving Arwen alone.
The silence in the room was suffocating. Five minutes passed slowly. Arwen sighed, feeling restless.
" I can't keep troubling Professor Zion," she thought.
Carefully, she finally opened the door and went out. She walked quickly, as if she wanted to disappear before the cynical stares of the other students could pierce her heart. Unfortunately, at the corner of the corridor, someone blocked her way.
"How dare you walk alone?" Lionel grinned before roughly grabbing Arwen's arm.
"Let go! Lionel, let me go!" Arwen struggled.
However, her scream was only heard once before Lionel covered her mouth with his palm. The young man dragged her to a dark corridor at the end of the building, far from the hustle and bustle of the campus.
"Ouch, that hurts! Let go..." Arwen's voice was heard again, increasingly faint, choked by Lionel's hand covering her mouth.
Her body was mercilessly dragged to a secluded corner behind the old campus building, far from anyone's eyes.
Astrid stood there, her arms folded across her chest, her gaze sharp as a double-edged dagger.
As soon as Lionel pushed Arwen to the ground, Astrid stepped forward with a cruel smile.
"You think you can hide behind Professor Zion forever?" Her voice was cold, as if freezing everything around her.
Arwen gasped, trying to get up. "I never meant to fight anyone..." Her voice was hoarse, almost inaudible.
A hard tug pulled her hair back. Astrid grabbed it mercilessly, forcing Arwen's neck to rise. "Shut up! Your fake innocent smile is disgusting!"
Stella and Reina, who had been waiting, laughed mockingly. Stella nudged Reina sarcastically.
"Look at her, crying again. That's all she can do."
"Poor thing, the professor's dream campus girl," continued Reina, her voice mimicking a spoiled tone full of contempt and disgust.
Arwen shook her head, tears falling again. "Please stop, I don't want any trouble..."
But Stella stepped forward, kicking Arwen's books, which had fallen and scattered on the ground. "Trouble? You're the trouble!"
Reina pressed Arwen's shoulders to keep her kneeling on the ground. "That's right. Even without you, everyone knows who deserves the spotlight on this campus. And it's not you!"
Astrid approached again, her face only inches from Arwen's. "You need to know your place, Arwen. You're nobody. You don't belong here."
Astrid's hand pushed Arwen's head roughly again, causing her body to hit the cold wall.
Arwen groaned, her body trembling, but unable to fight back.
Lionel stood beside Astrid, his face cold despite his tense jaw. "Hurry up. Don't take so long. If the professor finds out, we're all dead."
Astrid hissed, "Relax. I want her to learn first, learn pain before she learns shame."
Arwen sobbed helplessly, her hands limp. The world seemed to shrink around her; all she could feel was pain in her head, chest, and heart.
Those hateful words cut deeper than the physical blows she was receiving.
In an instant, Stella and Reina took turns pulling, pushing, and insulting her.
Arwen fell to the ground again, this time her knees hitting hard and hurting badly.
Astrid stared down at her, breathing heavily, her eyes burning with hatred.
"Remember this well, Arwen. You can cry, you can beg. But you will never be free from us. Not as long as you are the center of Professor Zion's attention."
Arwen's tears fell uncontrollably. Her lips trembled, but no words came out. She could only hug herself, fragile, under the shadow of those who thirsted for her humiliation.
On the other side...
Professor Zion's footsteps sounded hurried as he returned from the campus council meeting room.
His face looked tense, even though he tried to maintain the authority of an Alpha and a respected academic.
When he arrived at the door of his office, he pushed it open slowly, as if hoping to find the girl still waiting.
However, only silence greeted him.
"Arwen?" he called, his voice soft.
There was no answer.
Professor Zion immediately stepped inside, looking around the room.
The desk was still neat, and the chair where Arwen had been sitting was empty. The faint scent of lavender that always lingered on the girl's body still lingered in the air, convincing him that Arwen had just left.
Zion's eyebrows furrowed. "Impossible. I asked her to wait," he muttered worriedly. "Why didn't she obey?"
He walked quickly down the hallway, his eyes scanning every side. Several students bowed respectfully as he passed, but no one could answer the question that was beginning to press on his heart.
"Did you see Arwen leave my room?" he asked a male student who was passing by.
The student shook his head nervously. "I didn't see her, Professor."
Zion clenched his fists. Worry gnawed at his heart. His Alpha instincts screamed that something was wrong.
He walked faster, almost running down the hallway, opening classroom door after classroom door, but to no avail.
"Arwen!" Zion called again, his voice echoing off the stone walls of the university.
His breathing became heavy, not because he was tired but because of the anxiety pressing down on his chest. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, trying to listen more intently, hoping to catch the girl's scent or heartbeat amid the crowd.
However, something else entered his senses. A faint, thick, hostile aura emanated from the rarely used old wing of the university building.
Zion opened his eyes, his gaze sharp, his jaw tight.
"Arwen..." he whispered, but it sounded like a muffled roar.
Without hesitation, he stepped toward the old wing. But just as he was about to reach the dimly lit end of the corridor, he heard a sound—
CRACK!
The old wooden door at the end slammed shut, as if someone had just rushed in or out.
Zion tensed, his gaze fixed on the door, which was now swaying slightly.
He quickened his pace, breathing heavily, his chest filled with anger and anxiety. But just before his hand touched the doorknob—
A soft cry came from behind the wall, barely audible, but enough to make his blood run cold.
"Help..."
Zion froze, his pupils narrowing.
"Arwen."
The voice echoed briefly, then disappeared into silence. Professor Zion pressed the back of his hand against the wooden door, trying to detect any vibrations from behind it.
Silence.
"Arwen..." he muttered once more, this time sounding more anxious.
His wolf instincts urged him to break in, but his reason held him back. There was a trap there, he could feel it.
From behind the door, there was a faint clinking of metal, then silence again.
Zion reached for the doorknob, but stopped. His eyes narrowed, his breath caught in his throat. 'If I open this door without thinking, I could lose Arwen forever.
The seconds felt like an eternity.
Then, suddenly, a cold gust of wind swept through the corridor, carrying with it the faint scent of fresh blood.
Zion froze, his jaw tightening.
"No..." he whispered, but with anger.
With a quick movement, he pushed the door open with a loud creak—
And the sight that greeted him made his breath catch in his throat.