Unseat the Apha

Beyond the application

Moments later, Jameson sat stiffly on the couch, seething in silence while Asher took her seat, rifling through the scholarship applications with a sense of ownership. The room was eerily quiet like a graveyard, except for the occasional rustling of papers. His expression was unreadable hence she couldn't tell what he was thinking. It annoyed her.

She couldn't hold back any longer. "You know, you don't have to—"

"Shh," Asher silenced her with a single raised finger, his eyes still scanning a page.

Then, for the first time, he smiled, his eyes gleaming as if he'd found a hidden treasure.

With a grin that made her uneasy, he handed the application to her.

"Approve this one."

Jameson's curiosity got the better of her as she took the paper from him, her eyes scanning the text. Almost immediately, her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in disbelief. "What the...?"

"It's perfect, isn't it?" Asher's voice was almost gleeful.

Jameson could hardly believe what she was reading. "Mr. Nightshade, with all due respect, this applicant….this girl just admitted to—" She couldn't even finish the sentence, still horrified at the explicit nature of the application.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I'm sorry, but I cannot approve this."

"She's issued me a challenge," Asher said, a dark gleam in his eyes.

"What?"

"Wait till you see me in bed," he repeated the bold line from the application, his grin widening. "And I can't wait to find out."

"Mr. Nightshade—"

He stood up, cutting off her protest as he fixed her with an intense stare. "Approve the application. I won't ask again."

Without waiting for her response, Asher strode out of the office, confident she would follow his orders. He always got what he wanted.

Left alone, Jameson stared at the door, her pulse pounding in her ears. She hated how powerless she felt, how easily that child had dismissed her authority. Had taken her position. This was supposed to be her game and she was the god. But it seems instead, she has been dethroned.

Asher Nightshade walked down the hall, a spring in his step. For the first time in a long while, he felt alive, his blood pulsing with excitement.

The other cardinal alphas had no idea what he was up to, but it will soon hit them.

He'd just set the game in motion.

And the target was Violet Purple.

"It's her, the one who messed up her Lunaris Academy application."

Violet sighed, pushing her book into her locker as the rumor reached her ears for the umpteenth time.

She was not exactly famous around here, but today seemed to be the exception. All eyes followed her the moment she stepped into the school, and it creeped her out until she found out why they were staring at her as if she had grown two heads.

Violet had no idea how they found out about the form, but apparently, teacher-student confidentiality wasn't a thing here. Not that her teacher's reaction when she received the application wasn't enough to draw attention. Violet couldn't help but recall how things had gone down that day.

"Here is my application," Violet handed the form to her homeroom teacher.

"Oh, thank the gods. You're the last to submit, and for a moment, I thought you wouldn't. I was worried you'd end up punished for not following the rules," Mrs. Florence said with relief, putting on her glasses and beginning to review the application.

Violet bit down on her lips, her heart pounding, knowing it was only a matter of time. And Mrs. Florence sure didn't disappoint as she sprang to her feet with a curse on her lips.

For the first time, Violet saw her teacher lose her composure as she demanded, "What is the meaning of this?"

"What do you mean, ma?" she asked innocently.

"Don't you play cheeky with me, Mrs. Violet Purple!" her teacher retorted, her eyes spitting fire. "What is this you wrote under special skills?"

"Oh, that?" Violet bit down on her lips, feigning shyness as she said, "That was my mother's suggestion."

What?"

"You asked us to request help from our parents; that was her contribution," Violet said, looking at Mrs. Florence, who looked like she was about to faint from the way the blood had drained from her face.

Violet should have felt anxious about lying, but she didn't. Not one bit. Moreover, it wasn't technically a lie. Nancy pretty much suggested sucking a d**k in the new school she had not gotten into yet—and would not get into once that form was submitted. In one word, she was innocent. She had only taken her mother's advice and put it into words.

Literally.

"What kind of mother does that?" Mrs. Florence said, then looked towards Violet with anger. "And you took her suggestion?"

Violet shrugged. "What am I supposed to do? Trust me, I don't want to get on her wrong side. I can't live on the street."

Mrs. Florence looked like she had something to say, but she bit back her words instead, finally plopping down in her seat with an exhausted sigh. Violet felt guilty for stressing the poor woman, but she didn't let it show.

Mrs. Florence looked up, saying. "I wish I could help you, Violet, but there are no extra forms for you to correct this mistake…." She paused as if holding back a harsher word for the situation. "Lunaris Academy is extremely strict with their rules. Each form is counted carefully according to the number of students required to sign up for the year and then sent out to the various districts to avoid any cases of malpractice. Unfortunately, I can't make any exceptions either; you're legally obligated to apply to Lunaris Academy. So, this form will be sent out as it is."

Violet could hear the unspoken truth: You won't be accepted into Lunaris Academy with this kind of application.

"Alright," she said.

"Alright?" Mrs. Florence blinked, clearly taken aback.

"You just told me I have no other option. What else can I do? I can't beat myself up over it," Violet said flatly.