LUNARIS ACADEMY: BOUND TO THE ROYALS

CHAPTER 2

SELAH

“Stick with us,” Liora said as she tapped her ID card against the scanner. The little light flashed green, and the tray filled with food like magic. “Since you’re new, just use my number until your ID comes in.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, clutching the tray like it was my lifeline. It felt weird accepting help, but better than starving to death in this oversized palace masquerading as a school.

Orin smirked. “Don’t drop it, princess. The vultures here would kill for free food.”

“I’m not a princess,” I shot back, shifting my tray against my hip. “More like a peasant who took the wrong bus.”

Liora laughed, light and warm. “Trust me, you’ll get used to it. Lunaris looks intimidating, but it’s just another school. With way too much money and way too many egos.”

“That’s comforting,” I deadpanned.

We walked to a table near the middle of the hall. Not too close to the front—apparently that was dangerous—but not shoved in the back either. My new friends were clearly good at navigating survival here.

We sat down, and I dug into my food cautiously. It was… actually good. Like five-star-restaurant good. Definitely not cafeteria food. I shoveled another spoonful into my mouth, glancing around at the chandeliers, the velvet banners, the silver cutlery.

“This is still insane,” I muttered.

“What is?” Liora asked between bites of pasta.

“All of this,” I gestured around. “I expected… I don’t know… brick walls, maybe a library that smells like old books. Not… Versailles.”

Orin grinned. “Welcome to Lunaris. Where power is the real currency and your last name is your throne.”

“Or lack of one,” Liora added. “Don’t worry. You’ll survive. You have us now.”

Her easy assurance warmed me. For the first time since stepping foot into this Academy, I didn’t feel like I was drowning.

Until the air shifted.

It wasn’t dramatic at first, more like a prickle along the back of my neck. A hum that made the hairs on my arms rise. The chatter around us faltered, then cut off completely. Forks clinked against plates, chairs screeched back.

And then—every single person stood.

Except me.

I blinked, spoon halfway to my mouth. “Uh… did I miss an announcement?”

Liora’s eyes went wide. “Selah—”

But I was already chewing. Slowly. Deliberately.

Because if everyone else was standing like scared little soldiers, it meant one thing. The Alphas had arrived.

My eyes flicked to the entrance. And there they were.

Lucian Veyreth. The kind of beautiful that could slit your throat. His gaze cut like ice as he strode forward, movements precise, every line of him screaming lethal control.

Kael Dravenhart. A storm in human form. Shadows clung to him like he’d ripped them from the walls, raw violence barely caged beneath skin and bone.

Two gods who hated each other enough to set the whole Academy on fire.

No one had to tell me to stand. They just… commanded it. Power bled from them, thick enough to choke.

And still, I didn’t move.

I chewed my food with the same calm I didn’t feel. My pulse hammered in my throat, but I swallowed, lifted my water glass, and drank. Slowly.

Gasps scattered through the hall like firecrackers.

“What the hell are you doing?” Orin hissed.

“Finishing dinner,” I muttered, stabbing my fork into another bite. “Unless that’s illegal now?”

“Selah,” Liora whispered frantically. “Get up. Now. Please. Do you have a death wish?”

I ignored her, even as the weight in the air thickened. Lucian’s cold aura pressed like ice against my skin. Kael’s rage simmered like smoke in my lungs.

But neither of them said a word. They didn’t have to.

I ate the last bite, set my fork down with deliberate care, then finally rose to my feet.

Silence draped the hall. I wiped my hands on the napkin, tucked it neatly beside my plate, and walked out.

Not a glance back. Not a single bow of my head.

Gasps followed me like shadows.

The doors slammed shut behind me, and the night air hit my face. Cool. Sharp.

Oh. Crap.

“What did I just do?” I whispered.

“Selah!”

Liora’s voice rang out behind me. She and Orin came running, breathless, panic carved across their faces.

“Are you insane?” Orin grabbed my arm. “You don’t ignore them. You don’t just sit there like—like—”

“Like a normal person eating dinner?” I asked, snatching my arm back. “Sorry, didn’t know standing like trained dogs was a requirement.”

“You don’t understand,” Liora said, her tone trembling between frustration and fear. “They’re not just students. They’re R-Rank. The only R-Ranks in the whole Academy. They don’t ask for respect, Selah. They are respect.”

“And if you don’t give it,” Orin cut in, “they’ll take it. With blood.”

A shiver raced down my spine. My bravado cracked just enough for reality to slip through. I might’ve just signed my own death sentence.

Liora grabbed my hands, her grip desperate. “Promise me you won’t ever do that again. Promise.”

I swallowed hard, forcing a smirk even though my stomach was a knot. “What’s the worst they can do? Kill me for bad table manners?”

Orin stared, dark and serious. “Yes. Exactly that.”

My breath hitched.

The weight of what I’d done settled in my chest.

Maybe this really was the wrong story. Because in this one, I was either going to be crushed beneath gods—or become bold enough to stand against them.

And neither option sounded safe.