Chapter 3: Table of Wolves
1581 Words
The café looked less like a school dining hall and more like the lobby of an expensive hotel.
Crystal chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings, casting soft golden light across marble floors and polished mahogany tables.
Tall windows overlooked the academy gardens, and the low hum of conversation filled the room like an orchestra tuning before a performance.
I clutched my tray a little tighter moving down the line, turning to see where Tessa had gone.
Every table seemed to already belong to someone.
Athletes near the windows. Scholars along the library side. And in the center.. like royalty holding court…sat the “Everyone who’s anyone”
Tessa waved immediately.
“Zaria! Over here!”
Relief washed over me as I crossed the room and sat beside her who was already adjusting the sleeve of her designer blazer.
“You’re lucky,” Tessa whispered dramatically. “Lunch today is truffle pasta. Blackthorn only serves it twice a semester.”
I gave a small smile, though my attention drifted.
Across the café.
Torin had just walked in.
And again he wasn’t alone.
His arm rested comfortably around the girl. Tessa leaned toward me “Aria Calloway” she whispered.
Who looked effortlessly perfect in a cream blazer and gold jewelry. Her laughter rang lightly through the room as they approached the central tables, drawing attention the way Torin always had.
The whispers began almost immediately.
“That’s her… Zaria Vale.”
“The ex.”
“Two years, right?”
“ How could she not know??”
“Poor thing.”
I focused on my fork.
Pretend it doesn’t matter Zari.
Pretend it doesn’t hurt.
Then the energy in the room shifted again.
The doors opened from the other side of the cafe.
And Ryker Kane walked in.
He didn’t rush. He never did.
Behind him followed his three closest friends.. Julian Ravenscroft: The thinker of the group.. always sarcastic, Adrian Whitmore: Intimidating but always calm, rarely speaking unless necessary, and Luca Draven: Rebellious, confident, always ready for trouble. Bestfriends for as long as I could remember..a quiet storm of confidence moving through the room like they owned the air everyone else breathed.
Students straightened subtly as they passed.
Julian noticed Zaria first.
“Well,” he murmured to Ryker, not bothering to lower his voice, “looks like lunch just got interesting.”
Ryker’s gaze had already found me.
It lingered.
Long enough that I felt it.
Torin noticed too.
His smile sharpened as he pulled Aria closer.
“Come on,” he said casually, steering her toward the elite tables.. directly to the left beside where I sat to the end.
The chair scraped loudly as he sat down.
Perfectly within earshot.
Aria glanced at me, her expression polite but faintly amused.
“Oh,” she said sweetly, “you must be Zaria.”
Silence fell across the table.
Torin leaned back in his chair like he was watching a show.
“Yeah,” he said coolly.
“That’s her.”
Before I could respond, another chair slid out.
Ryker sat down directly across from me on the end of the table vertical to.
His friends followed.
Luca smirked at the tension like he was enjoying it.
Julian simply watched Torin with quiet amusement.
Adrian crossed his arms.
Ryker leaned slightly forward, his voice calm but edged with something dangerous.
“Funny,” he said. “I thought lunch was supposed to be peaceful.”
Torin’s eyes flashed.
The elite students leaned in.
Because everyone at Blackthorn knew one thing.
When Ryker Kane and Torin Harrington sat in the same room..
Something was about to explode. The silence at the table stretched thin, like glass ready to crack.
Students at nearby tables pretended to eat, but their eyes kept drifting toward the center. At Blackthorn Academy, moments like this became stories people whispered about for years.
Torin leaned back in his chair, draping one arm lazily over the back of Aria’s seat as if the entire room belonged to him.
“Well,” he said casually, tapping his fork against his plate. “This is nostalgic.”
I stiffened.
Across from me, Ryker didn’t move. His posture remained relaxed, but there was something sharp behind his eyes.
Julian leaned closer to Luca and murmured, just loud enough to be heard, “Ten bucks says Harrington says something stupid in the next thirty seconds.”
Luca smirked. “You’re being generous, I give it ten.”
Torin ignored them.
His attention stayed locked on me.
“You know,” he continued smoothly, “people keep asking me what happened between us.”
I felt the room tighten around me.
Tessa shot her a annoyed glance.
Torin tilted his head slightly, like he was studying a curious experiment.
“I mean… two years of long distance, right?” he said laughing softly. “That’s impressive. Most would’ve realized sooner it wasn’t working.”
Aria giggled softly beside him.
My grip tightened around my fork.
“Seriously Torin??” Tessa said.
Torin shrugged.
“What I thought was that you’d have the common courtesy to not be an asshole, yet here we are.”
“Yeah, well… you thought wrong.”
A ripple of whispers spread through the café. Hearing how harshly he spoke.
Julian’s expression darkened.
Adrian Whitmore’s jaw tightened.
But Ryker was still silent. Expression stoic.
Torin leaned forward slightly now, his voice louder.
“Let’s be honest, darling. We were kids. And when you left…” he gestured vaguely toward the windows, “I realized something.”
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
“And what’s that?”
Torin smiled.
“That Blackthorn has better options.” He chuckled.
The words hit like a slap to my face.
Aria rested her hand on his arm, clearly pleased with the attention.
A few students laughed nervously.
Tessa looked ready to throw her drink at him.
My face burned, and the rage I felt burned even brighter but I refused to look away.
“You really thought this deserved an audience?” I asked softly, steady despite the sting. “Very mature, Torin.”
Torin scoffed.
“What? Did I embarrass you? I’m just telling the truth.”
The chair across from him suddenly scraped loudly across the marble floor.
Ryker stood.
The sound alone silenced the entire café.
Torin looked up, mildly annoyed.
“What?” Through silted eyes.
Ryker’s voice was low.
“Are you done?”
Torin raised an eyebrow.
“Excuse me?”
Ryker stepped closer to the table.
Every movement was calm. Controlled.
Dangerous.
“You made your point,” Ryker said evenly. “You said you were done hours ago.”
His gaze hardened.
“So why are you. Still. Talking?”
The tension snapped through the room like electricity.
Torin let out a short laugh.
“Ohh, I get it now.”
His eyes flicked between the two of them.
“Funny how you always find something to say when it involves her.”
Luca muttered, “And here we go.”
Torin smirked.
“So what was the plan, Kane? Wait until I got bored”
Zaria’s heart slammed in her chest.
Ryker didn’t react immediately.
He just stared at Torin.
Then he spoke.
“No,” he said simply.
Torin leaned back smugly.
“Didn’t think so.”
Ryker’s voice remained calm.
“I was waiting,” he said evenly, “for her to realize she was always too good for you.”
The entire café went silent. No one would ever dare to speak to a Harrington that way, unless of course they were a Kane.
Julian slowly leaned back in his chair with a satisfied expression.
“Ah,” he murmured. “There it is.”
Torin’s smile vanished.
For the first time since the confrontation began, he looked genuinely irritated.
“You think you’re better than me?” Torin asked coldly.
Ryker shrugged slightly.
“I think you’re pathetic.”
Gasps rippled across the room.
Aria’s eyes widened.
Torin shot to his feet.
For a moment, it looked like he might actually swing.
And no one wanted to get caught up in the crossfire as far as Ryker Kane was concerned.
But Ryker didn’t move.
Didn’t flinch.
Just stood there like a wall.
Torin clenched his fists before letting out a sharp breath.
“Whatever,” he muttered, grabbing Aria’s hand. “Enjoy the leftovers.”
He shot me one last glare before turning and walking out of the café, Aria hurrying beside him.
The room slowly came back to life with hushed conversation.
Ryker sat back down like nothing had happened.
I stared at him, speechless.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said my voice only a whisper.
Ryker glanced at me.
For a moment, the hard edge in his expression softened.
“Yeah,” he said.
“I did.”
Julian clapped once.
Well,” he said, lifting his drink, “I’d like to thank the table for providing today’s entertainment.”
Luca grinned.
“Blackthorn’s definitely talking about this tonight.”
Tessa leaned toward me, eyes wide.
“You realize,” she whispered excitedly, “you just became the most interesting girl here”
I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing.
But as I looked across the table at Ryker, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had just changed.
And at Blackthorn Academy..
Changes like this never stayed small for long.
- Writer
