Every rule in a dangerous place was written in someone’s blood.

~ Rebel Beast

—---------------

It was midnight and while the humans were probably asleep in their little shack, all three Houses had gathered in the courtyard. Behind them, the massive silhouette of the school building loomed over the academy grounds.

There was no moonlight, but rows of lights illuminated the hundreds of students filling the space. The dragons occupied one corner of the courtyard, the serpents clustered together near the pillars, and the members of House Therion claimed their own section. Even from a distance, the tension between the groups was palpable.

Professor Maverick Nightshade had called for a meeting and while most shifters would have preferred to ignore the summons, they knew better than to provoke the wolf prince.

Maverick was powerful and he had a habit of making examples out of those who wasted his time. Not even Principal Warrick could command obedience the way he did. Bestiaris operated on a simple principle: Strength earned respect and weakness invited challenges.

As an Alpha wolf and a half-Fae, Maverick sat uncomfortably high on the food chain.

Very few students were interested in discovering exactly what his powers could do when he was genuinely angry.

It was even rumored that President Callum had once proposed making Maverick the principal of Bestiaris Academy in an effort to restore order. But the Beast Council had immediately rejected the suggestion.

While Maverick was strong, he was still from the Asterion Region, hence an outsider. The council preferred one of their own overseeing the academy.

As expected, the dragons had eagerly offered themselves for the position, only for the serpents to object.

Bestiaris Academy already reflected dragon influence in almost every corner. The institution itself had originally been established through an agreement between the human government and the dragon clans. It served as the primary academy where young beasts received an education before entering broader society and interacting with humans.

Giving the dragons complete control of the academy on top of that would have tilted the balance of power too heavily in their favor. To solve that, the serpents offered their own people. Naturally, the dragons disagreed.

Neither side was willing to accept leadership from the other. In the end, a compromise had been reached. They choose a land beast. Someone neutral to handle their heirs.

Principal Warrick, a bear shifter, accepted the position. Unfortunately, neutrality and authority were not the same thing.

Compared to dragons and basilisks, a bear shifter ranked significantly lower on the power scale. Which meant Warrick often felt less like the principal of Bestiaris Academy and more like a paper tiger trying to keep apex predators from tearing each other apart.

When the main doors finally opened, the courtyard immediately stirred. Principal Warrick emerged first with Professor Maverick Nightshade following several steps behind him.

As expected, the students’ reaction was far from welcoming. Many openly expressed their displeasure at Principal Warrick for needing Maverick’s presence to control them.

The serpents hissed collectively, their voices blending into one expression of dissatisfaction. Caelis, however, remained silent throughout it all, his silver eyes observing the scene without revealing a single thought.

Several dragons snorted openly. Rhydian Drakhar stood amongst them looking completely relaxed, his arms folded across his chest. If anything, the dragon prince appeared entertained by the situation. The members of House Therion were less openly hostile, though that did not stop the snickers.

"He’s such a coward,"

"I almost feel bad for him."

Everyone knew without Maverick, gathering all three Houses together would have been nearly impossible. Especially if Rhydian and Caelis decided to be stubborn.

Principal Warrick heard every word and ignored all of it. He was already used to it. The lower-ranked beasts were manageable. Even most of the felines listened. He could handle the serpents too unless Caelis decided to get involved.

The young prince was the backbone of the serpents and, unfortunately, the reason many of them misbehaved. One word from Caelis could undo hours of discipline.

If there were any creatures who consistently gave him headaches, it was the dragons. Even their youngest members carried themselves with enough arrogance to challenge his authority.

The only leverage Warrick truly possessed over them was their grades and Maverick Nightshade. Without those two things, the academy would have descended into chaos long ago.

Stepping forward, Warrick addressed the crowd. "I gathered everyone here tonight because there is something important we need to discuss."

His gaze swept across the gathering before continuing.

"I believe all of you are aware that the human candidates have officially arrived."

The reaction was immediate.

Boos erupted throughout the courtyard. Students shouted over one another, with a few openly cursing while others laughed. The hostility was impossible to miss.

Then something strange happened.

One after the other, students began to freeze mid-sentence till they were completely encased in ice. Within seconds, dozens of students stood completely frozen.

The courtyard fell silent.

Confused murmurs immediately followed as students looked around in alarm. All eyes slowly turned toward Maverick Nightshade.

The wolf prince stood exactly where he had been moments ago. His expression was neutral, yet the message was clear.

Behave.

Several serpents turned toward Caelis, clearly expecting him to do something. Caelis ignored them completely. What exactly did they expect? For him to challenge Maverick in the middle of a disciplinary meeting? That would be idiotic.

As expected, the noise gradually died down and everyone was forced to focus on Principal Warrick once more.

"I have been informed about today’s attack," Warrick said, his voice hardening. "And before anyone wastes my time, yes, I am fully aware that it was orchestrated."

A ripple spread through the crowd. Nobody looked particularly guilty. If anything, some students appeared proud of themselves.

Warrick sighed. That was exactly the response he expected.

"Twenty years have passed since beasts arrived in this region, yet some of you still behave as if you’re wild animals." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

That earned a few offended looks.

Warrick ignored them.

"Whether you like it or not, coexistence with humans is inevitable. That is one of the reasons Bestiaris Academy exists in the first place. So what exactly is the problem if humans have finally come close enough for you to gain first-hand experience?"

What answered his question were protests from every direction.

"We don’t want them here! Send them back!"

"Let the humans stay on their side of the city!"

"We know what this is!" A dragon shouted from the crowd. "You’re trying to breed us with those pathetic creatures!"

Another one said, "This isn’t Lunaris Academy! Humans have no place here!"

The courtyard descended into chaos once more. This time Maverick didn’t react. He allowed them to protest to their heart’s content and expose every ugly thought rattling around inside their heads.

Eventually the noise began to die on its own. Only then did Maverick step forward while Principal Warrick stepped aside.

The difference in authority was obvious. The courtyard quieted almost instantly.

Maverick said, "We anticipated this reaction, which is why we’ve decided on a solution."

Several students frowned immediately.

"From this point forward, if a human is killed, the responsible party will be punished."

Nobody seemed particularly concerned. They could handle whatever punishment that came their way.

Then Maverick finished.

"Their grades will be deducted."

The courtyard remained silent for exactly three seconds. Then all hell broke loose.

"What?!"

"That’s insane!"

"You can’t do that!"

"How can you stand with those humans? You’re supposed to be on our sides!"

The outrage was understandable. Every student at Bestiaris needed to maintain a specific grade threshold in order to graduate. Failing meant repeating an entire academic year. For most students that would be annoying. For final-year students, it was a nightmare. Nobody wanted another year trapped inside this academy.

Maverick’s expression did not shift one bit, completely unimpressed by the uproar surrounding him.

He announced, "And that is not all."

Hundreds of eyes filled with hostility fixed themselves on the wolf prince.

"Any creature found around the human residence with the intention of harming the candidates will face the exact same punishment."

For the first time that night, Rhydian Drakhar was provoked. The dragon prince stepped out, smoke curling from his nostrils as his eyes narrowed.

"You would dare punish your own kind over those pathetic humans?" His voice boomed across the courtyard.

Several dragons immediately voiced their agreement, their protests rising above the other students.

"All lives have value," countered Maverick.

But the answer only seemed to anger Rhydian further.

Maverick continued anyway. "He who kills by the sword ends by the sword too."

Rhydian let out a humorless laugh. More smoke escaped from his nose, the temperature around him rising noticeably.

"You’ve gone way over your head this time, Nightshade. Better be prepared for what you started."

The dragon prince turned sharply and strode away from the gathering. Several dragons immediately followed after him, their expressions dark with displeasure.

Caelis watched the scene unfold before finally speaking.

"The Beast Council won’t stand for this."

Unlike Rhydian’s outrage, his tone was calm. Dangerously calm.

Maverick met the basilisk’s silver gaze without hesitation.

"Sure," he said confidently. "Go ahead and inform them."

For a brief moment, the tension between the two predators became almost tangible. Students watched the exchange closely, half expecting one of them to make a move.

Instead, Maverick simply turned his back on Caelis.

The ultimate dismissal.

Principal Warrick quickly followed after him, looking relieved that the meeting was finally over.

At the same moment, the students Maverick had frozen earlier were suddenly released from their icy prison.