Chapter 191 Passed

Chapter 191 Passed

Lyra’s POV

Two weeks later.

My fingers tremble as Amara, Isolde, and I all stand near the front of the suffocating waiting line inside the main general hall. Hundreds of students crowd the space, every single gaze fixed entirely on the giant, blank screen hanging against the far wall. The air is thick with a mixture of sweat, anxiousness, and pure dread. My heart is racing so fast, each beat echoing loudly in my ears.

Today is the day. All levels across Krypton Academy are about to get their final session results.

The stakes are real. Passing today means that every level one student will officially become a level two. Level two students move up to level three, and the elite level three students will finally graduate from the academy altogether, stepping out into the pack territories as full-fledged, high-ranking guards or powerful warriors.

Last week, the instructors held my final assessment test for the session. My heart had practically been in my throat the entire time, but thank the goddess, I had passed the trial right alongside my friends. But the rumors in the dorms say that the physical test is only half the battle. The school board holds the ultimate right to pass or fail every single student based on their overall attitude, compliance, and daily performance throughout the entire session.

Any moment from now, I will officially know my fate. Amara and Isolde tightly grip each of my hands, their knuckles completely white as we all squeeze each other to keep ourselves grounded.

Suddenly, the giant screen flashes comes to life in a split second. Over a hundred names and their final results are plastered on the display, organized in alphabetical order from the top to the bottom of the board.

My breath freezes.

I slowly force my eyes to scan down the column of text, my heart racing faster and faster as I look closely through the letters until my gaze finally locks onto my name. Shit.

LYRA DIAMOND. Level one. PASSED.

An immense wave of pure relief washes over my entire body, making my knees go slightly weak. Thank you moon goddess. A soft breath escapes my lips as the tight knot in my stomach dissolves immediately.

‘Um, excuse me? Don’t I get a thank you too?’ Wyndra’s voice suddenly rings out in my mind, sounding excited and proud. ‘I guided your movements through that last agility trial, Lyra. My ears did half the work.’

I chuckle and speak back to her through my mind. ‘Oh I’m so sorry, ma’am. Thank you so much to my absolutely amazing silver fox. I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Wyn.’

"Oh my goddess!" Amara suddenly screams at the absolute top of her lungs. She lets go of my hand and jumps up into the air. "We passed! We fucking did it!"

"OMG! We’re level two!" Isolde gasps, tears of joy instantly shimmering in her eyes as she grabs both of us by the shoulders. "We actually made it, Lyra!"

Loud squeals and screams leave our lips as we throw our arms around each other, jumping up and down for joy in the middle of the crowded hall. We hug each other tightly, the happiness making my head spin. As I hold onto my friends, I absentmindedly recall how this all started in the past. I vividly remember the exact day I first arrived at Krypton Academy, dragged through the gates as a wolfless slave belonging to the Lycan Prince. Back then, I was terrified, broken, and completely hopeless. I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined I would ever survive long enough to get this far.

I blink back the hot tears gathering behind my eyes, refusing to cry in front of the entire student hall.

‘You did this, Lyra. You did it.’ Wyndra praises me, and I can hear the pride in her sweet voice.

"Okay, we need to celebrate immediately," Amara states firmly, pulling back from the hug with a bright grin on her face. "I'm talking about a night of drinks with those sweet honey pastries from the cafe, and all the snacks we can fit into our dorm rooms tonight—"

Amara’s voice suddenly trails off into nothing.

The loud chattering filling the giant hall dies down in a split second as absolute silence drops over the entire room. I frown, completely confused by the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Students in front of us stop talking, their eyes widening as they look directly past my shoulder at something happening behind me.

Isolde gently taps my arm, her voice dropping into a whisper. "Lyra... look behind you right now."

I frown as I slowly turn around. A shocked gasp instantly leaves my mouth.

Prince Kai is standing near the center of the entrance. He looks absolutely breathtaking. He is wearing his sleek, black royal Lycan outfit, and the heavy fabric is tailored perfectly to accentuate his wide chest and impossibly broad shoulders. The gold trim along his high collar glints brightly under the morning light. But it isn't his uniform that has the entire room paralyzed, it's what he is holding in his hands.

Kai is carrying a beautiful, massive bouquet of rare pink flowers. The delicate petals are dusted with a glitter that shines like literal diamonds under the sunlight filtering through the windows. Woah.

Those forest green eyes lock directly onto mine, completely ignoring the students staring at him. A dashing smile pulls at his lips, and he lifts his free hand to wave at me.

A furious blush instantly covers my entire face, burning all the way down to my neck. Murmurs immediately erupt throughout the hall as people begin to whisper behind their hands.

"Are you seeing this?" a girl standing just a few feet away from me mutters to her friend. "So the slave girl has successfully stolen Prince Kai away from his true mate? I wonder how Princess Rina feels about this right now. Poor girl got completely replaced."

"I always knew there was something scandalous going on between her and the Prince," another level two girl on my right whispers loudly, leaning closer to her friends. "He has probably marked her like that. She’s so desperate!”

"This is so romantic, oh my goddess, look at the flowers," another girl squeals quietly from the back.

I try my absolute best to drown out the suffocating voices as my feet begin to move forward on their own. I walk straight toward Kai, feeling my heart pounding for a completely different reason now. He starts walking toward me too, his long, heavy strides carrying him through the crowd without a single care for the audience watching his every move.

The way he stares at me like I am the only one in this entire room, makes my skin tingle with a delicious, burning heat. Even after two solid weeks of having me at every single given opportunity, pinning me down and fucking me until my mind went completely blank, I still feel incredibly shy whenever he looks at me like this.

For the past two weeks, we have been spending almost every single night wrapped up in each other's arms inside his private quarters. Sometimes during the middle of the day, my phone will buzz with a text from him, telling me to meet him somewhere private and secluded because his he needs my warmth badly. I never minded keeping things private with him. I know exactly how worried about my safety he is. I know he is keeping some things secret from me because he wants to protect me from his father's wrath, so I have been completely content staying in the shadows with him. Even though I have asked him to tell me repeatedly, maybe I could help. But he keeps brushing it off. So I just left it.

But now that he is openly appearing in front of me in the middle of the public place in the academy, I am completely shocked.

The moment I step within his reach, Kai doesn't hesitate for a single second. He reaches out his arms and wraps it firmly around my waist, pulling my body straight into his chest. He holds me intimately, his hand flat against my lower back, claiming me in front of the entire academy.

"Kai… what are you… what are you doing here?" I ask in a breathless whisper, my eyes wide as I stare up at his sharp, handsome face.

"I wanted to be the first person to tell you congratulations on passing your level," Kai murmurs in a smooth rumble that vibrates through my chest. A soft warmth bleeds into his green eyes. "Apart from your friends, of course. Congratulations, flower. This is for you."

He gently hands me the massive bouquet, the sweet, intoxicating scent of the pink petals immediately filling my nose.

My cheeks burn hotter as I look around at the hundreds of students gaping at us. "Kai, everyone is staring—"

Kai doesn't let me finish. He uses his free hand to cup my jaw and tilt my face upward before leaning down to press his soft lips firmly against mine.