Chapter 26: Make An Enemy

In Violet’s entire life, she had never heard anyone spout so much nonsense as this man was spewing right now.

By chance, had the teacher taken coke before coming to class? Was that what was in his coffee? And yes, the Lunaris teacher would probably be capable of it. After all, teacher-student relationships were encouraged here, so taking coke shouldn’t make any difference.

Radcliff went on to prattle about how werewolves were not only the first inhabitants of this world but also the true predecessors to what humans now call ’evolution.’

His voice carried a faint edge of disdain on the word evolution, as if it were a misguided myth that humans had arrogantly clung to.

It didn’t escape Violet that the werewolf students seemed unbothered as he spewed that propaganda; if anything, they looked quietly pleased. Of course, the teacher was on their side. Why wouldn’t they like it?

However, this was clearly racial discrimination, and she could feel the tension rising among the humans.

Professor Radcliff himself was completely indifferent to the unease in the room, which was akin to a mixture of diesel and gasoline that was dangerously close to igniting.

He continued, "The concept of human evolution, as you know it, is largely a fabrication. Pure-blooded werewolves were the first beings, blessed with strength, resilience, and intelligence. It was only later that humans emerged, an offshoot, weaker and less capable."

A human student at the back couldn’t contain himself any longer and lifted his hand.

"And what is it...?"

"Dion."

"How can I help you, Dion?" Radcliff asked, his lips pressed into a thin line. It was obvious he didn’t appreciate the interruption.

Dion asked, "Is this even in our curriculum?"

The entire class burst into laughter, including Violet. She wasn’t a robot, after all. She had been waiting for someone to call the teacher out, and now that Dion had mocked his lecture, she was pleased.

Unfortunately, Mr. Radcliff looked like someone had just spit in his face, and his expression was downright scary. For a moment, Violet imagined Radcliff murdering Dion for his audacity.

He began stepping toward Dion in a menacing manner, and with each step he took, it seemed like he was sucking the very air out of the classroom. Finally, he stood in front of Dion, and Violet had to give Dion credit for not flinching, instead, he stood tall.

Professor Radcliff’s expression was cold as he spoke. "This class, Dion, isn’t for speculative debate. It’s a study of werewolf heritage, culture, and legacy, one that’s deeply rooted in fact, even if some humans would prefer to believe otherwise." He glanced around the room, daring any other human to challenge him.

He continued, "And the fact that you asked that question means you haven’t either studied properly or intended to rile me on purpose." He added conclusively, "Ten points from you."

"Aww, man," Dion moaned, "It was just a question, sir!"

"Another ten points deducted." Radcliff declared.

Dion slumped back into his seat, sulking, while the teacher turned to leave.

Violet turned to Lila, "Can points be transferred?"

"Obviously. How do you think you’ve been climbing up the ranks so quickly?"

"Oh." The realization hit Violet.

Initially, she wanted to compensate Dion for standing up for what he believed in, but a sinister thought crept into her mind. What if she transferred all her points away? You know, like philanthropists give away their wealth. That would be like contributing to society, or in this case, Lunaris, right?

But Lila seemed to catch on instinctively, shooting her a warning look, as if she had read her mind. "Don’t even think about it."

Violet smiled sheepishly, but that idea had already taken root and wasn’t going anywhere.

"Is there a problem here, Miss Violet?"

Oh, shit.

Violet swallowed when she looked up to see Radcliff standing right in front of her. Judging by the way his eyebrow was arched and his cold gaze focused on her, she bet he had overheard her talk about transferring points to Dion and assumed she was challenging his authority.

"No, sir..." The response was right there on Violet’s lips, but her expression furrowed. Screw it. She wasn’t going to let this man bully her like the others.

"Actually, sir. I do have a problem, and it’s with your theory." Violet said fearlessly.

Radcliff was taken aback, clearly not expecting that. Even her classmates straightened up, a slow tension filling the room. Violet swore she saw someone pulling out their phone from the corner of her eye.

"And what exactly is the problem, Violet, the chosen one?" His words dripped with sarcasm.

Violet had no doubt that Radcliff knew about her circumstances at Lunaris and didn’t approve. In his mind, she probably wasn’t worthy enough for Alpha Asher. If only he knew she didn’t want his attention either.

Violet cut straight to the point. "If werewolves were truly the pioneers of evolution, then why didn’t they dominate the earth like humans? Humans have always been resilient, adaptable creatures capable of extraordinary feats. From my perspective, it seems more plausible that at some point, a human might have surpassed their natural limits and developed the ability to shift into wolves. Through reproduction, that trait could have been passed on, spreading the gene responsible for it."

She continued, "Or maybe the moon goddess decided to bless some random human for a noble act, giving rise to werewolves. But let’s be real, if neither of those scenarios fits, I’d bet my ass they were cooked up in some lab experiment gone wrong."

Her words hung in the air, bold, unapologetic, daring the room to challenge her theory.

For a moment, the classroom was drenched in stunned silence. The tension was so thick it felt like the air itself had stopped moving. Then, in the blink of an eye, Violet saw fury contort Radcliff’s expression, his sharp features darkening with an almost feral rage.

As if that wasn’t enough, snarls and snapping jaws sounded around her. Violet’s stomach churned as she realized the noise was coming from her werewolf classmates.

She swallowed hard, her earlier confidence draining quickly. In her eagerness to challenge Radcliff’s narrative, she had unknowingly offended not just him but an entire species.

The werewolves looked ready to leap from their seats, their eyes blazing with anger. If it weren’t for the presence of witnesses, Violet was sure they would have torn her to shreds right then and there.

Fan-fucking-tastic. Make an enemy out of an entire species. Just what she needed.