When The Moon Hides Her Crown - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

SERAPHINA
We returned to the Academy the next morning, and the moment I hit the bed, I passed out skipping lunch entirely. My body ached from the hunt, exhaustion pulling at my limbs, but catching any peaceful sleep in that dorm room was nearly impossible.
The constant yelling, growling, and vulgar language of Reed and Cassius bled into my ears like an endless migraine. Today was even worse than usual, they’d invited their equally obnoxious friends over. It wasn’t anything new, but lately, they’d been acting like absolute rogues, completely out of control.
My head throbbed from the lack of proper sleep, and the relentless chaos they caused only made it worse. I couldn’t change, bathe, or even enjoy a moment of calm. They often walked around stark naked after showers without a shred of decency. Plus, the way they talked about she-wolves, filthy, crude, and utterly revolting, made me want to vomit. The peace I so desperately needed didn’t exist, and over the past few days, I was slowly reaching my limit.
It was becoming impossible to live in that room with them, and a part of me suspected they were doing it all intentionally, to provoke me.
With no hope of sleep, I sat up on my bed, casting a tired glance around the room. As expected, the Alphas were behaving like wild animals again and once more, Ronan’s bed was empty.
“Why is he never here?” I murmured to Phina.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” she replied. “He comes and goes like he owns the place, and he doesn’t even follow the Academy’s rules on curfew. It’s like he only shows up to check on things.”
I pressed my lips together, deep in thought, unaware that Finn had just entered the room with a can of juice in his hand. That’s when it happened, Cassius with a sly smirk stretched out his leg and deliberately tripped him.
“AHH—!” Finn yelped as he fell forward, the open can of juice flying from his hand.
By the time I turned my head in confusion, it was too late. The juice had landed on my bed, soaking it and the sheets.
I sat there, stunned. The Alphas gasped in mock sympathy.
“Damn, that bed’s completely ruined,” one of them snickered.
“Finn, you gotta watch your step, man! Now Seth has to sleep on a soggy mattress,” another added, pretending to care.
Their fake concern didn’t fool me. I glanced from their smug expressions to my drenched bed.
Finn scrambled to his feet, panic in his eyes. “I—I’m so sorry, Seth! I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay,” I said quickly, rising to strip the soaked sheets. But my heart sank when I saw the juice had soaked into the mattress beneath. There was no chance I’d be issued a new one.
“Shit,” Finn mumbled, clearly mortified. “Here, switch mattresses with me. I’ll take the ruined one.”
I smiled softly, shaking my head. “There’s no need. Don’t worry about it.”
Even though I hated the thought of sleeping on a ruined mattress, I hated the idea of lying on another wolf’s scent-soaked bed even more. I needed to figure something out. Of course, it was at that moment something squelched under my bare foot.
I looked down.
Used tissues. Sticky. Soiled. Full of semen.
My skin crawled. My stomach turned violently.
Those sick bastards had been doing this every night, moaning like beasts in heat, tossing their filthy tissues around the room like trash. The scent of their release hung in the air like a suffocating fog all the time, and now I’d stepped in it.
Heat rose in my chest, fueled by rage and disgust. I turned my gaze to Reed and Cassius, who were already smirking, watching me with sick amusement.
“Stop leaving your trash everywhere,” I said, voice cold and sharp.
They simply chuckled and turned away.
Furious, I slammed the cupboard door shut, ready to lash out but before I could move, a voice thundered through the room.
“What the fuck!”
Ronan.
Every Alpha in the room froze.
Reed shot up from his seat, his confidence dissolving into panic. Ronan’s eyes narrowed like a predator’s, his tone low and dangerous. “Clean up your shit. If I ever step on anything like this again, I’ll bury you right here under the floorboards.”
Reed looked utterly humiliated in front of his friends but didn’t dare challenge him. Silently, he and Cassius began picking up the mess, casting me hateful glares as they did. I returned their glares with a cold sneer, only to catch Ronan watching me.
That gaze.
Intense. Penetrating. As if he could see straight through me.
I quickly looked away, trying to pretend I hadn’t noticed, and turned to Finn, starting a casual conversation just to escape Ronan’s presence. But he didn’t leave.
Instead, he strolled to his bed, settled himself on it like a damn king, and kept staring.
At me.
My heartbeat kicked up, thudding wildly in my chest as I felt his eyes fix on my back.
Why wasn’t he leaving?
Why did he always stare at my back like that?
Every time he did, I felt like my disguise was slipping…like the scent-masking perfume was losing its hold.
I turned my gaze to meet his and to my surprise, he didn’t look away. He held eye contact with me with unsettling calm.
“What are you looking at?” I demanded, voice sharp with unease.
He parted his lips to answer, but his reply was swallowed by the sudden clang of the Academy’s dinner bell. The metallic echo rang through the halls, drowning out his words.
Was he toying with me?
I frowned, irritation bubbling in my chest, and turned to leave. I had only taken a few steps into the corridor when Ronan suddenly appeared before me.
I stopped short, startled. He stepped closer, too close.
“What are you—”
Before I could finish, his fingers brushed my cheek.
“Are you feeling sick?” he asked, his voice low and strangely tender.
My heart stuttered at his touch. “What?”
“Your face is flushed and your forehead’s a little damp…” His fingers trailed gently down to my chin, featherlight. A jolt of heat shot through my core, spreading like wildfire beneath my skin. My breath caught.
Something was wrong, terribly wrong.
I’d felt exhausted all day. My muscles ached. I’d blamed it on the hunt, but now I wasn’t so sure. My skin burned, and my face felt far too hot.
No. No, no, no.
I gasped inwardly and jerked away from his touch.
He instantly caught the panic in my eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked, gaze sharp now, focused.
I stumbled back, heart pounding.
I couldn’t stay, couldn’t let him get any closer.
Without a word, I bolted, pushing past him in a desperate rush. I could feel his eyes on me the entire way down the hallway, but I didn’t stop. My legs trembled, and my chest was a storm of panic and dread.
I was going into heat.