Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 12: Lunaboard

Disgust twisted low in Violet's belly, a sickening churn that made her want to throw up. She'd seen a lot in her old school, but this was on another level of twisted. Her anger zeroed in on one particular comment, the idiot who had moaned about not getting a peek under her clothes.

Her skin crawled. She noted his username with icy precision, already plotting a way to track him down. When she did, he would regret the day his mother hadn't used protection; his existence was a mistake she intended to fix.

For a moment, Violet wondered if Mary had been right when she'd warned her to keep her head down and avoid drawing attention. Maybe this place wasn't a real school after all, but some warped social experiment or a rehabilitation center for budding psychopaths, where scholarship kids were just thrown in as entertainment. The thought felt wild, but here... maybe it wasn't so far-fetched.

Regardless, there was no going back now. She'd have to ride out this storm that was Lunaris Academy.

Without a word, she snatched Lila's phone right out of her hand.

"Hey!" Lila shouted, trying to grab it back. Violet blocked her with her body and furiously swiped at the screen, her fingers clumsy but determined.

"What on earth are you even trying to do?" Lila demanded.

"Trying to delete the video!" Violet hissed, her frustration mounting. She wasn't tech-savvy, but she was determined to figure it out.

"You can't!" Lila cried out. "Even if you delete it from my feed, it's already gone viral all over Moonsphere."

Deep down, Violet knew it was too late. But she'd hoped, against all odds, that she could still undo the damage. It was a fool's hope, she realized bitterly.

Violet ran a hand through her hair with an annoyed groan before tossing the phone back to Lila, who caught it swiftly. Lila pouted as she cradled the device, petting it as though it were a wounded pet Violet had manhandled.

"Is this school really like this?" Violet burst out. "Just preying on people's weaknesses and mindlessly worshiping jerks like Griffin?"

Daisy's expression turned serious, and she warned, "Careful about badmouthing the cardinal alphas. The walls have ears here, and you don't want to find yourself in more trouble than you bargained for."

"And she's not even grateful," Ivy sneered from her bed, disdain dripping from her voice.

stomped over to Ivy, getting right in her face. "Well, excuse me for not being grateful to be choked by some entitled asshole. Though, it sounds like you'd enjoy that kind of foreplay. Too bad you didn't get lucky enough to take my place," she shot back, her voice laced

jaw clenched, but instead of lashing out with another insult, she simply muttered, "You don't get

get?" Violet shot back, her patience wearing

smirked. "Great. You're dense,"

hands clenched, and her teeth bared in a silent warning. She had a lifetime of anger and violence to draw on if this stuck-up girl kept pushing her. But before she

Lila's overly familiar touch, but she had to admit it cooled her anger by a degree. Lila gave Ivy a

say—if she could speak nicely for

her eyes, not buying it. "What in

Violet toward her bed. Violet followed, feeling almost robotic as she sank onto the

stretched her hand, "your

eyes, she

explaining, "I'm sure Mary mentioned that Lunaris has a points system for academic ranking. Well, socially, it's the same amongst the students. We have our own hierarchy. And logically speaking, as the last student to enroll here,

took it, baffled. On the screen was a ranking feed with her name, her picture—how did they even get a recent photo?—and a large number twenty beside her profile. She lifted her head to find her

she asked coolly, "This is what all the buzz is

chorus of disappointed groans. Lila actually facepalmed, Daisy buried her face in her pillow as though dying of secondhand embarrassment, while Ivy snorted,

the one to give up and before Violet could even register, the girl snatched the phone from her grip with a bit more force than necessary, eyes gleaming with both annoyance and determination. Determination to make her see things

the phone up, gesturing at the screen as though presenting

ranked by votes and are determined by a mix

at number twenty, on your very first day after just one encounter with Griffin!" She shook her head in disbelief, her awe barely contained. "Do

make it into the Lunarecord! You're making history!" she added, as if she were personally handing Violet a crown. Meanwhile, Daisy watched in awe from her bed,

Violet raised her hand to get her attention. "Quick question, though. So,

here want most?"

She was nearly broke, and if this ranking system

chimed in with a somber expression, "Power. He

"With great power comes great responsibility, which honestly, I don't have the patience or stamina for either. Hence if that's all, I'm