"My uncle is back?" Niven questioned Arien.
"He's in his office right now. You can go see him if you want."
"I'll go then."
Arien quickly stopped him. "Are you sure? The drug isn't completely out of your system."
Niven looked at his alpha and the only other person in the room taking care of him.
He gave Arien a small smile before hooking his arms around Agustine's neck, pulling the demon in close.
"If you want it out of my system faster then I have a few suggestions," Niven almost purred.
Agustine was dumbfounded. He wasn't used to this side of Niven, seeing him so flirty and bold just like how Mirren used to be around other students. It made the demon completely flustered and turn red under his mask, but he nearly passed out when Niven pressed an unexpected kiss right underneath his jaw.
Arien only sighed. He was starting to get used to seeing Niven like this since he did flirt with his cousin once before, and they've already done other things behind closed doors with Mirren. Still, he was pretty tempted by the arousing suggestions.
Niven immediately noticed the look on his alpha's face and gave a breathy chuckle. He stopped playing around and grinned.
"I was just joking. I'm perfectly fine now."
"You sure, puppy? I can check you out... just in case," Arien proposed in a sultry tone.
"Really, I'm okay."
Niven saw a bit of disappointment flashing in Arien's eyes. He let out another chuckle before getting up to walk over to his alpha, offering a quick kiss to his lips. Arien instantly beamed and wrapped his arms around Niven's waist, taking advantage of the moment to shove his tongue inside of the blond's mouth.
He was rough with Niven. There wasn't an ounce of gentleness he had. Of course, he can control himself and also turn soft, but he'd rather express himself in this way and manhandled Niven closer to him.
And seeing as how Niven tried matching his ferocity, wanting to keep up with Arien, the alpha concluded the boy couldn't be hating it that much. If he does ever get too rough then Niven was free to just pull away and say so.
Because of this, Arien was at total bliss. He didn't think Niven would be so open to him and the others, but the boy was perfectly fine to show them a bit of affection. It made his heart ache a bit seeing him finally have Niven in his arms.
Agustine silently sat on the bed, gazing at the two of them with heaviness in his heart. He should be relieved to know Niven was also his... but it always seemed like the boy preferred the others more than him. He grew fearful, feeling the weight on his chest drop down to his stomach and making him sick with apprehension.
Though Agustine knew Niven enough to think it'd be impossible for the boy to have favorites, there was an incessant and nagging feeling tearing him apart.
Would he get overshadowed by the others? It's possible, isn't it? Agustine had spent so much of his time cowardly hiding away from the others and was terrible at communication so it's highly likely Niven would get annoyed by that after a while.
He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't realize Niven was standing right beside him, gently placing his hands on the demon's face. Slowly, Niven carefully lifted Agustine's mask.
Agustine immediately jerked. He wanted to hide his face straight away, but Niven stopped and only revealed his lips. From there, Niven softly pressed a kiss to Agustine, stunning the demon.
It was brief. Their lips barely brushed so it couldn't really be considered a kiss, but Agustine knew it was because Niven was handling him softly. He felt the boy pause just for a fraction, waiting to see Agustine's reaction, to see if the demon would push him away or not.
He was waiting for Agustine. Niven wanted to treat him preciously. It made the demon's eyes water a little.
So he didn't push away. Instead, he closed in and hastily tried to express his feelings to Niven. He also craved him just like the others, wanted to hold him the way Arien did, but he didn't know how.
He kept his grip on Niven and felt intensely liberated. He's imagined kissing Niven so many times and didn't think it'd be possible to do so, but now he had a chance and fervently made out with the boy with some sort of intimacy Niven hadn't been given before.
It was desperation. Agustine loved him so much that it hurt him and even though he should've been overjoyed that Niven was also tender and fond of the demon, Agustine was still miserable and distraught. The heaviness was nearly unbearable in his stomach and it caused the demon to tear up even more, forcing him to crush his lips more aggressively against Niven's.
He was still afraid. He's already messed up badly in front of Niven, so he was scared of doing it again and letting the others take that chance to use it against him.
Agustine was so weak-willed compared to the others. He's regarded the other Wolves and even the Royals as enemies so many times since his jealous tendencies tend to rule over the rest of his emotions, but he already knew deep down he couldn't do anything about it. This was just how Agustine was.
"Sorry," Agustine rasped out once they pulled away.
Niven didn't respond for a while. He was flustered by Agustine. Even more so when he realized just how strong the demon was when he was holding Niven. He showed a brief play of intensity that almost matched their alpha, if not more with how desperate the demon was.
Agustine was similar to Arien in ways that Niven didn't think was possible. For some reason, that made him a little nervous for the next time they'll kiss.
"Actually, I should be the one to say sorry. I just pulled your mask up without your permission," Niven hurriedly said. "Did you... um, not like it?"
Agustine immediately shook his head, not wanting the boy to get the wrong idea. Besides all the awful feelings he was storing, he truly appreciated the way Niven took the initiative to kiss him first. It made him feel more cherished.
Seeing how happy Agustine was, the boy was relieved.
Niven could tell Agustine had been slightly depressed when he was with Arien. Even his alpha stopped once he noticed the distressed scent Agustine was releasing. He and Niven shared a look, not really knowing what to do since they were still pretty new about their relationship.
So Niven figured he could try and cheer Agustine up like this. He just didn't expect the demon to kiss him back in such a way, but it's not like he minded. He liked it, honestly.
Finally, Niven got up from the bed and looked at the two of them. "I'll go speak with my uncle right now. I'm not sure how long we'll talk so you two don't have to wait for me. You should go back to your dorms."
"Okay, puppy. I'll see you later then."
Niven looked at Agustine briefly. He saw the male slowly adjusting his mask back to how it was and nodded hesitantly. He was unsure of letting Niven go just like that, but he decided to comply with what the blond said.
Niven left first after sending the two of them off with a grin. Later, he plans on visiting Agustine in his dorm to hang out with him. He could tell the demon was still nervous about everything, and it didn't take long for Niven to understand how Agustine's mind worked. It hurt him a little to know Agustine often compares himself with the others.
Perhaps he'll bring his relationship up with the Wolves to Bennett. His uncle had always supported him before, so Niven was at ease knowing the headmaster would also put in a good word for him to his mother and the grand duke.
Once he arrived to Bennett's office, he noticed something amiss. Niven stopped himself from entering and looked at the guards on both sides of the doors.
Caspar and Caesar were tense and their gazed lingered on the boy for a moment. It seemed like they wanted to speak up, yet they didn't say a word. Niven gave them a confused look and suddenly lost the need to enter Bennett's office.
Would he be interrupting his uncle? It seemed like a bad time to come in.
Niven eventually ignored the bad feeling he was getting and finally stepped inside to see his uncle irritatingly throwing a large pile of papers inside the trash. Bennett had his tie undone and swung over one of his shoulders as his feet were up on the desk. He leaned back against the chair leisurely, furiously typing away in his phone and didn't even look up at Niven until he heard the door close.
"Is it's a bad time?" Niven nervously asked.
Bennett put his phone away and started to get up. "No, of course not. I just... had to deal with some stuff here."
"Arien told me you were back. You've been gone for a long time, Uncle. I'm glad you're here."
Niven expected Bennett to also be happy, but his uncle's expression didn't change. He looked miserable for some reason. Niven found himself wanting to ask, but thought it wouldn't do them any good to. He didn't want to get on Bennett's bad side.
Still, he looked around the place and didn't see Remiah at all. If the man was here, he'd be standing right next to his uncle.
"Where's the vice-principal?"
Bennett tensed up and sent his nephew a strange look. Niven realized he somehow asked the wrong question.
"Uncle Bennett?"
It was hard for the headmaster to speak. He swallowed harshly, finding it difficult to ask Niven if he knew what had happened to him because of Remiah. He wondered if Niven realized what the vice-principal intended.
Slowly, he walked over to Niven and suddenly enveloped him into a hug. The boy gazed at the side of the man's face questioningly. He didn't understand what was going on or why Bennett was acting like this.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Are you okay?" His question came out as a soft whisper as he still held onto Niven tightly.
"Yes... why are you asking?"
"I've been told Remiah took away your first ability." Bennett leaned back and looked down at the boy. His eyes grew a little icy at the mention of the man. "Are you not hurt?"
"No, I told him to do it."
Bennett was startled. "You told him to? Why would you do that to yourself? If something happened to you then-"
"I'm fine! Really, I'm doing okay now."
Despite Bennett's worries, his nephew seemed a lot happier than he expected. Niven even seemed perfectly fine.
"But why would you do that? You know if any of your abilities backlashes, you might end up hurting yourself. You would've been sent back to the duchy straight away."
"Remiah told me it was a way for me to overcome the gap between my powers. I've already been in a lot of pain when I was young and I got a lot better not too long ago, so I didn't think it's so bad to go through the pain again if it meant having a better grip on the rest of my abilities. He wasn't wrong, Uncle."
Even though Niven thoroughly explained himself, he could see Bennett's expression gradually fading into what looked like disappointment or anger. It made Niven a little stunned. He thought Bennett would be ecstatic since this is what his family wanted for him when he was a young child.
But it's not like he didn't understand Bennett's worries. Niven took such a huge risk and even used Blood Puppet when he was at the imperial palace. He was prepared for his body to shut down, but he was honestly shocked to see himself standing alright. It didn't even hurt as much.
"If you're alright then I guess that's all it matters," Bennett muttered out reluctantly.
Niven could still see him hesitant about something. He figured his uncle wasn't happy with Remiah allowing this to happen so easily.
"Are you mad at the vice-principal?" Niven asked. "Is that why he isn't here?"
Bennett gazed back down at the boy. He pursed his lips, not really wanting to respond. Of course, he could tell Niven already grasped on the situation vaguely. The student was fast to notice these sorts of things.
"Where is he?"
"You shouldn't worry about him."
"Uncle, where is Remiah?"
Bennett held his nephew a little tighter. He felt extreme loathing towards Remiah and didn't want to speak about the man at all, yet he found himself gradually sighing. It was best to let Niven know now before he founds out from anyone else.
"Gone," the man simply stated. "I made his resign. He's no longer allowed in the academy."
Niven firmly pushed his uncle away and stared at him with wide eyes. "You're that angry with him? I-I told him I wanted to remove my Luck, so it's not completely his fault. Remiah has been the vice-principal for so long, he can't just leave."
"I can't argue with you right now, Niven."
The boy hurriedly grabbed onto Bennett's arm to prevent him from moving away.
"If you're that angry over what happened then you should just punish me as well and not him alone. I can even prove it to you that I'm doing fine! Uncle, let me show you."
Bennett's face hardened. "Niven, let go."
"Uncle Bennet, I promise I'm perfectly fine-"
"He's already been handed over to the authorities," Bennett snapped and finally managed to pull his arm away from Niven. "I'm not just angry about your matter with him. He's done a lot more under my nose when I was away from the academy. Because of this, I sent him away. He should be leaving today if I'm not wrong."
Niven paled from what Bennett said. He opened his mouth, but found himself at a loss for words.
Remiah acted without Bennett's knowing? What did he do?
Niven couldn't think of the man doing anything suspicious. Of course, he might've been uncomfortable with Remiah and didn't particularly trust the man, but he always saw the vice-principal as someone who was willing to go through any lengths to please Bennett.
How did Remiah anger him? Niven wanted to know what he did.
Bennett recognized that look on Niven's face and immediately shook his head.
"I can't tell you, Niven."
"But he did a lot of things for you..."
Bennett felt his irritation grow. Of course his nephew would try to defend the man who almost killed him, but he couldn't exactly blame Niven.
He would've also believed Remiah was good if he hadn't regressed back to his psychotic state. Bennett really thought he was better and figured since Remiah gave him a lot more freedom than he had all those years ago, he was willing to also give up on those absurd ideas of chaining Bennett down to him.
It seems like Bennett was wrong.
While the two of them continued to argue with each other, both a little too stubborn to stop, a student council member was running through the halls and nearly pushed all the other students and staff members who were in his way.
Mirren looked all over the academy grounds in a frenzy, trying to locate where his guardian was at and this act of his was even noticed by the rest of the Wolves and the Royals. Even Noah was confused on what was happening and tried asking the beastman what was wrong when Mirren grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Have you seen Remiah?" Mirren panted, nearly out of breath from running all over the place.
Noah was surprised and flinch at how hard Mirren was gripping his shoulders.
"Fuck if I know! Let me go, you're hurting me!"
Mirren pulled away immediately. He didn't bother to apologize and wanted to run off again to look for Remiah when Noah held back him.
"What's happening? You've been all over the place! Even Silas and Simeon were wondering what's going on."
"I-I have to find Remiah."
"Why? Tell me so I can help you-"
"I don't even know what's going on myself!" Mirren said, shoving Noah away. "Remiah's gone! Bennett's back and he's not even trying to find him!"
Noah wasn't given a chance to question Mirren further when the beastman abruptly warped in front of him, randomly appearing at another place to find where his guardian was at and leaving Noah utterly stunned.
Mirren wanted to find him. Despite his strange relationship with Remiah and how bitter he was toward his guardian, there was an awful feeling growing in his chest which forced him to keep running around through the academy to find the vice-principal.
He finally stopped once he saw Remiah at the back entrance of the school. He thought to run up to him and demand the man on where he's been, but Mirren paused when he saw nearly a dozen Silver Guards escorting his guardian. There were even men he recognized as the authorities, walking close to Remiah with blank expressions.
The authorities consisted of high-tiered ability users who worked for the security of the government and its people. To see them dispatched here meant someone used their abilities with terrible intentions and acted up, disrupting the peace. The authorities were trained to subdue the person at all cost and wouldn't even hesitate to put them down if it meant ensuring the public's safety since powerful abilities weren't something to be taken lightly in this world.
The dread in Mirren's chest grew. Without him realizing it, his eyes changed and turned into slits. The blue in his gaze melted into gold as soon as he hurried over to Remiah, pushing past the security who tried to force Mirren back.
"Remiah!" Mirren yelled, hoping the man catches his name. "Shit... Remiah, look at me!"
The man stopped and tilted his head slightly. He caught Mirren's gaze and saw how flustered the jaguar beastman became.
"Move it." One of the authorities shoved Remiah forward. They didn't allow him to have a chance to speak to Mirren.
Though Remiah didn't really care what they wanted and looked up at the man, grinning widely.
"Stop."
Everyone around him paused and suddenly found themselves unable to move another inch. The authorities were quick to try and struggle, wanting to get their hands on Remiah to prevent him from spitting out another command.
"Stand down."
Remiah rained down orders on them, some much more forceful than the last. It wasn't long until every single one of them were on the ground, their heads lowered and on their knees.
Some of them trembled a little, finding it impossible to think someone like Remiah was gifted with such an ability. Without even trying, Remiah had the power to command nearly anyone as he pleased so it was no wonder the vice-principal looked so smug throughout his time with them.
He was merely entertaining them.
Seeing them compliant at last, Remiah stepped over one's body to get to Mirren and smiled widely at the beastman.
"You weren't supposed to see me like this, son."
Mirren rushed forward and grabbed his collar, pulling him down to look at Remiah straight in the eyes.
"What the fuck is going on?"
"Well... I resigned from my job here since Bennett clearly hated the way I ran things when he was away. Not to mention, I did almost kill his nephew so it's no wonder I'm being sent away with the authorities."
Mirren fumed when he saw Remiah lightly making a joke about the situation. He was so angry that he almost missed the part where the man said he resigned.
"What did you do, Remiah?" Mirren sneered. "What the hell did you do?"
Remiah gave him a concerned look. "Ah, I'm afraid I can't say. You see, this is all pretty confidential-"
"Stop fucking around with me!" Mirren shoved him away harshly and pointed at the authorities. "What did you do to get in this much trouble other than taking away Niven's ability? Why did you even do it? Y-You don't even seem to care that you're leaving me behind! Tell me, Remiah, what the hell is going on!"
Seeing his outburst made the smile on Remiah's face fall a little. He's never seen Mirren this worked up before and honestly didn't even think Mirren would care if he was gone or not since their relationship had been delicate to begin with.
"You should be happy I'll be gone," Remiah sighed. "I know you don't like me and blame me for everything bad that's happened to you, so take this is a parting gift. I won't be able to annoy you anymore, son-"
"I'm not your fucking son!"
Mirren didn't hesitate to snarl that out, but once he realized what he said, he immediately recoiled and placed a hand on his mouth. He looked back up at Remiah and found him gazing at the beastman with an unfamiliar expression.
He's never seen Remiah this regretful before.
"You're... not my son," Remiah finally stated in agreement. It made Mirren flinch and for some reason, he felt the need to apologize.
"I'm sorry... I d-didn't mean to-"
"No, you're right. Why would you consider me as your father when I haven't been one all these years?" Remiah bitterly said with a grin. "I'm sure you already know the reason why I even approached you in the beginning so it's not your fault if you're angry with me. In fact, it'd be weird if you weren't."
Mirren was silent afterwards. He looked at Remiah with hidden hostility and some disappointment, knowing that Remiah was right about this.
He knew that Remiah didn't really care about him when he first picked Mirren up from the streets. He also understood that Remiah was deeply in love with Bennett to the point where he tried using Mirren as a way for the headmaster to look at him.
Of course, Mirren should've know that he'd never be able to receive any sort of familiar love. His mother had left him and he sold his body a long time ago only to be played around, so Remiah wasn't that much different since he didn't hesitate to use Mirren for his own benefit.
Still, even though he hated Remiah and knew he could never have the parental love he thought he'd get from the man, Mirren couldn't help but be grateful after all this time. Remiah was still the one who helped him become the person he was today.
No matter how distant they were, they still had a strange bond with each other that Remiah and Mirren couldn't really ever sever.
"I didn't care if you used me to get Bennett," Mirren suddenly said, surprising Remiah. "But... why couldn't you also love me? You told me you'd be my father and we'd be a family... you never acted upon it. You constantly compared me to Arien and went out of your way so many times to please Bennett and left me alone."
"Mirren-"
"You're fucking horrible." Mirren felt his eyes grow watery. "I hate you so much that I shouldn't even care if you die... but you're still the one who took me in and cared for me. I fucking hate this... this situation is nothing but shit."
Mirren rubbed his eyes and ignored the look Remiah was giving him.
"Did you even like me at all? Have you ever been proud me of after all these years? Fuck, don't even answer that. I know you haven't... just ignore what I said and forget it. I'm fucking stupid for even wanting to get your answer-"
"I was proud, still am."
Mirren stopped and looked at him with a blurry gaze. "What did you say?"
"We don't share the same blood, but I've always seen you as my son. I know I shouldn't have done all those things to you, but I am proud of how you grew up," Remiah stated without hesitation. "Honestly, I don't think I deserve to have you standing here in front of me, but I'm glad you sought me out. At the very least, I get to see you one last time."
Remiah meant it. He was genuine with his words. He might not have loved Mirren since he was obsessed with obtaining Bennett, but he truly did come to care for the boy.
It was just a shame things turned out like this. Maybe Remiah could've done a lot more for Mirren, but he knew it was useless to think about it. The damage had already been done so it was best to leave him alone.
Before Remiah released the authorities and the Silver Guards, he leaned down and whispered in Mirren's ear with a strange grin.
"I might not have gotten Bennett, but I must congratulate you for getting Niven. Truly, you're my son, aren't you?"
Mirren blanched, shocked by what Remiah said and saw the man lean back with a chuckle.
"It's a good thing you got rid of all those students. Less competition, yeah? I would've found a more permanent option... but you're still a little softhearted."
"R-Remiah?"
"Don't look so shocked. I know you'd love the idea of getting rid of them in the ways I had done when I was your age in order to pursue Bennett. Though I suppose it's a good thing you did something different than what I've done," Remiah sighed. "Well, I have to go now. I can't keep the rest of the authorities waiting."
Mirren watched him back away and released his commands to the security. He saw them immediately get back up and manhandled Remiah, not wanting to take another chance yet the man didn't seem to mind.
"Oh, one last thing, Mirren."
Remiah was able to stumble forward back to the beastman and smiled brightly.
"The last thing I can do for you as a father is offer my help. I may be gone, but you can always come seek me out if you're ever in need. If you need to get rid of anyone else... just know I'm always willing to cover for you."
And then he was pulled back, yanked away from Mirren and immediately being cuffed. A metal mouth guard was shoved in his mouth to prevent him from speaking.
Mirren was being forced back by several members of the Silver Guard. They kept a firm grip on him and dragged the boy away from Remiah, who merely gave Mirren a knowing look and had to let out a chuckle. And then Remiah was taken away, leaving the academy grounds.
Mirren was finally let go and kept looking outside of the entrance, still in shock from what Remiah said. He had a dark look on his face, not quite sure what to make of the man now.
Although Remiah was a terrible father, Mirren knew he meant every word and would keep it.
The man was sick in the head for even offering it... but then again, so was Mirren.
Mirren abruptly turned away and walked off. Remiah knew him all too well and made an offer he knew the brunet might take in the future.
He was truly his father's son, wasn't he?