Niven stared up at the large, dark doors right in front of him. He was currently debating whether or not to enter, or turn around and ignore the small meeting he had with the alpha of this academy.
Last night, he couldn't sleep at all which made King worry for the blond's health. Right after Niven woke up, King tried his best to help the blond relax by running a warm bath and cooking up a large portion of food for breakfast. The penguin quickly waddled around the house to and fro, making sure to keep an eye on Niven.
Although Niven was grateful for Kong's efforts, the penguin could tell the student was still troubled from yesterday. So before Niven walked out the door, King tried giving the blond a small taser which came from his top hat, but Niven quickly protested and gently shoved the taser back in the penguin's hat.
And he was very surprised to find just how much space there was in the top hat.
When he walked out of his dorm, he found Gabriel waiting outside for him. He explained to the young male about having a discussion with the head of the Wolves, so he came to fetch Niven to try and quell some of his worries.
It didn't really work. Even though Gabriel was by his side for moral support, the last bit of confidence Niven held onto was destroyed when he saw several of the academy's elite guards standing, waiting for them.
The Silver Guards wore dark suits with silver bands attached to their arms, showing the academy's logo on it. They stood imposingly to the two people approaching, but they relaxed when they saw Gabriel, though they had to stop Niven from entering first.
Gabriel quickly placed a hand on the guard's arm, preventing him from touching Niven. He gave a smile to the man before leaning in and whispering a few words. Niven couldn't hear what Gabriel was saying, but he watched as the guard's eyes suddenly dilated before shaking his head, muttering a small apology to the blond and then letting them through. The rest of the guards quickly followed haste, bowing as Niven walked passed them.
And now there they were, standing out in the hallway to see the alpha.
Gabriel places a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Young master, he's ready to speak with you."
"But I'm not ready."
"Young master, it's alright! I'll be there with you the whole time," he replied with a thumbs up. Niven gave him a disdainful look. Niven didn't want Gabriel and his shit-eating watching over them.
"Mister Gabriel, I really want to go back."
"Don't worry about anything, the alpha isn't so scary." The blue haired man gave Niven another one of his stupid grins. "It's only small talk, you got this!"
A few of the guards nodded, following Gabriel's actions.
Niven looked at him with a displeasured frown. What the hell could he ever rely on this man for?
Ignoring their determined expressions, Niven went ahead and knocked on the door. He might as well get this over with and hopefully the alpha could see he wasn't cut out to be a part of the council. It'll be good if he returns the white uniform and get a regular one, or possibly go back home. He was hoping for more of the latter.
"Come in." Niven almost jumped from the rough tone. Unconsciously, he looked back at one of the guards, who kept on nodding for him to enter. Niven shook his head in disagreement.
They shoved him inside.
The blond almost fell forward to the ground, but he managed to catch himself just in time for the door to slam shut. He quickly looked back to see Gabriel, but he didn't see the man anywhere.
He was tricked once again. Niven felt himself fuming silently when he thought about Gabriel leaving him here all alone to face the alpha of the council when he suddenly remembered that he was inside the office, and he could feel the alpha's eyes on him, burning through his skin which made the hairs on his arms stand up.
Nervously turning away from the door, he slowly stepped forward and bowed his head for a quick greeting.
"You must be Niven, yes?" The male's rough tone was lifted for a second, trying to have an edge of gentleness for the new student. Although it didn't do anything to hide the male's frightening aura.
"Y-Yes... A-Alpha." When he rose back up, Niven flinched from the silver, predatory eyes gazing at him with raw dominance. He nervously took a glance at the alpha's state before looking back at him, watching him observe Niven's shaking form.
The alpha had dark purple hair neatly combed to the side. He wore his uniform in a proper manner unlike Mirren, but there was a silver band on the left of his arm like the guards outside the door. And because the male was sitting behind a desk, Niven could easily see wolf ears popping out from his locks of hair. They twitched ever so slightly when Niven went to take a closer look, actually wanting to see if those were real or not. The blond has never seen a beastman before, but his father made plenty of relations and connections with influential alphas and other beasts.
The alpha's stony expression didn't change a bit when Niven awkwardly stood in front of the desk. It made him seem all the more intimidating, but the blond was a bit surprised at how young the alpha seemed to be. He imagined him a bit older, they seemed to be around the same age.
Most students in this academy choose to stay a few extra years depending on their curriculum, or having to train their abilities, so graduating from this place at the age of twenty wasn't uncommon. And by the time they get out of this place, they usually get bombarded with many offers because of the courses they chose and their powers. The stronger their abilities are and the longer they stay here, the more opportunities the male students have.
"Please have a seat, pup." The alpha gestured to one of the sofas. "We have several things to discuss."
He's just gonna ignore that nickname.
"Yes... Alpha." Niven stiffly sat down, hoping for a quick talk.
"I'm sure Gabriel already told you, but I'm the one leading the councilmen. My name is Arien Valleau, and as you can clearly see, I'm a beastman. Please don't mind the ears." Arien stood up from the desk and calmly walked over to the nervous student, sitting across from Niven as he waved a hand in the air. A tea set gradually appeared and gently placed itself down on the table.
Niven watched the pot pour some tea into a cup before it quickly flew over to Niven, waiting to be picked up.
"I heard you've entered the academy just recently. It's a bit unheard of, but congratulations getting in. Most families would be turned away immediately at this time," Arien began. "I highly apologize for the lack of welcoming students. I'm sure you've been busy with challenges and duals, yes?"
"I-It's fine, I usually tend to ignore... all of them," he hesitantly replied as he took a small sip of the tea. "If you don't mind me speaking, I wanted to ask you... about my being in the council."
Arien's ears twitched again. "I've been informed by the vice-principal on your matters. The House of Cantillon was once a supportive family toward Headmaster Kingston, so it's not that unusual for the headmaster to pull a few strings here and there. The vice-principal also made sure to place you right in the council as our last member, so please don't mind the uniform if it looks different from other students."
"U-Uh, I actually want to turn down this position, A-Alpha."
The beastman looked up from his teacup, slightly questioning what the blond just said. "Pardon?"
Niven quietly explained, "I-I didn't choose to stay in this academy. That was never the... plan for me. I didn't know about my position as one of the council members, and I-I lack the proper abilities. So it's b-best if I turn this down and let someone else have it. There are more than enough students who are more powerful."
After he finished, he expected the alpha to say something. But the beastman kept staring at him, slowly tilting his head to the side as his eyes narrowed into a dark gaze. Niven quivered from the abrupt change in the male's orbs, watching how they changed into something more animalistic. They grew a bit brighter, but then his eyes eventually dimmed.
The alpha rose his tea up to his lips, showing sharp canines.
"Pup," Arien lowly growled. "Your position here is permanent."
"I... what?"
"Vice-principal Remiah didn't state anything else other than wanting you to be the last member. He thinks you've got potential."
"Uh, he's wrong-"
"Since you told me the honest truth about your abilities being weaker than the average students here-" Niven wanted to pass out. Average students? They were completely on a different level than him! "-it'll be difficult for you to keep your position, no doubt. But I believe we can work something out. I was informed Mirren and you grew close in such a few days, so it's good to have one of us watching over you. But you shouldn't always depend on us, it wouldn't look good."
"Alpha... Alpha, please, let me turn this position down-"
Arien ignored him by lifting his lips a bit wider, showing just how large his canines were. Niven immediately quieted down, almost beginning to cry at how much he wanted to get out of this place.
"What sort of abilities do you have?"
"I'm not that lucky as the others," Niven deadpanned. "I only use one."
Arien placed a finger under his chin. "Oh? Gabriel told me that you only use the basics of magic. If that's the case then it'll really be troublesome."
Then what the hell am I still here for? Kick me out! Niven gave a fake smile. He had to restrain himself not to lash out at the alpha. Even though he wanted to, he didn't forget about how easy it would be for the alpha to tear into him with those canines.
"Alpha, I really don't think this is good for you or any of the other members. I barely use any magic, so having me here is useless," Niven stated more firmly. "If the students here were to learn about the council protecting such a weak student just to keep his position because the vie-principals said so, it won't take long until the challenges grow even more for me. It's not possible to take on the whole school just to protect me without having to forcefully dominate everyone, and the teachers won't stand for that. Even the headmaster will receive backlash from other schools just for this. It's already a poor judgement from the House of Cantillon and the headmaster, so it's not impossible to refuse my being here. I'm sure Vice-principal Remiah will understand."
With this, he thought the alpha would finally agree with him. But Niven was startled when Arien suddenly smiled with a baneful glint in his eyes.
"Well done, puppy." Arien sat his tea down. "No wonder the vice-principal sent you to us. You have such a way with words, unlike Mirren, don't you?"
Niven's expression deflated instantly. "What?"
"The student council's purpose is for the well-being of the academy and everyone in it. My job is to look over the whole school, along with having to keep track of rivalries this place has. Even other schools will challenge this place sooner or later. There are two other people whom you haven't met, but they're brothers. One of them fills in my position as a temporary alpha when I'm away, and the other silently watches the academy's students if chaos ensures. Mirren's job is dealing with the behavior of students if they should ever become a problem—which is why his abilities are important. The council doesn't just consists of powerful abilities, the persuasion and charisma Mirren holds manages to keep every student in check," Arien explains with a low tone.
Niven was surprised. He never thought about it that way. He figured the council only allowed the most powerful students in as a member, but they were really looking for students who have the potential to keep the school in check while caring for the staff and others inside.
"This is where you come into play." Arien managed to bring Niven back to the conversation. "You think a little more outside the box, you think about the other schools. While the other members are here to keep things running in order, it's only me dealing with outside complications. I needed Mirren's help while I'm discussing with other schools to avoid conflicts or rising duals, but he dislikes my presence and he's needed here instead... you, on the other hand, seem like the person for the job."
"That's even worse than just being a member of the council," Niven strongly stated. "We both know I don't use my abilities as frequently as other students. They won't talk with someone like me, I'm considered a low-tiered ability user. And isn't it better for the academy be challenged by other schools? It goes to show just how strong Kingston is."
"Vice-principal Remiah told me you help your father with his company from time to time, even taking on business deals and overseeing the company yourself. Although I may not know your father, I was informed he holds a large amount of influence and multiple establishments across the globe, so you picked up on his skills as a child up to now, didn't you? The way you negotiate with other companies is simply like it is with other schools. Every now and then there tends to be a school wanting to pick a fight with us, so I usually go there to subdue their students so Kingston Academy doesn't lose face. It gets extremely tiring, and I can't always give my position as alpha to the others all the time. They are also busy."
"So you want me to persuade them not to fight you all the time?" Niven wanted to get up and walk away, he didn't want to be here anymore.
"It's not just me fighting. The Royals are also involved. They're mostly the ones who accepts many of the challenges," the alpha added in.
The Royals. They're entirely different from the councilmen. Now that Niven thinks about it, he remembered his father talking about this title in the academy. The Royals consist of only one or a few more students, but they have the bloodline of a Kingston. The Royals are treated much different than any other student, no matter who they were because in the outside world, they were known to be natural born leaders, and their magic is drastically deadlier and more potent than any other family. Plus, the headmaster here was a Kingston, so Royals were automatically exempt from taking any exams to get inside this prestigious school. They're the only exemptions so other students are more restricted.
And when Kingstons are finally out in the world, they're already considered people of great power no matter how old they. Even a child from that bloodline has a larger influence than a king, which is why so many families flock over to side with the Kingstons.
Niven leaned forward in surprise. "The Royals participate in them?"
Arien sighed, and Niven could see a bit of agitation appear on the beastman's face. "My work has been piling up so I cannot leave this place for a while. The Royals have been assigned to my role... and they tend to get more than aggressive and could cause serious injuries. Almost fatal against the rivaling schools' students."
Niven felt a bit of a chill running through his body. He somehow had an idea of what the alpha was getting at.
"I want you to fill in that position. You'll be looking over the Royals and try to prevent any challenges between them and the rivaling schools. It's not that I don't want our academy's reputation to expand and build up, but I'm more concerned of the well-beings of the students. It's not good if the Royals suddenly kills a teenager because they got too heated."
Oh... in other words, in a nutshell, he's a babysitter.
"I'm hoping you'll be able to dispense any tension between the Royals and the other schools," Arien quietly said, though his tone was still rough.
"Are y-you sure I'm the right person? I could make things intentionally worse..."
"If you keep doubting yourself like that then you certainly will disappoint." The alpha certainly didn't waste anytime to hit Niven with the consequences. "But with your position, I'll try my best as your alpha to protect you from other students for a certain time. It would be in your best interest if you start training your other abilities though."
"I-I see... but I still don't agree-" Niven immediately shut up when Arien revealed his elongated fangs. The blond quickly muttered, "I understand, Alpha. I'll do my best to help you and the rest of the academy." Arien slowly hid his fangs and nodded in appreciation.
Arien quietly added, "Classes will be starting soon, I'll let you off now. You'll meet with the others soon. We also have a guardian watching over us as well, so you'll see him whenever the five of us are altogether."
"Y-Yes... Alpha."
"Good, then you're dismissed. There'll be a student council meeting in a few days, I'll have Gabriel escort you back here then. I expect you here on time, pup."
"Yes, Alpha." Niven stood you and bowed once more, still feeling the growing dread growing in the pits of his stomach. And it didn't help when Arien kept his gaze still on the blond's small form, ears twitching as his eyes dilated again. When he rose back up, Arien's face grew even more stiff as he gave a curt nod to Niven, completely dismissing him.
Niven could still feel his heated gaze on the back of his head as he exited the room, and was finally relieved when the door closed behind him.
Though he suddenly found a new urge to maul Gabriel, who patiently waited for him outside.
"Young master! Congratulations on becoming an official member of the council, I just knew you could-"
"Beat it." Niven wasted no time in ignoring the male, slipping past him as he walked away with the Silver Guard escorting him out of the councilmen's building.
As he continued ignoring Gabriel's weak apologizes and awkward smiles, Niven didn't notice the pair of silver eyes watching him through large windows, eyes still enlarging with every passing second before the man turned away, closing the curtains and continuing on with his work.