Arien let Mirren be the one to lead the group this time. It wasn't like he meant to, but he recalled seeing how astonished the jaguar beastman looked when they found out about Niven's background.
The alpha leaned back against the sofa, crossing his arms as he stared directly at Mirren's face with a dark smile.
They honestly should've known about this the moment the heard the name of Cantillon.
The name was uncommon so it wouldn't have been surprising if no one knew the household, and the fact the family name had been lost to the war a hundred years ago in Astrax made the Cantillons a fallen noble house. Of course no one would've known Niven was a Kingston since he took up that name... but there was a reason why he chose that particular name instead of a random household.
It was because it came from his aunt, a fallen noble who fled from the devastation of her country, and later married into the family of Kingstons. It was such a simple answer, but no one figured it out until Arien took the time to handle the situation himself.
And while Arien had supposedly been busy with his exams, he left his presidential matters in the hands of Mirren. Who else but the jaguar could be trusted to handle the position as Head Alpha while he was away?
The said brunet stood in front of the desk, sitting slightly on top of it as he kept his eyes trained on Niven's face.
"Were you ever going to tell us?" Mirren asked in an even tone. "That you're a Kingston?"
"I... had plans to..." Niven quietly murmured.
"How come you didn't say so in the first place?" Silas interrupted. "You did agree with me about your bloodline, being born from a royal lineage. But who would've thought you were the son of Uriel Kingston? Why did you say you were a Cantillon?"
Niven flushed. "Because I a-am. I was enrolled here as a Cantillon from my aunt's side of the family, so I took up her name instead. I never... lied about my identity. No one asked me if I was a Royal in the first place."
"How come you enrolled as a Cantillon instead? You even took the exams, that wasn't necessary for someone like you," Mirren pointed out.
Niven shook his head. "It wasn't, but I didn't want to get in the easy way and simply did what was required like the rest of the students here. And as for my enrollment... I-I don't know. My aunt gave me only a few instructions, which was to take her household's name in place of my father's. My father only agreed."
Mirren leaned back further onto the desk, contemplating. He looked over at Silas, who merely shrugged. "Why were you placed as a low-tiered ability user? To think someone such as yourself landed at the bottom of the chain... it's really something," Silas couldn't help but mutter. "You were supposed to stand at the very top of our academy's hierarchy, yet you became food for other students."
"My father made all the arrangements, but I don't know the reason why he made my status so low. I'm thinking the vice-principal was also in on it, but I wouldn't know."
Mirren growled, "The vice-principal?"
"Would you look at that?" Silas commented with a snort. The angel rose a glass of alcohol to take a drink. "Even though you two aren't related by blood, the old man really did have some tricks up his sleeves. What was the saying again? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Perhaps that's it."
"What does that mean?" Mirren sneered at the angel.
"Oh, nothing. I was merely rambling. Carry on, Mr. President," Silas mocked with a cold smile.
Mirren looked away, rolling his eyes at the scummy smile Silas was giving him. He returned his attention to Niven, who nervously met eyes with him and fiddled with his fingers. Agustine slightly moved his head over to Niven, still scared of the blond, though he couldn't help but to keep checking up on the male.
The jaguar beastman felt a little bit of frustration rising when he looked at Niven before he took a deep breath and sighed from exhaustion.
"Did you know?"
"K-Know what?"
"Why you were sent here? Did your father or the headmaster ever tell you?" Mirren asked in a softer tone this time.
"What about being accepted into the Wolves? Surely, someone must've told you about this?" Silas added in.
Niven mumbled, "No... no one said anything to me about coming here. I didn't know I'd end up as a member of the s-student council. I really d-don't know anything... sorry..."
Arien shifted in his seat, his eyes dilating as they glowed a silver hue. The beastman placed a finger under his chin and thought to himself about what Niven said.
It was obvious Niven was telling the truth. Arien could smell it. And he was certain Mirren could as well, so the brunet was able to feel just a tiny bit of relief that Niven truly didn't know why he'd come here, or if he was only placed as the council's omega for other intentions.
Though Arien could tell Mirren was struggling to come up with an idea as to why his adoptive father would do something like this, pushing a Kingston into the role of a student council. That was still a problem the Wolves needed to solve.
The brunet could feel the alpha's stare on him intensify, and Mirren's jaw ticked a little. Mirren became a little worried for a second, immediately remembering about Arien's hatred for the Royals.
"Arien-"
"It seems my puppy wants to tell us something," Arien cut the jaguar beastman off. Their alpha showed a strange smile, letting his canines be exposed as Niven strained to say something. "There's more you have to say? Let me guess... it's about your brothers, right? You want to join them after your identity's been revealed, is that it?"
"No!" Niven blurted. "T-That's not it! I... already informed the headmaster I planned to stay in the student council until graduation."
Agustine and Silas looked at each other in pure confusion. The angel couldn't help but laugh a little bitterly, "You, a Kingston, planned to stay with us? Why?"
"I've already been with you guys for a while. I c-can't just leave," Niven replied in a weak tone.
"So that's the reason? You wanna be a team player all the way through and stick with us even though your brothers are against this council?" Silas laughed and played with his drink, letting the ice clink against the glass.
Niven winced. Agustine almost reacted, wanting to place a hand in front of the blond to protect him from his sibling.
Silas abruptly leaned forward, the drink still clasped tightly in his hands. The angel gave him a dazzling grin, but Niven felt it was something the devil would wear.
"Let me tell you something, angel," Silas began. "You can't be a Kingston and a Wolf at the same time. If you really mean what you say about standing with us then you surely know you can't be biased when this concerns your brothers."
Niven shrank even deeper under Silas' condescending eyes. "I-I know better than not taking a side..."
"Do you?"
"W-What?"
"Know better," Silas firmly said. The angel took one large drink before setting the glass a little loudly on the table before them. He glimpsed at Niven and smirked. "You wanna take sides? Go ahead, prove to me you can truly stand by us."
"How?"
"Oh, I wouldn't know. It's not like this has happened before, so I can't tell you what to do." Silas shrugged carelessly, but then he turned to look at Agustine, who itched to pull Niven away from the angel. Silas' smirk died a little.
"Are you angry, Mirren?" Niven suddenly asked the brunet. The jaguar almost jumped, not expecting Niven to look at him with wide eyes. "D-Do you... do any of you not want me anymore?"
Agustine finally took that chance and grabbed hold of Niven's arm a little harshly, desperately holding him down as if he had the idea of the blond leaving.
Agustine didn't want Niven to go at all. Even though Niven was originally supposed to be a Royal, he didn't really care about it the slightest bit. He valued their friendship more than anything, and with the thoughts of Niven having to leave the Wolves sent the demon into a frenzy of paranoia and anxiety. His grip tightened even further, not wanting Niven to even move.
Mirren also panicked for a second, thinking Niven was actually going to quit the student council. "Of course not. I was just... you know, we never really expected you to be a Kingston in the first place. I'm just worried which side you're really on."
"Does it really matter?" Niven grew tired from hearing about the group hating each other. "I-I don't even know why the Royals and Wolves are fighting each other!"
Silas furrowed his brows instantly. "You don't know? You're a Kingston yet no one told you?"
"Told me what?"
"Baby," Mirren grabbed his focus once more. "Tell me something real quick. All these years we have been here in the academy, not once have you ever showed up. It's always been Levi and Simeon controlling these grounds, and then you pop up out of nowhere. Why haven't you enrolled yourself in this academy when it'd been your birthright to? Just where did you stay at before?"
Niven opened his mouth, but no words came out. All the Wolves had their eyes on him and he could feel Agustine lessen his hold on his arm.
The Wolves observed silently, watching Niven clamp his mouth shut and fidgeted a little. He nervously played with his hands again before stammering out, "I've n-never... been to school before. At least, not like you guys or my brothers. My father planned on sending me to the academy when I was younger... but my mother wouldn't allow it. Levi and Simeon also took part in keeping me inside the duchy. Since then, I've only ever been taught by whatever teachers my father has hired and I barely stepped foot outside unless they were trips to the empire."
"You've... never went out?" Mirren questioned, finding it hard to be true.
"My mother was too scared to let me go, and Father didn't have any choice but to obey her... though it was up until last year when he asked me if I wanted to go to Kingston Academy. I-I kept saying no, mostly because I was afraid and I wouldn't know how to act like Levi and Simeon." Niven kept his gaze low as his voice turned a little low, somewhat depressing. "My brothers dominate this school. They're extremely talented with their abilities. A-And me? I can't even use magic properly. I wouldn't know how to fight someone, let alone actually win in a duel."
The more Niven explained, the more he realized just how isolated he was from the outside world. He thought to himself for a moment, asking whether or not he really wasted years of his childhood youth inside the duchy, allowing himself to be locked up and kept inside because he didn't know any better. He mindlessly believed whatever his parents did were for his sake.
And the Wolves watched as Niven's voice faded away. The blond seemed deep in thought, like he also couldn't believe what he just said.
"A-Anyways," Niven continued, "I'm guessing my father saw a chance to take me to this school and... now I'm here. I-I don't really know much about this place. Father never explained anything, and the headmaster recently came back. So yes, I don't know the rivalry between the Wolves and the Royals. I never bothered to because I didn't think I'd end up here at all."
When he finished, the councilmen took several moments to process Niven's words. Though it seemed as if Agustine already accepted it and cling onto the blond's arm, and it relieved Niven slightly, grateful that Agustine at least trusted his words. But he nervously peeked at Arien, who stared at the ground instead. Niven didn't know what the others thought, he was worried if they still wouldn't believe his words.
"I guess it can't be helped then," Silas sighed a little before flashing a gentle smile over to the blond. "You're too cute to get angry at anymore. And you're right about being with us for a while, you might as well finish with us all the way to graduation, yes? I simply can't wait to see the look on your brothers' faces when they finally realize you're one of us."
Niven perked up, looking hopeful. Silas' grin stretched a little wider at the sight.
"T-Then-" Niven stopped to look at Mirren. "Do you also..."
"At this point, I couldn't get angry in the first place. We just made up, it wouldn't make sense to start arguing before you explained yourself," Mirren stated with a bit of a grumble. He took his glasses off and wiped the lenses. "As long as you don't stab us in the back and leave us for dead, then I don't really care about you being a Kingston. And I suppose this is a small payback for me hiding my identity in the first, even if you didn't deliberately hide your name."
Instant relief flooded through the boy's body, and he released a shaky breath of air he didn't realize held in. Just when he got a little excited, he tilted his head over to Arien and somewhat expected the alpha to also say something. But he stopped smiling instantly, almost trembling from the way his alpha stared at him.
Arien held a stern expression. His smirk from earlier was nowhere to be found, and he exuded an extremely cold aura. The beastman's pupils were completely shrunk and his ears were pulled back in an offensive manner. Arien tossed a leg over the other, clasping both of the armrests with his hands.
And then he revealed a sharp smile with a dark gaze. "Yes, puppy?"
"A-Alpha?"
"Did you expect something from me?"
Niven wilted instantly and hung his head low. "No, sir..."
Arien hummed a little, raising a hand to rest a finger above his lips. His eyes narrowed a little bit, almost staring at Niven in a displeased manner. "Disappointed? You don't seem too happy. Aren't you glad Mirren and Silas aren't angry with you?"
"Alpha?" Silas frowned, sitting up a little straighter. "What are you-"
"Since you decided to stick with us completely, then that also means you're mine." Arien extended a hand out and let his smile drop. "Puppy, come."
Niven stuttered, "A-Alpha?"
"I said, come here," Arien snarled. Niven jumped instantly to his feet, shaking under the primal gaze which belonged to Arien.
Mirren quickly got off from the desk just as Silas started to move forward to stop Niven. Their alpha noticed and held a hand up, preventing the two to move further.
Arien roughly explained, "Since you three want our little omega to stay then fine, Niven can stay. But I haven't given my approval yet."
"What the fuck are you trying to talk about now?" Mirren glared.
Arien ignored him and focused on Niven, who stood in front of the beastman with a small cower. The male growled, "Kneel."
The others snapped their heads over to alpha just as Niven widened his eyes. "What?"
Arien leaned back and patted his lap. "Go ahead and kneel for me, puppy."
"Alpha, I really don't think-" Silas stopped when he found Arien looking at him with dead and harsh eyes. It was as if the beastman was warning him not to go any further. Silas could only pull away and keep silent.
"You want my approval?" Arien returned to Niven with a harsh tone. "You don't want me to be angry anymore? Kneel right now and place your hands on my lap."
"Yes, A-Alpha." Shakily, Niven bent down under his knees hit the ground. He felt Arien's gaze intensify even further and he accidentally hesitated, eliciting a small snarl from the male. Niven quickly put his hands on Arien's lap, watching his face softened for a second.
Agustine nervously sat on the edge of the sofa, ready to lunge forward and grab Niven away from the male.
Arien suddenly placed a hand on Niven's head and ran his fingers through the blond locks, almost as if he were some sort of dog. "There we go. Was that so hard, puppy?" He quipped, but his eyes didn't match the tone of his voice. "Let me make this clear to you once. I won't repeat myself, okay?"
"Okay..."
"You belong to me now. As my omega, you stand right beside the Wolves despite your name being Kingston. I can allow you being with your brothers, but when the time comes for the groups to fight, I shouldn't have to tell you to go against Levi and Simeon. And since it's unfortunate you haven't been informed about the groups, I'll go ahead and tell you now."
"Yes, Alpha." Niven reluctantly nodded, curious as to why Arien was adamant to go against the Royals.
With his hand still patting the blond's head gently, Arien gently explained with cold eyes. "There's two factions in this school. The student council and the students who represent the academy. The Wolves and the Royals. For as long as the academy has stood, there's always been a selected group of people in the student council who overlooks the wellbeing of the academy and its students. The Wolves are to take care of any student and ensure Kingston Academy's reputation won't fall. But while we take care of the school from the inside, the Royals play their part outside."
Niven looked up, almost wincing from his alpha accidentally pulling on his blond locks. "What do you mean?"
"Every Royal participates in Ludos, no matter where the competition takes place at and the time of day." This time, Silas took the initiative to speak. "Kingstons take on the challenges presented to them from other prestigious and rivaling schools. Not once has this academy lost. The jobs of your brothers are to brutally tear down anything which could be seen as a threat to the school, but that isn't all. The moment your brothers come back from Ludos, they don't care about the school's system. It's like they pretend it doesn't exist."
"There are rules the previous Wolves have made to keep everyone safe, puppy." Arien gently moved his hand down the side of Niven face to grasp the blond's jaw. "There's a system here, one which everyone follows. So while the Royals are made to eliminate threats against this academy, we are here to look over our students. Yet, your brothers don't seem to care about the system and the wellbeing of our students. Because they're Royals, they don't care. Why would they?"
Oh... oh, Niven now understood. He kept his eyes trained on Arien as he thought to himself. The alpha and his pack members hate the Royals because they cause such disruption and chaos against the school's system. Arien was tasked to protect every individual whether it be something trivial or big, and it was proven to be quite a challenge if a Royal decided to mess around and hurt a student whether or not it was intentional. No one can stand up to the Royals, they don't have the power or the status to.
Except Arien.
"The factions were created by the previous headmasters and the vice-principals," Arien continued while grasping Niven's golden locks. "We belong to the vice-principal since he tasked us to look over the school while your brothers belong to the headmaster. There's two different sides here, and the Wolves always come in second because Kingstons always back another Kingston up. Which is what the headmaster does."
"I-I'm not like my brothers..." Niven timidly said. "I don't... I can't even fight-"
"Oh, we know, puppy. You certainly are the black sheep in your family, huh?" Arien gave a frosty smile. "I'm sure you now understand why we're reluctant to even try and get along with your brothers."
"Yes, Alpha."
"Good." To everyone's relief, Arien finally let go of Niven's head and leaned back. Until their alpha reached out again to rest his fingers around Niven's neck. "Though I still haven't gotten over you being a Kingston."
"Arien, we both know you're not angry with Niven anymore. Just let him go," Mirren cut in with a piercing stare.
"I haven't given you permission to speak. Watch yourself," Arien spat. Niven flinched. "But since Mirren's getting too impatient then I suppose we'll have to settle on a smaller punishment for you."
Niven couldn't help but move away after hearing that, already shrinking away from his alpha's eyes. Arien snatched the boy's wrists to prevent him from moving and he pulled Niven forward in an abrupt manner. Arien lowered his tone and whispered, "Pull away from me one more time and I'll change the punishment for a larger one. You're here to make me change my mind, and you don't want me angry anymore, right? I don't care if you're a Kingston. Behave. I'm not afraid to spank you like a disobedient child. Do you understand me, puppy?"
Niven nodded anxiously. "Y-Yes... I'm s-sorry."
"Arien," Silas spat. "Let go of his hand."
"I'm merely handing out his punishment," Arien responded as he let go of Niven, but he placed the boy's hands back on his lap as if he were training him like a pet. "From now on, you're to come to my office during lunch and after your classes have ended. If you truly meant staying with us then work for it. I may even let you stroke my tail as a reward."
Mirren hissed without realizing it, but he quickly cupped a hand over his mouth and stayed rooted to his spot. He couldn't afford to anger Arien and let Niven get caught in the middle of it.
Hesitantly, Niven nodded his head and answered, "I understand..."
Finally, Arien revealed a genuine smile and patted the boy's head enthusiastically. The others sneered and had a strong urge to kill the beastman, but they kept quiet and reluctantly watched Arien place a comforting hand on the back of Niven's neck.
"Just one more thing before I let you go,• Arien muttered. "Give us one more reason as to why you're willing to stay."
"Because I... didn't have any friends before," Niven replied, a little flushed and incredibly embarrassed. "No one really had time for me back in the duchy, a-and I couldn't be with my brothers. So when we finally got to know each other I thought—I mean, I... just thought we were friends..." Niven couldn't find anything else to say after that. He was too nervous to. "W-Was I wrong?"
But it seemed like everyone's horrible mode brightened a little bit. Silas had to quickly take another drink to prevent himself from laughing, and Mirren caused his eyes down on the ground. Agustine fidgeted with the pillows on the sofa, not really believing that Niven actually thought of him as a real friend. After all those times they hung out together, and even though Niven said it so clearly himself that he accepted Agustine. The jackal masked student felt himself growing red under the mask.
Arien smirked, seemingly satisfied. "No, puppy, you're quite alright for thinking that. And since everyone's finally in a good mood now, you're all dismissed."
After what Niven deemed to be a traumatic talk with his horrifying alpha, the boy was being escorted by Mirren back to his dorms. The brunet tried to cheer him several times, wanting to take Niven's mind off from Arien but it only made his worries grow a little more.
Noah was right... Arien was too scary.