Ashley Roderick closed his eyes for a moment as he took a long, deep breath before exhaling slowly, and he opened his eyes and looked at Michael Raymond. 

A human with a very poor fashion sense, who always managed to do his job of hurting his eyes by combining a baby green sweater with black trousers and his already old and dirty sneakers. 

Michael’s hair was not even neatly styled, with the front hair falling down to cover his eyes, preventing anyone near him from knowing what kind of reaction was showing on his face.

Ashley knew from Michael's body language that this piece of garbage was afraid of him. It could be seen from the way Michael tightly gripped the pile of books he was carrying—typical of nerdy people for whom he did not even want to spare his time to understand their existence. 

Michael's two legs were shaking so badly that he felt that sooner or later, this nerd would fall if he continued to stand with shaking legs like that.

Well, that was none of his business. His dealings with Michael were far more important than Michael's feet.

"Michael Raymond."

"Y... yes!" Michael jumped in surprise, stepped back, and was about to find a way to escape from Ashley. Yet he swallowed hard when his back hit the wall behind him, telling him there was no escape from Ashley.

Besides Michael, three of Ashley’s friends—Gabriella Garfield, Sawyer Florence, and Cain Melville—stand around Michael to prevent him from escaping Ashley.

"I am sure I already told you what you should do, didn't I?" He stepped toward Michael until the distance between their faces remained a few centimeters. 

His irises turned hazel, which reflected clearly in Michael’s eyes. Michael was now trembling in fear as he noticed the change in Ashley's irises.

"And where is my assignment you were supposed to give me today, Michael?"

His hand landed on Michael’s right shoulder, gripping it until Michael winced in pain from his grip.

"I...I forgot to bring it..."

"What did you just say to me? You forgot to bring it to me?" Ashley said again in a high-pitched voice, full of annoyance. He could not take it anymore when he heard the classic excuse Michael had given him. "Do you think that's a good reason?"

This time, he could no longer contain his anger. His hand moved away from Michael’s shoulder, then he signaled to his three friends to stay away from him while he immediately grabbed Michael by the collar. 

He threw the body away from them for a few meters, creating a loud boom that echoed through the lobby of the university building where they were now.

"I just gave you one simple task, Michael! It was one simple task, you moron!" 

Ashley shouted loudly, approaching the figure of Michael, who was trying to stand up with difficulty after the throw earlier, and then punched Michael's cheeks in turn over and over again until the glasses worn by the human youth fell off his face. 

"I just ask you to do one easy, simple task, Michael Raymond. And I will leave you in peace. Wasn't that our deal?"

"I a ... am sorry ..." Michael mumbled softly, closing his eyes tightly. "I..."

"Do you think your apology will fix everything?"

Ignoring Michael's painful moans, he continued to throw his fists. Not even the human lecturers who passed them dared to prevent or break up the quarrel. They all chose to turn their eyes away from Ashley and walk with brisk footsteps. 

The humans in this place realized the only safe way to avoid dealing with Ashley was to pretend they did not see anything. It could be said that one of the advantages he got from living in this city and being a werewolf was that he occupied the highest position in society's social strata.

No human would dare to challenge a werewolf. Since the werewolf ancestors in their towns were able to put an end to the witch and werewolf hunts in continental Europe, the werewolf ancestors have been able to force the human nobles and priests to sign a contract that favors the werewolves over the humans.

First, the leader of this city would always be the werewolf, with a rotating division of the ten strongest clans elected every three years using a general election system. Humans were still allowed to cast their votes in those elections, but no more than that.

Second, in the government system, humans could only fill less than thirty percent of the seats in government positions. The rest would fall into the hands of the werewolves.

Third, whatever the werewolves did to humans, humans wouldn't be capable of doing anything other than resigning themselves to whatever they were about to receive. No law will strengthen the position or take sides with humans.

And a lot more laws. In short, there are still lots of rules that limit human movement in this city. All the laws made by the ancestors of the werewolves succeeded in creating a social chasm between humans and werewolves.

Of course, he belonged to the werewolf group, which wanted to keep these rules in place. For him, who was born into the Roderick family—one of the three most respected families in the city with their high power and vast influence—that rule greatly benefited his position.

He even felt surprised when he recently saw the movement of the werewolves, who asked the higher-ups of the werewolf clan to change the ancient rules so that later, humans and werewolves would coexist.

It was a beautiful idea, he had to admit. It was indeed a pretty cool idea to put everyone in the same shoes. 

But he didn't want the werewolf officials to approve the new rules proposal. 

What he meant was, why should he defend a human race that wouldn't even give him any benefits other than causing him trouble?  It was quite a weird idea.

“Stop what you are doing right now!”

Ashley was just about to punch Michael in the cheek again when a hand suddenly appeared, blocking his movement with a firm and steady grip without hesitation. The mysterious figure was forcing Ashley to shift his attention from Michael to the person standing behind him and block his movement in an easy move.

Who would dare stand in his way?

***

Ashley’s eyes blinked, gasping at the sight of the figure who had just prevented him from throwing his fist back at Michael.

In front of him at this time was a man with a calm and mature personality, thin lips that were barely visible, and deep yet calming eyes.

It was a combination of a strong, masculine facial structure without leaving a shaved mark on the man’s perfect face.

The man had messy undercut hair that supported his natural good looks, making Ashley almost speechless. As if he fell under this man's charming spell.

"Is violence the only way you have to solve the problem?"

The man's voice was flat and deep, and his brown eyes were still fixed on him. At a glance, Ashley found himself admiring the man’s beauty. 

He had never seen such a dark beauty, filled with a mysterious aura. Yet it managed to attract him like a magnet. 

It was his first impression. Until his sense of smell made him understand that he shouldn't have been so taken with the man's attractions.

The man who had the guts to stop him from punching Michael just now was a human. Not a werewolf like him.

Ashley forcibly released his hand from his grip, trying hard to cover up the fact that he had fallen for the charms of the people he considered the lowest caste by putting on a stern face.

"Fuck off! It's none of your business!" He stepped closer to the man, who was strangely still putting on a calm face when facing him. 

Unlike other humans, who would be frightened when he emitted his werewolf aura like he was currently doing, there was not the slightest reaction of fear. The man still looked relaxed and calm. As if to tell him that his aura did not affect him.

While Michael was still cowering on the floor, shaking with fear. Likewise, the other humans in the corridor, who were not far from Ashley, collapsed on the floor without realizing it.

How did he keep his cool in the face of his werewolf aura?

"This is clearly my business. There is no way I would allow oppression or bullying in front of my own eyes."

"What is with these nonsense statements!?"

Ashley snorted in annoyance at the new student, pulled the man at the collar of his shirt, and pulled the man closer until their distances were a few inches apart. 

"You’ve got guts. I can see that. Normally, no one would dare stand in my way. Did you know what you have just done?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," the man replied, full of innocence on his face until he gasped for a few seconds. "I am not familiar with the system here. I just moved into this city today."

"Ah, I see. That explained everything." Ashley nodded as he approached the human. "No wonder your face looks strange."

Ashley tried hard not to be bothered by the man's composed manner. Ashley tossed his body without hesitation, causing the man's body to bounce far back until his back hit the cracked wall quickly.

Several small pieces of debris fell along with the man. Ashley quickly ran over to the man and placed his left hand on the wall near the man's head, glaring at him in irritation.

"Look. There are general rules in this town that you should know. I am explaining it to you because you are still new to this place. Also, since I am being kind to you right now." Using his right hand, Ashley forced him to meet his eyes. "Listen to me carefully while I'm going to tell you the rules applied in this place, human."

"Okay. But wait. Can you tell me your name first before you start telling me the rules in this city?" 

"Ashley. Ashley Roderick." He lazily rolled his eyes as he answered the human’s question. "Are we done now?"

"Such a beautiful name. It suits you very well–"

"I didn’t ask your opinion, but whatever," he let out a long sigh before he continued to speak. "First, humans like you can’t act as freely as you want. Well, perhaps in your old place, werewolf-human relations were good or whatever. I don't fucking care about it.

"But here, in this city, we, the werewolves, are the rulers. And you need to take note that our words are absolute."

Instead of taking what he had just said seriously, he found the man smiling at him. The meaning of the smile itself was confusing for Ashley, who wanted to know whether this human was smiling purely with no intention or was smiling in an attempt to mock him.

"Is that so? So those old rules still apply in this city? Interesting."

The man’s response made Ashley even more furious than before. 

What the hell is with that response? Ashley muttered to himself while holding his annoyance at the strange human.

"Well, well, well. Look at you. Act cocky and arrogant in your new place, eh?" Ashley pressed the man with his right hand hard until it made him wince in pain. "Do you want to take Michael's place--"

"Sure. What's the harm? I will gladly take his place." The man responded by grasping Ashley's wrist in a forceful and strong grip. "But only under one condition."

His eyes widened for a moment when he saw the man’s reaction. But Ashley quickly hid his surprise by putting his calm face back on, staring intently at the man.

"What? Why should I care about your fucking condition--"

"You will let that student go and not bully other students. That is the only condition I want. You can use me as your bullying target instead. How does it sound?"

***

Ashley snorted, letting out a cynical laugh when he heard the words. His eyebrows shot up to the side, not believing what he had just heard from the man.

"Are you sure about what you just said?"

The man, unexpectedly, responded to his question just now with a serious face, full of confidence and determination. It was as if he wanted to tell him that he would not go back on his words. 

His fists clenched tightly while his heart was filled with annoyance mixed with irritation. It felt like the human was trampling on his pride right now. As if this weirdo did not think that what he had just said to him was really serious.

It was as if the man was mocking him, treating him just like a child, when he said it. And the way the human looked at him with such a calm, shady gaze, it seemed like he was laughing at him. 

It was as if that bastard was belittling him, and that reason alone was more than enough to irritate him even more.

"I do not mind if I have to take his place. As I told you just now," the man gave him a small, gentle smile. The man’s expression was so difficult to understand. "As long as you put this matter aside and will not bully other human students here, that will be fine for me."

After all, why did this stupid human even volunteer to replace Michael in the first place? 

There must be a problem with his brain or something to get him to do it, Ashley muttered to himself. Not only Ashley, who felt awkward with the human's words but also his three best friends, who invited him to communicate via telepathy.

"I think he has a problem with his brain," Sawyer spoke to him in a tone as irritated as he was.

"I mean, why would this weirdo be willing to offer himself just to be bullied by us? Don't tell me that because this idiot is attracted to Michael?" Gabriella said, as surprised as he was.

"I think so. Why don’t we just let him do it." Carl snorted in disgust as he expressed what was on his mind about that new human student. "Does he think we are going to let him wander off and be easy on him like he just thought after taking Michael's place? You also saw how shocked that idiot Michael was when he heard what this fucking human said to us, right?"

"That stupid human did not mention anything about asking us to be easy on him, dude." Sawyer rolled his eyes as he said that.

"What? I am just stating the truth, duh!"

"Still, you make a good point. Although I doubt that the reason is as simple as that."

"All three of you. Can you stop bothering me?"

"I am sorry, Ashley," the three of them answered his question at the same time in a languid tone.

He looked around, enjoying the fear of the humans around him, who were still looking down in fear as a result of his werewolf aura, before turning back to the human figure, who was still standing in front of him confidently, not losing his cool side in the slightest.

It was the thing that he hated. If he could be honest, he found himself getting attracted to the man figure, who he had to admit had a charm that was hard to get him to just like.

If only the racial background of this man did not get in the way. Maybe right now, he would have immediately asked him out on a date without hesitation in front of everyone.

"Suit yourself, human. What's your name?"

"Aiden." 

Aiden seemed relaxed in response to Ashley's curt question. Aiden was introducing himself in such a casual way. As if Aiden thought that what he was doing was right, he extended his hand towards Ashley in a friendly manner, hoping that Ashley would return it by shaking his hand warmly. 

"Whoops." Ashley quickly brushed off Aiden’s hand in a rude way. "Sorry, but I do not want to make contact with a human's hand like yours. It's too dirty."

Even Aiden was now smiling broadly when hearing his rude answer, showing off a row of white and neat teeth full of confidence. He felt that the man was not offended by his words at all.

"Aiden Connor, but you can call me Aiden or whichever suits you best. It is nice to meet you."

Ashley slapped the hand of the man named Aiden Connor roughly until he was motionless on the spot because of his rude attitude.

"I don’t ask for your full name, moron! And who allowed you to make yourself familiar with me?!"

"Oh, I am sorry. I thought it was okay for me to do that," Aiden looked surprised by his attitude just now. "Did I do something wrong—"

Before Aiden could finish his sentence, Ashley threw his backpack at him.

"Bring my bag. Didn't you tell me you volunteered yourself to be my errand boy?"

"I did say that. So sure." Aiden’s eyes blinked in surprise, staring at the backpack he had caught safely in his hand with amazement before looking up at him. "No problem. I will take care of it with all my heart."

"I am not asking you to exaggerate it, moron. But whatever. Suit yourself. Make sure you will not do any harm to my precious bag."

"Of course. You have already given me the first task, so why can't I do it to the fullest?"

"Oh, so you want to do your task to the fullest? Well, work for me. Then, do all my university assignments, too. Michael failed his work to do the assignment for me," he squinted at Michael, who hastily cowered in fear when he met his gaze. "Make sure there will be nothing wrong with the assignment and get me all A marks."

"No problem. For what course?"

"You do not need to know about it. But mostly, difficult stuff like Algebra 1–"

"Algebra 1? No problem. It is not a big deal to me—"

"I am not asking for your opinion, human!" He sent a piercing gaze, accompanied by a booming voice, that echoed through the corridors, which were silent due to the humans still frightened by his aura. 

He muffled his aura slowly, twisted his body, and turned his back to Aiden. "You just need to do your job properly.”

"Yes. I will."

"Do not regret your action for—"

"I won't. Take it easy. You do not even need to feel worried about whether I will regret my decision or not," Aiden answered with a smile that he had to admit was very bright, even for him. 

And strangely, it managed to make his heart beat loudly for a bit. 

"Besides, it will be an honor for me to serve you."

"I–I am not … urgh …"

Why in hell am I flustered just from hearing what he said? Ashley murmured to himself, cursing himself as he noticed his heart was beating nervously. It must be some little misunderstanding. It might be so.

Aiden’s reassuring answer honestly scared him a little. Was that stupid human planning anything behind his back?

"What did you say? An honor?"

Aiden nodded quickly at his question.

"Yup."

He must be fucking out of his mind, Ashley murmured in his mind. 

His eyes glanced briefly at Aiden, who was following behind him when his three friends were beside him, looking at Aiden, who was smiling broadly at the backpack he had thrown at him. It was as if the man was doing a noble job.

You must be out of your mind, moron, Ashley groaned inwardly, turning his attention elsewhere, and walked towards the classroom, where his favorite lesson, Introduction to Communication Studies, was about to begin.

Well, it was clearly not because he found the course he took interesting. Even though he did his best to master the subjects. Yet just reading them managed to make him vomit and feel dizzy.

But he decided to enroll in this course only because of the charm possessed by the course lecturer on the subject. 

Professor Harold Garfield, a werewolf man whose aura alone always managed to calm his feelings anytime, anywhere.

A valid reason that was more than sufficient gave him a reason to stay in the class without trying to replace it with another course.

***