Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 439: The Cornered Animal

The restaurant was all polished woods, velvet chairs, and had the kind of silence that said important people ate here. In one word, it had all the warmth of a graveyard. And seated at the head of the table like a king in his den was President Roy.

Except there was one person Jameson hadn’t mentioned would be present.

Natalie froze, the breath knocked from her lungs like a sucker punch at the sight of her.

Kate.

Her stepmother.

Kate was seated beside her father and looked up the second she sensed her arrival.

"Oh, look who finally showed up," Kate said, smiling far too brightly as she peered over the rim of her glass.

But Natalie didn’t move, she stood there like a deer caught in headlights.

"What are you standing there for? That’s President Roy. Greet him," Jameson nudged her with an elbow, snapping her out of it.

President Roy didn’t look like a president, at least not in the stiff, boring way most imagined. He was in his early fifties, but age sat lightly on him. noveldrama

His red hair, brushed back with a touch of silver at the temples, gave him a graceful, striking edge. Dressed in a crisp navy shirt with rolled sleeves and dark trousers, President Roy looked relaxed, in control, and deceptively approachable. Fit, tall, and confident, he wore power without needing to flaunt it.

"Hello, Mr. President," Natalie greeted, her voice breathy like someone who’d just sprinted a mile.

"Hello, Natalie. How long has it been? Last year?" He asked, his green eyed studying her.

"Two years ago, sir," she replied politely.

"Oh," Roy was taken aback. "How quickly time flies."

"Indeed," said David, Natalie’s father, gesturing to the chair. "The kids grow up so fast these days. What are the both of you waiting for? Sit already."

Natalie and Principal Jameson slid into their seats, directly opposite David Avax and his wife, Kate. At once, uniformed waiters approached them and began to serve the first course: rosemary butter scallops, a bowl of pumpkin soup with smoked cream for Jameson, and grilled seabass fillet with a side of truffle risotto for Natalie.

"I saw your interview," Kate said to her, slicing through the silence like one of the steak knives on the table. "You did well."

Natalie’s fingers tensed slightly against her napkin. She didn’t look at her when she said, "Thank you."

And that was all. There was no warmth, nor any follow-up to her words.

David let out a dry chuckle. "That’s more than you’ve said to your mother in two years."

President Roy, already lifting his glass, paused mid-air. "Two years?" he asked, clearly surprised.

Kate let out a small laugh. "Natalie hardly comes home. When school closes, she sails off to wherever she pleases, anywhere but home."

Natalie picked up her water glass and took a slow sip. This? All of this? It was her nightmare come to life.

"I’ve seen them most of my life," she said casually, setting the glass down. "I’d like to explore the rest of the world now."

That earned a genuine chuckle from the president.

"Well, I won’t fault her for that one. I was just like you when I was younger, always on the move. Well, until I met my wife."

Everyone burst into laughter at the joke.

Everyone except Natalie. She just folded her hands in her lap, expression unreadable, and waited for the real conversation to start.

Or maybe, she could take the bull by the horn since everyone was dancing around it.

"I guess I should thank you for the new position." She said straight to president Roy.

President Roy wiped his mouth with his napkin and dropped it on the table.

"I hope you understand the importance of your new role," he began, his tone almost grandfatherly. "You’re not just a House Leader. You’re the eyes and ears of our people in that Academy."

Natalie lifted her brow. "So I’m a spy."

He spread his hands. "I want you to observe. To ensure that school doesn’t become a breeding ground for werewolf supremacy. We’re simply balancing the scales."

"That’s rich," Natalie muttered, stabbing into her food with more aggression than necessary. "We’re the ones who pushed ourselves into their centuries-old academy. That school didn’t beg for human students, we barged in."

"Natalie!" David cautioned her, but President Roy lifted a hand, stopping him.

President Roy’s smile didn’t waver.

"Idealism is a luxury, Natalie. I need pragmatists. Dorminia thrives on balance. And right now, the board needs a human voice it can trust."

"So you picked the girl who didn’t ask for this and shoved her in front of a firing squad," Natalie said flatly. "And I’m supposed to play nice while the wolves stare at me like I stole their kingdom."

Jameson cut in. "You’re not a placeholder, Natalie. You’re a symbol. The Fifth House represents a new Chapter for Lunaris Academy, one where humans aren’t just tolerated but given their rightful seat at the table."

She set her fork down. "And what if I don’t?"

"Then someone else will," her father said, unapologetically. "They won’t be as smart as you, sure, but they’ll get the job done. With or without the Avax name."

The point was made.

Natalie rose from her seat with a controlled grace, folding her napkin and placing it beside her plate.

"If you’ll excuse me," she said, offering no further explanation.

No one stopped her. Jameson glanced up briefly, but David didn’t blink. President Roy continued to swirl his wine while Kate watched her like a hawk.

Natalie exited the dining room with even steps, but the moment she turned the corner into the marble-tiled hallway, her control broke. She rushed into the restroom instead.

Inside, Natalie turned on the tap, cupped cold water in her palms, and splashed it over her face. Her breath hitched slightly as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Among many reasons, this was why she stayed away from home. She didn’t want to be pulled into this mess of politics, and power dinners.

She reached for a towel and was still dabbing the water off her face when the soft creak of the restroom door opening caught her ear.

She looked at the mirror and her entire body stiffened.

It was Kate.

The woman stepped inside slowly and without breaking eye contact reached back to twist the lock shut with a soft click that sounded like a gunshot in the silence.

"Hello, Natalie," Kate turned, a wolfish gleam in her eyes.

Goosebumps lifted on Natalie’s spine like a row of tiny knives and she dropped the towel slowly. Her reflection was no longer calm, but alert like a cornered animal.