The most dangerous predators weren’t always the strongest. Sometimes they were simply the ones who planned ahead.

~ Rebel Beast

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Dusk had fallen by the time one of the beast shifters stepped into the bus and drove them toward their residence. However, there was still enough light left to admire the breathtaking structures scattered across Bestiaris Academy.

Just like that, some of the excitement began to return, although it was far more restrained than before. At least they would have a comfortable place to stay, even if everything in this cursed academy seemed designed to kill them.

Or so they thought.

The bus eventually slowed and came to a stop in front of a bungalow.

"Huh?" Brittney perked up and looked out the window. "Are we stopping for a bathroom break or something?"

Except Aria already knew deep down this wasn’t a bathroom break. They have been fooled.

The beast shifter driving the bus rose from his seat and looked at them as though they were all idiots.

"What are you waiting for?" he demanded. "Another attack? Get your asses out of the bus and into the safety of your dorm immediately!"

At once, murmurs filled the bus as confusion spread through the girls.

"Did he say dorm?" Karen frowned. "He can’t be serious, right?"

She even laughed as if the entire thing was some elaborate joke.

At the back, Trisha looked physically ill.

"This just keeps getting better and better."

The sarcasm in her voice was impossible to miss.

Unable to tolerate their hesitation any longer, the beast shifter barked,

"Out. Now."

That was all it took. The girls immediately began scrambling out of the bus like frightened mice fleeing a sinking ship.

But while everyone else hurried toward the exit, Aria deliberately lingered behind. Once Brittney walked out, she headed for the storage compartment. Thankfully, it wasn’t locked.

Rows of bottled drinks and individually packaged snacks were stacked neatly inside. She found energy bars, crackers, and small bags of nuts. The kind of food designed to survive months without spoiling. Exactly the sort of thing she would want during an emergency.

No one seemed to notice she was still inside. Without hesitation, Aria grabbed several packaged snacks and stuffed them into her pockets before reaching for three cans of water.

Water was more important. People could survive longer without food than without water.

Just as she was about to close the compartment, a voice startled her.

"Smart."

Aria looked up.

The beastman driver was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.

Great. He caught her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.Then the beastman nodded toward the cans in her hands.

"Perhaps there’s hope for you yet."

Aria wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or an insult. Either way, she wasn’t interested in a conversation.

She closed the compartment.

"Thanks."

The word came out flat. Then she brushed past him and stepped off the bus.

Brittney was waiting just around the corner.

"You’d make a terrible accomplice in a bank heist."

Aria was referring to the fact that Brittney had failed to distract the beastman long enough for her to finish looting the supplies unnoticed.

"I did try," Brittney said, her face turning red. "He picked me up and moved me out of the way like a child."

"Oh." Aria’s lips twitched.

She fought the urge to laugh and instead handed two of the water cans to Brittney.

"Let’s go."

Keeping a straight face, she headed toward the crowd of girls gathered in front of the bungalow.

At that moment, if the girls’ disappointment had been obvious upon arrival, it had become significantly worse now that they were standing directly in front of their so-called dormitory.

The bungalow itself wasn’t terrible. At least not objectively. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The building stretched wider than an ordinary family home, with a long wraparound porch, large windows, and a dark sloped roof. Small balconies projected from either end of the upper loft level, their railings painted white against the dark wood.

Warm lights glowed from inside while neatly maintained flowerbeds lined portions of the exterior. A stone pathway led to the entrance, but beyond that, there was nothing but woods. It was as if the academy had deliberately tucked them away where they would be forgotten. Out of sight, out of mind.

For most people, it would have looked perfectly respectable. Unfortunately, most people weren’t daughters of wealthy aristocrats. To girls like Karen, this place probably looked like a shack.

"This is ridiculous!"

Right on cue, Karen exploded.

"What happened to all those beautiful dormitories we saw on the way here? How do you expect us to sleep in this... in this..."

She gestured wildly toward the bungalow.

"...rat nest!"

Several girls immediately voiced their agreement. Charlotte, apparently filling the void left behind by Chelsea’s absence, folded her arms.

"That isn’t even big enough for my closet."

The beastman didn’t even bother responding to them. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the bus, watching the girls complain as if their misery was the greatest entertainment he had experienced all day.

"This is totally unacceptable! We are not slaves!"

"We’re risking our lives just by being here! The least you beasts could do is give us somewhere decent to live!"

The complaints grew louder until a voice cut through the commotion.

"Those beautiful dormitories you saw on your way here belong to the dragons, serpents, wolves, and every other beast on this campus. Which, in case you haven’t noticed, you are not."

The complaints died instantly. All heads turned.

Maverick Nightshade was making his way toward them with Abigail walking a few steps behind him.

Aria narrowed her eyes at the woman

Interesting. So she was still alive.

She had probably fled for her life during the stampede and abandoned them to fend for themselves.

Maverick stopped in front of the girls. The wolf prince looked exhausted, not that anyone else seemed to notice.

"The dragons didn’t want humans on their land in the first place," he said bluntly. "This residence was the compromise your government negotiated."

Several girls immediately looked offended.

Maverick didn’t care.

"You can either stay here and make the best of it, or you can find alternative accommodation." His slitted gray eyes swept across the group. "So by all means, try your luck."

The implication settled over the girls immediately. The woods surrounding them suddenly felt far less welcoming.

Karen’s mouth opened, then closed.

Satisfied, Maverick glanced toward the bungalow.

"Now that we’ve established where you’ll be living, get inside. Now." The hardness in his voice brokered no words.

Despite their complaints, the girls eventually filed into the bungalow one after the other.

The moment Aria stepped inside, she paused.

Okay. This wasn’t what she had been expecting.

The living room was spacious and would obviously serve as the common area. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, while several oversized couches had been arranged in a circular formation around a low wooden coffee table. The couches themselves were cream-colored, decorated with soft throw pillows in shades of blush pink, lavender, and pale blue.

Large windows lined one side of the room while bookshelves and decorative plants filled the corners. A stone fireplace occupied the far wall, though it wasn’t currently lit.

Whoever designed the place clearly had the young women in mind. There was an almost cozy atmosphere to it.

"This doesn’t look bad." She was impressed.

Her eyes wandered toward the hallway branching deeper into the house. There were far too many of them for private rooms. Immediately, a disturbing thought crossed her mind.

"Let’s just hope I won’t be sharing a room with Karen."

Brittney instantly hooked an arm around hers possessively.

"No one’s taking you away from me."

Aria looked at her. Brittney looked deadly serious.

"We’re sticking together until death do us part."

Aria rolled her eyes. The dramatic idiot. Yet she had to admit Brittney was beginning to grow on her.

Before she could dwell on the thought any further, Trisha and Alek made their way toward them. The two girls looked significantly better than they had earlier.

"How are you guys holding up?" Aria asked.

Trisha shrugged."We knew this was expected. No point stressing over it now."

Apparently she had reached the acceptance stage faster than most people.

Alek nodded. Then her expression became serious.

"This is going to be a shared space. I want to make sure we’re sticking together."

Brittney reminded her, "We formed our team from the very beginning." She cocked her head. "Unless you’re backing out now."

Trisha snorted.

"We’re not going anywhere. If there’s one thing today’s attack taught us, it’s that surviving this place with the wrong people is a terrible idea."

Alek nodded in agreement.

"No one can tell me otherwise, we are the best out there. Nothing is getting between us."

The four girls looked at one another. Guess this was it then. No going back.

Right at that moment, Maverick arrived.

Without hesitation, he announced, "Congratulations, doomed humans. You survived your first few hours at Bestiaris Academy."

No one celebrated. The joke hit a little too close to home.

Maverick continued anyway.

"You’re down to sixteen students and four rooms. So save me the headache by forming your teams and choosing your room."