Thora's POV: I met Felix's sharp stare and spoke calmly. "You used to love my homemade lemon candies when we were kids." That was a memory only the two of us shared. When I said it, the cold in his eyes faded a little. A softer feeling showed—like remembering, like missing something. "No one stays weak forever. Sometimes they just never got the chance to grow." Felix stared at me for a long moment. His lips moved, but he didn't say a word. I smiled slightly. "I'll get stronger. I'll protect you." Anyone who knew me would spot the difference right away. It was better to be clear than leave them guessing. Besides, I was Thora now. I had to accept all the ties this body came with. Felix frowned, then restarted the car. After a while, he forced out something awkward. "Who protects whom? You haven't even awakened your wolf spirit." "I'll grow in my own way," I said quietly, but firmly. We didn't speak after that, but I could feel the distance between us loosening. I liked that. Soon, we reached Astralis College. When I stepped out, Felix walked through the gates without looking back. I didn't mind. Given how we'd been before, getting a ride from him was already a surprise. I looked up at Astralis College's grand entrance. This was the top academy in the Astralis Empire. They trained not only werewolf fighters but also future leaders for the Astralis Senate. Pureblood nobles with awakened wolf spirits and a few chosen mixed-blood elites were all proud to get in. After the apocalypse, getting to study here was a luxury. This was my first time at college, and I felt a little excited. I slung my bag over my shoulder and followed my memory toward Class F. Astralis College divided classes by a harsh mix of combat strength, theory grades, and family status. Class S sat at the top. Only those with top families and A+ combat and theory scores got in. Hazel and Felix were in Class S. From A down to E, strength fell step by step. Class F was different. Class F was the school's "special holding" group. It had mixed-blood heirs judged to have "no awakening potential." It had rebels who refused to play by the college rules. Some had top combat talent but deliberately held back during tests. Some came from powerful families but didn't care about grades. Some were brilliant outcasts admitted by exception. They weren't truly "bad." They just refused to be defined by Astralis College's rules. So the school slapped the "worst" label on them. Everyone made fun of them. No sooner had I taken my seat than a group of girls gathered around me. "Wow, who's this? New haircut and uniform—I almost didn't recognize our class's 'loser.'" I frowned and looked up at the red-haired girl at the front. She was Sophia Reynold. She followed Hazel at school and had bullied the original Thora a lot. "I want you to apologize," I said without expression. Sophia and her friends burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Did you hear that? She wants me to apologize? Did she hit her head after falling off that cliff? Or did those Rogues mess her up? She's probably lost her mind ... Ouch!" Before she could finish the insult, I stepped forward and put my foot on her arm. The force pushed her body down onto the desk. "If no one taught you that talking nonsense gets you slapped, let me teach you."