Third-person POV: Just then, a few figures stepped out of the shadows and into the open. "Felix." The familiar voice made Felix spin around on instinct. When he saw the face he knew so well, the tight knot in his chest finally eased. Then came the rush of joy. "Thora!" But as soon as he spoke, he noticed something—everyone standing behind her was armed. Aside from Harvey and Ashton, several of them were people he recognized too, all young heirs from the military werewolf families. Now they stood behind Thora, weapons in hand, faces hard, pride flashing in their eyes.Felix didn't need to ask. The mercenaries lying dead around them—those were Thora's doing. Her arrival calmed the fear that had held the trapped students frozen. One by one, they rose from their crouches, eyes wide, filled with both shock and awe. A dozen people stood there with guns in hand, like iron giants. Ten could make an army. There were barely more than ten of them, yet they carried the weight and discipline of a full military unit. They wore the same school uniforms, the same faces everyone saw every day—so why did they look like something entirely different now? That moment would become a scene burned forever into the memory of every Astralis College student. Thora held a submachine gun and took two steady steps forward. Her cold gaze swept across the room."They'll be here any minute. If you know how to shoot, step up and grab the guns off the bodies." Her voice wasn't loud, but each word struck firm and clear. "Protect yourselves and your friends." She had left a trail on purpose, luring the mercenaries this way. If not, Luke and the others would be the ones in danger. The teachers and students exchanged uneasy glances. Fear rippled through them. Felix didn't hesitate. He picked up a rifle and a loaded mag from one of the corpses and moved to stand right behind Thora, shoulder to shoulder with her. Aside from Thora's words, their attention was fixed on one thing—the fact that those people were coming soon. Most of the others were too frightened to move, but a few who had firearm training stepped forward. In the crowd, Hazel watched Thora command the room with calm authority. The way the others looked at her—with trust, with admiration—made jealousy bloom like wildfire. A useless half-blood who hadn't even awakened her wolf spirit. How could she inherit Grandpa's legacy? How could she be the fiancée of the Nightclaw Pack Alpha? And why was everyone worshipping her now? The bitterness that had been festering inside Hazel finally burst. She didn't care that Thora was trying to save them—she only wanted to tear her down. "Don't go! She's sending you to die!" The boy who'd bent to pick up a rifle turned, looking at Hazel in confusion. Thora's brow twitched slightly. Every eye turned toward Hazel, and the attention only made her bolder. "They killed these men! And the others are only here because Thora brought them! The enemy's stronger, there are more of them, and they're loaded with heavy weapons! She's setting you up to die! Don't let her fool you!"Hazel kept going, her voice rising. "We're no match for them. If we fight, we'll be slaughtered. It's better to stay here and wait than to throw our lives away!" Her words rippled through the crowd, stirring panic. The students who had stepped forward froze, hesitation spreading like cold air. Thora's eyes sharpened. She took long, steady strides toward Hazel. She didn't release any wolf power, yet her presence alone made the air grow heavy, pressing down like gravity itself. Wherever she walked, the students instinctively moved aside, opening a path for her. It was ten meters between them, but it felt like only two steps before Thora was right in front of Hazel. Hazel tried to step back, but her legs refused to move. She could only watch as Thora closed in. Thora spun the submachine gun in one hand. The metal flashed cold under the light, then locked steady in her grip—the barrel now aimed squarely at the center of Hazel's forehead.