Chapter 1

The rain in the Pacific Northwest was different from the rain back in the old country. Here, it was a polite, constant mist that soaked through wool and denim alike, chilling the bone. At Silver Lotus University, however, the rain barely seemed to touch the students. They moved under a dome of privilege, shielded by designer umbrellas and the heat of their own self-importance.

Mei Lin did not have a designer umbrella. She had a hood, pulled low over her eyes, and a stack of library books she was trying to keep dry against her chest.

"Oops. My bad."

The shoulder check was calculated. Mei stumbled, her boots slipping on the wet cobblestones of the central courtyard. The books—heavy volumes on macroeconomics and pack history—tumbled from her grip. Two of them landed on the stone. The third, a first-edition commentary on Lunar Law, splashed directly into the decorative koi fountain.

Laughter rippled through the air, sharp and brittle like breaking glass.

Mei froze. She didn't look up. She knew who it was. The "Inner Circle"—daughters of the beta lines who spent more on their manicures than Mei’s parents spent on rent.

"Look at that," Chloe Chen sneered, leaning against the fountain's edge. "The scavenger is scavenging. Fishing for your dinner, Mei?"

Mei knelt, plunging her hand into the freezing water to retrieve the book. "Please, Chloe. Just let me pass."

"You don't belong here," another girl said, wrinkling her nose as if Mei smelled of rot. "Your family lost their seat on the council ten years ago. You’re just a ghost haunting a school for the living."

Mei said nothing. Silence was her armor. If she fought back, she lost her scholarship. If she lost her scholarship, the Lin line ended in obscurity. She gripped the soggy book, water dripping down her wrist, preparing to stand.

Then, the air shifted.

It wasn't a sound. It was a vacuum. The chatter in the courtyard died instantly. The scent of ozone, expensive leather, and crushed pine rolled over them—a heavy, Alpha command that didn't need words.

A sleek black Aston Martin had pulled up to the curb. The door opened, and Jian Zhang stepped out.

He was beautiful in the way a switchblade was beautiful—sharp, expensive, and dangerous. He wore a charcoal suit without a tie, the top buttons undone, his dark hair swept back perfectly. He didn't look at the crowd. He walked straight toward the fountain, his eyes locked on Mei.

The girls parted like the Red Sea. Chloe Chen’s sneer vanished, replaced by a terrified, eager smile. "Jian! We were just—"

Jian ignored her. He stopped in front of Mei.

Mei looked up, her heart hammering against her ribs. She expected him to help. In her foolish, secret dreams, she always imagined he would help.

Jian looked down at her. His eyes were cold, devoid of light. He looked at the wet book in her hand, then at the one still lying on the cobblestones near his Italian leather shoe.

He didn't pick it up.

He kicked it.

The book skittered across the wet stones, landing in a puddle of mud.

Mei flinched, a small, wounded sound escaping her throat.

"Pathetic," Jian said. His voice was smooth, a low baritone that carried across the silent courtyard. "If you can't even defend your property, Mei, you don't deserve to hold it."

He stepped closer, looming over her. "Stop clogging the walkway. You're an eyesore."

He walked past her without looking back.

The message was clear. The Prince had spoken. The fun was over. Chloe and her friends looked at Jian’s retreating back, then at Mei. The Alpha heir had declared Mei beneath notice. To touch her now would be boring.

"Whatever," Chloe muttered, checking her phone. "Let's go."

They dispersed, leaving Mei kneeling in the rain. She reached for the muddy book, her hands trembling. She told herself she hated him. She told herself the stinging in her eyes was just the rain.

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