MATED TO THE STRONGEST ALPHA
Chapter Twenty - One

*Selene's POV

Nervousness gripped me as I stepped onto the grounds of Livingstone University. My father had warned me that some of the professors here might recognize me as the Lycan King's daughter, but I hoped to remain anonymous and be treated like any other student. I desired to experience the freedom of normal university life without the burden of my royal identity as I had previously experienced.

After taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I started walking, but my focus faltered, leading me to bump into a girl.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there," I apologized sincerely, helping her pick up her belongings.

She remained silent, merely glancing at me before looking away. Wearing a vintage floral dress with unkempt hair and thick eyeglasses, she appeared shy and introverted.

"Excuse me," she muttered, before walking away in the opposite direction. Perhaps she was just afraid of strangers or preferred to be on her own.

Continuing my journey, I noticed Axel surrounded by a group of blonde and attractive girls. They seemed to be flirting with him, and a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. He was the famous popular guy on campus, as he had described himself.

As I moved forward, someone unexpectedly wrapped his arm around me. "Hey, beautiful lady. New student?" the guy asked while chewing bubble gum. I could even smell the sweet scent of it.

Pushing him away gently, I resumed walking. Was every student on this campus like him?

"Hey, hey, hey. You can't just walk away from us. Do you even know who we are?" Another guy blocked my path, and I found myself surrounded by a group of boys. Some of them snickered at my predicament.

"Please, I don't want any trouble. I'm here to enroll," I pleaded.

The guy scrutinized me from head to toe before locking his gaze on my face. When I attempted to continue walking, he prevented me from doing so.

"I'm looking for a new girlfriend, and I think you'd make a good toy."

Before he could finish his sentence, I slapped him, shocking everyone who witnessed the act. He had no right to speak to me that way, just as no one else deserved such disrespect.

"How dare you!" he growled, his jaw tightening. His eyes turned red with anger as he glared at me.

Ignoring his provocation, I looked at him with unwavering composure. He was the one who blocked my path and uttered offensive words; he had no right to be angry at me.

His jaw clenched, and he raised his hand as if to hit me. In response, I swiftly placed my right palm on his chest and pushed him away with all my strength. He collided with the wall, and his friends rushed to his side. I remained where I stood, observing the reactions of the onlookers.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, wiping the blood from his lips. I hadn't intended to escalate the situation, but he forced my hand.

"You fucking bitch!" he spat, about to retaliate when a voice interrupted him.

"She's the princess. She's the Lycan King's daughter!"

The crowd fell silent, and I recognized the girl who spoke up. She was the girl who I bumped into earlier and acted like a nerd, but now she was revealing my identity to everyone. I felt exposed and wished they didn't know.

I originally wanted a peaceful normal college life like I once had, but here I was on my first day with my identity exposed-just on the day I came to enroll.

Ignoring the stares and shocked expressions, I walked away and entered the building.

"I didn't want them to know, but now they do," I muttered to myself.

I walked into the building got directions from people and found my way to the administrative block. Thankfully, the word that I was the Lycan King's daughter had yet to spread into the school; only those outside had found out, so people were still approaching me normally without caution. However, I knew this wasn't going to last long.

I got to the administrative block to begin my registration, and unsurprisingly, quite a handful of individuals recognized me as the Lycan king's daughter. I was used to this treatment back home at the Lycan king's palace, but I wasn't quite familiar with getting outside treatment like this, so it was quite all new to me. People treated me with such respect and class.

I successfully finished my enrollment and am now an official student of this prestigious university. I was so glad.

I got my lecture timetable and directions to my immediate lecture hall. On the way there, I got stares from everyone, and I immediately knew that the information had spread significantly. However, I didn't care one bit. I wanted an ordinary college life, but if that was too much to ask, there was nothing I could do.

I got to my lecture hall and had my first lecture still receiving glares from all around, but I just ignored them. Immediately after, I stayed behind in the lecture hall while everyone left, and I hoped to replace peace and review what I had just been taught without attracting any more attention. However, my solitude was short-lived when I heard footsteps, familiar ones approaching.

"It's only her first day, and she's already causing a stir," Axel commented as he stopped in front of me.

"It wasn't my intention. He started it, and I had to defend myself." I shrugged and turned my face to the side, crossing my arms, wanting to show him that I was not weak and could handle myself when necessary. "Let's have lunch together," Axel suggested.

*

Before I could answer, I turned back to my front. Suddenly, I noticed how close his face was to mine, almost touching my lips.

"Get off! Why are you so close?" I pushed him away, but he held onto my hand.

"Don't mind them; I'll accompany you; you won't feel lonely here," he said, flashing a smile that seemed insincere.

Feeling frustrated with his mixed signals, I rolled my eyes and continued walking, determined to focus on my studies and not get tangled in any romantic drama.