Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

Jayden finally felt free. She had discarded the hairband and allowed her true appearance to shine through. Her silver hair flowed over her shoulders, catching the sunlight that streamed through the classroom windows. Her wolf ears twitched at every small noise, and her tail swished lazily behind her, a quiet reflection of her mood. People looked at her differently now, some with curiosity, others with envy, but she no longer cared. She had spent too long hiding herself.

She was happier than she had ever been. She had found Cain, a man with potential to become one of the strongest in the world. That she had been the first to reach him filled her with a pride so deep it swallowed the faint guilt she felt toward Anna for potentially taking him away. That guilt existed, a small shadow in the corner of her mind, but it was insignificant compared to the joy Cain brought her.

Yet if anyone asked her if she would give Cain up, she would immediately answer: No.

Jayden ignored the class entirely, her thoughts drifting to the kind of training she could do with Cain. She imagined mornings running together across the training yard, sparring side by side, their movements perfectly in sync. She imagined him correcting her form patiently but with a spark of amusement in his eyes when she insisted she was already doing it right. She imagined hunting exercises, stealth maneuvers where her agility and senses perfectly complemented his raw strength. She imagined quiet meditations together, studying each other's movements, energy flows, and reactions, absorbing lessons only he could teach.

Her wolf ears twitched when whispers floated across the room. Demon Prince. The name rolled through the air, carried by students who giggled too loudly, their voices cutting into her thoughts. Jayden felt a thrill. The title was undeniably cool, and she liked hearing it associated with Cain. Yet her excitement quickly curdled into irritation when she realized the context. Girls were talking about confessing to him. Their giggles, their flirty glances, their shallow intentions grated on her nerves. They had no idea who Cain really was, the depth of his strength or the layers of his personality.

Some of the gossiping girls then noticed her and approached. Up until now, Jayden had been an outsider, regarded as a rival by many because of how many guys had pursued her. Now that she had Cain, the threat she posed was gone, and the girls wanted to chat, to bask in her aura of confidence.

"How did you hide your ears and tail for so long?" one asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Jayden scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "It was an artifact hairband my dad gave me. It hides my demi-human features completely."

"Why hide them at all?" another asked. "You're amazing as you are."

Jayden's pride flared. "There are many who discriminate against demi-humans. I wanted to prove I could stand toe to toe with anyone. That I am more than just a demi-human."

The girls were impressed, whispering among themselves. Jayden's tail twitched slightly, wagging, as she felt the recognition of her conviction.

One girl hesitated before asking softly, "Then why aren't you wearing it anymore?"

Jayden's ears flattened slightly as heat rose to her cheeks. She lowered her head and muttered, "I don't think any man would harass me now. I am Cain's woman."

One of the girls stepped forward and hugged her, overcome by her cuteness. Jayden froze, tail wagging with surprise. Another girl joined, embracing her shoulders. Soon, the entire group was hugging Jayden. The warmth, though slightly embarrassing, was comforting.

A single girl remained, smirking with mischievous curiosity. "If you're Cain's woman, have you slept together yet?"

Jayden's face turned cherry red. She refused to answer, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"Oho~! I see~!" the girl said knowingly.

The other girls leaned in, pestering her for details. Jayden opened her mouth to deflect, to preserve some sense of dignity, when a piece of chalk struck her forehead. Anna's voice cut sharply across the room. "Class is still in session!" Her glare swept across the gossiping students, and the energy in the room shifted.

Before Anna could continue, the classroom door slammed open. A girl's voice rang out across the room, loud and jubilant. "Someone confessed to the Demon Prince! And he said yes!"

The classroom froze instantly. Conversations stopped mid-word. Students blinked, wide-eyed. Two women in the back radiated bloodthirst, their expressions dark and dangerous.

Jayden's tail lashed violently, her ears flat against her head. Her face distorted with fury, jaw tightening, eyes blazing. Anna's expression mirrored hers perfectly. Both of them looked toward the door, but Cain was not there. He had not appeared, yet both of their faces were fixed in raw, undeniable anger directed at him.

Jayden's mind raced. Did he not understand the chaos he was causing? Did he not think about boundaries? The thought of Cain accepting a confession from a stranger made her ears flatten further. Her hands clenched into fists on the desk. Her tail swished more violently.

Anna's jaw worked visibly, nostrils flaring, fists tightening at her sides. Both of them radiated fury, synchronized in their silent, unspoken agreement: Cain had overstepped, and they would not let it go.

The student who had shouted looked from Jayden to Anna, sensing the storm, but could not comprehend the intensity of their fury. Every student in the room seemed to shrink back, sensing the electric tension in the air. Jayden's tail lashed as if it could strike the audacity of the situation itself. Anna's posture was rigid, radiating authority and silent warning.

Jayden imagined Cain standing somewhere, amused by their reactions, thinking it was entertaining. That thought only added fuel to the fire. Her teeth grit, ears twitching violently. Anna's glare intensified.

The student continued babbling, trying to explain her excitement, oblivious to the storm she had triggered. "I just wanted to tell everyone! Isn't it amazing?"

Jayden's tail snapped sharply behind her, ears flattened, jaw tight. Anna's fists remained clenched, her eyes narrowing. Both were furious, and neither was willing to let the situation slide. Their anger was not directed at the student but entirely at Cain. He was absent, and yet he was the center of their fury.

Time seemed to stretch. Jayden's tail swished behind her, ears twitching at every noise. Her eyes blazed with a mix of disbelief, frustration, and protective fury. Anna's face was taut with rage, muscles locked, nostrils flaring. The room felt charged, almost alive with the force of their anger.

The students whispered among themselves, sensing the gravity of the storm. Even the gossiping girls who had been hugging Jayden earlier shrank back slightly, aware of the danger they were witnessing.

Jayden's mind raced. Cain had to understand consequences. He could not allow strangers to confess and accept it without considering the fallout. He belonged with her, and no one else had the right to interfere. Anna's expression reinforced that thought, her gaze unwavering. Both of them shared the same silent message: Cain would face their wrath, and it would be total.

Neither of them moved from their seats, yet the room felt electrified. Jayden's tail lashed with every heartbeat. Anna's fists remained tight. They stared into the empty space where Cain should have been, their faces twisted in fury, unrelenting, and unmistakable.

The bell had not rung yet, but for everyone in the classroom, it was irrelevant. Time had frozen under the weight of their rage. Jayden and Anna's anger was absolute, focused entirely on Cain, and nothing else mattered.

The student at the door still chattered, oblivious, but Jayden and Anna ignored her completely. Their eyes remained locked on the empty space, both silently imagining confronting Cain, the words they would unleash, the sheer intensity of their fury.

In that charged silence, the message was clear: Cain had no idea what he had unleashed. When he eventually appeared, he would feel the full force of Jayden and Anna's anger, and nothing would be able to stop it.

Their faces remained distorted with rage, jaw tight, eyes blazing, tail and ears signaling the depth of their fury. The classroom had become a storm centered around the absent Cain, a perfect warning to anyone who might interfere with him or his relationship with Jayden.

And in that moment, nothing else mattered. Cain had caused this, and Jayden and Anna would make sure he understood exactly the consequences of his actions.

What neither of them knew though was that this was merely an unconfirmed rumor. If Jayden had been there, she would have realized that the woman in the rumors was in fact the Blacksmith she and Cain had met while they had gone out shopping.

The veracity of rumors always left much to be desired. The two girls did know this but with apparently so many eyes having witnessed the so called 'confession'. There was only one verdict that would await Cain.

Guilty