Offered to the Triplet Alphas

[Xanthea]

Raven drove slowly into the university premises.

Pulling up the shield of my helmet, I looked at the grand statue of the four horned devil wearing a skeletal mask.

Several smaller demon statues surrounded him. The wings of all those demons were broken. The smaller demons clambered on one another, desperately reaching out to the book the big devil held high in his hand, facing the sky. They and their emotions were intricately and artistically carved out of black stone with a slight red glow.

Although scary, it was beautiful.

Students were scattered all across the university premises. Some were in groups, some were solitary near the statue and the rim of the fountain, which was at some distance.

A student dressed in shady dark clothes, his fringes covering half of his face, surrounded by several levitating books around him, walked right towards our bike.

I flinched when Raven drove right into him. I was sure Raven ran over him, but when I looked behind, I found the student still walking; the books hovering around his head following him everywhere he went.

Maybe he teleported right on time.

"Woah~" I gasped as bat-like giant wings sprouted out from another student's back and he flew out from the middle of the group of girls who were flocking around him.

"Later, succubi, I have a class to attend." He winked and blew a kiss at them before he flew to one of the sky-high towers.

In one corner, a group discussion echoed loudly among some students, while in the distance, others were busy with sports. There were various kinds of fields for sports. But the one that stood out the most was the ice hockey field.

The temperature around was normal for me, so it just made me wonder how they could sustain an ice hockey field in such warm weather without enclosing it in a closed space.

A loud cheer erupted in the atmosphere. The players on the field all crashed on the player who had scored the goal. Probably they won.

It was impossible for me to keep my eyes in one place for too long. Everything was too exciting for me to contain my excitement.

My chest was a mess of happy flutters. If my heart could smile, I knew this was exactly how it would feel.

"Enjoying what you see?" Raven asked, and it was then I realized he had stopped the bike midway. "You like ice hockey?" He glanced at me.

Raven's question caught me off guard. No one had ever asked me if I liked something or not.

"Umm. I didn't know these sports were played in the Infernal pack as well," I said, unsure how to answer his question.

I didn't actually know if I liked ice hockey or not. Although my mother was quite fond of sports, ice hockey included. She mentioned them briefly in her diaries.

"You mortals have a humongous guide on how to live a life to its fullest, like stupids. Seriously, you guys run after a lifeless ball or pucker for no reason. We immortals take inspiration from your stupidity now and then. You guys have numbered days, yet you live as though you'll never die. It's humorously inspirational," Raven said.

I looked at the players again, contemplating what he said. Maybe he was right. Mortals truly lived like they were immortals.

"I personally like basketball more than ice hockey. I am just too cool for ice hockey."

I smiled at his witty words.

He started the bike again and drove into the underground parking lot of the university.

There were a few students in the parking lot as well. And not all of them were there for their vehicles.

I literally had to force myself to ignore the insightful movements of a parked car. It didn't take me long to understand why the car moved on its own. Students were making out, and it wasn't just inside cars, but even in the dark, hidden corners. Parking his bike beside a few others, Raven got into the elevator.

Blushing at the sudden moans that escaped from the car, I quickly followed Raven into the elevator.

He acted as though it wasn't a big deal to see students having sex in a parking lot at the universities. Or maybe it was indeed normal here.

That made me wonder if he had done the same with Nyssa when they studied here?

Being here must be nostalgic for him.

It would have been impossible for me to imagine Raven in love had I not witnessed his interactions with Nyssa in the hospital.

Sneaking into the parking lot, stealing a kiss, or maybe something more.

I lowered my gaze as I felt the heat fade away from my face at the thought.

Before my thoughts could occupy my mind further, the glowing elevator panel caught my attention.

Instead of numbers of the floors, there were departments written on the glowing buttons of the elevator.

Raven pressed on the 'Research' button and the elevator began moving up.

"I have to collect some research papers. You can explore the campus by yourself," he suggested.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"B-by myself?" I looked at him.

He cocked a brow as he glanced at me, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"Why? Scared of other immortals? I don't reckon signing up to be your bodyguard, omega." He said in a mocking tone. "I thought you'd like this place better without me constantly hovering around you." I shook my head slightly.

He let out a sigh.

"You are the property of demon lords, little omega. No one can lay a finger on you without our permission, that is... if they value their lives," he said, reaching out. He fondled my hair between his fingers. "Go ahead, make a choice before I change my mind."

I skimmed my eyes from him to the control panel.

Hesitating initially, I glanced at Raven. Leaning against the mirror behind him, all he did was contemplate me with an impassive face.

Pressing my lips together, I pressed on the 'Healing' department's button.

I stole a glance at Raven before standing beside him. He held a faint smirk, his eyebrows raised slightly.

He lowered his head, peering at his shoes that still had the subtle imprint of my sneakers.

"I'll come to get you once I am done. Until then, explore the university all you want. No place in this university is off limits for you. Go wherever you want but within the university campus. You are not allowed to step outside of the Helxton precinct even by mistake. Clear?"

I nodded.

We reached the research department, and he walked out of the elevator. For the seconds the doors of the elevator didn't shut, I had an urge to follow him.

I thought this was some kind of test. I honestly had no idea what Raven's motive was behind doing all this. But he definitely had an ulterior motive.

One motive could be to tease me and my broken dream of becoming a doctor, but I don't think Raven had time to waste on something so trivial and childish.

So I held myself back from following him. The elevator door shut and as soon as Raven was cut off from my sight, an uncanny nervousness took over me. I couldn't say if it was because of his absence or because of the small freedom he gave me to belong to this place.

Whatever it was, I was going to make the most out of this. Just entering a university as big as this would have been beyond my imagination in the Virgo pack.

So what if I couldn't enroll as a student here? I could pretend.