My name got written into the noble Alphas' blind box dating game.

A week later, Marcus Powell, the top Alpha student in our grade, descended from his perfect world and told me he had feelings for me.

I was flattered and agreed to be his girlfriend.

For a whole semester, he granted my every wish and showered me with love.

Everyone envied my luck—an Omega who managed to win the heart of the school's top Alpha.

Then, right before the SAT, he dumped me. Just like that.

I knew they wanted to see me fall apart like all the other girls before me, desperately crying and dropping out in despair.

But I showed up for the SAT anyway.

Holding my acceptance letter from Moonlit University, I smiled at them.

"Thanks for all the help this past year.

"I'm going to the best university!"

***

"Students who want to apply for financial aid, come to my office after class to fill out the forms."

As soon as our homeroom teacher finished speaking.

Sophia Garrett, the prom queen who enjoyed tormenting me, suggested, "Teacher, why don't we have the students who want to apply explain their reasons now? That way, everyone can know how to help them later."

"Sure." The teacher nodded. "Emma, why don't you go first?"

I stood up with a blank expression and calmly described how poor I was in front of over 50 classmates in our pack.

The bell rang.

The classroom shifted from quiet to noisy.

Sophia came over to me and tossed two dollars on the floor.

"A runaway mom, a limping dad who picks trash, tuition scraped together by borrowing from every relative—Emma, how are you still alive being this pathetic?

"If I were you, I would've killed myself already and tried for a better life next time.

"Lucky for you, I'm generous. Here's two dollars—that's probably what your dad makes picking trash all day, right?"

I was used to being trampled by those in power.

Sophia especially hated me because I looked so much like her.

I bent down, picked up the money, and put it in my pocket.

I smiled brightly.

"Thanks for your generosity, Sophia."

Now I could afford a meat dish for lunch.

Studying was such a mentally exhausting thing—eating only one-dollar vegetable dishes left me hungry again soon after.

Having picked up the money, I wanted to walk around her and leave.

I needed to hurry to the bathroom, so I could come back and continue studying.

But Sophia shoved me back into my seat and leaned in close.

In a voice only the two of us could hear, she said, "You're welcome. I can help you with more than just this.

"I've prepared a big surprise for you!"

The next day, I found out what this so-called surprise was.

An Alpha from the school's noble group actually came to talk to an Omega like me, even though my looks were still a bit inferior compared to the prom queen.

A basketball hit me—someone who was usually invisible—and a sunny, handsome boy ran over with an apologetic look.

His eyes curved like puppy eyes.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?"

At first, I didn't notice anything wrong.

I just thought this was an unlucky accident.

But the usually high-and-mighty Alpha was unexpectedly enthusiastic, holding onto me and not letting me leave.

"Let's go to the nurse's office. Otherwise, I'll worry.

"Or add me as a friend—if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, contact me immediately. I'll take full responsibility."

Since entering the pack's top high school, I'd never felt kindness.

Omegas and everyone else seemed to be in two opposing camps.

Because I was distinctly poor, I was an anomaly that needed to be dealt with.

The ringleader was Sophia, a Beta's daughter.

With her rallying cry, I became someone who could only exist alone.

First, I was isolated—then my textbooks were soaked for no reason. I was shoved around aggressively during PE, and the bathroom walls were covered with graffiti saying, "Emma is trash."

I'd long gotten used to living in a place filled with malice.

So, this sudden "kindness" didn't warm my heart.

It only made me extremely wary.

In that moment, I suddenly realized—this had to be the big surprise Sophia mentioned.

So I calmly refused the boy.

I needed to figure out what kind of scheme they were plotting before I could plan my next move.

After school, I quietly followed Sophia.

Outside an activity room, I heard her conversation with those wealthy Alpha kids.

The guy who'd approached me during the day now had a gloomy voice.

"I failed today."

The boys burst into mocking laughter.

"Losing your edge, Derek? Can't even handle a simple Omega like that?"

"It's fine, Derek. Three girls have had abortions for you already—you've got a solid track record. We won't look down on you just because of one fail."

Sophia wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"This year's blind box game picked that weirdo Emma Richards. One of you has to date her, then crush her when she's happiest."

Those usually glamorous teenagers now looked like hideous demons, baring their nasty fangs.

"Don't worry, we've taken down every girl before without exception. This so-called Emma won't be any different."

"Exactly. If Derek can't do it, we'll switch. With so many of us, someone can definitely crack her."

"Worst case, we still have our leader. I'm sure Marcus can handle her."

Sophia's voice suddenly shot up.

"No!

"Whoever wants to go can go, but not Marcus."

Everyone started making noise.

"Ooh, Sophia's getting jealous?"

"Look at that possessiveness."

The room erupted in chaos.

Outside, I silently chewed on that name.

My fingers unconsciously scratched at the wall, leaving a crescent-shaped mark.

Marcus.

So you're one of them, too. How wonderful.

Over the next few days, various Alphas took turns appearing.

Gentle ones, steady ones, mysterious ones, rebellious ones, refined ones, ones who could be either wild or sweet...

They found all sorts of reasons to talk to me.

Without exception, they all said the same thing—they wanted to be friends with me.

But I dumbly refused them all, "Sorry, I need to go back and study."

For a high school senior, there was no excuse more powerful than that.

Their frustrated looks were particularly entertaining.

I'd pull out these memories to savor whenever I got tired of studying.

I had a blast on my end.

On the other hand, Sophia was getting increasingly furious and hurt me even more viciously.

She waved scissors around and chopped up my hair, then stripped me naked, tossed me into the pool, and smeared superglue all over the railings.

To escape, I had to tear off a layer of skin and get dressed with my bloody, mangled hands.

These high-and-mighty Alphas and Betas had plenty of subtle ways to torment me, leaving me no chance to fight back.

What's more, their families were powerful, and each had donated tons to the school.

Besides, they were destined to become pack leaders in the future, so teachers would turn a blind eye.

Just like the past three years, I gritted my teeth and endured it all once again.

Finally, on Monday of the following week.

It symbolized a fresh start, and I finally got the person I'd been waiting for.

The grade's top student, that aloof Alpha Marcus, descended upon the rarely visited study room.

He sat next to me for a long time.

Finally, he pointed at my chemistry test and reminded me, "You got this question wrong.

"Potassium dichromate is a strong oxidizing agent. The solution can't be stored in an alkaline burette."

I got into this top high school from an unremarkable school back home.

Back at my old school, I was always ranked first in my grade.

I thought I was smart and really good at studying.

I understood everything the teachers taught on the first try and breezed through all the homework problems.

But after my first monthly exam here, my grades were really disappointing.

No one could understand how I felt in that moment.

I thought studying was my natural talent, something I could rely on for my future.

But after leaving my small hometown school, I realized I was just ordinary.

I couldn't even get into a decent college.

So I studied like crazy.

I didn't care about being isolated or bullied.

In my world, grades were my only goal.

Through my relentless effort, I pushed my way into the top 50, but that was as far as I got.

Then I understood that some things can't be achieved through willpower alone.

There are too many external factors that are essential for success.

When my dad sent me here, he'd heard this place had excellent teachers.

It really was way better than my old school.

But even within the same school, teachers are ranked differently.

All the best resources were funneled into the top class—the so-called elite class.

Every student in there was on another level, from prominent families, and 90% were Alphas.

They enjoyed the best educational resources at school.

Backed by their families' full support, these kids firmly held the top 50 spots, making them feel completely out of reach for someone like me.

Among them, Marcus was the most outstanding.

I'd been hearing his name for two years.

He would be the future Alpha of a top-tier Blood Pack. Strikingly handsome looks and always scored at least 30 points above second place.

Even though he was cold and aloof, rarely interacting with others, he was still the most popular Alpha on campus—untouchable and admired by almost every girl, including me.

In our final year, someone like him ended up by my side—all because of a cruel game. Honestly, it felt almost unreal.

That remote, old study room became mine and Marcus's secret base.

After school, we'd always show up there, like it was silently agreed on.

We didn't talk, just worked on our practice tests.

When I encountered difficult problems and was scratching my head, he'd lean over quietly.

He picked up his pen and explained it to me.

Marcus truly deserved to be in a league of his own.

His problem-solving approach was always clear and concise. Many tangled problems became clear and simple under his analysis.

Boys who explained how to solve problems seriously were really charming.

His lashes hung low like resting butterflies, occasionally fluttering their wings.

His slender fingers held the pen, gliding through line after line of formulas in elegant, flowing handwriting that reflected his quiet confidence.

Without realizing it, I became mesmerized watching him.

Suddenly, the pen that had been writing lightly tapped my forehead.

The fair and handsome boy pretended to be angry.

"What are you thinking about? You're daydreaming."

As if under a spell, I raised my hand and poked his eyelid with my index finger.

"There's a mole here."

It's light brown, barely visible, tucked in the fold of his double eyelid. Easy to miss unless you looked closely.

Marcus froze for a moment, then smiled. His smile was beautiful.

I snapped back to reality, hastily pulled back my hand, and deeply lowered my head.

My ears burned with embarrassment under his gaze.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting both our shadows on the desk.

Under the Tyndall effect, tiny dust particles were like my wild heartbeat, with nowhere to hide.

It was on such a warm afternoon that Marcus confessed to me, "Emma, I like you. Will you be with me?"

I forgot where I read this theory, but for something to truly stick in someone's heart, it needs to be repeated at least seven times.

So I rejected Marcus for the same reason I'd rejected the other noble Alphas.

"I don't want to mess up my studies."

In that moment, I swear I saw a flicker of disgust and impatience in his eyes—but I still rejected him.

Not only that, I changed all my social media bios, book inscriptions, and every public display to declarations like "I will study hard."

After that, Marcus stopped coming to the study room.

I didn't care and continued studying as usual.

After all, I wasn't the one in a hurry to do bad things.

Sure enough, a few days later, during break time, Marcus actually condescended to come to my class to find me.

I walked out under the curious gazes of my classmates and Sophia's jealous stare.

Marcus had gone back to his usual elegant and refined self, as if our unpleasant parting that day had never happened.

He stood before me with a helpless yet indulgent smile.

"I'm ranked first in our grade. How could dating me disrupt your studies?

"I'll definitely help improve your grades.

"Trust me, okay?"

I hesitated. "Really?"

Seeing me waver, as if seeing the dawn of victory, he confidently promised.

"Of course.

"I'm Marcus."

As expected of Marcus.

After just over half a month of his tutoring, I ranked 36th in our grade on the monthly exam—my best score ever.

The day the results came out, I excitedly ran to the study room.

Marcus was there, as expected.

He stood in the sunlight like a hero wearing golden armor.

"I told you it was possible."

I nodded vigorously.

He extended his arms in a gesture, waiting for a hug.

"Can I hug my girlfriend now?"

I smiled and threw myself into his arms, eyes closed, not even looking at his emotionless gaze.

Anyway, he stood in the sunlight, his whole body warmed by the sun.

And beside him, I was bathed in the same warm sunlight—and that was enough.

The education Marcus received was indeed different from mine.

His textbooks and exercises were all custom-made.

After we got together, he also hired private tutors to create a personalized study plan for me.

With his support, my grades slowly climbed into the top ten.

Such results were enough to make me ecstatic.

No matter what, this game of romance has given me real benefits so far, so I decided to get more into character.

When I learned Marcus's 18th birthday was approaching, I prepared to celebrate it properly for him.

I went to find him, wanting to ask if there was anything he wanted as a gift.

But I heard Sophia's familiar voice.

"Marcus, I saw you kissing Emma the other day."

I stopped in my tracks.

So what? We were dating—how could we not do intimate things?

Kissing? Our lips were practically worn out from kissing.

At first, Marcus wasn't all that into kissing and wasn't good at it either. But over time, he got hooked.

Lately, he'd find any excuse to pull me onto his lap and kiss me like he couldn't get enough.

When we separated, a thin string of saliva would stretch from the corners of our lips.

With only a wall between us, Sophia continued, "You still remember this is a game, right?

"Your goal is to ruin her life, not to have a sweet romance with her."

After a moment of silence, Marcus answered, "I haven't forgotten."

This brief silence seemed to breed Sophia's anxiety. Her voice became shrill, gradually taking on a crying tone.

"Promise me you won't do that kind of thing with her.

"She's a lowly Omega—you can't do it with her.

"Otherwise, I won't be able to handle it. I'll really break down.

"You know how I feel about you... I..."

She must have started crying, unable to finish her words.

Only intermittent sobbing could be heard.

After an even longer silence, Marcus responded quietly, "I won't."

"She's not worthy!"

I scratched at the wall and gave a quiet, lopsided smirk.

Sometimes, I couldn't help but pity these ruthless future heirs—so stupid, always exposing their weaknesses.

Just like last time, and now again, they made it so easy by declaring exactly what and who they cared about. How could anyone resist tearing it all down?

Many people came to Marcus's birthday party.

His friends all called me Luna, treating me with special enthusiasm.

Eventually, someone brought out strong alcohol, and a group of guys competed to see who could drink more.

Marcus also drank quite a bit.

He was very well-behaved when drunk.

He didn't talk much, just held my hand tightly and curled up in a corner, and occasionally leaned over to kiss me.

The private room was hot, and our clasped hands were covered in sweat, very uncomfortable.

I tried to break free, but Marcus gripped even tighter.

I hooked my arm around his head, leaned close, and whispered, "So you're only 18, nine months younger than me."

"Too bad, I was hoping to call you daddy."

Marcus's breathing hitched, his voice low and hoarse.

"Say it again."

I pretended not to understand, acting confused.

"Say what?"

After his breathing became heavy, I chuckled softly and leaned to blow in his ear.

"Daddy?"

He suddenly stood up and pulled me outside.

Sophia's face turned deathly pale as she tried to stop us. "Where are you going?

"Marcus, don't forget this is just a..."

"Shut up!" Marcus roared.

He turned back and glared at Sophia viciously, his eyes filled with deep disgust.

"Who do you think you are?

"Trying to order me around?"

Sophia lost all color and collapsed into her seat in disbelief.

But Marcus didn't even glance at her, pulling me away without looking back.

I was taken back to Marcus's place outside of school.

I gave him a birthday gift.

A cross-stitched piece I made.

One side had a tiny scorpion for his zodiac sign.

The other had his initials, "MP."

I'd planned to stitch his full name too on the scorpion side, but it was way too much work.

So I gave up.

A guy's most vulnerable moment might be right after sex.

He loved that cheap, sloppy gift and kept turning it in his hands, looking at it.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Was this some aristocratic quirk?

Like, they were all sentimental about handmade stuff, thinking anything you made yourself must mean something.

Meanwhile, the expensive gifts were totally ignored.

After staring at it for a while, Marcus finally said, "Emma, do you really like me?"

I almost burst out laughing.

What was this?

He thought sleeping with me meant he had my heart, too?

Or... was this just one last confirmation before he completed the "mission"?

I made my voice all soft and sweet, dripping with fake emotion. "Of course, Daddy."

He was quiet for a moment, then said, "No matter what happens, you must always love me.

"Got it?"

Ever since we had sex, Marcus had become addicted to it.

He asked me to move in, and I said yes, because I remembered his private chemistry lab in his house.

Yep, Marcus literally had a chemistry lab at home. Crazy, right?

No wonder his grades were so much better than everyone else's.

With that kind of support, how could he not excel at his studies?

I took full advantage of Marcus's resources, eagerly improving myself.

His tutor came four times a week, and I joined all the lessons.

We did all his exclusive practice books together.

And when I was burned out, I could even fool around with him to de-stress.

Everything was going perfectly.

I broke into the top five on the first mock exam.

By the third one, I even ranked second, just ten points behind Marcus.

I was over the moon.

With scores like that, every top university in the pack was now within reach—I could have my pick.

But as the SAT neared, Marcus got clingier.

He kept wanting me, and more fiercely every time.

Every time, he'd hold me tight, mark me, and ask again and again, "Will you always love me?"

And I'd always say yes.

Then came the day before the SAT.

The small classroom was packed—every Alpha who'd ever hit on me was there.

So was Sophia, smirking coldly as she stared at me—her eyes full of hatred, but even more smug pride.

Marcus was surrounded by them, while I stood at the opposite end of the room.

He stared at me for a long time, then looked away slightly, avoiding my eyes.

"Emma, let's break up."

The stone I'd been holding in my chest finally dropped. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He finally said it.

I was starting to think he'd gotten too hooked to walk away.

But now that we'd reached the end of the line, I just needed to nail this last performance to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

My eyes filled with tears in an instant, and I put on my best devastated look.

"No, I don't want to break up."

Everyone around us burst out laughing.

"You don't want to? Like you get a say?"

"You really think Marcus loves you? Come on, smell the poverty on yourself. You think that matches our Marcus?"

"He fooled around with you for a few days, and now you think you're Cinderella?"

Sophia's voice cut through the noise, full of spite. "Emma, you're nothing but a stray dog digging through trash.

"Stop dreaming about someone who is never meant to be yours.

"Marcus was just fooling around with you because he was bored."

I widened my eyes, tears spilling nonstop, crying like I couldn't hold it back.

I sobbed, pleading. "That's not true.

"Marcus, say something. Please, tell me it's not true."

Everyone turned to look at him. And under all that attention, he finally said, "It's true.

"I don't want you anymore."

His voice came out strained with a slight tremble at the end.

But no one else seemed to catch it. They were too focused on mocking me, like they were trying to push me hard enough to throw myself out the window.

Too bad for them, I was all talk.

But I was not the type to actually do anything reckless.

I figured I'd go all in with the heartbroken act.

"You can't do this to me.

"I can't go on like this. I feel like dying right now."

Personally, I thought it was a bit over the top.

But the crowd loved it; their laughter got even louder.

"If you really died for Marcus, maybe he'd actually remember you."

"Yeah, why not give it a try?"

As if. Like I'd actually die. I still had the SAT to take.

My tears were almost dry; I couldn't cry even if I wanted to.

I staggered away.

But then, feeling the moment called for it, I turned back and said one last thing, "Marcus, I hate you!"