And he had woken up late, not by himself but by one of the hall masters. He had hurriedly rushed through his bath, grabbed his new outfits, and rushed out without bothering to comb his hair. Leo hated that his hair was long, but there was nothing he could do about it because this was Ryn's body, and there must be a reason why he had such long hair.
It took him over half an hour to get to the lecture hall, and as he entered, there was already an ongoing lesson. His arrival shattered the quiet hum of the class. Every head in the room swiveled toward him, and a ripple spread among the rest of the students.
"I…" he tried to speak, but his tangled hair kept getting in his face. He hadn't meant to be late; he had slept late while brooding all night about his new life.
"Coming late to class?" a stern-looking man cloaked in robes of storm clouds asked, his piercing gray eyes locking onto Leo.
Leo already figured he was one of the masters from his appearance, but since he had no idea who he was, he didn't speak.
The master's lips thinned, and he set down the tome he was referencing for the class and folded his arms. "Ryn Varyn," he said, his voice carrying authority that sent chills running down Leo's body. "Is this a new habit you've gained because you are now fated to three alphas? Is this how you will disrupt my lessons every morning?"
Leo's stomach twisted as he understood what he meant. Just as he was about to answer, the master's gaze flickered to the faint rune markings on Leo's wrist. They were barely visible, pulsing faintly, but the master had seen them, which made Leo wonder if he was the rune teacher.
"Tell me why you have decided to come late to my class, disrespecting me and the hierarchy of Draconic Academy?" he demanded, raising his voice.
"I…" Leo heaved a deep sigh and lowered his head. "I overslept," he said, and the class erupted in silence.
"Silence!" the master shouted at them. "I do not care if you overslept. You do not come to my class late. I have little patience for those who can't respect the sanctity of this academy, especially privileged omegas like you." The way he said it made Leo flinch, and he hated how he couldn't respond back. "If you can't conduct yourself appropriately, do not bother returning to my class next time!" the master declared.
The words landed like a physical blow, and Leo bowed his head. The master waved him off, and he looked around for an empty seat, then saw Mira waving at him. He wanted to wave back, but all eyes were on him, so he silently walked toward her. "Thank you," he muttered as he sank into the chair. He felt the weight of dozens of eyes still on him and heard snickering and murmuring from them.
"What kind of omega fated to three powerful alphas shows up looking like that?"
"Look at his hair!"
"He's still the same dirty and silly Ryn. Nothing about that ritual changed him."
Leo clenched his fists tightly and kept his gaze fixed on the desk in front of him, his fingers curling tightly around the edge of the wood, wishing he could disappear at that moment.
"Don't let them get to you," Mira whispered to him. "They're just jealous of you."
"Jealous?" Leo whispered back, his brows furrowing. There was nothing to be jealous of in his fragile-looking body. "What are they jealous of?"
Mira's lips quirked in a suppressed smile. "Of you—your magic, your bonds. It's a lot for them to process. A week ago, you were known as the weakest omega in the academy, and now you're mated to the most powerful alphas."
Leo frowned and glanced around, catching the glint of eyes still watching him. "Is this why everyone acts like I'm some kind of anomaly? Because I used to be a weak omega?"
"I'll explain after class," she paused and pointed toward the master, whose eyes were on them. "Master Lysander doesn't like disturbances in his class."
Master Lysander. That was him, Leo thought as his eyes went back to the master, who was glaring at him, and he knew right then that they were never going to get along.
The lesson resumed and passed in a blur. Leo had no idea what was going on because it was about theoretical applications of elemental runes. He tried to take notes but couldn't focus in class because he could still feel the stares and hear the whispers from those around him.
When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the lecture, Leo breathed a sigh of relief, and he followed Mira out of the hall into the sunlit courtyard.
At least he could breathe fresh air and was away from the whispers and stares. As they walked, Mira began to explain everything he needed to know. "So, since you don't remember anything yet, I'll explain," she began. "Being an omega is about power and status. Omegas are the lowest in the hierarchy."
Leo frowned as he heard that.
"Now you're a rune bearer, and that's rare, practically unheard of, so people are curious and also threatened. And your mating bonds…" she paused, looking around and choosing her words carefully, as if she were being watched. "You're tied to three alphas: Kael, Veyr, and Sylas. They're not just any alphas. They're powerful, influential, and one of them is even a prince," she whispered the last words, and Leo's eyes widened in shock.
"The prince is Sylas?" he asked out of curiosity because he was the only one he suspected to be the prince.
Mira nodded. "But now he's exiled by the emperor because," she looked around again, and Leo did the same, wondering what she was looking for, "he's cursed with a dragon soul."
"And that's bad?"
She sighed and nodded. "Every alpha in Draconic Academy and Tianlong Kingdom has a dragon, but he's the only one who doesn't have a dragon."
Dragons. That was the first time Leo had heard about them since he arrived. He had no idea that dragons existed in this world too.
"So, you have a dragon?"
Mira shook her head in response. "We just turned nineteen, and soon a ceremony will be held for us, but it's hard for an omega to get a dragon. It hasn't happened in years."
Leo let out a frustrated groan. Everything he learned about Ryn annoyed him. "But don't worry. You might be lucky," she assured him with a quick pat on the back.
"Right," Leo said, then continued the conversation. "So, are they friends?"
"Who? The alphas?"
He nodded.
Mira chuckled and stopped walking. "They're rivals, and that's why it's surprising that they're your mates."
"Rivals? I…" he groaned again.
Mira nodded sympathetically. "I feel for you because they basically hate each other."
Leo ran his hand through his hair and clenched his fists tightly. He should have figured it out from the way they barely interacted with each other.
How could he survive with three alphas who were rivals? Everything he had learned was against his wishes. He had no problem with his sexuality since he had always liked men back in the real world, but being fated to three annoying, intimidating alphas was a lot to take in.
"Come," Mira started walking again, pulling him along. "We shouldn't be late to the combat class," she told him.
Right. Another class he had no idea about.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the combat training grounds. It was a sprawling field ringed by stone pillars etched with protective runes. The instant they walked in, Leo smelled the pheromones, sharp and heady, that made his head spin. He froze, his eyes darting to the three figures standing near the center of the field.
Kael, Veyr, and Sylas were staring back at him.