Marcus

The smell of ozone and old paper—that's the scent of power at Eterna Academy. At least, that's what Marcus thought, adjusting the gold student council president badge on his crisp white shirt. He sat at the head of the long table, the chandelier's light flickering in his yellow eyes, making them look like molten gold. The enigma lion was the embodiment of order: every report sheet lay at the perfect angle, every second of the meeting planned out.

"...item five on the agenda," his voice was soft, but with a vibration that made the knees of Betas and Gammas buckle. "Discipline offender. Kate."

The door swung open without even waiting for a knock.

The doorway was a picture of inspiration and destruction all at once. His red hair was sticking out in all directions, as if it had been torn apart by a hurricane, and a fresh scratch graced his cheek—the result, as it would later turn out, of getting too close to a barberry bush while escaping from a patrol. Keith was an eighteen-year-old boy, a fox with green eyes that now looked defiantly at Marcus.

"He's here," Marcus stated, glancing at Keith's stained T-shirt. "Fifteen minutes late."

"But it was beautiful," Keith chuckled, plopping down on a chair. "You should have seen how I got away from security. Epic."

Tension instantly filled the air. Marcus narrowed his eyes. He could smell only the neutral beta scent of Keith—subdued, as if deliberately suppressed. Too clean, too empty. The scent of a real beta usually smelled of grass or wood, but this… This smelled of an artificial barrier. Of secrecy.

But Marcus was a professional. He didn't dig. Yet.

"Father's covered for you three times this month," the lion said coldly, shuffling through papers. "Running away into town, racing a motorcycle after lights out, damaging magical equipment in the music club. But when you launched a fireball at the exam schedule yesterday, that was the last straw. You're my deputy. Until the end of the semester."

MARCUS (Leo, 20 years old)

Status: Alpha Enigma.
Role: Student Council President, Basketball Team Captain, Heir to the Lion Clan (an elite family, the ruling elite of the academy).

Magical abilities:

Solar Control: Can concentrate light and heat, creating blinding flashes or heat shields. At its peak, can melt metal with a glance (literally, if angered).
· Animal sensory skills: hypersensitive hearing, night vision, the ability to “sense” lies by the heartbeat of an opponent.
· Suggestion (weak): as an Enigma, he can put pressure on the psyche of Omegas and Gammas, forcing them to obey - but he uses this extremely rarely, considering it a "dirty trick".

Pheromones (smell):

· Noble wood (cedar or sandalwood) + burnt amber + light bitterness of wormwood.
· In a state of anger or excitement, the smell of ozone and metal appears - “a thunderstorm is approaching.”
· His pheromones act as an “anchor”: alphas sense him as a leader, omegas and gammas sense him as a protector (or a threat if he is angry).
· The smell is very persistent and penetrates into clothing within a minute of close contact.