Helanie:
"I don’t think I can do this. I am not comfortable here," I murmured, sliding his hand away, feeling awkward about how he was touching in class. We have kept our relationship a secret. I thought we did but sotis the way everyone whispered when watching us made wonder if he had told his friends about us.
"Helanie! Don’t be like that. Nobody’s going to say anything to us," he insisted, his hand slipping up my skirt again. Every ti he touched , I felt as if everyone’s eyes were darting in my direction. Even when no one was looking, I just felt exposed.
"Altan! Not in the classroom," I whispered, slapping his hand away, which made him grunt and angrily pull his chair back.
"What happened? Did Miss Goody Two-Shoes upset you again?" A voice from behind made roll my eyes. She was always trying to co between us, and he let her.
"Please don’t be mad at . I just don’t want anyone starting rumors. If they reach my father’s ears—" I tilted my head to look at him and saw the anger in his eyes. He was furious.
"You only care about your own reputation, Helanie. If you loved , you’d take off that pendant and kiss right here," he demanded. His demand didn’t catch off guard. He’d asked to take it off countless tis before. But now, here in the classroom?
The teacher would arrive any mont, and if she caught us like this, I was dood.
"Altan, there are so many guys here. You know what happens when I take my pendant off," I said, glancing around at the others who were already watching us. They all knew Altan wanted to be my first, and he was waiting for to turn eighteen.
"And you think I won’t be able to handle anyone looking at you? I’d poke their eyes out. But only if you trust . You don’t even think I can protect you—you rely on this pendant more than you rely on ," he hissed, grabbing my notebook and tossing it across the room.
I didn’t know how else to tell him that he was right. I was afraid he couldn’t protect , but I wouldn’t say it out loud and hurt his pride.
As I went to retrieve my notebook, others began throwing it around, kicking it, and sliding it across the classroom. All the while, as I tried to catch it, Altan sat back comfortably and watched. And yet he wanted to believe he could shield from anyone’s bad intentions.
I woke up suddenly, drenched in sweat, even though I had never slept in such a comfortable bed before. I had only been asleep for a few minutes and was already struck with a nightmare.
"Ugh!" A groan escaped my lips as I sank onto the soft bed. This wasn’t just any hotel room—it was a suite. After that nightmare, I decided to shower again to feel better. After a warm bath, I stepped out wrapped in a plush, blue bathrobe.
The room service was incredibly attentive. They brought delicious food, and now they were giving a foot massage. I was a little confused as to why they were treating so well, but then I rembered who had booked the room. Of course, they wouldn’t dare disappoint the rogue king’s son and his future successor.
"Thank you so much," I murmured to the staff before lying down on the bed. It was set on an elevated platform with windows on three sides and a TV mounted on the fourth wall.
I lay there in silence, watching the rain patter against the window. It was the perfect weather to just be here. If only I felt completely at peace with my life.
The red card in my hand could an everything—or absolutely nothing—if I didn’t use it wisely.
"If only I had the will," I sighed, longing for the part of that had always existed but never truly surfaced.
With that thought, I drifted off. I woke early the next morning to room service again and began preparing for the day. Kaye had left a letter with the staff detailing the location and timing of the next test round.
I was a bit nervous, dreading the thought of facing Maximus and Norman again. Those two didn’t like very much.
I spent nearly the entire day watching TV. Back when I lived with my dad, I’d never had a TV. I wasn’t even allowed the simplest form of entertainnt.
This was my first ti holding a remote control, and it felt empowering to be the one in charge.
Living a normal life felt so good. For a mont, I wished I could’ve been a daddy’s princess. I could only imagine how much fun it would have been not to be touched or mocked whenever soone felt like it.
In that life, my dad would have protected , and everyone would have thought twice before harassing . No alphas would have dared to take my virginity or leave for dead when they were finished with .
No rogue king brothers would mock , and no wealthy pack candidates would beat up to hide their nasty little secrets.
A hopeless tear threatened to spill as I pretended to be utterly engrossed in the movies on screen.
The truth was, I wasn’t.
Every ti a girl appeared on the screen, I wondered about her life. What if she was living the sa tragic story behind the scenes?
Or maybe not.
What would it be like to walk in her shoes, though?
I closed my eyes and groaned. "I am not a victim," I whispered into my palms, throwing the remote aside and turning the TV off. Crawling into bed, I reminded myself that tomorrow was my last chance to get into the academy, and I couldn’t afford to miss it.
Yet with the card in my hand, I was no longer just a rogue who could be mistreated without consequence. Now, with that card, I was the rogue king’s stepsister and stepdaughter—part of their family. But only If I get accepted.
I went to bed carrying the sa negative energy, waking up once again feeling like my life was an endless loop. The room service had left a new tracksuit in my room, courtesy of Kaye.
After dressing, I slung my bag over my shoulder, double-checking that I had the card, and headed for the testing grounds.
The sa warrior who had escorted to the hotel was waiting outside for .
"Ma’am, did you have breakfast?" he asked as he helped into the back seat.
"I did, thank you!" I replied, sure that Kaye had instructed him to look out for .
Soon, we arrived at the familiar grounds, a place that now stirred up a feeling of dread. I’ve been through so much here. But I needed to push past it if I wanted to make it into the academy.
Though it was a different section of the grounds this ti, the warrior escorted directly to where everyone was gathered.
As the group ca into view, the warrior stepped aside, and I made my way forward.
Norman and Maximus stood among a circle of the final candidates, both of them wearing sleeveless shirts that showed off their muscular arms, their hair damp from the morning mist.
"Co on!" Norman clapped his hands, introducing two students who seed ready to face off in combat.
It wasn’t until one of them threw a punch and got clawed in the stomach that I realized the final test was all about physical strength—specifically, combat skills.
I instantly wanted to slap my forehead. I scanned the crowd, but Gavin was nowhere to be seen. Had he already taken his test and left? I knew there were two sessions, so maybe he was scheduled for the later one. Should I have co later?
While I was lost in thought, the candidates continued tearing each other apart. Their agonized screams were honestly more terrifying than anything I’d ever heard. The savage intensity of the battle caught off guard.
I didn’t like it.
All the candidates here seed intense and brutal. Maybe they had failed the written test and were making up for it with sheer physical strength.
"That’s it. You—you’re out." In a cold, unfeeling voice, Norman pulled the winner off the other candidate, who lay sprawled on the ground, and yelled at the loser.
This was really happening.
"The test here is complete. We’ve already accepted the candidates—" Maximus stepped into the center, and I realized the ones standing on their left had lost their chance at the academy, while the accepted candidates stood on the right.
But before Maximus could finish, he spotted in the crowd and frowned. His brother followed his gaze and, upon noticing , tilted his head back and sighed in clear frustration.
"Oh, it’s you again." This ti, Norman didn’t bother to hide his disdain. Now, all eyes were on .
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