Chapter 19 +15 BONUS Right, they just couldn't let the wolfless girl have a good time. Jessica had that wild-card hunger for control. But I was already running low on tolerance, and Mia-Mia was standing too close with watery eyes, expecting something from me I couldn't give. "That idiot dog," I snapped. "He's a loser for ditching you, but Jessica more than has it coming. You want me to get him back?" My fist punch into my waiting hand with a smirk. Mia flinched, her hands threading around my arm, pulling me back. "Ah-no," she said, with an uneasy smile. "I just wanted to tell someone who might understand. Seriously, I'm bummed, but not you-can-go-punch-someone bummed." My shoulders bounced with a shrug as my eyes scanned the dancing bodies. Mia's did too, only her's looked near watery. She had been talking about this all day, excited to dance. A beat passed before I held out my hand. "Come on. We need the practice anyways." Mia looked confused but took it, and I led her to the open gallery. Torch light spilled onto the marble floor in patches, lighting it up like a warm, glass lake. I stepped into the firey glow, pulled Mia close, and we started to dance. It was slow, swaying, and Mia was a bit clumsy, but her smile never left. "This is ridiculous," Mia mumbled into my shoulder. "Correct," I replied, leading her to the right. "But distraction is an ancient cure." She smiled, just a little, and let herself follow my rhythm. Her steps grew lighter, less uncertain. For the first time since we got here, she looked...okay. I didn't get long to enjoy it. A mindlink buzzed, like I could hear his voice in my ear. My father's voice. I gently stepped back from Mia. "I need to go." She tilted her head. "Everything okay?" "Depends who you ask." 2/3 I left before she could stop me again, cutting across the hall and into the corridor beyond. Shadows pooled between the old stone arches, flickering like silent watchers. I needed some place quiet, somewhere I could focus-then, footsteps. I recognized the gait before I even saw his face. Always precise. Always controlled. Always... there when I didn't want him to be. I slowed, instinctively aware of the weight of his approach behind me. When I finally turned, he was already there, shoulders rising with a quiet breath. His dark hair was slightly tousled in his rush, and the sharp lines of his suit blended into the corridor's shadows like he belonged to them. Callum. The low-light caught the edges of his jaw, carving into the shape of him. "Liora." I stiffened, and turned to continue on my way but he was fast, stepping in front of me. We stood there in silence, eyes locked, neither of us willing to be the first to look away. My gaze flicked over him-his jaw tight, his brows drawn-and I finally exhaled through my nose, folding my arms. "So," I said, voice dry, "are you just loitering dramatically, or is there an actual reason you're blocking my path?" 3/3 Chapter 19 He shifted. "I..." He hesitated, chin lifting slightly, like he needed the height to steady himself. "I wanted to talk." "I'm busy." an see that. Just, give me a minute." was quieter now. Not commanding. Almost... unsure. That wasn't like him. Callum anything without certainty. He took a breath. "I'm sorry. For before. For hurting you." I blinked, caught off guard. That... I hadn't expected. "Why?" I asked, flat and unimpressed. "You've got Bianca now. Shouldn't you be off somewhere kissing her royal rings like a good little heir? Title for a title. Convenient, isn't it?" His frown deepened. For a moment, guilt tried to rise in my chest, but I shoved it down. "That's not..." He paused, trying to find the right words. "The real reason... I mean, it wasn't just that-" "Of course it wasn't," Bianca said, emerging like a cobra from the dark, her dress feathering he steps. "He left because you were disturbing him. Wolfless." She smiled wide, all teeth, her 'Female Alpha' status practically dripping off her shoulders. "You don't belong here, Liora." I stepped past Callum, tossing a hand over my shoulder. "At this school, or, like, specifically this hall? I'm trying to leave-" "You don't belong anywhere, honestly!" Bianca hissed, "But especially not near him." 1/3 +ID BONUS I arched a brow, voice calm. "You know, you say you're a Female Alpha, but you don't act any more noble than me. Are you sure someone like you is really a princess?" Her face twisted. "What did you just say to me?" I hadn't realized she'd closed the space between us as her hand swung up, aimed for my cheek. But Callum grabbed her wrist before it connected, his grip like iron. "Don't," he said, low. She jerked her arm back, looking bewildered. "Ugh! You're defending her?" I didn't wait for an answer. The mindlink pulsed again, harder this time, and I had more important things to deal with than whatever this was. I pulled a card from my coat and held it out to Callum. "If you really feel sorry," I said, steady and low for ours ears only, "think it over." He took it slowly. "That's my contact. If you ever figure out what you're actually doing... let me know." And with that, I turned and walked away. I left him standing there in the corridor, hand clenched around my contact card. He was watching me go, I could feel it. Callum She didn't look back. Not once. Liora's footsteps echoed down the corridor, clipped and certain, her coat brushing behind her like a flag of quiet defiance. I couldn't stop staring at her. Couldn't stop chasing her with my eyes. The card she'd handed me felt like it was burning through my palm. 2/3 Chapter 19 +15 BONUS There was something about her, always had been, but now it was different. Now, it wasn't just the mate bond whispering in the back of my mind. It was her. The way she spoke without fear. The way she didn't shrink. "Callum." Bianca's voice pulled me back to the presen. Still furious, her lips curled with the kind of elegance only alphas could weaponize. "What the hell was that?" I didn't answer. "She insulted me. In front of you." I slid Liora's card into my pocket, slowly. "And you tried to hit her." "She deserved it." I turned to her. "No. You just didn't like that she didn't flinch." Bianca's jaw tensed, but for a second, she looked almost unsure. Then she laughed, brittled and practiced. "I know what this is about. You're still confused. About the bond. About her. But don't worry. I understand." My eyes narrowed. She smiled wider. "Your pack wants to be the strongest, doesn't it? You want your father's legacy to actually mean something. That means a union with the Royal Line. With me. And let's be honest, what's more practical than a prince and a princess?" I said nothing. "I'm in demand, Callum," she added, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers like it mattered. "A dozen other alphas have shown interest. So if you're going to be cold to me, maybe I'll find someone who actually wants the alliance." 3/3