Chapter 28 Liora For the first time in what felt like forever, I had been beginning to feel like a student again. Not a placeholder. Not a problem. Not a royal complication disguised as a girl in borrowed time. The last few days had offered something rare. Quiet mornings with Mia where we shared too-hot coffee and laughed at the way upperclassmen carried their stress like capes, classes that passed without judgment breathing down my neck, long afternoons under sun- dappled trees where I watched the clouds shift across the sky instead of calculating how many eyes were watching me for the wrong reasons. I had just started getting used to it. And in those moments, in that brief stretch of stolen time, I felt free. I let myself be light. I let myself forget what it meant to be tied to someone else's reputation, someone else's name, someone else's decision. I had thought the worst was over. I should have known better. Especially when Zane came through the window like some wannabe superhero, interrupting my expulsion like it was just another Tuesday. He stepped inside like he owned the place, no knock, no pause, just a casual slip into the room. We were all wide eyed, Callum's parents blinked, his mother's hand over her heart. Zane groaned, rubbing his head as he slouched into the empty chair that had been meant for me. He raised an eyebrow at the principal and slouched back like he was settling in to watch a very long, very stupid play. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "Didn't know we were holding tribunal today." Callum's father narrowed his eyes. "Excuse you. And you are?" Zane leaned back. "Someone who gives a damn about fairness. Weird, I know. But I don't mind make this whole thing public if you go through with it. Pretty sure you don't want 1/2 that kind of publicity." The room tensed. Zane leaned forward slightly, fixing his gaze on the principal. "Let me get this straight, set the scene a bit. You're expelling her, not because she failed some course-in fact she's top of her class in almost everyone-not because she broke any rules, but because she hurt Bianca's feelings? Messed with some marriage by...existing? The fragile little 'female alpha' got her pride bruised and now you're scrambling to appease her like she owns the place? So... little wolfless, here, has to pay for your son failing to make the princess happy?" Callum's father growed, but Zane didn't let up. His tone was still light, still flippant, but his words cut deeper than anything I'd managed to say. "This school was supposed to be the first to admit Wolfless. It was meant to be a symbol of progress. Equality. You remember that, right? Or was that just good PR?" The principal opened his mouth, but Zane wasn't finished. "If this is how you treat students-expelling someone for a personal conflict with royalty- then maybe my pack school up north would be a better fit for those who actually believe in merit. We've got space. And a camera crew." Callum's parents bristled. The principal looked like he'd swallowed something sour. And me? I felt something unfurl in my chest. Something bright and angry and grateful all at once. As soon as Zane opened his mouth, I knew Callum's parent weren't going to let him talk to them that way. Even if he was an heri. I had pulled out the voice recorder, holding it up before Callum's parent could react. "Just a heads up, I've been recording since I walked in," I said calmly. "Every word. Every threat. Every insult. (Not everything but how would they know.) If you're going to take action, you'd better be sure you're ready for people to hear what really happened." 2/2