3/3 Chapter 30 +15 BONUS Chapter 30 Liora The morning of the exam came with a quiet tension, one I've grown used to. I woke early, not from nerves, but from habit. Years of palace drills made it impossible to sleep in on days like this. Mia had brewed me tea the night before and stayed at my bedside, humming softly until I drifted off, as if she could drive out the anxiety just by being there. Now, she sat across from me in the common room, her gaze steady and protective. "You'll pass. I don't care what strings they pull, Liora. You're more than they think you are." I offered her a soft smile, one that didn't quite reach my eyes, and slipped my notes into my bag. We both knew this wasn't only about me. Being wolfless, Mia had her own stake in this. "They're not testing what I know," I said quietly. "They're testing whether I'll break." She scoffed. "Let them try. You've broken and rebuilt yourself more times than they'll ever bother to count." She was right. The exam itself wasn't hard. Everything on the page had been drilled into me since I was a child. Pack history, diplomatic customs, bloodline branches-it was the same material I had mastered long ago. But the room felt colder than it should have, and too quiet. The proctor never greeted me, only gestured to a seat like I was an afterthought. His scent lingered with something sour beneath it, unsettling. I sat and opened the test. My pen moved with calm precision, each answer unfolding clearly in my mind. I took my time. There was no rush. When I stood and handed in the pages, the teacher skimmed them, his expression darkening. "You're finished?" he asked, voice neutral but heavy with something unspoken. 1/3 "Yes sir." d slowly. "Interesting." e stretched between us. Something was wrong. Then came the accusation. "Your exam shows significant signs of plagiarism." The words settled like ice in my chest. "What?" I stared at him. "Plagiarism? I wrote that myself. Every word. You watched me." He shrugged, uninterested. "It is difficult to believe someone of your background could score so highly. We have seen this pattern before. It is clear you had help." I took a slow step forward. "Are you suggesting I cheated because I'm wolfless? Or because Bianca asked you to make sure I didn't pass?" A wild guess, but his eyes flicked. Just for a second. And I knew that was all I needed. "You don't belong here," he said quietly. "And sooner or later, the school will correct that." I reached into my bag and pulled out the old palace syllabus, the annotated guides, the handwritten notes my tutors insisted I keep since I was young. "Every topic on that exam? I've studied them since I could read. Long before I ever learned it here. Wolfless need to work four times harder then those born to go here. I can prove it. Would you like me to solve more for you? Right now?" He didn't answer, but I could see it. Doubt. A crack in his certainty. "I don't need a bloodline to prove I'm worth something," I added, my voice sharper now, "but I will not let you pretend I don't belong here just because I make you uncomfortable." He didn't apologize. I didn't expect him to. But the exam was re-graded. Quietly. No announcement. No apology. Just a passing mark posted on the board hours later like nothing had happened. 2/3 Chapter 30 Mia caught up with me just as I stepped away from the bulletin. "You passed?" I nodded. +15 BONUS She grinned and slung an arm around my shoulder. "Told you. They couldn't touch you." But part of me knew they'd try again. Callum The student council room was loud for this early in the day, but I barely noticed as I stared at the reports in front of me, the ink bleeding together like smoke in water. Usually, I could drown in logistics, let the structure and repetition numb everything else clawing at me. But today, even the comfort of busywork couldn't reach me. Toby's research on Liora had turned up nothing. Just wolfless. No palace connection. No noble lineage. No hidden crest in her pocket. I kept waiting for a twist, for something to justify the way she carried herself like she belonged in every room, but there wasn't one. She had no power. No claim. And yet I couldn't forget the way she looked at me. I thought there had to be more. 3/3