Chapter 9 Liora My smile curled. "I've heard the royal pack owns castles across the region. Why not invite us to your castle instead?" Bianca's smile faltered. Just for a second. "Or..." I tilted my head. "Can't use it?" "My castle isn't open to outsiders," she said, tone casual, but there was a tightness around her eyes that betrayed the strain beneath the polish. She tilted her head in that manufactured way of hers, like the weight of her crown was too heavy to bear in public. I didn't blink. Didn't move. "But didn't you say earlier," I replied calmly, "that your classmates are, like, your best friends? Does that mean friends are considered outsiders too?" My words slipped out like velvet over steel, soft, but with a point. For a beat, silence hung in the classroom again. And then, slowly, heads turned. Even Jessica, whose job it apparently was to echo Bianca's every opinion, hesitated. "I mean... it would be fun to see the royal castle," Jessica said, already pulling up some luxury nail set on her phone. "If we're really friends and all." Bianca stood still, her mouth twitching slightly. And just like that, the room shifted. Expectation is a powerful thing. Bianca gave me a look that could have curdled moonlight, then smiled sweetly, pushing herself to her heeled feet. "Of course, I'll reach out to my family," she said. "Make arrangements. Leave it to me." 1/6 own unraveling. The moment the door shut behind her, the classroom exploded. Plans. Gossip. Outfit debates. Jessica was already talking about getting a new manicure that would "match the royal aesthetic," whatever that meant. Mia leaned closer to me with wide eyes. "What just happened?" "She sucks at paying chess," I muttered. "Geez," she whispered, awed. "Watching you two is like watching someone get politically assassinated with compliments." I looked down at the empty corner of my notebook. Doodled a small crown. Crossed it out. "So," Mia said, shifting in her seat. "Do you... have a partner for the dance?" I froze mid-scribble. "A partner?" "Yeah. Homecoming. The teacher said there would be dancing. I thought maybe... someone. already asked you. Or that you had someone in mind." I stared at her. She knew what she was doing. My mind flicked, unwillingly, to Callum. Absolutely not. I shut that door so fast I almost heard it slam. "I suppose I'll dance with whoever I don't accidentally maim first," I said. Mia snorted. "You really know how to charm them." ********Actidiah 2/6 Chapter 9 "That's what I keep hearing." The door opened again. Bianca returned, her smile tighter this time, but rehearsed. "The castle is ready," she announced. "We'll go next week." Cheers went up like someone had just announced an early holiday. My eyebrows rose. Really? Now, how did she manage that? She turned to me as she passed, voice low enough only I could hear. +15 BONUS "No matter how you manipulate them," she hissed, "I'm still the female alpha. You'll never measure up." I didn't even look at her. "It must be exhausting," I said. She blinked. "What?" I finally turned, meeting her gaze. "Living your entire life comparing yourself to a wolfless." Bianca flinched and stormed off, her followers trailing behind. I leaned back in my chair, arms folded behind my head, and stared at the ceiling. The dance was coming. People were pairing off like some kind of outdated fairytale. And I'd need to decide: pretend I cared about finding a partner, or prove I didn't. Or maybe I did care. Neither option sounded easy. Mia tugged on my sleeve. "You okay?" I nodded. "Just planning social warfare." 3/6 Chapter B She laughed. "Good. Because we're going dress shopping soon, right?" I didn't groan, but only because I was too tired. Still... I didn't say no. Bianca Oh, I was going to snap. +15 BONUS There she was again, Liora, with that blank face and that stupid, calm voice like she was narrating a weather report about my life falling apart. And everyone just listened to her. A wolfless! Like she'd said something wise instead of just threading a noose made of politeness and tossing it over my credibility. "My classmates are my best friends." Ugh. That line had backfired like cheap hairspray in humidity. And then Liora, smug, emotionless Liora, just had hit back with that perfect, syrupy question: "So are your best friends outsiders too?" I wanted to launch a desk across the room. Instead, I left the classroom with a practiced toss of my hair and stormed down the hallway. like the scorned princess I was born to be. It took every ounce of control not to slam my heels into the tile with each step. Once I rounded the corner and checked that no one was watching, I whipped out my phone and jabbed the call button. "Pick up, pick up, pick up-" "Bianca?" My mother's voice came through, soft and breathy as ever. She always sounded like she was a second away from fainting onto a velvet chaise. "I need access to a castle," I snapped. 4/6 Caramice. Iour father's-"} "Mistress. I know," I bit out. "Which is why I'm calling you. Fix it." "Bianca, sweet-" "Don't 'sweetheart' me! This is your fault anyway! If you'd just seduced your way to wife instead of some side-chick, I wouldn't be stuck groveling for a key to a broken-down mini- palace like some third-rate heiress!" My mother went silent. "That's 's your fault, isn't it?" I pressed. "Why couldn't you have climbed higher? Or, I don't know, gotten a title out of it?" She sighed. "The nearest castle doesn't have strong guards. It hasn't been fully maintained, but it can be opened with royal blood. Though, Bianca... your bloodline might be too diluted." Too diluted. I clenched my jaw. "I'll get in," I said. "And when I do, I'm going to host the most dazzling, envy-inducing, Liora-crushing dance this school has ever seen." "Liora? Bianca what-" "I said I'll handle it!" I snapped, then hung up before she could keep ruining my day with her excuses and soft-voiced guilt. I stood there a moment, staring at my phone like I could stab it with my rage. My reflection in the dark screen looked furious. But perfect. I ran a hand down my skirt, smoothed my curls, and inhaled deeply. Then I smiled. "Oh, just wait, Liora," I murmured. "You think you're clever, with your stupid, emotionless 5/6 Chapter 9 +15 BONUS voice and your little mystery act. But you've never played this game before. You don't know how to manipulate a crowd, how to twist a narrative, how to win in the court of public opinion." I tapped my nails against the phone. "Let's see how you fare in a real castle. In my world. My rules." Then, louder, I turned the corner again with a spring in my step and announced to the hallway with sugary glee, "Good news, everyone! The castle is ready for us next week!" They cheered. I smiled like the queen I should've been all along. Even if I had to fake it, even if my crown came from a bloodline they failed to recognize. I would make sure no one ever forgot the name Bianca. 6/6