Chapter 66
He leaned in.
My blood went cold.
He bared his teeth, sharp and white, and sank them into the side of her neck.
The crowd exploded.
Cheering. Whistling. A few people actually clapped.
Vivian gasped and clutched his arm, playing it up for the audience, then giggled breathlessly as he pulled back, her new mark bright and obvious against her skin.
I stood there, rooted.
It wasn’t like I wanted him. I didn’t. I’d told him we were over, shouted it, etched it into my bones.
But he’d yelled that I was his.
Claimed me.
And now he was… doing this? In public. Like it meant nothing.
Something hot and sour twisted under my ribs.
“Wow,” Sarah whispered beside me. “Guess she finally got what she wanted.”
My throat felt tight. “Yeah,” I said. “Lucky her.”
It was disgusting. The whole scene. The performance of it. The way everyone devoured it like it was their favorite
drama.
My eyes tore away from them.
Bad idea.
A group of my classmates were facing me now, seeing me, recognizing me. The expressions on their faces shifted from excitement to mean delight so fast it made my stomach churn.
“Oh, look,” one of them said loudly. “The ex.”
Another snickered. “Aw, did you come to watch? That’s kind of sad.”
I bristled. “I was just walking by.”
“Sure you were,” the first girl said. “You were always following him around. Everyone saw it.”
I laughed, sharp and humorless. “Trust me, I had better things to do.”
“Did you?” another girl chimed in. “Because it sure looked like you were playing lapdog. Remember? Running after him, begging for his attention, and he still didn’t want you.”
Heat rushed to my face.
“I guess you weren’t enough for him as a fiancée,” someone else called. “So you really thought you’d get him back as some pathetic side girl?”
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“That’s not-
“Vivian’s way better,” the first one said, eyes gleaming. “Prettier. Smarter. Classier.”
They laughed.
I straightened. “You know what? I really don’t care who he-”
“Of course you care,” a girl cut in, smirking. “Everyone saw you throw yourself at him. Twice. You’re just mad you lost.”
The jeers kept coming, overlapping, rising.
“She’s only here because of him-”
“Bet she thought the bite would be hers-”
“Imagine humiliating yourself and he still chooses someone else—”
“Pathetic.”
My chest tightened. The air felt thin. My fingers dug into my notes, the paper wrinkling under my grip.
It’s fine. I’ve been humiliated before. I’ve lived through worse. I literally died once.
But my heart didn’t care.
Somewhere in the noise, I thought I heard Dominic shout something, but it vanished under the swarm of voices.
Then a clearer voice broke through.
“Back off,” Lucas snapped.
The crowd shifted as he pushed forward, posture sharp, eyes colder than I’d ever seen.
He planted himself in front of me.
“Didn’t realize the Academy was letting hyenas enroll now,” he said lightly, but his tone cut.
A few girls shrank back. One tried, “She’s the one who humiliated-”
“Didn’t ask,” Lucas said, ending it.
Interest drifted back toward the spectacle across the lawn. The circle around me thinned.
Heat crawled up my neck. Memories of the Alpha Ball our almost kiss, the disaster flashed unwanted behind my eyes. I couldn’t look at him.
“Ellie, are you okay?” he asked softly.
“Yeah.” I stepped back. “Fine. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look-”
“Story of my life,” I said quickly. “Thanks for… that. But I need to study.”
“Ellie-”
I slipped away before he could finish. Head down, notes hugged to my chest, I pushed through the bodies and kept walking until the sting behind my eyes became unbearable.
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I found an empty classroom, shut the door, and pressed my back to it. The silence hit like a wall.
Dominic could do whatever he wanted. Bite whoever he wanted, play whatever public games made him feel powerful. That wasn’t my world anymore.
And I refused to be dragged under again.
I moved to the desk, spreading out my papers. My breathing steadied.
I didn’t need Dominic. I didn’t need Lucas.
I needed to pass this exam.
I needed to stay in the Academy.
I needed a future that was mine alone.
I lifted my pen, fingers trembling, and began rewriting my study guide.
If everyone wanted me to break, they’d be disappointed.
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