Chapter 1

The moment I heard the truth, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

A month ago, Liam had come to me in tears, saying every vampire at the Academy looked down on him for being a bastard.

The Liam I knew was always so strong. Seeing him break down in tears, I swore I would protect him.

Later, when the heir to the Blackwood family locked him in a sunroom on purpose, I used my family's blood-will to pin that bastard to a wall for an entire night. It cost me half my strength and left me drained for three days.

When the Ashford heiress called him an "unacknowledged stray," I crashed her birthday party and made her kneel and apologize in front of all her guests. Even if it meant another draining magical duel.

When the other clans conspired against him, I used my mother’s influence without a second thought. It cost my family a fortune, but I made sure those clans lost three major territories within a week.

It all came to a head when Liam stood trembling before me, his pale face marked with the fresh, weeping lines of a silver-laced whip.

"Isabella, please," he begged. "I need to get out of here. I hate this place. I hate that everyone insults me because I’m not strong enough, because my blood isn't pure."

I looked at the fresh wounds on his face, and my heart felt like it had been pierced with an icicle.

No matter what I did, I couldn't protect him.

But we were blood-bond mates, a rarity in the vampire world, fated for each other. After a century together, he was a part of me. Carved into my very bones.

In a moment of desperation, I grabbed his hand. "Don't worry, Liam. I'll transfer with you. We'll go to the Duskfall Academy. We can start over."

For a split second, a flicker of something unreadable crossed his eyes.

"Isabella..."

"Don't," I cut him off. "My mind is made up."

But now, standing outside the council room door, I realized it was all a cruel lie. A scheme designed to erase me from his life.

Familiar laughter drifted through the crack in the door.

"Seriously, Liam, you've got guts," said Marcus, Liam's best friend. "How did you make those silver whip scars look so real?"

Liam's expression was relaxed, a stark contrast to the agony he’d shown me.

"Three days of drinking beast blood," Liam said casually. "Tastes like filth, but it works. Slows the healing, makes the wounds look legit. Like you really got your ass handed to you."

My blood froze solid.

"Gods, the things you do to dump Isabella," another voice chimed in. "But what if she finds a better mate over there? What if she decides not to finalize the bond with you?"

"Her?" Liam scoffed, like the idea was ridiculous. "The bond has her wrapped around my little finger. She's magically compelled to take a killing blow for me. You really think a little distance will make her stop loving me?"

His friend grumbled, "I don't know, man. The look in her eyes... she's not one to be messed with."

"Not a chance," Liam said lazily. "She's turned down every pure-blood noble at the Academy. You think she'll fall for one of the low-tier vamps at Dusk?"

He went on, his voice dripping with contempt. "She's always got that 'I'm better than you' look on her face. It's infuriating. A place like Duskfall will do her some good. Knock her down a few pegs."

The room erupted in harsh, mocking laughter.

I wanted to run, but my feet were nailed to the floor, forcing me to endure the humiliation.

Another voice piped up. "You've got to be the first vampire in history to trick his own noble blood-bond mate into going to a place like that. But if she annoyed you so much, why not just tell her?"

Liam's brow furrowed. "She's too stubborn. It's not that easy with her. Besides..."

He paused, and his next words broke what was left of my heart.

"It’s for Chloe. She needs me," Liam’s voice softened. "She told me she gets terrified just being near Isabella. My mate is too powerful. Her very presence suffocates Chloe."

Everything clicked into place. Liam started faking the bullying exactly one week after Chloe Reed, a mixed-blood girl, transferred to our academy.

"You guys don't get what it's like being with Isabella," he said. "Everyone thinks I only have my status because of her. I'm tired of being her accessory. A blood bond isn't love. I'm choosing my own life."

Marcus howled with laughter.

"He's got a point. Isabella is a total ice queen. The way she looks at you, it’s like a winter night."

"And that 'I'm better than everyone' attitude," Tyler added. "Like the world owes her something. That Chloe girl is adorable, though. Small, sweet, the type you just want to protect."

They all agreed, tearing me apart like a pack of vultures.

I waited for Liam to defend me. To tell them to stop.

He didn't. He even nodded along, a silent agreement to their cruel words.

For a second, I wanted to burst through the door and confront them. To make them pay for every single word with the force of my bloodline.

I wanted to ask him why he lied. Didn't he feel a shred of guilt watching me get hurt for his sake? Did our century together mean nothing?

But I didn't.

My mother's voice echoed in my head: Never waste your power on meaningless fights.

I took a deep breath, vanishing down the corridor.