CHAPTER 4

Thalia's POV

It was Thursday night. The Student Union office was empty except for me and the lights humming above me.

I stared at my phone, Lucas's contact info glowing on the screen. My thumb hovered over the call button.

This is stupid.

But if I didn't do something, tomorrow three wolves would fight a Lycan on school grounds. Blood would be spilled. Bones would break. And as Student Union President, I'd be blamed for not preventing it.

Plus, and I hated admitting this even to myself, I didn't want to watch the triplets get hurt. Not for me. Not because of some twisted territorial claim they had over their favorite victim.

I hit call.

Lucas answered on the second ring. "Well, well. The half-breed has my number."

"Meet me. Student Union office. Twenty minutes." I kept my voice steady.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I have a proposition that benefits both of us." I answered, voice trembling slightly.

He was quiet for awhile. "This should be entertaining." He said finally. "Twenty minutes."

He hung up.

I sat in my office chair, surrounded by filing cabinets and old meeting minutes, and tried to plan what the hell I was going to say. How do you convince a Lycan to back down from a challenge without looking weak?

Eighteen minutes later, the door opened.

Lucas filled the doorway, golden eyes sweeping the small office before landing on me. "Nice place. Very.. colorful."

"Sit." I gestured to the chair across from my desk.

He sat, sprawling like he owned it. "So what's this proposition? You offering yourself up as a peace offering?"

My jaw tightened. "The fight tomorrow. Call it off."

He laughed. "You're joking."

"I'm serious. Cancel the duel. Walk away." My voice was ice-cold. "Tell everyone you realized it was beneath you to fight over a hybrid."

"Afraid your bullies will get hurt?" His smile was vicious. "Worried I'll break your precious tormentors?"

"They're not my..." I stopped, and inhaled and exhaled. "This isn't about them. It's about the school. Blood on school grounds means investigations. I'm Student Union President. That chaos falls on me."

"Not my problem." He shrugged.

"It should be." I leaned forward. "You're new here, Lucas. First week and you've already made yourself the villain. You really want that reputation?"

Something flickered across his face. "I didn't ask for this. I transferred here to get away from..." He stopped.

"From what?" I asked intrigued.

His golden eyes met mine, and for a second, I saw something lonely there.

"From being the new blood everyone expects to be perfect," he said quietly. "Lycan bloodline means everyone watches. Judges. Waits for you to prove you're as good as your ancestors." He laughed bitterly. "Sound familiar?"

My chest tightened. "Hybrid bloodline means everyone knows you're not good enough from the start."

"Exactly." He leaned back. "We're both outsiders. Just different kinds."

The moment stretched between us.

Two people who didn't fit, talking in an empty office while the rest of the school slept.

"So call it off," I said softly. "Not because you're weak. Because you're smart enough to know this fight isn't worth it."

Lucas studied me for a long moment. Then sighed. "Fine."

"Fine?" I tilted my head.

"I'll cancel. Tomorrow morning, I'll tell everyone the duel's off." He stood, towering over my desk. "But only because YOU asked."

Relief flooded through me. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." He walked around the desk. "This makes you interesting, Thalia. Dangerous, even. The triplets claimed you as theirs to break, but you just saved them from a fight they'd probably lose." His smile was sharp. "Wonder how they'll feel about that."

I stood, extending my hand. "Deal?"

He looked at my hand, then took it. His grip was warm, firm. "Deal."

We shook, and then he pulled me in for a hug.

"See you tomorrow," Lucas said, releasing me. "Try not to let those three idiots make you regret this."

And he left. I stood in my empty office, staring at the closed door, hoping I'd made the right choice.

Friday morning came and I knew something was wrong the second I stepped into the campus.

Students clustered in groups, phones out, whispering frantically. When they saw me, they went silent.

"What..."

Cathy shoved her phone in my face. "Is this true?"

The screen showed a photo. Me and Lucas in my office. The angle made it look like we were pressed together, intimate, his hand on my waist.

STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT SLEEPS WITH NEW STUDENT TO PREVENT DUEL

My blood turned to ice. "What the hell is this?"

"Check the school blog," someone said behind me. "It's everywhere."

I pulled out my phone with shaking hands. The school's unofficial gossip blog had exploded overnight.

They were photos. Dozens of them. Me and Lucas in my office from angles that made everything look wrong. The hug looked like kissing. Our handshake looked like we were holding hands.

The headline screamed: HYBRID PRESIDENT SELLS OUT FOR LYCAN PROTECTION: EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE

"No." My voice came out strangled. "No, this isn't...we were just talking..."

"Talking?" Damian Ashwood appeared beside me, disgust written on his face. "That's what you call it?"

More students gathered. A crowd forming. All of them staring at me like I was something disgusting they'd stepped in.

"She fucked him to call off the fight."

"Slut."

The words hit like physical blows.

I spun around, looking for anyone who'd believe me. My eyes found the triplets standing near the main entrance.

Dorian's face was stone. Damon looked confused, betrayed. Dracula's expression was completely blank, which somehow was worse.

"It's not true!" I shouted. "Someone set me up! The photos are edited, we were just.."

"Just what?" Dorian's voice cut through the noise. He walked toward me, students parting like he was royalty. "Just making deals behind our backs?"

"I was trying to stop the fight! That's all!"

"By fucking him?" Dorian's eyes blazed. "Real noble, Thalia."

"The photos don't lie," Damon said quietly. He looked... hurt. Like really hurt. "You went to him."

"To talk!" My voice cracked. "To prevent bloodshed on school grounds!"

Dracula finally spoke, his voice colder than I'd ever heard it. "You made us look like fools."

"I was trying to help..." I tried to explain.

"We didn't ask for your help," Dorian snarled. "We claimed you. Protected you from him. And you repaid us by spreading your legs?"

The crowd gasped.

"Enough." Dracula's voice was quiet but absolute. "You made your choice."

They turned and walked away.

My hands shook.

Someone must have planted cameras. Recording my meeting with Lucas. Edited the footage to look intimate. Posted it everywhere.

Someone had destroyed me.

And I had no idea who.

Or why.

The morning bell rang. Students filed toward class, still staring, still whispering.

I stood alone in the parking lot, my reputation shredded.

Friday had just begun.

And I was terrified of what came next.