CHAPTER 6

Aisla’s POV

"Miss Lindon," Dean Morrison's voice was measured, professional. "After reviewing the recent incidents involving you and several students, we believe it would be best if you transferred to another institution."

The words hit me like a physical blow, but I forced myself to remain standing. "You're expelling me based on rumors?"

"Not expelling," Hughs spoke up from where he stood near the window. "Transferring. For your own good."

"My own good?" I let out a bitter laugh. "How convenient. You four make my life hell, spread lies about me, and now you're concerned about my wellbeing?"

"We've also arranged for a full investigation into how you gained admission here," Cayden added with that fake smile. "Your academic records, your application materials, your scholarship status—everything will be thoroughly reviewed."

They're trying to dig up dirt on me. Looking for any excuse to make this permanent.

"You can't do that," I said, my voice rising. "I earned my place here fair and square!"

"Did you?" Hank's smirk was infuriating. "Because from where we're standing, it looks like you've been manipulating situations since day one."

"Manipulating?" I whirled to face him. "You're the ones who've been orchestrating this whole campaign against me!"

Dean Morrison held up a hand. "Miss Lindon, please lower your voice. We're trying to find a solution that works for everyone."

"A solution?" I was beyond caring about volume now. "The solution is justice! The solution is investigating the real bullies in this room instead of their victim!"

The four brothers exchanged glances that didn't go unnoticed by me or the Dean.

"I demand the right to prove my innocence," I continued, my hands clenched into fists. "I demand a fair hearing where I can present evidence that I've done nothing wrong!"

"Evidence?" Hades spoke for the first time since I'd entered. "What evidence could you possibly have?"

"The truth!" I shouted. "The truth that your brother mistook me for hired entertainment! The truth that you only helped me to protect your family's reputation! The truth that you've all been systematically destroying my life because I dared to stand up to you!"

Dean Morrison looked increasingly uncomfortable with the tension in the room. "Miss Lindon, these are serious accusations—"

"They're not accusations, they're facts!" I turned to face him directly. "Sir, I came to this academy to better myself, to learn, to prove that I'm more than what people assume about omegas. I've done nothing but try to mind my own business and excel academically."

"And yet trouble seems to follow you," Cayden observed coldly.

"Trouble follows me?" I laughed harshly. "Trouble was created for me by people in this very room!"

The silence stretched uncomfortably until Dean Morrison cleared his throat.

"Miss Lindon, we understand you feel wronged. However, the disruption to academy life has been... significant."

"Then let me prove myself," I said desperately. "Give me a chance to show you who I really am instead of who they've painted me to be."

Dean Morrison looked at the brothers, then back at me. "What exactly are you proposing?"

"A test. A challenge. Anything that proves my worth based on merit, not rumors and lies."

Please, I thought desperately. Please give me a chance.

The brothers whispered among themselves for a moment before Hughs stepped forward.

"Actually," he said slowly, "there might be a way to settle this fairly."

Dean Morrison raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"The annual Hunting Competition is coming up in two weeks," Hughs continued. "It's the academy's most prestigious challenge, testing everything from combat skills to strategic thinking to survival instincts."

"That's an excellent point," Cayden chimed in, his smile widening. "If Miss Lindon truly believes she belongs here among the elite, surely she wouldn't mind proving it in competition."

My stomach began to sink as I saw where this was heading.

"The top ten finishers in the Hunting Competition are traditionally recognized as the academy's finest students," Hades added quietly.

"So here's our proposal," Hank said, crossing his arms. "If you can place in the top ten of the Hunting Competition, we'll publicly acknowledge that you belong here and deserve our respect."

"And if I don't?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Then you transfer quietly, with no further investigation into your background," Dean Morrison said. "A clean slate elsewhere."

It's a trap. Every instinct I had was screaming that this was a setup, but what choice did I have?

"The Hunting Competition is typically reserved for advanced students," Dean Morrison continued. "Are you certain you want to attempt something so challenging in your first semester?"

I looked around the room at their faces—Dean Morrison's concern, Hughs's calculating coldness, Cayden's false sympathy, Hades's unreadable expression, and Hank's obvious anticipation of my failure.

They think I'll back down. They think I'll realize I'm in over my head and transfer without a fight.

"I accept," I said firmly.

Hank's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You're sure about that?"

"I'm sure." I lifted my chin defiantly. "When I place in the top ten, I expect public apologies from all of you."

Cayden's laugh was sharp. "Oh, this should be entertaining."

"Then it's settled," Dean Morrison said, making notes on his desk. "Miss Lindon will compete in the Hunting Competition. The results will determine her future at this academy."

"Wonderful," Hughs said, but there was something predatory in his smile. "We look forward to seeing what you're truly capable of."

The walk back to my dormitory felt surreal. I'd bought myself two weeks, but at what cost? Students I passed were already whispering about my visit to the Dean's office, and I could see the speculation in their eyes.

Word travels fast here.

By the time I reached my floor, I could hear excited chatter coming from behind several doors. My phone was buzzing with notifications—apparently, news of my challenge had already hit the academy's social media.

"Ailsa!" Jenny practically pounced on me the moment I walked into our room. "Is it true? Did you really agree to compete in the Hunting Competition?"

I sank onto my bed, suddenly exhausted. "News travels fast."

"Are you insane?" She stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "Do you have any idea what you've just committed to?"

"Enlighten me."

Jenny grabbed her tablet and started pulling up information. "The Hunting Competition isn't just some academic exercise, Ailsa. It's a survival challenge that pushes even senior students to their limits!"

"I'm sure it's not that bad—"

"Not that bad?" Jenny's voice pitched higher. "Last year, twelve students were hospitalized! Three had to withdraw from the academy completely because of their injuries!"

My confidence began to waver. "Injured how?"

"The competition takes place in the Darkwood Forest—hundreds of acres of untamed wilderness filled with actual predators. Students are dropped in different locations with minimal supplies and have to complete a series of challenges while being hunted by upperclassmen playing the role of hostile forces."

Hunted. The word echoed in my mind.

"It typically takes senior students three to five years of training before they're ready to compete," Jenny continued, scrolling through more details. "Most participants are alphas or high-ranking betas with extensive combat experience."

"What about omegas?" I asked quietly.

Jenny's face fell. "Ailsa... omegas rarely compete. When they do, they usually place in the bottom percentile."

Of course they do. I felt like an idiot for not asking more questions before agreeing to this.

"You can still back out," Jenny said gently. "Transfer to another school, start fresh somewhere else. There's no shame in—"

"Yes, there is." I stood up abruptly. "There's shame in running away. There's shame in letting them win."

"Them?"

"The Hunter brothers. They set this up perfectly, didn't they? Offer me a challenge they know I can't win, then act like they're being fair when I inevitably fail."

They played me perfectly. I had to admire the strategy, even as I hated them for it.

"So what are you going to do?" Jenny asked.

"I'm going to train. I'm going to prepare. And I'm going to prove them all wrong."

But even as I said the words, doubt was creeping in. How could a scholarship omega with no combat training possibly compete against students who'd been preparing for this their entire lives?

"Jenny," I said slowly, "show me everything you can find about previous competitions. Winners, strategies, survival techniques—everything."

She hesitated. "Ailsa, I really think—"

"Please. If I'm going to do this, I need to know what I'm up against."

For the next hour, we went through competition records, training manuals, and survival guides. With each page, my heart sank a little further.

The Hunting Competition wasn't just difficult—it was designed to be nearly impossible for someone like me. The physical challenges alone would push me beyond my limits, never mind the strategic elements that required years of tactical training.

"They knew," I whispered, staring at a photo of last year's top ten finishers. All alphas. All from prominent families. All with years of specialized training.

"Knew what?" Jenny asked.

"They knew exactly what they were doing when they suggested this competition. They knew I'd have no real chance of succeeding." A bitter smile crossed my face. "It's actually brilliant. They get to look magnanimous by offering me a 'fair' chance, while ensuring I'll fail spectacularly and leave in disgrace."

"So you'll withdraw?"

I closed the tablet and looked out our window at the academy grounds where I'd been attacked, humiliated, and systematically destroyed over the past week.

"No," I said quietly. "I won't give them the satisfaction."

Even if I fail, even if I embarrass myself, even if I end up hospitalized—I won't back down. They want to see me broken? They're going to have to break me themselves.

"You're going to get yourself killed," Jenny said softly.

"Maybe. But I'd rather die fighting than live running away."