Chapter Eleven

CATHERINE'S POV.

The next morning, I woke up before my alarm.

For the first time in a long while...

I smiled.

Not because I was happy.

Because I had a plan.

I glanced across the hallway toward Maria's bedroom as I stepped out of my room.

The door was still closed.

Good.

She was probably still asleep... or lying in bed wondering how to survive another day at school.

Pathetic.

I walked downstairs, humming softly to myself.

Mom was already preparing breakfast while Andrew sat at the table scrolling through his phone.

He looked up the moment I entered.

"You look happy."

"I had a good night's sleep," I lied, pouring myself a glass of juice.

Andrew raised an eyebrow.

"That's unusual."

I simply smiled.

If everything went according to plan...

Today would be even better.

A few moments later, soft footsteps echoed on the stairs.

Maria.

She walked into the kitchen wearing the same oversized academy uniform that practically swallowed her whole.

Her head was lowered as always.

She quietly reached for a piece of bread.

"Good morning," she whispered.

Neither Mom nor Andrew answered.

I watched her from the corner of my eye.

She looked exhausted.

There were faint shadows beneath her eyes.

Had she cried all night?

Good.

Maybe she was finally learning her place.

She turned to leave.

"Wait."

She froze immediately.

Andrew didn't even look up from his phone.

"Remember what we told you."

She nodded.

"Yes."

"If we hear your name linked to either of the Alpha brothers again..." Mom said coldly, "...don't bother coming home expecting sympathy."

Maria lowered her head even farther.

"It won't happen again."

Her voice was barely audible.

She hurried out of the house before anyone could say another word.

The front door clicked shut.

Silence settled over the room.

Andrew finally looked at me.

"Do you think she learned her lesson?"

I took another sip of juice.

"No."

He frowned.

"Why?"

"Because people like Maria don't stop dreaming."

Andrew smirked.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

I smiled.

"I'm going to make sure she wakes up."

He didn't ask another question.

He didn't need to.

By the time I arrived at the academy, my friends were already waiting near the entrance.

"Catherine!"

One of them hurried over.

"Did you hear? People are still talking about your sister."

I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"I wish they'd stop."

"You don't look very upset."

"I'm just tired of cleaning up her messes."

The girls exchanged sympathetic looks.

Exactly what I wanted.

"I actually feel bad for Damien," another girl said.

"Imagine everyone thinking he likes... her."

I sighed, pretending to be embarrassed.

"I know."

"It's ridiculous."

Then, lowering my voice just enough to sound reluctant, I added,

"To be honest..."

The girls leaned closer.

"My sister has always had a habit of imagining things."

"What do you mean?"

I hesitated just long enough to make it believable.

"When we were younger, she'd convince herself people were being kind to her when they were only being polite."

One girl frowned.

"Seriously?"

I nodded sadly.

"I'm worried she's doing it again."

"So she... made it all up?"

"I don't know," I replied, giving a helpless shrug. "I just don't want anyone misunderstanding Damien or Draven because of her."

The girls exchanged knowing looks.

One of them scoffed.

"I knew it."

"She's delusional."

Another laughed.

"So the diary wasn't proof of love... it was proof she's living in a fantasy."

Exactly.

I hid my smile behind an expression of concern.

"I shouldn't have told you that," I whispered.

"Please don't spread it."

The moment those words left my mouth, I knew they would.

Nothing spreads faster than a secret someone is told not to repeat.

As the first bell echoed across the academy grounds, students began rushing toward the classrooms.

I looked across the courtyard.

Maria was walking alone, clutching her schoolbag tightly against her chest.

She had no idea.

By lunchtime...

Half the academy would believe she imagined every smile, every act of kindness, every glance from the Alpha brothers.

And once that happened...

Even if Damien defended her again...

People wouldn't believe her.

They'd simply say—

"There goes the delusional omega again."

A slow smile spread across my face.

No, Maria.

You won't steal the spotlight from me.

Not today.

Not ever.

The whole morning, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

A rumor wasn't enough anymore.

Rumors faded.

People forgot them after a few days.

No...

Maria needed something bigger.

Something unforgettable.

Something that would remind the entire academy exactly where she belonged.

I sat through first period pretending to take notes while quietly watching her from across the classroom.

She looked exhausted.

Her eyes were fixed on the page in front of her, but she wasn't writing.

She wasn't even listening to the teacher.

Perfect.

A broken person never notices the trap until it's already closed.

When the lunch bell rang, I slipped my phone into my pocket and walked out with my usual group.

"They're over there," one of my friends whispered.

Near the sports field stood two senior students.

Everyone knew them.

They were trouble.

Always looking for entertainment.

Always willing to make someone's day miserable if there was an audience to enjoy it.

Exactly the kind of people I needed.

I walked over with an easy smile.

"I've got a challenge for you."

One of them smirked.

"What kind of challenge?"

I looked around to make sure no teachers were nearby before lowering my voice.

"Nothing that gets anyone seriously hurt." I said with a smirk.

They feigned disappointment.

I continued before they could interrupt.

"I just want someone publicly embarrassed."

That got their attention.

"There's a reward if you pull it off."

"What do we have to do?"

I pointed discreetly toward Maria, who was leaving the cafeteria alone with her lunch tray.

"Separate her from everyone else."

"Take her to the abandoned greenhouse behind the old gym."

"And then?"

I smiled.

"Start a live stream."

They frowned.

"A live stream?"

"I want the entire academy watching."

I handed one of them my phone.

"Humiliate her."

"Make her admit she's been lying about the Alpha brothers."

"Read pages from her diary."

"Destroy her schoolbag."

"Dump paint over her uniform."

"Make everyone laugh."

"No touching her beyond restraining her if she tries to run," I added with a coy smile. "I don't want anyone crossing that line. I just want her pride destroyed."

The taller boy grinned, he understood the underlying meaning of what I meant.

"Easy."

"No one gets seriously hurt," I repeated.with an innocent smile.

"I mean it."

He shrugged.

"Fine."

As they walked away toward Maria, a strange feeling settled in my stomach.

For a split second...

I almost called them back.

Almost.

Instead, I looked away.

This was necessary.

Maria had become the center of attention again.

Damien had defended her.

Students were beginning to question everything they thought they knew.

That had to stop.

By this evening...

Everyone would be talking about something else.

Not Damien's kindness.

Not Draven.

Not the diary.

Just another humiliating story about the pathetic omega who never learned her place.

What Catherine didn't know was that someone else had noticed the two seniors following Maria.

From the second-floor corridor, Damien watched them disappear around the corner.

His instincts immediately told him something wasn't right.

But he ignored it, and continued his lunch.

He figured it was probably just some arguments and high school drama.

I watched from the cafeteria window as the two seniors disappeared around the side of the old gym.

Neither of them looked back.

Good.

That meant they understood.

A smile tugged at my lips.

One of my friends slid into the seat beside me.

"So... when does the show start?"

I stirred my drink casually.

"They'll text me."

"What if she refuses to go with them?"

I shrugged.

"Maria never refuses anyone."

"She'll apologize first."

"Then she'll follow."

The table erupted in laughter.

It wasn't funny.

It was predictable.

That's who Maria was.

Always trying to avoid making people angry.

Always believing the best in everyone.

It made her easy to manipulate.

Another friend leaned closer.

"You're sure Damien won't interfere again?"

I hesitated for the first time.

Damien...

He'd surprised everyone yesterday.

Including me.

I glanced toward the Alpha brothers' table.

Damien was eating quietly, listening to whatever Draven was saying.

He didn't even glance toward the windows.

Good.

Maybe yesterday had simply been a one-time thing.

Maybe I'd worried for nothing.

"He won't," I answered confidently.

"He has better things to do."

Across the cafeteria, Maria quietly returned her lunch tray.

She looked around as if searching for the quickest path back to the classroom.

She always avoided crowded hallways.

That was exactly why I'd chosen today.

The path behind the old gym was almost always empty during lunch.

No teachers.

No prefects.

Just silence.

Perfect for an embarrassing surprise.

A vibration buzzed in my hand.

She's heading your way.

I smiled as I locked my phone.

"Looks like it's starting."

My friends immediately stood, pretending to head outside for fresh air.

Not to help.

To watch.

Because spectators always made humiliation worse.

As we stepped into the courtyard, students were already gathering in small groups, enjoying the warm afternoon.

None of them knew something was about to happen.

None of them realized that, within minutes, the academy's gossip pages would explode with another story about Maria.

Exactly as I planned.

I leaned against a stone pillar, my eyes fixed on the path leading toward the abandoned greenhouse.

"Don't disappoint me," I whispered under my breath.

For a brief moment, an uneasy feeling settled in my chest.

Not guilt.

Something else.

A strange sense that the day wasn't going to unfold the way I'd imagined.

I pushed the thought aside.

Maria had never been lucky.

Not once.

Why would today be any different?

Far beyond Catherine's sight, Maria walked alone with her books hugged tightly against her chest.

She didn't notice the two seniors falling into step several paces behind her.

She didn't notice the camera already recording.

And she certainly didn't notice the pair of golden eyes watching from the shadows of the old oak trees—eyes that did not belong to any student in the academy.

Someone else had been watching Maria for much longer than Catherine realized.

Someone who had no intention of letting history repeat itself.The minutes crawled by.

I hated waiting.

Every few seconds, my eyes drifted toward my phone, expecting another message. Around me, the cafeteria buzzed with laughter and conversation, but I barely heard any of it.

I was too busy imagining what would happen next.

By the end of lunch, everyone in the academy would have something new to gossip about.

No one would be talking about Damien defending Maria anymore.

No one would be wondering why the future Alpha had stepped in.

They would only remember the latest humiliation.

One of my friends nudged my shoulder.

"You've been staring at your phone for five minutes."

"I know."

"You're nervous."

I scoffed.

"Nervous? Please."

She smiled knowingly. "Then why do you keep checking the time?"

I didn't answer.

Instead, I looked across the cafeteria again.

Damien and Draven were still sitting together.

Draven laughed at something one of the other boys said, looking completely relaxed.

Damien, on the other hand, seemed distracted.

His gaze wandered around the room more than once, as though he was searching for someone.

For a brief moment, his eyes settled on the empty seat Maria usually occupied.

My stomach tightened.

Had he noticed she was gone?

No.

Plenty of students skipped lunch or ate elsewhere.

He couldn't possibly suspect anything.

I forced myself to relax.

Everything was under control.

It had to be.

Another vibration came from my phone.

She's almost there.

A slow smile spread across my face.

"What's so funny?" one of the girls asked.

"Oh, nothing," I replied lightly. "I just think today is going to be... memorable."

The girls exchanged excited glances.

They loved drama.

None of them asked any more questions.

Outside the cafeteria windows, students crossed the courtyard in every direction, completely unaware that a rumor was about to be replaced by a spectacle.

I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms.

"After today," I murmured under my breath, "everyone will remember exactly who Maria is."

Yet even as I said the words, I couldn't ignore the strange feeling settling deep inside me.

It wasn't regret.

It wasn't guilt.

It felt more like standing at the edge of a cliff, knowing one small step could change everything.

I told myself I was imagining it.

Maria had always been the weak one.

She would survive another embarrassing day, just as she always had.

What I didn't know was that this wasn't going to be another ordinary day.

By sunset, secrets buried for years would begin to surface.

And the first crack in the perfect life I'd built for myself would finally appear.