Chapter 4.

Declan’s POV

You all are probably going to hate me after this.

Honestly, I would hate myself too.

Because what I am about to tell you isn’t the kind of thing you can just brush off. It’s the sort of thing that stays with you, the kind of betrayal that brands your soul forever.

I did not fall for Amira Dawson by accident.

I was supposed to destroy her.

Brianna’s idea, of course. She came to me two months ago, leaning in with that wicked smile of hers, platinum blonde curls and a proposition that sounded ridiculous at first…

"Make her fall for you. Make her think she matters. Then take it away in front of everyone."

I remember laughing, asking her why the hell she even cared about an Omega nobody. I asked her if it was because of the little embarrassment Amira gave her earlier that day. She did not answer that partjust promised me something I couldn’t ignore: a word with her father.

Brianna’s father, Victor Lowell, isn’t just anyone. He sits on the Montgomery Council, one of the top five wolves who pull the strings in this city. I have been trying to get him to back my application for the Alpha Training Initiative for two years, so I could at least make my father proud of me for once.

So I said yes.

The plan was simple: charm Amira, earn her trust, make her think I was different from the others. Then crush her in the most humiliating way possible.

Easy.

Or at least, it should have been.

***

The problem started the first time I really talked to her alone. She wasn’t anything like the fragile, pitiful Omega Brianna described or that I imagined she would be. Yeah, she kept her head down, but she had this sharp wit that slipped out when she forgot to be afraid. And her laugh, God, her laugh, sounded like she didn’t use it enough, which only made me want to hear it again.

I kept telling myself it was just part of the act. That the way her green eyes lit up when she solved a calculus problem faster than me did not matter. That the warmth in her voice when she said my name wasn’t getting under my skin.

But it did.

And then… that day at my house.

I didn’t mean for it to happen. Not like that.

When I asked her to come over, I told myself it was just another step in the plan. My parents were out for the week, it was the perfect setup. Make her feel comfortable. Get closer.

But the closer she got, the more the plan started to feel like poison. She sat there at my desk, patiently explaining derivatives while I pretended to care and ask questions, all the while wondering what it would feel like to touch her cheek, to kiss her for real.

When it finally happened, I hesitated, because I knew the second I crossed that line, I could not go back.

But she kissed me back. Hesitant at first, then with this shy hunger that made my chest ache. She trusted me. Completely.

And when I took her to my bed, it wasn’t about Brianna’s plan anymore. It wasn’t about politics or power. It was about her, the chubby, ginger-haired Omega that the whole damn school called names. The girl who looked at me like I was worth something more than my last football score.

I took her virginity that night. Not because of the plan, but because I wanted her to be mine.

And the second it was over, I felt the guilt sink in.

**”

I told myself I would back out. That I would tell Brianna I could not do it. That I didn’t care about her father’s stupid political favor anymore.

But then Brianna cornered me at lunch two days later, her voice sugar-sweet but her eyes like glass knives. “You are not chickening out, are you, Declan? My dad’s expecting your name on that list.”

And I caved.

Because I am weak like that, I can do anything to please my Dad and get in his good books.

***

Six days after Amira and I had made passionate love I finally decided to fulfill my own part of the deal. The cafeteria was buzzing. Brianna had gathered enough people to make sure no one missed it. I walked in with Amira, my arm around her shoulders, her smile easy and unguarded.

And then I stepped away from her. Just like that.

“Sorry, Amira,” I said loudly enough for the crowd. “This was fun, but… you didn’t really think I was serious, did you? You have just been shamelessly forcing yourself on me and it's exhausting.”

Gasps. Laughter. And Brianna’s smile slicing the air like a blade.

I saw the hurt in Amira’s eyes before she hid it, saw her mouth press into a tight line as the whispers began. I wanted to take it back right there, to tell them all to go to hell. But I didn’t. I stood there and let Brianna hook her arm through mine, let her call Amira Omega Bastard to my face while everyone else laughed and made mocking sounds.

Amira stood there, frozen, her vision blurring as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Shame burned through me, curling in my stomach like a fist I couldn’t unclench. My chest ached, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her. When our eyes met, it felt like the ground shifted beneath me, because there it was, clear as day, disappointment etched into every line of her face.

Wendy and Riley pulled her hair as they giggled. God! My heart was shattered to tiny bits. And just when I thought we had done the worst, things got worse.

I didn’t say a word. I just stood there… watching, my expression unreadable.

I wanted to scream at Wendy and Riley to let go, to stop humiliating her, but my voice refused to obey me. My wolf paced inside me, restless, growling at my cowardice. I hated myself in that moment, not for what they were doing, but for what I was allowing to happen.

Amira didn’t fight back. She just took it like she had been taking blows her entire life. And when her eyes locked on mine again… it was like she was silently asking me, Are you proud of this?

Principal Rakes stepped into the hallway with a security guard holding sheets of A4 papers. Apparently, a good student had tipped them off about the upcoming exams papers hidden in Amira's locker.

Principal Rakes announced that she was suspended and there was room for even an expulsion.

I turned and looked at Brianna immediately, because I knew she definitely had a hand in that. She smiled mischievously, then walked forward to Amira and whispered “Nobody embarrasses me and goes scot free.”

And I just watched her run out of the school with her head down in shame, my heart couldn't hold it again, so I ran after her like my heart beat depended on it.