Chapter 5.

Amira’s POV

I did not remember leaving the school gates.

One second I was standing in the hallway, staring at the shredded remains of my pride, and the next, I was running, my bag pack banging against my back, my vision blurred by hot, stinging tears.

My mother’s voice echoed in my head.

"Be careful of the purebloods, Amira. They don’t play fair, and they don’t forgive mistakes."

Her warning wrapped around my throat like a noose. How would I face her now? How would I tell her I had been stupid enough to believe that Brianna wanted to be my friend… that Declan wanted to be my boyfriend?

That I had lost everything, my dignity, my scholarship, my place in the Elite school that had really wanted me.

The lonely road to Wolfe Square stretched ahead of me, empty and endless, the late afternoon sun bleeding into a sky too beautiful for the way my heart felt. My breaths came in short, ragged bursts, and my legs carried me forward only because stopping meant collapsing.

When the cracked wooden fence came into view, I let myself lean against it, the splintered wood biting into my palms. My knees trembled. My hands shook.

And then the sobs came.

Ugly, raw, gasping sobs that tore their way out of me until my ribs ached and my throat burned. My face was wet, though I couldn’t tell if it was from tears or the wind.

I didn’t even know I wasn’t alone until the soft crunch of gravel underfoot broke through the sound of my crying.

I looked up.

Declan. Bloody, backstabbing Declan.

He stood a few feet away, hair disheveled from the wind, green eyes shadowed with something unreadable.

“What do you want?” My voice was hoarse, rough-edged from crying.

He stepped closer, slowly, like I was some fragile creature that might bolt or shatter if he moved too quickly. “Amira… I am sorry.”

A bitter laugh ripped out of me. “Sorry? For which part? Sleeping with me like it was some twisted game? Watching while they tore me apart? Or letting me lose everything I worked for?”

His jaw tightened, but he did not argue. Did not deny it. He just came closer, the faint, warm scent of his wolf surrounding me. It brushed against my skin like the ghost of something I had once craved but now hated myself for wanting it.

“I did not mean for it to go this far,” he said quietly. “I swear I didn’t. I…”

I shook my head, ready to push him away… but then he leaned in and kissed me passionately, for a split second I was almost decided into believing him again.

The kiss was not gentle, desperate. Like he was trying to erase the last hour, trying to convince himself and me that something between us had been real.

My hands trembled against his chest before I pushed him back.

“Lesve… Leave me alone…” I screamed.

His eyes searched mine like he wanted to say more, but instead, he stepped back in shame, running a hand through his hair. “I will fix this. I promise, by my wolf that I will.” he said, before turning and walking away down the road.

For a few seconds, I just stood there, breathing hard and thinking of how I would break the news to my mother when I got home.

That is when I saw her.

Brianna stepped out from the shadow of a brick wall, her arms folded, her eyes glinting with that familiar cruel amusement. “How sweet Ginger.” she drawled. “The poor little Omega still thinks the prince wants her.”

“Go away, Brianna.”

“Not until I finish what I started. So you are not just a worthless ginger omega, you are also a loose whore.”

I swallowed her hurtful words , then spoke out of pain. “You played me Brianna. You teamed up with Declan to deceive me. As if that was not enough, you set me up with the exam papers. I know it was you.”

“Well, well, well… look who finally decided to grow a brain cell.” Her lips curled into a mocking smile. “You are nothing but a filthy rag, and it amazes me that you ever thought a dashing young wolf like Declan, or an elegant Lunar like me would stoop so low as to associate with you.”

She stepped closer, her perfume sharp and suffocating. “You never belonged in MMH, and I’m glad I’ve finally kicked your unworthy self out.”

“One day, you will pay for all your bad deeds,” I shot back, my voice trembling but fierce.

“Shut up, Ginger Dawson.”

Her words sliced through the air like a blade.

Before I could breathe, her hands slammed against my shoulders, shoving me backward.

“Stop it, Brianna!” I yelled, my voice shaking more with anger than fear.

Her lip curled into a sneer. “You wolfless Omega. All words, no power.”

The fire in her eyes made my stomach knot. She stepped closer, too close and this time, when she shoved me, I stumbled off the sidewalk and onto the edge of the road.

“Brianna, don’t…”

She didn’t listen. With a sharp, vicious push, she sent me flying toward the center of the lane.

A scream ripped from my throat, cut short by the deafening screech of tires.

Pain exploded through my side and across my face as something heavy and fast slammed into me. The impact stole the air from my lungs. The world spun violently, and a high-pitched ringing filled my ears until I could hear only faintly.

Somewhere in that chaos, a voice broke through, faint, desperate.

“Amira!”

Declan.

His footsteps pounded against the road, closing in fast. He must have heard the screech and ran back to Wolfe Square.

“She jumped!” Brianna’s voice rang out, dripping with mock horror. “She was so sad she just… stepped in front of the car!”

Another sound, Declan’s scream, raw and helpless cut through the ringing.

The cold from the pavement seeped into my back, my fingers, my bones. My vision swam at the edges. Shapes blurred.

And then… everything began to fade.

Through the haze, I heard their footsteps racing away as the car that hit me screech to a halt further down the road. Then… it came back.

Slow.

Deliberate.

And as my consciousness slipped away, I saw a shadow step out of the driver’s seat.

The last thing I heard was a voice I didn’t recognize saying, “Let’s get her in the car, now.”