Chapter 5

Liora

The words were still hanging in the air.

The training field had gone quiet, eerily quiet. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, waiting to see if I would break.

Behind me, I could hear whispers rising, soft, sharp-edged things.

“Wait... did he say what I think he said? Severed a bond? Like…mates?”

“They’re mates? Her?”

“The alpha heir and a wolfless?”

Jessica’s voice cut through the murmurs like a blade, triumphant and sneering. “What?! No way! Liora doesn’t deserve him! Doesn’t she know Callum and Princess Bianca are meant to be together?”

But before I could say anything I felt it; a pause, a delay.

The rejection… hadn’t gone through. I still felt the tether, frayed but intact.

Maybe I know the real reason behind this—because when he rejected me, he didn’t use my real name.

My real name carries the royal family’s surname. A rejection without using the true name isn't valid.

Clearly, Callum had thought of this as well. He looked a little surprised.

We locked eyes. His eyes narrowed, like I was an inconvenience he’d nearly discarded.

My teeth clenched, anger was the only thing I could feel.

“Do you love her?” I asked, voice low but clear. “Or are you just rejecting the mate the Moon Goddess gave you because she isn’t wearing a title?”

His jaw tightened. “That’s not something you should know.”

Before I could speak again, she appeared.

Bianca.

She walked with the grace of someone who thought she owned every step. And then—she kissed him.

On the cheek.

My lip twitched.

“Isn’t that the answer to your question?” she said, her voice as sweet as rot. “Don’t you get it yet?”

Jessica laughed, full and cruel. “Poor little wolfless. Guess you’re not so special after all.”

The ache in my chest twisted, sharpened by the sound of it. I didn’t look away. I wouldn’t give them that.

Mia edged closer to me. I could feel her trying to shrink in the face of all that attention on me, but she didn’t run. She stood there, quiet, until the silence started to thicken around us.

“I think you’re both being awful,” she said, barely above a whisper.

Why was she sticking up for me?

Mia whispered tremulously, "…I, I, Liora, maybe you don't feel the same, but for the first time, someone is talking to me and eating with me…"

"I wish I could protect you… and be your friend…"

Jessica whipped around, her eyes sharp. “Excuse me?”

Mia flinched but didn’t back down. “You don’t get to treat people like this just because they’re different.”

Jessica’s expression turned vicious. “You really think someone like you gets to talk to us? You’re disgusting, a fake. Always dressed so conservatively, but everyone knows that for a few bucks, you put out to anyone. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s not true!” Mia whimpered.

Bianca narrowed her eyes at Mia, and something flickered behind her painted smile. Calculation.

“I suppose,” she said lightly, all faux grace, “there’s one fair way to handle this. A duel.”

She turned toward the crowd. “If Mia wins, she stays. If she loses... well. Maybe another school would suit her better.”

Then she smiled. “And who better to face her than the princess herself—me. Naturally. All in the name of keeping the peace, of course.”

I could feel Mia shrink beside me. Her pulse was racing. Her hands shook.

...Friend.

She was the first person who wanted to be my friend.

Not a princess.

Just me.

“No,” I said, stepping in front of her. “She’s not fighting you.”

“You?” Bianca blinked, mock surprise flashing across her face. Her voice lilted upward like I’d told a joke. “You’re going to fight me?”

I raised my chin. “I am.”

Jessica’s laugh turned into a delighted squeal. “This is going to be good!!”

Bianca stretched her fingers, slow and dramatic, the air shimmering faintly as her claws extended. She smiled like this was a game she had already won.

“Fine,” she said, tilting her head. “I’ll go easy on you.”

Then she lunged.

She was fast. I was faster.

“You won’t need to.” I said.

Before her claws could even fully form, I moved. I stepped into her guard, pivoted on the balls of my feet, and brought my hand up in one fluid motion. The sound cracked through the arena like a whip.

Her head snapped sideways. She staggered back, hand flying to her cheek, eyes wide with disbelief.

“You dare—!” she shrieked, voice warping with rage.

She charged again, wild this time. Less technique, more temper.

Bianca’s foot lashed out. I caught her ankle mid-air and twisted, sending her stumbling. She caught herself with a furious growl, hair spilling from its perfect waves.

She crashed to the ground, breath leaving her lungs in a startled gasp.

The crowd was silent now.

I didn’t move. I didn’t smirk. I just stood there, steady and unbothered, watching her try to scramble back to her feet.

Hatred twisted Bianca's face, and she raised her hand to strike me. I gently dodged, but the necklace around my neck made a noise—

...My charm.

It hit the ground with a soft metallic clink, barely audible.

The moment it touched the dirt, the air shifted. My aura—sealed for so long—rushed outward like a broken dam. It rolled over the arena in a wave. Commanding. Pure alpha.

Gasps rang out like falling dominoes.

“Oh my...What's this?!"

“She...That wolfless?!"

Bianca froze mid-step. Everyone looked like forgetting how to blink.

I didn’t look at them. I looked at him. Would he sense the truth?

Callum— My mate's eyes locked onto mine, wide with something that wasn’t quite disbelief and not yet understanding. “You...?!”

Someone’s mumbled voice said what everyone was thinking.

“Why… does she look like a female alpha?”