#CHAPTER 3: Defensive Play

ELIZABETH’S POV

So deathly, eerily silent, I feel a bead of sweat drip down the back of my neck.

Don’t tell me he heard Landon say that!

“Hello? Prin—?”

I immediately end the call with a swipe of my thumb.

I’m sorry, Landon, but I need you to shut up right now!

Before I can even begin to think about my next move, my back suddenly hits the wall. Alexander has me caged against the wall, trapped between his powerful arms.

“Who was that?” he demands.

I decide to feign ignorance. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play coy with me,” he snaps with a sharp glint in his cold eyes, leaning in ever so closer. “I heard someone call you ‘Princess.’”

I have no choice but to look at him. I can’t deny it—his face is one of the most handsome I’ve ever seen… but it’s also the face of someone who wants to use me for my title, because that’s all that the Princess is worth to him.

He sickens me.

I huff. “That was my cousin. He’s called me by that nickname ever since we were kids.”

Before I can gauge his reaction, I tear away from him. “So, excuse me, I’m—”

All of a sudden, he snatches my phone out of my hand, immediately pushing buttons to unlock everything he can.

My breath hitches. If he finds my messages with father or Landon, Iwill be caught!

“How dare you!” I yell, grabbing at his arms to no avail. “You have no right to look through my phone!”

“Good evening, dear students! This is Principal Evergrove—”

Upon hearing the broadcast, we both freeze.

“ —and, on behalf of our beloved faculty and eager upperclassmen, I  would like to extend the most heartfelt of welcomes to our newly enrolled students! Tonight is the last day of Orientation Week, so be sure to attend the welcoming party for all of our freshmen.”

Warily, I glance at Alexander out of the corner of my eye, and discover that his attention is no longer on me, as if he’s distracted by the broadcast.

Now’s my chance.

Quickly, I swipe my phone out of his loosened grasp and duck underneath his arm.

I run like my life depends on it, until everything fades into a blur around me. Before long, I’m in an entirely isolated part of the dormitory. I collapse against the wall to catch my breath before I pull out my phone once again.

This time, the line only rings twice before I get an answer.

“Princess! Are you okay?”

“I swear, Landon…” I mutter, wiping a shaky hand over my face like I’ve just run a marathon. “You answered the phone at the worst possible time…”

“Why, what happened? Alpha King assigned me to remotely assist you with all your needs. You can tell me.” he asks, sounding concerned.

I sigh. “Thanks. I’m… in a conundrum. I ran into the triplets much sooner than I anticipated, and somehow, they already have their sights set on me. Something’s off, and I need to talk with father about this.”

“… Don’t. He’s the one who told them.”

My heart drops. “He what?”

“He’s the one who alerted the triplets to your plan,” Landon repeats. “Your conditions were unreasonable, he said. Forcing them to fall in love with someone hidden in a sea of people in less than a year would not make a fair bet. If you want the deal to remain intact, you have to accept his stipulation.”

I bristle with angry disbelief.

I can’t believe he intends to change our deal after already agreeing to it!

“There’s got to be something I can do,” I try to reason. “I can’t stay in this dorm a minute longer when I have three beasts actively hunting me down. Is there a vacant room somewhere else…? Or maybe I can commute here from the palace?”

There is an awkward pause before Landon responds.

“I’m… afraid none of that will be possible.”

“Why?”

“All dormitories are at maximum capacity. And, in order to maintain its exemplary academic standing, Moonhaven strictly requires all students to live on campus.”

“So I'm trapped here,” I mutter.

“What I can do,” he continues, “is talking with Principal Evergrove about the situation. We can try to arrange it so that the triplets will no longer have exclusive access to that floor of the dormitory. That would allow new students, like you, to live alongside them without pushback.”

I nod. “Sounds good.Tonight is the freshmen welcoming party. I think these boys are far from done.”

“Then blend in,” Landon suggests. “Go to the party and show you’re an ordinary student by mingling with everyone there. Tonight, show them exactly who Lizzie is.”

When l reach the party, a loud burst of laughter catches my attention.

Following the sound, I find a group of students huddled near a grand mantelpiece. At the heart of the group, dressed in a bold red cocktail dress, is a girl with long dark hair. She giggles at something one of the other girls says.

Bianca, that’s the name written on her nametag, which also indicates she’s a senior student.

Smiling politely, I step forward. “Hey, l’m Lizzie. May I join you?”

All heads turn to face me, but no one says a word. I’m met with only dirty stares, until they all decide to vacate the area and move to a different part of the room.

I stand there, baffled. Did I do something wrong?

A girl wearing a dark green ruffle top and denim jeans settles beside me.

“They ignored you too, huh?” she asks.

I scoff lightly, nodding. “Are they doing that to everyone?”

The girl brushes her curly black hair behind her shoulder and exposing her nametag: Linda.

“Yeah,” she admits with an awkward laugh. “They don’t give anyone the time of day unless they’re Alpha or Beta.”

“Really? How can they tell?”

She pinches the fabric of her shirt. “They know just by looking at your clothes. Anything cheaper than what they wear, and they look down on you.”

I glance down at my simple attire.

“But,” she continues, “if you really want in with them, they’ll probably let you wait on them.”

I gape at her. “You mean like servants?”

Linda nods nonchalantly. “Yeah, it’s just the way it is. Omegas like me don’t really know anything better.”

My heart pangs for her.

Is this what Moonhaven has been allowing to happen all this time? Is all that talk about protecting students’ privacy just a show?

“That doesn’t mean it’s what you deserve.” I rest my hand against her arm, squeezing gently. “Your rank doesn’t define you… your character does. And it took me less than two minutes to learn that you have more heart and integrity in one finger than those bullies could ever hope to have.”

She smiles, bright and genuine. “Thank you. That’s really nice of you to say.”

“Did you all hear the news?” Bianca boasts across the room. “The mysterious Alpha Princess Elizabeth and the Ashford triplets are soon-to-be betrothed. She hid her identity, and they were going to find her.”

Despite everything, I find myself listening in on their gossip.

“Ugh, I’m so jealous!” one girl exclaims with a dramatic sigh. “Imagine getting to marry any one of the beautiful triplets.”

“I know!” another gasps. “Princess Elizabeth is so lucky. She has her pick of the litter of the hottest Alphas out of any pack in the entire kingdom.”

“I’d kill to marry into Ashford family!”

The crowd of girls erupts into squeals, and I can’t help but feel appalled.

How can everyone be so superficial? These girls are no better than the boys they fawn over. There’s more to happiness than endless money and power, and I could never subject myself to such a half-hearted life.

I clear my throat loudly. “I think Princess Elizabeth isn’t interested in marrying any of them.”

The group falls silent, and all eyes land on me.

“What?” Bianca questions with a dirty look.

A pair of dainty hands wrap around mine, trying to pull me aside. “Be careful with what you say, Lizzie,” Linda whispers, sounding worried. “No one has power like the triplets… except for the Royal Pack. Someone as important as the Princess can’t settle for second best.”

I frown. Does everyone truly believe I’d accept that fate so readily?

“What if she already has feelings for someone who isn’t even an Alpha?” I ask.

Bianca snorts. “Well, look who’s projecting their poor, hurt feelings. Do you honestly think Princess Elizabeth would ever stoop so low as to fall in love with a commoner like you? ”

Irritation bubbles beneath the surface of my skin, thick and hot like boiling magma.

Pulling away from Linda, I boldly approach Bianca and her friends.

“I’m not making anything up,” I snap. “The Princess might have a low-rank lover somewhere out there, and I’m willing to bet he’s a million times better than those three, pompous bastards who shamelessly measure women by their value.”

And then, a voice speaks up, cold and level.

“Is that so?”