chapter 4

Chapter 4

Soraya

  

I don't get it, Soraya. I can feel it. They're our mates….. something does feel off, but the bond really is there. 

  

Maya's internal voice was a mix of confusion and terrifying excitement, a dissonance that made my head spin. How could she even consider this a good thing?

  

"Shut up," I snapped at her internally. "I don't fucking care. He’s a jerk. They’re all jerks."

  

But I couldn't ignore the paper he’d teased me with. If the handwriting wasn't mine, and it wasn't a student’s, whose was it? 

  

I spent the rest of the evening in a daze, waiting for the clock to hit midnight. The triplets had claimed me as their fucking property, which meant the guards didn't look twice when I moved around the halls, probably assuming I was on some late-night errand for the "princes."

  

The Headmaster’s office was located in the highest tower of the castle. 

  

It was a long, exhausting climb, and my heart was thudding against my ribs like a trapped bird. I used a thin piece of wire I’d swiped from the training grounds to jiggle the lock. 

  

It was a trick my brother had taught me back when we used to sneak into the pack’s archives for fun. 

  

The door clicked open with a soft thud. 

  

The office gave off the occupied-by-the-rich vibe. I didn't turn on the lights. Instead, I used the small flashlight I’d managed to hide in my boot. I bypassed the main desk and went straight for the "Restricted" filing cabinet in the corner. If there was a conspiracy, the Headmaster was definitely in on it.

  

I flipped through files on "Rogue Sightings" and "Tuition Delinquencies" until I found a folder with a familiar crest. The Thorne family crest. My crest.

  

My fingers shook as I opened it. Inside were transcripts of bank transfers and encrypted messages. My eyes scanned the lines, and the air left my lungs. 

  

"Transaction complete," one message read. "The girl will be the scapegoat. The Luna’s removal ensures the Beta’s promotion to acting Alpha during the recovery period."

  

The signature at the bottom a digital thumbprint. My father’s.

  

My world didn't just crack; it shattered into a million jagged pieces. He hadn't just stood by while they stripped my rank. He had planned it. 

  

He’d poisoned the Luna and used his own daughter as the sacrificial lamb just to get a taste of power. I felt a sob rise in my throat. My vision suddenly got blurry as I tried fighting back the tears. 

  

"Found what you were looking for?"

  

The lights overhead flickered on, blinding me. I squinted, dropping the file as three shadows stretched across the floor. 

  

Lucius, Silas, and Jax were standing by the door. Lucius had his arms crossed, looking bored. Jax was leaning against the doorframe with that same annoying smirk. But Silas... Silas was watching me with an intensity that made me feel like he could see the shattered pieces of my heart.

  

"I... I can explain," I stammered, backing away from the cabinet.

  

"Relax, Princess," Jax said, stepping into the room. "We already told you we knew you were innocent. Did you think we were just sitting around doing nothing?"

  

"You knew it was my father?" I whispered, my voice breaking.

  

Silas walked toward me, picking up the fallen file. "We suspected. Your father has been making moves across several packs for months. He’s not working alone, though. This goes deeper than just the Crimson Moon pack."

  

"Then why didn't you tell me?" I yelled, the grief turning into anger. "Why did you let me sit in that basement? Why did you make me wash your boots and kiss me and treat me like a toy?"

  

"Because if you knew, you would have acted," Lucius said, his voice cold. "And if you acted, they would have killed you before we could use you to get to the source."

  

"Use me?" I laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "Right. Because that’s all I am to you guys."

  

Silas stepped into my personal space, his hand coming up to cup my jaw. "You're more than that. We told you, Soraya. You belong to us. And we protect what’s ours."

  

I wanted to spit in his face, but before I could open my mouth, a deafening wail tore through the air. 

  

The Academy alarms.

  

We all froze. The sirens were followed by a series of muffled explosions that shook the very floor beneath our feet. I ran to the window, looking down at the courtyard. 

  

The Omega dorms were engulfed in flames. Thick, black smoke was billowing into the moonlight, and I could hear the distant screams of students waking up in a panic.

  

"Oh no," I breathed, my face going pale. "Mina."

  

Mina was the only other Omega who had been kind to me. She was a small, shy girl who had shared her bread with me when I was too tired to eat. She lived on the top floor.

  

"Soraya, stay here," Lucius commanded, his Alpha aura flaring to life. "The guards will handle it."

  

"The guards don't care about Omegas!" I screamed, shoving past him. 

  

I didn't care about the files. I didn't care about the triplets or the fact that I'd just found out my own father bloody betrayed me. I just ran. I bolted down the stairs, my lungs burning, as the heat from the fire began to reach the main castle. 

  

As I burst out of the tower and into the courtyard, I saw the roof of the Omega dorm begin to cave in. 

  

"Mina!" I shrieked, sprinting toward the wall of fire.

  

Behind me, I heard the heavy footsteps of the triplets, but I didn't look back. 

  

All I could think about was the girl trapped in the smoke, and the terrifying realization that this fire wasn't an accident. It was a fucking cleanup.