"Yeah, she's the girl from his old neighborhood, right?" another girl replied. "I heard she's not even that pretty, and she's so awkward. I can't believe he brought her to the Snowflake Ball.""Ugh, I know! It's like he could have any girl he wants, and he chooses her. What was he thinking?" a third girl chimed in, sounding disdainful.My heart sank as I listened to their conversation. It hurt to hear such cruel remarks about me, especially when I had just been experiencing such a wonderful night with Lucas."Did you see the way they were dancing?" one girl commented. "They looked pretty cozy.""They were a little too cozy for my liking," another girl said with a hint of repulsion in her voice. "I liked it better when Lucas was single.""But they're not dating, are they?"Oh no, not again with these rumors of Lucas and I."Who knows... It's obvious they like each other more than friends."I stilled at the girl's words. Did Lucas and I look like we were more than friends to other stude

As Lucas made his way to the stage, I watched him with admiration. A wall of nerves hit me as he took the stage, but it was short-lived. Once he approached the microphone, he looked completely confident.A hush fell over the crowd as everyone was suddenly eager to hear what the school's star athlete and son of a top billionaire Alpha had to say."Good evening, everyone," Lucas began, his voice projecting authority. "I'm sure most of you know that I'm the student body representative, and holding such a title requires me to make a speech for you tonight."My eyes turned to look at the dean who was standing off to the side of the stage. He was watching Lucas carefully, and I wondered if he thought Lucas would say something to get the school in further trouble.But I didn't think Lucas would say anything about the events from the past week since the situation with Jessica had already been handled."Tonight, I stand before you not just as an Alpha, but as someone who deeply cares about thi

My heart sank as I processed the shocking revelation.Lucas had a fiancée, and it seemed like he hadn't mentioned her to either James or me. The surprise on James's face mirrored my own.Shocked, confused, and a little bit angry."Hi, I'm James," he introduced himself, extending his hand to Victoria.It was so like James to still be kind to people even if he wasn't exactly in a good mood at the moment.But Lucas's fiancée barely glanced at him, her attention was solely fixed on Lucas. "What have you been up to? I haven't seen you at any of the Alpha parties or events."Lucas's smile was strained as he said, "I've been busy, Victoria."Victoria? So, that was her name...I tried to think if I'd ever heard her name before, but it didn't ring any bells.And she was also from an Alpha family. I wondered what school she went to."Is it because of hockey?" Victoria asked. "I'm sure it's difficult being in charge of an entire team of wolves."Her laugh was deep and sensual as she said, "Boys

Listening to Lucas's explanation, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. I had no idea what it was like to be in his shoes, and I could only imagine the intense pressure he felt every day having the Busch name attached to him."Would you really accept a marriage like that?" I asked him. "I mean, you still have free will. Your father can't control every single aspect of your life."Lucas fidgeted at my question, clearly not knowing how to answer it. I started to grow worried about his response.It looked as if he was having an internal battle with himself on what was right and what was wrong.I wondered if his behavior was a result of his father's commands and twisted parenting styles. Lucas always looked like he was double-checking to make sure that his actions aligned with what his father would want. He was afraid to fall out of line."Of course, I don't want to marry Victoria," Lucas admitted, half torn and half nervous to continue. "I'd have to be out of mind if I actually want

“Of course, I’m not jealous, don’t be ridiculous,” I said, trying to sound casual, but my own words felt off as soon as they left my lips. It felt like I was deceiving not only James but also myself.With a forced scoff, I attempted to hide my unease, pretending to be nonchalant as I stared at the dirt under my nails. "Besides, what would I have to be jealous of, right? I'm definitely not the jealous type."James gave me a small smile, tilting his head as he observed me. "You keep repeating that word, 'jealous.'"It was obvious that I wasn't convincing him. Hell, I wasn't even able to convince myself that I wasn't jealous.God. This was not good.Is that what this feeling is? Jealousy?Is that why I said something so harsh and cruel to Lucas? To hurt him back because I was... jealous?"No!" I blurted out loud, even though I meant to keep it to myself. My true emotions escaped my attempts to keep them hidden."No?" James asked. He was staring at me harder than he was a few seconds ago.