Semua Bab The Alpha Heiress in Disguise: Bab 41 - Bab 50

Before Hezekiah sat beside her, ignoring everyone else had been easy.Now it was impossible.The moment he took the seat next to her, the entire cafeteria seemed to develop a single point of interest.Her.Or rather…The fact that he had chosen to sit beside her.Whispers drifted from every corner of the Boneyard.Students kept stealing glances, only to hurriedly look away whenever she caught them. Others weren’t nearly as subtle.They stared.Daniela tried to focus on her food, but it became harder with every passing minute.Hezekiah hadn’t spoken since sitting down.He hadn’t touched her.He hadn’t even looked at her.Yet his presence settled over the table like a storm cloud.Heavy.Impossible to ignore.She looked across at Liam.He was eating normally, but every now and then his eyes wandered between her and Hezekiah, as though trying to solve a puzzle that refused to fit together.Eventually, lunch came to an end.Daniela stood.Liam rose with her.Almost at the exact same momen

Warmth.That was the first thing Daniela became aware of.Not the ache pounding behind her eyes.Not the dull sting running through her arms where the silver chains had bitten into her skin.Only warmth.It surrounded her completely, steady and solid, refusing to let the chill of the marble beneath her reach any farther.Her lashes fluttered open.At first, everything was a blur. The ceiling stretched impossibly high above her, disappearing into darkness before her vision gradually sharpened.She blinked slowly.The room came into focus.Fragments of shattered mirrors glittered across the floor like scattered ice, catching the torchlight in a thousand fractured reflections.Her breathing caught.The mirrors.The voices.The wedding dress soaked in blood.The wolf standing over countless bodies.The reflection that had torn the pendant from her neck.Every horrifying image rushed back at once.Her body stiffened.Only then did she realize she wasn’t lying on the floor.One arm supporte

Ashwood Retreat was nothing like Daniela had imagined.When Liam had told her it was the closest thing Westmoor had to a normal school event, she hadn’t believed him.After everything she’d seen since arriving at the academy, “normal” wasn’t a word she associated with this place.Yet here she was.Standing beneath a sky washed in silver moonlight, she watched students laugh around crackling bonfires as if they weren’t the heirs of ancient bloodlines raised to become predators.The retreat was held deep within the Ashwood Grove, tucked among towering trees that gave the gathering its name. Even this far into the forest, they were still safely within the academy grounds, though it hardly felt like school anymore.Lanterns hung from low branches, casting warm pools of light across the clearing.Someone had built several fire pits.The scent of roasted meat drifted lazily through the cool night air.Music floated from somewhere deeper in the crowd.For once…Westmoor felt alive.Not in th

“Time.”Floyd immediately smiled again.“I’d almost forgotten how much I enjoy talking.”Daniela clicked her tongue.“What a shame.”“My turn.”She turned toward Johnny.“Truth or Dare?”“Truth.”She studied him for a moment.Then asked quietly,“If you stripped away your family name…”“…your bloodline…”“…everything people expect you to be…”“Who would you become?”The question lingered in the air.Even Floyd glanced sideways.Johnny didn’t answer immediately.His eyes rested on the fire.When he finally spoke…His voice was as calm as ever.“I’d become someone no one’s ever met.”He watched the flames dance.“A man who walks where names no longer matter.”A faint smile touched his lips.“You’d be surprised how free people become…”“…once no one knows who they’re are.”Daniela blinked.She hadn’t expected that answer.Neither had Floyd.For the first time that evening…His smile faltered.Only slightly.Yet Daniela noticed.Interesting.They had grown up together.Even Floyd hadn’t s

She was certain none of their truths could rival hers.Almost unconsciously, her fingers found the pendant resting against her chest.She rubbed it gently between her thumb and forefinger.Liam noticed.So did Floyd.Johnny never answered.Instead, he reached for another card.His jaw remained tight as he read aloud.“Ask the person sitting opposite you to seduce the last person who spoke to you. If the seducer fails to get a reaction, they’ll answer the question instead. If they succeed, the other person must kiss them on the cheek and whisper ‘thank you’ in their ear.”Daniela’s stomach dropped.Slowly, she looked across the circle.Straight at Nico.How…How had this become her problem?“What the absolute fuck?”Liam was already on his feet, snatching the deck off the ground.“I’m throwing these damn things into the fire.”“No, you won’t,” Johnny said evenly.Daniela glanced toward Floyd.Normally, this was the moment he’d smugly remind everyone that rules were rules.Instead, he r