For a moment, all I could do was stare at him, my heart still hammering in my chest. His words echoed in my head, wrapping around me like a noose, suffocating and absolute.
But then, something inside me snapped.
I forced my hands to steady and lifted my chin, my voice finally pushing past the suffocating weight of his presence.
"If you really know so much about me, Kieran," I said, my voice raw but steady, "then you should know, I am no stranger to death."
His golden eyes flickered with something unreadable, but I didn't give him a chance to interrupt.
"I have seen death take away the people I cared for the most," I continued, my voice gaining strength. "I have watched it rip through my pack, through my family, through every damn thing that made me human." My fingers curled into fists. "I have smelled it thick in the air, tasted it on my tongue, felt it breathing down my neck every single day back in that wretched excuse of a pack."
I took a step forward, closing the distance he had once imposed.
"I have been beaten, torn apart, left bleeding in the dirt more times than I can count. I have laid on the ground with broken bones, waiting for death to come for me, begging for it to just take me and end it all." My breath was heavy now, my pulse hammering in my ears. "But even then, I didn't die."
Silence hung thick between us.
His gaze was unwavering, piercing, but I didn't back down.
"And now?" I took another step, the fire burning through my veins now stronger than the fear in my chest. "Now, I am finally ready to die. But if I do, I will not do it cowering in some corner like a coward." My eyes locked onto his. "I will go out on my feet, fighting, not crawling at someone's mercy."
For the first time since stepping into this room, Kieran didn't answer right away.
Then he exhaled sharply, amusement flickering in his gaze. "So then tell me, Lorraine," he murmured, voice edged with mockery. "Why are you here now, cowering in this room to hide from the Ashthornes like a coward?"
My mouth opened. Then closed.
I stammered, searching for words, but none came.
Kieran almost chuckled. "Exactly."
His voice was like silk laced with daggers. "Your arrogance amazes me, you know that?" He tilted his head slightly, golden eyes glinting. "I've never met someone as weak and yet as arrogant as you."
I clenched my jaw. "I'm not arrogant—"
"Then prove it," he cut in smoothly. His lips curled into a smirk, but there was something dark lurking beneath it. "I'd love to see you survive this week, Lorraine. Because if you keep this up, I doubt you will."
His words wrapped around me like a slow-burning fire, scorching yet cold at the same time.
Kieran stepped aside, moving toward his desk as if he had already lost interest. "Since you claim to not be afraid," he said lazily, "then run along."
His gaze flicked to the door.
"Leave."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. His words burned, but not in the way an insult normally would. It wasn't just his condescension or the mocking amusement in his tone, it was the weight behind them, the quiet, undeniable certainty in his voice.
He meant it.
Kieran Valerius Hunter had already decided my fate.
I forced my legs to move, to step toward the door. My ribs ached from yesterday's beating, but I ignored the pain, straightening my spine. I would not let him see me hesitate.
I reached for the handle.
His voice stopped me.
"Are you always this reckless, or is it just a feral thing?"
I turned my head slightly, just enough to see him leaning against his desk, arms crossed. He wasn't even looking at me anymore, his attention focused on the book in his hand, flipping a page lazily.
Something inside me twisted.
I should leave. I should leave.
But the way he said it, so casually, like I was nothing but a passing inconvenience, lit a fire in me.
"You seem very invested in my survival, Your Highness," I said before I could stop myself. My voice was even, but my pulse was erratic, slamming against my ribs. "I wonder why."
Kieran looked up from his book.
And I immediately regretted my words.
His golden eyes pinned me in place, their sharpness more cutting than anything I had faced today. The air in the room shifted, heavier, pressing into my skin like invisible claws.
Then, he smirked.
A slow, deliberate thing that made my stomach tighten.
"I'm not," he said simply.
It took me a second to realize what he meant.
I blinked. "What?"
He closed the book, leaning forward
"I'm not invested in your survival," he repeated, voice lower now. "If anything, I'm just curious how long it'll take before you finally break."
His words hit me like a blow to the gut.
I clenched my fists, hating the way my throat tightened. "Then you'll be waiting a long time."
Kieran tilted his head slightly, watching me. Then, without another word, he turned back to his book.
Dismissed.
My fingers curled around the door handle, my jaw tight. I hated this. I hated the way he could turn me into nothing but a footnote in his day, the way he looked at me like I was already a corpse walking.
I hated that some part of me feared he was right.
Taking a steady breath, I turned the handle and stepped out.
And the moment the door shut behind me, I ran.
I ran through the hallway, my heart pounding, my breath coming in short gasps. I kept glancing over my shoulder, my pulse spiking at every shadow that flickered in the dimly lit corridor. The Ashthornes were relentless, I knew they wouldn't stop until they caught me. I had to stay ahead.
But in my frantic rush, I wasn't paying attention to what was in front of me.
I collided into someone hard, the impact nearly knocking me off my feet. A hand shot out, gripping my wrist to steady me. My breath hitched. I looked up, dread sinking into my bones.
Astrid Voss.
She stood tall, her presence suffocating. Her piercing eyes locked onto mine, sharp as a dagger. She wore a crimson suit, the tailored fabric pristine and unwrinkled, as if not a single thing in this world dared to disturb her. Her silver blonde hair was sleekly pulled back into a high ponytail, not a strand out of place. She exuded an air of power, the kind that demanded obedience without words.
I swallowed hard.
"What," Astrid said, her voice as cold as steel, "are you doing wandering the hallways during class?"
Her gaze burned into me like a silent accusation.
I opened my mouth but hesitated. My mind raced, searching for an excuse, no, an explanation. But then, what was the point? I had nothing to hide.
"The Ashthornes," I finally said, my voice slightly hoarse. "They were chasing me. They wanted to kill me."
Astrid raised an unimpressed brow. "And?"
I blinked. "What do you mean, 'and'?"
"I mean," she said slowly, as if speaking to a particularly dim child, "how is that an excuse for you to be out of class?"
I stared at her, waiting for any sign of concerrn, a flicker of acknowledgment that my life was in actual danger. But she simply crossed her arms, tapping her manicured fingers against the fabric of her suit.
She didn't care.
She truly, genuinely, didn't care.
I clenched my fists, struggling to contain the frustration boiling beneath my skin.
Before I could come up with a response, hurried footsteps echoed down the hall.
"Lorraine!"
I turned to see Adrian Vale jogging toward us, slightly out of breath. His blonde hair was a little disheveled, and his blue eyes flickered with relief when he saw me.
"There you are," he said between breaths. "I've been looking everywhere forfor you."
Astrid's gaze shifted between us, her expression unreadable.
"What it looks like to me," she said coolly, "is that you two were skipping class together."
I stiffened. "That's not what—"
"Since you both seem to enjoy each other's company so much," she cut me off, "you'll be spending plenty of time together."
A slow smirk tugged at her lips.
"Cleaning duty. Every single day after classes for the rest of the week. The school auditorium and the toilets."
I gaped at her.
Adrian let out a small, incredulous laugh. "You can't be serious."
Astrid tilted her head, her smirk widening. "Oh, I am."
I gritted my teeth. This was ridiculous. All because I was trying not to get murdered?
"If you miss a single day," Astrid continued, "the punishment will be worse. Much worse."
Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and walked off, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
I exhaled sharply, my fingers twitching with the urge to punch something.
Adrian groaned. "Well, congratulations, Lorraine. You've officially ruined my week."