When Slater said my name, all three boys turned and stared at me like I was a ghost materialised from their worst nightmares. The air in the room shifted, becoming thick with tension.
I knew that at some point, I’d need to face them. I had imagined this moment a hundred different ways. I hadn’t imagined it here, in this room, with the three of them staring at me like I was a ghost.
Isolde and I had planned for this eventual confrontation. But I didn’t expect to meet them so soon, and I certainly didn’t expect to be assigned to the same dorm room. The coincidence was too perfect; someone had orchestrated this reunion, and I had a sinking suspicion I knew who.
I felt Rhyme pulsing within me, my wolf recognising the three males who had once meant everything to us. But I couldn’t afford to let emotion cloud my judgment. Not now, not when everything Isolde and I had worked for was at stake.
I pushed down the feelings threatening to overwhelm me, took one last look at their faces—Slater’s shock, Rhett’s confusion, Kael’s growing recognition—and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Slater rushed after me, his hand shooting out to grab mine and pull me back into the room.
I swatted his hand away, rolling my eyes with disdain. "Do I know you?"
Slater stood there dumbfounded, his mouth opening and closing.
"Charis..." he stuttered. "Of course it’s you. It’s me, Slater."
He turned and pointed desperately at the other boys. "This is Rhett and Kael. We’re your mates and—"
"I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else," I said coldly. I could see the way my words affected him, but I forced myself to continue. "I don’t know you or the boys behind you."
"Don’t do this, Charis. Do you have any idea how long we’ve been searching for you? Please..."
I rolled my eyes again, shoving past the doorframe. "Save your delusions for someone else."
He grabbed my hands again. "Wait, please. Don’t walk away again."
I yanked my hand free this time around. "Don’t touch me."
Rhett, who has been watching the exchange quietly, suddenly smirked. "This is interesting. Slater, did you grab a random girl out of the hallway and call her your mate?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fire.net
"She’s not random," Slater shook his head. "Look at her!" he swung his arm toward me. "This is Charis. My Charis. And yours too. Ours."
Rhett’s brow arched. "Ours?"
Slater nodded. "Rhett, Kael. This is what Charis looked like before she became Eamon. This is who we’ve been searching for all these months. This is Charis, I promise you, guys. I would know."
Kael regarded me quietly before he turned to Slater. "You sound insane. "That girl—" he paused, "—isn’t Charis."
I crossed my arms. "Finally, someone with sense."
Slater looked at both boys with disbelief and turned to me with pleading eyes. "Don’t do this. Don’t pretend you don’t know me."
I tilted my chin. "Again, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. Whoever that is—she isn’t me."
"What’s your name?" Slater asked.
I studied my fingernails for a moment. "My name is Charis Knox. Why?"
"See!" Slater said triumphantly. "This is Charis..."
"Knox?" Rhett frowned. Aren’t we looking for Charis Greye? Alpha Greye’s daughter? And why does Knox sound so familiar?"
Kael took a step toward me. "Your hair..."
I touched it self-consciously. Tossing the long, thick strands over my shoulders. "What about it?"
Rhett snorted. He’s probably just imagining his runaway girlfriend in every skirt he sees."
Slater’s voice shook. "Don’t call her that."
I smiled tightly. "It seems all of you are going to be problems for me later. I’ll request a transfer."
I turned to leave again, my heart hammering against my ribs, when Kael suddenly growled. The sound tore through the air in an agonising groan. He doubled over, his hands clutching at his chest as his breath came in jagged gasps.
"Kael—what the hell?" he rushed over to him with concern on his face. "What’s wrong? What’s happening?"
Kael’s face was twisted in pain, and he was gasping with sweat breaking across his brow. "My... my wolf," he managed between ragged breaths. "It’s... going insane. The bond... it’s pulling..."
Slater lunged toward him. "You feel it, don’t you? Tell me you feel it!"
Kael’s knees buckled, and he fell to the floor, his body convulsing with the effort of fighting whatever was happening inside him. He managed to prop himself into a kneeling position. His eyes had gone red, and the veins in his neck were straining.
"She’s... she’s here. My mate is... but that’s impossible..."
"Breathe, damn it!" Slater dropped to his knees beside Kael, his hands hovering helplessly. "Just breathe through it!"
Kael’s voice broke again, filled with pain. "I can’t—breathe. She’s here. Charis..."
Slater turned to me. "Do something, Charis. He’s in pain because of you. You have to—"
"I hope you’re not insane!" I snapped at Slater. "Don’t put this on me."
Rhett glared at me. "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing!" I yelled. "Why are you blaming me for whatever is happening to him?"
Kael roared again, this time he grabbed his head with both hands. His body trembled violently. His pupils had gone black, an indication he was trying to contain his shift.
Slater shouted over the chaos at Rhett. "She’s Charis, don’t you see. Kael’s wolf is reacting because she’s our Charis."
I couldn’t listen anymore. Rhyme was howling inside me, clawing at my chest, begging me to go to him. I shoved her down with every ounce of my willpower.
Since the three of them were still fighting to keep Kael steady, I saw the chance to escape. I ran to the elevator, stopping to slip off my heels. As soon as I arrived at the elevator, I pressed the call button repeatedly.
My finger was jabbing at it with increasing desperation until the doors finally opened.
I threw myself inside and collapsed against the back wall, sighing in relief as the doors closed behind me. I could feel Rhyme howling within me, clawing at my consciousness, demanding to return to our mates. But I shut her out, forcing her back into the depths of my mind where she couldn’t interfere with what needed to be done.
When the elevator arrived at the ground floor and dinged, I stepped out, adjusting my clothes and my hair and slipping my shoes back on, hoping I looked normal and wouldn’t call attention to myself.
I walked briskly across campus toward the administrative building, my mind racing. There was no way the random assignment machine had selected all four of us for the same room. Someone had manipulated the system, and I had a perfect idea who was responsible.
The administrative building was quieter.
Since the semester was yet to resume fully, many staff members had not yet resumed. So I didn’t run into anyone I know. I continued to Vale’s office. When I got there, I walked past the secretary’s desk, the woman was dozing and straight to the inner office, which was Vale’s.
I didn’t bother knocking. I pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside, ready to unleash months of controlled fury on the woman who had tried to destroy my life.
But I stopped short when I saw who was sitting in one of Vale’s visitor chairs.
My adoptive mother had a frown on her face and seemed to be bothered about something, but when she noticed someone had come into the office, she turned, and when she saw it was me, her eyes went wild with surprise.
"Charis..darling, what are you doing here?" she asked, standing to her and coming towards me. "Did something happen? Did you try calling me?"
I looked from her to Vale, who was standing by the window. She hadn’t bothered to turn.
"What’s going on here? You didn’t tell me you’d be coming to the academy today?"
"It was a last-minute thing, dear. You know, as the newest member of the board, there are lots of things I’m yet to do in terms of documentation and a bunch of other things. So, I came in to have them done. What’s wrong?"
At that moment, Vale turned back. Her eyes were red as though she’d been crying. She avoided my gaze and went to sit on her desk.
"Charis?" Isolde shook my hand, calling my attention to her.
"I am in the same room with Kael, Rhett and Slater, and Slater recognised me immediately. Kael’s wolf also knows it’s me. The system is supposed to assign me randomly. Why am I in the same room as them?" I directed the last question to Vale.
"How am I supposed to know?" Vale snapped. "I didn’t build the system. I have no idea how it works. Your dearest mother brought it to the academy."
"And you want to swear you didn’t manipulate it just like how you did to me a few months ago? Tweaking the CCTV footage to show it was me..."
"You think you’re so important, Charis?" she scoffed. "I have no business with you. I didn’t tweak that footage. Yes, I wanted you gone, but I would not soil my hands to fight a nonentity like you."