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“But…but she was always so happy,” I said. “So welcoming and-and nice.”
“What does that have anything to do with that?” Byron asked.
I started to braid my hair, just to give my hands something to do now that I had packed. “If anyone had a reason to be standoffish and cold, it’s her,” I said. “But she welcomed me right away.”Even more than you did. As much as I wanted to say the smartass comment, I held back. “She didn’t deserve that.”
“No one does,” he said.
I wrinkled my nose, yanking on my hair as I twisted the knots into an unshapely braid. “I want to kill whomever did that to her,” I said. “To my mother.”
“There’s always a time for vengeance,” Byron said, giving me a long look. “But not quite yet. You’re not ready. You’re nowhere near ready. And if you continue to be stubborn about it, chances are you’ll never achieve your desire for retribution and end up just another victim.”
I wanted to argue with him.
I wanted to tell him that that was impossible and I wasn’t going to let that happen to me.
Before I could, there was a gentle knock on the door before it swung open and Adrienne walked in. And this time, she wasn’t alone.
Adrya
Islammed my locker shut the second I was back in my uniform. The sound echoed through the empty locker room, and any sense of satisfaction I might have gotten from it was taken from me.
Just like my inheritance.
I needed to talk to Rianne. But where was she? I hadn’t seen her anywhere, and it was starting to bother me. Had she disappeared? Was her betrothed hiding her away for some odd reason? Or did it have to do with the Marriage Law itself? Did she have to go through things that would allow her to marry this guy?
Whatever it was, I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t even train. There was an implication here that I wouldn’t be inheriting my pack, and no one told me about it. I had to find out from Jeff Rainey, of all people. Did my father think so little of me now? Was this…was this even my father’s doing?
I froze, my hands dropping from the buttons as they had began to make their way up my shirt. Instead, I let them hang at my sides and waited until my thoughts gathered in my head and I understood what I was being told by them.
My father was a proud man, anAlpha. Surely, there was no way he would allow someone like Chamberly to tell him what to do, right? She wasn’t that powerful in the grand scheme of things? I began to chew my bottom lip. But, the truth was, his behavior wasn’t making sense. He never put his hands on me – ever. And he always insisted no matter what happened, I would be his heir. The two of us had never spoken about his need to remarry or what that might entail. But I knew, I trusted, that it wouldn’t affect me in the waythiswas.
Or maybe this was my father, and I was looking for a reason to justify his behavior. Maybe Chamberly had nothing to do with this.
I focused on doing just that. I ignored the pain that pinched my chest, the loss that stretched out my stomach, the fact that I couldn’t seem to hold onto anything in my grasp any longer. I needed answers, and me standing around with my lip trembling like I was still a helpless pup wasn’t going to do anything for me.
Once I was dressed, I made my way out of the training facility and back into the academy building. Everyone was already getting ready for the full moon. People were chatting amiably about it as I passed them in the halls, hurrying to get to their next class even if they were already late. Chamberly should have been in training, but she wasn’t. Part of me considered going to my father’s quarters, but my gut churned with potential disgust. What if they were doing something I definitely didn’t want to see? What if I interrupted them – Gods, no thank you. As much as I wanted to speak to Chamberly, that wasn’t something I was willing to risk right now.
Instead, I decided to return to my rooms. Maybe Chamberly was there. I wasn’t sure why she’d be there when she should have been attending her classes, but maybe she was sick or –
Stop making excuses and just check. If she is there, you’ll get the truth from herself.
I bit my bottom lip to keep from thinking anything in response, but the voice was right.
I headed up the staircase and down the hallway, passing by paintings wrapped in gold frames. All I cared about was getting to Rianne, and even if she wasn’t there, the comfort and safety of my rooms was something I craved right now.
I pulled out my key, my fingers shaking as I fumbled around and unlocked the door. I stepped inside. The room was dark…not a good sign. I shut the door and flipped on the lights, only to see Rianne sitting on the edge of her bed, eyes closed. I wouldn’t say she was sleeping; it was more like she needed a place to sit for a few minutes to collect herself.
“Rianne?” I asked tentatively, dropping my bag in a heap on the floor.
Rianne popped open an eye. “Adrya?”
Relief swept through me in a way I hadn’t expected, but I didn’t want to let my guard down. I hated this suspicion that swept through me even now.But I needed answers, and I needed her to give them to me. I couldn’t pretend any longer, and I hoped she would understand.
“Where have you been?” I asked. “So much has happened…”
“Sorry,” she said. “I was on a day-trip to meet my betrothed and his pack. You’ve heard of the Amethyst pack?”
I nodded. They were a small pack located up north near the Amethyst caves. Strong pack, but kept to themselves.
