Chapter 158

[Ella’s POV]

I was a bit ticked off when Liam told me that I wasn’t going to be able to sit in on his meeting with Aaron. Of course, I didn’t want to push, but I could tell that the very thought of having to go back to that place was causing a tremendous amount of stress for him.

I knew that it had something to do with some sort of new trial. But what?

What nearly impossible thing was Aaron going to demand of Liam now?

I really did try my best not to give it too much thought. After all, I knew that Liam was going to speak to me about it the moment he returned to campus. But, needless to say, it hadn’t stopped me from wondering.

As a means to pass the time, I turned my attention to some of my school work—mainly my English project.

Yes, at some given point, I knew I had to meet up with Ben again so that we could officially finish our project.

I just wasn’t looking forward to having to deal with another uncomfortable confrontation. Especially because I hadn’t found a way to control my emotions.

However, as unsettling as these thoughts were, I kept thinking back to that conversation Ben tried to have with me. These feelings that were developing between Arthur and me...I needed to talk to Liam about them. A big part of me just didn’t know what to do or how to approach the topic.

Mainly because I knew how uneasy and uncomfortable the bond made Liam feel in general. But in the meantime, I wasn’t sure if I was able to ignore or refuse the feelings that might be developing with Arthur.

If I was going to give him a real chance, then I needed to be open about my emotions and let myself feel things. But I knew that I would feel so much better doing so if all three of us were alright and on the same page with each other.

I began to work through some of the major edits that needed to be done on my section of the project. Although, I wasn’t exactly getting very far.

Aside from all the problems that were floating between the three of us, my mind kept circling back to the frantic chase from the night before. I’d come so close to finding out who was behind the media account.

I could tell that my wolf was still pissed off at me for stopping but I really felt as though I had no choice. I couldn’t risk the chance of shifting again and having someone see me, or snap another potential photo of me.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel as though I had failed. Although I’d never forget the prideful looks Liam and Arthur gave me, the madness had faded, what I wanted more was closure. I wanted that damn media page taken down and I was determined to make sure it happened.

Maybe I scared off my little photographer the same way Liam and Arthur had warded off that deranged hunter.

I was fond of the idea of this person choosing to take a much-needed break and leaving me alone.

Really, though...I wish I understood the point behind the account in general.

“Screw it,” hissed under my breath.

There was no chance I was able to get any more work done at the moment when my mind was clearly fixed on the unknown photographer and that stupid media page. I moved to my bed and opened my laptop.

I swiftly pulled up the media page and began scrolling through it. I’d been told that Bonnie and Olivia had searched through this account with fine expertise to see if they could link anything back to the account holder.

The more I looked through the pictures, the more I was beginning to believe that there was nothing useful there. As much as I hated to admit it, they were all expertly taken.

I was quick to realize that I didn’t look quite bad in any of them...It was weird. It made me think that maybe this account wasn’t being made to make me look bad, but rather to show me off as though I was someone special.

Certain photos truly captured my attention and interest, so much so I was tempted to have them printed out and framed—as crazy as it sounded.

This person had managed to capture the moment when Liam and I were walking through the solarium back at the Golden Fawn Hotel. The backdrop was filled with those gorgeously lit pine trees and poinsettias. Liam’s raw expression was filled with such undoubted compassion that left my stomach fluttering.

The next photo that really struck me was the time when I was caught in the indoor pool by Arthur and his hands were covering my eyes. I couldn’t believe how similar the look on Arthur’s face was to Liam’s in the previous picture. Unyielding devotion.

It was certainly enough to verify his feelings.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I quickly got up to answer the door only for my heart to jump into my throat. Liam stood there, looking pale and almost lost. I immediately filled with panic and pulled him into the room.

“Tell me what happened. Everything. What the hell did Aaron say? What is making you commit to now?”

I knew I should have dumped these questions on him, but I couldn't bear being kept in the dark any longer.

Liam sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand roughly over his face. “He gave a sad attempt at wanting to know how things were going here. And then went on to talk about the next ‘trial’.”

“And what is this next trial?” I dared to ask.

“I have to somehow find a way to score higher on my midterms than Arthur,” he explained. “He said that since I proved my physical strength, now it’s time that I prove my intelligence.”

“Jesus Christ,” I gasped. “Liam, this sounds incredibly insane. How the hell are you supposed to make sure that you beat Arthur at all of his midterm exams?”

I had no idea what kind of student Arthur was. Regardless, this challenge sounded impossible for anyone to achieve.

I still couldn’t believe that Aaron was still trying to pin Liam against Arthur. “It’s like he’s only willing to see the bad in Arthur. It’s not right.”

Liam shook his head and let out a defeated breath. I reached out to grab his hand.

“Liam, tell me honestly, do you feel at all different toward Arthur? I mean, given the recent circumstances, do you still find yourself holding that same anger and resentment as before?”

A moment passed before Liam ultimately shook his head. “I’m slowly finding myself wanting to trust him, especially when it comes to you. And I definitely think there’s more to him than Aaron is willing to see.”

This allowed a breath of relief to fill my lungs. Knowing that Liam was willing to give Arthur a chance on his own terms, felt like a huge step in the right direction.

The corners of my mouth turned upward into a proud smile. I was glad to see that Liam was able to form his own opinion and not be swayed by Aaron’s personal vendetta.

“Liam,” I started. “Do you think we should tell Arthur about all this?”

Because of this growing bond between the three of us, this situation no longer pertained to just Liam and me. Liam slowly nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah, I think he has a right to know that his own family is trying to overthrow his stance in this game of inheritance,” he said. “Come on.”

Together, we headed toward the door and set off to find Arthur.