Chapter 71

I could barely speak as Amara smirked down at me.

Several of the other students, Loren as well, had lightly bowed at Amara. I could only stare at her as she tipped her chin in amusement, eyebrow rising as well. She tutted before speaking.

“Come on, Zora,” she teased. “You know better than anyone how to treat a Princess. Don’t you?”

My heart started pounded erratically in my chest. Was she about the reveal my secret to everyone? Was I about to be exposed? Loren nudged me in the back and I was knocked out of my stupor. Amara was still waiting, expression turning sour by the second. I dipped my head slightly in a bow, ramming my jaw back to it’s place.

“How do you know the Luna Princess?” Loren whisper-yelled behind me. Amara clearly heard her because she chuckled before turning her bemused expression to me.

“Zora and I go way back,” she drawled. “Don’t we?”

“You do?” Loren sounded hurt and I knew why.

I sucked in a huge breath of air, letting my eyes flutter shut. “When that woman picked me up,” I started then turned to look at Loren. “She brought me to this castle. I guess it was the Queen’s castle. I’ve seen A – Princess Amara in passing. I didn’t realize who she was until this moment.”

Loren gave me a look that said she believed none of my bullshit. “You only realized she was the Princess to the Luna Throne as she walked onto our campus?”

I shrugged. “I guess,”

“Oh stop being so silly, Zora,” Amara cut in. She swung an arm around me. She was taller than me by a few inches, but only because of the ridiculous shoes she was wearing. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had to look down to speak to me. I suppose it was fitting for the next thing that came out of her mouth.

“Zora was my housekeeper,”

There were a few hushed whispers and gasps among the crowd of people surrounding us. I glanced back at Loren from under Amara’s arm. She had this look of utter disappointment on her face. Once again, I knew why.

“Loren, I promise I—”

“Hush, hush,” Amara patted my arm petulantly. She turned to Loren. “Moonbeam, right? Your sister and I go way back.”

Loren’s jaw clenched as she tried to smile. “So, I’ve heard.” I cataloged that as an “ask later” thing.

“Right then. Well, Moonbeam,” Amara waved her hand. “Zora was under lock and key, you know? They were worried about her attacking someone. Since she was such a child in the eyes of the wolves. Unpredictable. You can’t possibly think we’d let her know she was attending royalty, could we?”

Loren’s face seemed to let up a bit. I wondered why Amara was helping me but then I heard the snickers, and snide scoffs pick up in the crowd. She wasn’t helping me. She was making fun of me. I turned to look at my sister and saw her leering down at me. She had a wicked grin on her face. It was one that begged me to challenge her. One that said “would you rather be embarrassed or honest?”

Don’t give into it, Mona growled in the back of my mind. She knows who the true next Alpha is. She’s winding you up to get a rouse out of you.

It’s working, I gritted in the back of my mind. I was becoming fed up with the amount of bullshit the universe was throwing at me these days. I shrugged out of Amara’s grasp and went to go back to stand next to Loren when she called my name. I spun back on my heel to look at her.

“Zora, darling,” she drawled. It was like she was a snake winding up to strike. She gestured to the bags that were being brought from the back of the car to the curb.

“Do me a favor and help me bring these to my rooms?” She flashed me a sickly smile. “For old time’s sake.”

I was two seconds away from throttling her when I felt a shoulder brush mine. I flinched slightly as a jolt of electricity shimmered down my arm. I looked to see Maximus standing to my left, jaw set as he stared at Amara’s pile of stuff.

“I’ll help you,” he said quietly. “If we do it together, it’ll go faster.”

I frowned. “Max, you don’t have to—”

“Shut up and let me help,” he said under his breath. He glanced down at me. “Don’t make this a bigger deal than it needs to be and she won’t either.”

The two of us started towards Amara’s stuff. She must’ve had twelve suitcases, all either cheetah print of electric blues and pinks. Each was stuffed to the brim and weighed fifty pounds. I thanked God that Max and Valentin had been training me. Had I still had my human strength, I would’ve fallen over after lifting one.

Max, of course, held up three like he was holding us a feather. The two of us were about to walk off to the dorms when Amara called out, again.

“Zora,” I was beginning to grow annoyed by my own name by then. “Who’s your friend?”

Max dropped the suitcases and turned around. He immediately bowed to Amara before meeting her eyes. “Princess Amara,”

“Maximus,” Amara all but purred. She sauntered over to stand directly in front of Maximus. All of the attention she’d had in making me miserable was now lost as she looked at Max like he was naked.

“I didn’t know you went to this school,” Amara went on.

“It’s the best Alpha Academy,” Maximus said, plainly. “I wish to be as capable of a warrior as your mother. To get that education, I came here.”

“Interesting,” Amara mused. I could almost hear the purring in her heart from where I stood. She lifted one long, pointed nail and pressed it gently into the front collar of Maximus’s shirt.

“And my mother’s proposal,” she dragged her nail down Maximus’s chest on his sternum. My blood started to boil as he nail dipped lower and lower. “Have you—” Her claw danced on the line of Maximus’s pants before skimming over his belt. “—considered it?”

I watched as Maximus’s nostrils flared. The crowd around us was still watching the interaction between the two of them. I stood to the side, rippling with anger yet unable to do anything to the “princess.” Maximus turned to glance at me. His eyes softened slightly only to harden as he turned back to Amara.

Then, he defied everyone in the crowd’s thoughts by stepping closer to me.

I could’ve sworn I heard a few gasps come from the crowd. I looked out and saw Loren with a smug smirk etched into her lips. So much for her being pissed with me.

Maximus looked Amara dead in the eyes. I didn’t need to be her to know how steely his expression was.

“I thank the Queen for her consideration,” he deadpanned. “But I’ll have to decline.”

Amara scoffed. “Decline?” she almost spat. “I don’t think this offer was one that could be ‘declined’?”

Maximus took another step towards me and Amara’s eyes blew wide. It was like someone had finally caught her up with the fact that Maximus was choosing me over her. She leered towards me before sending Maximus a soft smile.

“How fascinating,” She said with none of the bitterness masked. “That you choose a servant over the royal title of Alpha Consort. Some may even find it … stupid.”

This seemed to piss Max off. He stepped closer to me and his arm went around my waist. I instinctually leaned into it. This seemed to make Amara even more angry. Her fake smile dropped into a scowl.

“I am thankful to the crown,” Max grit out from besides me. “And I owe the Queen my life. But I also owe myself my life. And in this case, I’m choosing myself.”

Amara’s tongue flicked out to lick her lips. “Very well,” she deadpanned. “My mother will be… intrigued to hear of this.” She snapped her fingers twice. “Constable. Bring my bags. Zora you’re off the hook. For now.”

I tried to ignore the threat as Amara and the driver walked away. I was left with just Maximus, his hand possessively curled around me.

I looked up the steps of the Admissions building and caught Valentin’s tawny hair looking down at the spectacle in front of him. I may have been seeing things, but I could’ve sworn his gold gaze was locked on Maximus’s hand around my waist.