Chapter 90: Use Me

Adeline’s pov~

"Confess what?" I asked slowly, forcing my voice to remain even. Is he really bringing up the archives right now?

Sierra was sitting right beside me, but she suddenly acted as if she was deeply fascinated by the empty chalkboard at the front of the hall, ignoring the royal prince occupying the desk next to us. She knew better than to intrude on a Lycan King’s domain.

Keiran didn’t turn to look at me. His sharp, sculpted profile remained cold and unreadable, his dark eyes fixed straight ahead on the lecturer’s podium.

"I hate liars, Adeline," he said, his voice dropping into a quiet, velvet register that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "It is the one flaw I find completely unpardonable."

My blood ran cold. The library. The restricted archives.

My mind raced, piecing together the terrifying puzzle. Was he talking about the ledgers? The hidden lineage records I risked my life to touch? Raven already knew I was hunting for the truth about my biological parents; did he tell the rest of the princes? Or did Keiran figure out my pathetic cover story all on his own? No. If Zyran knew it from Raven, then the rest of them knew too.

That night, when he caught me near the forbidden perimeter, I had panicked. I had implied I was there looking for him, trying to distract him from the real reason why I was there.

"It wasn’t like that..." I murmured desperately, my fingers tightening against the edge of my desk as my heart hammered against my ribs. "I was really not planning to—"

"You lied, Adeline," Keiran cut me off smoothly, his tone devoid of anger, which only made it ten times more terrifying.

Slowly, deliberately, he finally turned his head to look at me. His pitch-black eyes locked onto mine.

"You looked into my eyes, used a sweet, fragile little excuse, and expected me to be foolish enough to buy it," Keiran continued, his jaw clenching as he finally turned his head, his dark, lethal gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch. "You let me believe you were out in those dark halls for me. You used my presence as an umbrella to cover your tracks, while all along, you were sneaking into the vaults to dig through blood-sealed ledgers."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, my hands tightening into tight fists beneath my oversized black hoodie.

"I had no choice," I breathed out, my voice trembling with raw, desperate honesty. "You don’t understand what it’s like to live in this place with zero answers! To be called a wolfless defect every single day while the truth about my blood is buried! Yes, I was in the archives. Yes, I needed those records. But I didn’t mean to make a fool out of you, Lord Keiran."

"So, you used me?" he cut in, his voice unnervingly calm, lacking even a hint of the furious outburst I had anticipated.

Keiran stared at me, his gaze dropping to my lips for a fleeting second before snapping back to my eyes.

"You didn’t make a fool out of me," he murmured, leaning closer. "What infuriates me isn’t that you went into those archives. What pisses me off is that you felt the need to lie to get what you wanted."

I frowned, genuine confusion breaking through my fear. "What... what are you saying?"

"I’m saying you don’t have to sneak around in the dark like a thief, Adeline," Keiran growled softly, his hand resting on the edge of my desk, his fingers just inches from mine. "You want access to the restricted vaults? You want to read every blood-sealed document this academy is hiding about your parents? You don’t have to lie to me. You just have to ask."

I stared at him in complete shock. "Why would you do that..."

"You can use me," Keiran cut in softly, his eyes shifting away from mine for a brief second to land squarely on the back of Lucas, Logan, and Chloe’s heads sitting a row ahead. "If it gets you what you want... if it keeps you safe from the snakes in this place... then use me, Adeline. I’m offering."

I stared at him, my throat completely dry. Why? Why is every single Lycan Prince in this academy trying to wrap their hands around my life? What sick game are they playing with me?

"Just stop lying to me. The next time you need something that requires royal blood... Come to me. Use my name, use my seal, use my blood. Just use me, Adeline."

"I don’t need to use anyone, Lord Keiran," I managed to choke out, keeping my chin tilted high. "And I don’t know what kind of games you Princes are playing with me. Or are you highborn princes playing me?"

"So now you are implying that I’m playing you?" Keiran asked, as he tilted his head slightly, his sharp jawline tight, his dark eyes searching mine.

"No, no, that is not what I meant," I said immediately, my heart hammering a chaotic rhythm against my ribs as I tried to repair the damage. "It wasn’t planned at all... and I did what I had to do at that time. So... I’m sorry."

Keiran tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes fixed on mine, completely devoid of any readable expression. "Well, I didn’t quite hear you."

I took a sharp breath, swallowed the lump of pride in my throat, and turned to look him straight in the eye.

"I am sorry," I said, letting each word fall slow, steady, and clear between us.

Before I could pull back, his pale, massive hand reached up, his long fingers brushed past my cheek, sending a sharp, electric shiver straight down my neck, and caught the edge of my heavy black hoodie, and gently slid it back, pulling the dark fabric down off my head. My messy hair spilled over my shoulders, exposing my face completely, but Keiran’s eyes never left mine.

"I don’t mind if you use me, Adeline," Keiran whispered, his gaze dropping to the exposed line of my collarbone before lingering on my mouth. "In fact, you can use me however you like. You can even use me to make anyone in this room jealous."