Chapter 424: Princess In The Cafeteria

Princess and Beam headed down the hallway toward the cafeteria to have lunch with Faye, the girl of her dream and mother to her pups.

Princess walked with a firm, steady stride, her mind set on sitting with her girlfriend and eating together for once. She had never really done that before, usually preferring private meals tucked away in quiet corners or spending her break time eating with the pups in their classroom.

Beam walked half a step behind her right shoulder. As Princess Kings’ personal bodyguard.. just saying, Beam followed her wherever she went around the school grounds, only splitting off when they had to attend their separate classrooms.

When they stepped through the double doors of the cafeteria and made their way toward the long table where the Starpants and Co. were supposed to be sitting, Princess scanned the area. Her girlfriend was nowhere in sight, and neither was Faye’s clingy best friend.

Princess tightened her jaw. She wondered where those two had wandered off to now. Faye hanging around MG was not something Princess was ever proud of. That boy always dragged Faye into ridiculous situations and made her do things Princess completely disliked. If Princess had the power to erase Malone Griffin from existence and replace her girlfriend’s best friend with someone reasonable, she would gladly do it without a second thought.

But it is what it is..

Since her girlfriend wasn’t at the table, Princess decided to take a seat anyway, resting her tray on the table while Beam slid into the chair beside her. They sat with the other members of the group, waiting for the two missing people to show up.

A heavy, unnatural quiet swept across the cafeteria the moment Princess stepped further into the hall. Students at nearby tables lowered their voices, their plastic forks freezing in midair. It wasn’t every day that both Princess Kings and the school president, Beamer Frost, sat right in the middle of the common dining space.

Even Haley, who was always present in the hall as the student vice president, didn’t command that level of sheer fear from the crowd.

The students sitting at the table were just as silent, shuffling awkwardly in their seats. None of them had expected Princess to walk over and sit right beside them.

"This is a lucky day. My friend Faye’s girlfriend is sitting with us," Henry said, breaking the silence with a wide smile. He sat right next to Beam, happily stabbing a large piece of meat on his tray and shoving it into his mouth.

"Where is my girlfriend?" Princess asked, unable to hold back her questions any longer. Her patience was wearing thin, and her eyes kept darting toward the open cafeteria doors.

"Faye and MG are currently with the pups in their classroom," Sasha explained smoothly, picking up a napkin to wipe her hands. "You can go and meet them."

Princess started to lean forward, her legs shifting as if to stand up immediately, but after a quick second, she settled back into her seat.

She wanted to make an effort to connect with her girlfriend’s circle.

"So, is Henry part of your group?" Princess asked, looking across the table at the boy devouring his food.

"Yes, he is," Haley answered, resting her chin on her hand. "He’s our friend."

Princess stared at Haley for a moment, her mind drifting back to the messy events surrounding Haley’s sister’s girlfriend. Faye had mentioned the whole story to her the other day, and Princess was still struggling to process the information, especially considering how she had seen Jessie, a rival.

"That is good..." Princess murmured, her tone softening slightly. "I heard what happened to Jessie’s girlfriend. How is her late girlfriend’s family coping with the loss?"

Haley’s expression dimmed, her shoulders dropping. "She doesn’t have any family. She was the last surviving member after her family’s passing."

"I’m sorry to hear about that," Princess said, her eyes fixed on the tabletop. "If she hadn’t fired the gun, she would still be alive."

"That’s true," Haley agreed, letting out a small, quiet sigh. "But from her point of view, she just hated that Alphas were very cruel to her and her people. I’m not blaming anyone, but some Alphas are wild animals."

Haley spoke her mind without hesitation. She wasn’t directly targeting Princess, but her words were clearly pointed at the last name Princess carried.

"You know what I heard?" Princess said, leaning in slightly, her voice low and tight. "Kings aren’t the only ones who did all those tragic things in the past. Instead of wanting revenge, they should find out why their people were attacked."

"It was to prevent the birth of the Moon Wolf," Haley said plainly, meeting Princess’s gaze without flinching. "I’m sure you are aware of that, Princess."

Princess shot a quick glance over her shoulder toward the surrounding tables. "We are in school. Do not say those words out loud."

"Hiding her isn’t going to help, Princess," Haley countered, her tone steady and unyielding. "I think it’s time she introduces herself to the world. A lot of people were slain for her."

As Princess sat there digesting Haley’s heavy words, a cold spike of fear gripped her chest. She worried about her grandfather... about the ruthless lengths he would go to if he ever tried to harm Faye. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how that dangerous old/young man would react the moment he uncovered her girlfriend’s true identity.

"Don’t worry, Princess," Henry chimed in, suddenly cutting through the heavy tension with a massive grin. "I will eat anyone who tries to harm my dear friend."

Henry stood up, and opened his thick arms, fully intending to wrap the Alpha in a big hug.

Beam immediately reached out, grabbing the hem of Henry’s shirt to pull him back down into his seat, but trying to move Henry was like trying to haul down a massive iron post. The boy didn’t budge an inch. He was absurdly strong, far outmatching even Beam’s own brother in raw, heavy mass.

When Henry leaned down and wrapped his arms around Princess, a sudden chill ran down her spine. The raw aura radiating off him felt heavy and thick, pulsing with a wild force stronger than even her grandfather, the current ruling Alpha of Oakland.

Princess gently pushed Henry back, grabbed her untouched tray, and left the cafeteria to search for her girlfriend.

She walked down the quiet hallway leading to the daycare room, pushing the door open to find Faye standing near the center mats, talking animatedly with Kiara and MG.

"Hello, baby..." Faye called out the second she saw Princess walk through the door.

Faye took a fast step forward, opening her arms as if aiming to give her girlfriend a long hug, but her eyes instantly locked onto the loaded food tray in Princess’s hands. Without missing a beat, Faye bypassed Princess completely, snatched the tray right out of her hands, and marched straight over to sit down on the colorful foam play mat.

"Hello to you too babe..." Princess muttered to the empty air where her girlfriend had just been standing.

She had really been looking forward to that warm hug from her girlfriend, and now she felt a childish surge of jealousy toward the plate of beef and loaded chips.

Princess stepped further into the room and noticed MG holding two old items in his hands, a bound red book and a folded sheet of brown paper. She didn’t bother asking where they came from. She already knew Kiara was behind whatever ancient texts those were.

As she glanced down toward the edge of the mat, something glinted under the room’s lights.

There it was.

A solid golden ring resting on the floor.

"Kiara, is that not the witches’ coven’s ring?" Princess asked, pointing her index finger straight at the floor.

Kiara glanced down to her right, crouched down smoothly, and scooped the golden band off the ground.

"It must have slipped from my bag," Kiara said, unzipping her front pocket and sliding the ring deep inside.

"What are you using that ring for anyway?" Princess demanded, stepping closer.

"The Oakland Council uses magic for their butchery," Kiara answered, her voice cold and completely level. "I am planning to escape my fate."

"What do you mean?" Princess asked, her brow furrowing.

Kiara turned her head toward the girl sitting on the mat, a sharp, subtle smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. "Faye friend, why don’t you share the news with your dear girlfriend?"

Hearing Kiara refer to him as Faye friend made Malo roll his eyes so hard his head tilted back. That boy was not happy about sharing his best friend with anyone else. He had already been forced to share her with more than friends over the past few months, and now some fancy-pants spoiled brat was trying to claim a piece of her attention too.

Faye swallowed a large mouthful of food from the tray, wiped her lips with the back of her wrist, and looked up at Princess with bright, serious eyes.

"Babe, there is no need for you to find Prince Kings," Faye said, holding her fork up toward her girlfriend. "Because we are going to help Kiara tame her demon and then kill the Council."