Chapter 312. Back To School, Again II

Chapter 312: 312. Back To School, Again II

Maisie

"Could you not--"

"I’m Kirby," she chirped. "Transferred here from Hellsgrave this semester. And before you ask, yes. Hellsgrave’s party scene is dead, so I brought the party to Greymoor." She whipped the camera back up, giving me a wink. "Can I get a quick video for my socials?"

I stared blankly at the phone screen, which was glitching from the volume of heart emoticons flying across it and comments scrolling past so fast they were a blur. "Um, hi?"

Kirby beamed and squinted at the live chat, her glossed lips curving into a wide smile. "Ah! Yes! Of course! The public wants to know how you did it."

"Did what?"

She grabbed my shoulder, her glitter-coated nails digging into my jacket. "The dragon, silly! Everyone has seen the clip of you tearing off its wing. It is top of the charts for the most trending video in Ashbourne right now. Second, of course, only to the clip of you strangling Her Majesty and getting knocked out--you pass out gracefully, I must say."

She paused, brows furrowing thoughtfully. "Well, okay, third if you count the clip of you dancing at the competition. Oh! And there’s also the clip of you grinding on your blonde. About the hottest thing we’ve seen--"

"What?!" I gasped, my face going hot.

I tried dislodging her grip, but Kirby held on, her eyes glued to the exploding live comment section. The questions kept coming, faster and more absurd by the second.

"So, would you say you’re the dominant one in that relationship... marriage? You are still married, right? Of course she is! The public is also curious about how you balance your intimate life between four Lycan mates. Do you guys use a color-coded schedule? A weekly rotation board? Is there a chart pinned to the wall somewhere?!"

"I--what? No--"

"A viewer named @SorenWolfDaddyBlack99 wants to know; Since Lycan males are notoriously possessive, do they fight over who gets to sleep on your side of the bed, or do you guys just stack on top of each other like a giant pancake tower?"

My lips parted. Giant pancake tower?Soren Wolf Daddy Black?

"Next question from the chat!" Kirby squealed, tilting the camera so my burning, horrified face was framed next to hers. "How does heat season work in a five-way marriage? Do Lycans have heat seasons? Do they line up in order, or is it a survival-of-the-fittest free-for-all?"

I still hadn’t gotten over the first question and I was positive I looked the same colour as strawberries.

"Also, @QuinlanSpeakFrenchToMyTaxes is asking if there’s a noise-complaint threshold in the school dorms, and @I_Want_To_Be_The_Sandwich wants to know if you’re hiring an assistant to manage their schedule, because she’s willing to drop out of law school today!"

I froze, unused to this sort of attention and unsure what to do with it. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say, my brain jamming up like an old machine as the questions kept coming.

And I stilled for an entirely different reason when Kirby said, "Ooh wait! A super tip was given by @LunaQueen_68, and she asks, "Care to address your husband Mercer Black being seen at the top of the West Tower last night with Tessa Graham? It looked awfully romantic for a secret meeting. What does the princess have to say about him cheating on her or is sharing another part of their sacred traditions?"

My heart dropped to my stomach. The loud, chaotic corridor, the bright flashing screen, the buzzing heart emoticons... It all vanished, replaced by a ringing silence in my ears. In my head.

My nostrils flared. My chest rose and fell and my head felt hot as my brain scrambled to find a reason. An excuse. Anything to make sense of it. And the first thing that came to mind was that it had to be a lie.

But the pings grew worse and Kirby oohed again, "Looks like we got a photo. It’s real, alright?"

I could tell Kirby was having the absolute time of her life, milking my reaction as she turned the screen toward my face so I was forced to look at it.

It was a candid shot, taken from a lower angle looking up at the stone balustrade of the West Tower against the dark night sky. The lighting was dim, backlit by the moonlight, but there was no mistaking him.

Mercer’s broad silhouette was wrapped in head to toe black, his towering frame leaned slightly back against the cold stone, his jaw set in that hard, severe line he always wore when he was tense. There was a band-aid over his arrogant nose where Quinlan had no doubt broken it and an almost faded black eye on his left eye.

But it didn’t take away from his beauty. It made him look rougher around the edges, and even that had its own allure.

Standing close to him was Tessa.

Her back was to the camera, but her silver hair cascaded over her low backed dresss, and her small hands were planted flat against the chest of his jacket, her fingers clutching the fabric as if she were steadying herself or pulling him down.

Her head was tilted up toward his, her dark hair spilling down her back, and from the angle of the snapshot, I couldn’t tell if they were kissing or her lips were merely centimeters from his jawline.

Once again, I tried to understand it, rationalize it, even as my breaths escaped me in a rush and my chest tightened painfully.

He didn’t know about Tessa--he told me to leave.

He didn’t know like the others did--he snapped my wrist and told me to leave.

He threw me out. He shut me out. He made me leave. Just so he could--what? Go out with her? And then he couldn’t wait one more day before running to her?

I exhaled on a painful wheeze.

I was having a panic attack. In the middle of the school’s hallway. In front of everyone. This was not how I expected my day to go.

"Oh, damn," Kirby gasped, leaning in closer with the camera. "Look at her face! Guys, she didn’t know--"

Someone bumped hard into Kirby, and she yelped, losing her balance and fell hard on her ass, her cellphone hitting the ground.

A hand circled my shoulder and the familiar smell of strawberries tickled my nostrils. "Oops," I heard Regina say distantly. "Didn’t see you there, Kirby."

Another warm hand wrapped around my other side, pulling me forward by my arm. I could hardly see or hear them clearly, trying to take back control of my emotions and the rage rising inside me, along with the need to break something.

The others would come running if I didn’t. And how was I supposed to look convincing in my decision to stay away, if I was flipping out over one stupid photo?

"Maisie," Juliette whispered behind me. "Your claws are out."

"Are her eyes supposed to look like that?" Jenny said with alarm, and Regina’s grip on my wrist grew more urgent as they lead me towards the bathroom.

I swore that cursed bathroom had seen way more of my breakdowns than anyone else.

The door swung open and my body went rigid when the sound of female cooing slipped out. "That is so beautiful," someone said. "I have never seen anything like it."

"Of course you haven’t," Tessa said, leaning over the counter to dab more red lipstick over her lips. "There’s only two of that in the entire world. The Queen has the first. Naturally, he gave me the second. Last night." She glanced over where we stood by the door, like she knew we were standing there the entire time.

Her eyes landed on me and her lips curved as she rocked back on her heels where she reached up for her neck, caressing a beautiful onyx pendant around her neck. "We’re getting married, you know. Once the divorce and succession is out of the way."

My claws cut into my palm and my vision darkened at the edges, murder filling my head, my veins until my blood was pounding with it. Everything, every face was coated in red as my Lycan sought out.

I should kill her right now. Paint the walls red with her blood. Clearly, she needed to be taught a lesson or two about touching what wasn’t hers. He was mine, damn it. Mine. And I didn’t share. I didn’t want to share.

Regina began pulling me out back through the door when an animal growl slipped out of me. "Should’ve known the bitch would be here. Don’t listen to her. She’s just trying to get to you—"

Tessa sauntered over, looking annoyingly good in her short skirt and leather jacket and thigh high heels that showed off her pale, long legs and her athletic, yet sexy body. "You wouldn’t happen to know where Koen stays, would you?" She grinned. "You wouldn’t. He hasn’t spoken to you. Hasn’t touched you. Hasn’t marked you. He’s never been one to indulge his little whores for too long, you know. I told you he would always come back to me."