Chapter 161: News of Acident

Lorien:

I knew something was wrong before anyone said a word.

It wasn’t simply because I noticed the sudden change in Reign across the table, although that alone would have been enough to make me uneasy. His expression had shifted from the irritated boredom he had been wearing throughout the meeting to something I had never seen on his face before. Confusion came first, followed by understanding, and then pure horror. His entire body went rigid, while his hands gripped the edge of the table so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

For one terrifying moment, it looked as though he was about to lose control completely and let his wolf take over right there in front of the Regents. His chair even shifted backward slightly, as if some instinct inside him was already preparing to run. Then, somehow, he dragged himself back under control. But barely. His breathing remained uneven, his jaw clenched so tightly that I could see the muscle twitching, but he stayed where he was.

Mrs. Ravenshade noticed his expression and frowned. "Reign, are you alright?" she asked, her voice cutting through the strange silence.

Reign gave her a stiff, almost automatic courtesy nod, but his eyes immediately found mine. There was something desperate in that look, something that told me he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to say it without alerting everyone in the room.

Then I noticed the others. Kairo had stopped smiling entirely, his gray eyes narrowed as though he was trying to understand some sensation only he could feel. Esmeray had gone completely still, his attention no longer on the conversation around the table. Even Alaric, who rarely managed to remain serious for more than a few minutes during these meetings, was staring at Reign with a deep frown.

Whatever had happened, all four of them were sensing something they couldn’t explain. And somehow, I was no different.

A sickening feeling had bloomed inside my chest without warning, and no matter how many times I told myself it was nothing, it kept growing. It felt like the terrible certainty that something precious was slipping away from me, something I hadn’t even realized I was holding.

My chest grew heavier with every passing second, and I found myself fighting the urge to stand and leave the room without explanation. I didn’t understand why. I didn’t know what I was afraid of. But the feeling was becoming almost unbearable.

I was already trying to figure out how I could get the five of us out without alarming their parents when my phone suddenly buzzed against the table.

Every head turned toward me.

No one called me during council meetings. Everyone who knew me understood that those hours were treated as private and extremely important, which meant an incoming call at that exact moment could only mean one thing. Something more important than this meeting had happened.

I looked down at the screen, and the name staring back at me made my stomach drop.

Magnus.

There was only one reason Magnus would call me at all, let alone during a private council meeting.

I swallowed hard before answering. "Magnus?"

For a second, there was only frantic breathing on the other end. Then his voice came through, strained and panicked in a way I’d never heard before. "Headmaster, it’s Princess Argentis. She’s been in an accident. The car-"

Everything inside me stopped. I forgot how to breathe. The room seemed to disappear around me as Magnus continued explaining, but I barely registered the words. All I heard was Elara and accident. My fingers tightened around the phone until they hurt, and instinctively my eyes snapped toward Reign.

He had heard everything thanks to his wolf hearing, and his eyes were no longer the calm blue. They were glowing with the unnatural, brilliant blue of his wolf, and for one horrifying second, I thought he was going to transform right there.

His chair scraped violently against the floor as he started to rise, but Alaric was faster. He grabbed Reign’s arm with both hands, holding him firmly while Reign fought for control of himself. Kairo and Esmeray were staring at me in confusion, their faces drained of every trace of amusement.

I stood immediately. "We need to leave."

Regent Valemont’s voice cut across the room. "What is happening?"

I forced myself to remain calm despite the panic clawing through my chest. "The Princess has been involved in a car accident," I said, deliberately keeping my voice measured. "I need to leave immediately, and the four heirs need to accompany me."

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Kairo, Alaric, and Esme staring at me in shock at the revelation before they all stood up immediately.

The Regents stared at me. I continued before anyone could object. "Given their positions, it would be politically inappropriate for all four Regents to arrive personally without first knowing the severity of the situation. The heirs can represent their Houses while I handle the academy’s response. It will also prevent unnecessary attention around the incident."

I knew exactly what I was doing. I was giving the adults in the room an explanation they could understand - politics, reputation, protocol - while hiding the far more dangerous truth beneath it. This wasn’t a political visit. We weren’t leaving because four noble Houses needed representation. We were leaving because Elara was hurt.

My explanation seemed to satisfy some of them, but Regent Valemont’s expression darkened. "That Princess," he muttered with a weary sigh, "has been nothing but trouble since she arrived. Every few weeks there’s another incident, another rule broken, another situation everyone else has to clean up after her. At this point, I’m beginning to wonder whether she understands how much inconvenience follows her wherever she goes."

The words landed heavily. Reign went completely still. Kairo’s expression hardened. Esmeray’s eyes became cold, while Alaric’s fingers tightened around Reign’s arm. None of them said anything. Neither did I.

I simply looked at Regent Valemont and gave a restrained nod. "We’ll handle it."

I turned toward the door, and the four boys followed immediately. Reign barely looked human anymore, his wolf fighting violently beneath his skin, desperate to reach his mate. Alaric stayed beside him, still gripping his arm. Kairo walked faster than usual, his face unreadable, while Esmeray followed in silence, his usually gentle composure hiding an unmistakable fear.

I led them through the corridor and toward the headquarter grounds, where the chopper was already waiting. The rotors were spinning before we even reached it.

I climbed aboard without slowing, and the four heirs followed. The moment the doors closed behind us, the headquarters disappeared beneath the roar of the engines.

We were going to Elara.