Chapter 258
Oriana:
I had been so happy ever since my father told me I was never returning to the North. But there was one worry in my mind.
“Clementine,” I whispered as I lay in bed, staring out the window. It was such a pretty sight, and I was finally going to be able to enjoy it. But then I started worrying about her again.
I really enjoyed her friendship. I wanted to be her best friend. But she was always surrounded by those alphas and idiots. I didn’t understand why she needed to be friends with any guy. I mean, yeah, sure, we all want Mates, but are mates even that good for us?
I needed to find a way to get her out of the academy too. I sighed as I sat up in bed, pouting. The only thing that upset me about leaving the academy was worrying about Clementine. Other than that, I didn’t care about anything. I was just happy.
A little knock on the door in the middle of the night was quite a shock, but I was too happy to care or worry about any danger. I got up and walked over. The moment I opened the door, I thought maybe my father had asked one of the maids to send me snacks, he used to do that back when I was at the mansion.
But the person at the door was someone I despised.
“What the fuck,” I groaned as Ronan stepped in, pushing me out of the way.
As I stumbled back, he reached behind him and locked the door.
“I see you’ve changed a lot,” he whispered, smirking while watching me with those filthy eyes.
I hated his eyes and the way he looked at me. It had always been an issue, the reason I would flip out and do things others didn’t like. It was all his fault.
“Ronan, you’re not supposed to be in my room at this time,” I hissed angrily.
He chuckled, shaking his head.
“I’’m gonna be the alpha soon. Why would I listen to you?” he hissed.
“Well, we’ll see about that. Because if I tell Father what you’re doing, harassing me into obeying you, you can say goodbye to the crown. And I mean it.” This time, I wanted to sound even sterner.
Ronan was supposed to be my stepbrother. When my father accepted his mother, he was already very distraught. I was a child back then, and Ronan was only a year older than me. When my father accepted them, he was around five or six, and I was just a year younger.
My mother had passed away, so my father finally gave his second chance mate a chance for the sake of his brother, to give Ronan and his mother a roof over their heads.
But the minute Ronan turned fourteen, and I was thirteen, he started acting aggressively toward me. He used to remind me that his friend, an alpha from a very powerful pack, was someone I was supposed to grow feelings for.
So, in short, he didn’t want to be my brother, or even my stepbrother. He wanted to be my pimp. He wanted to use me to gain favors from other packs. He made it clear time and time again that if I didn’t listen, he would not only beat me but force his friend to claim me.
“Really? You think you’ll do that? Just because your father fooled you into thinking he wanted you back, you actually believe that?” he sneered.
“I’ll never let that happen unless you accept the deal I’ve always offered you. Accept my friend, and everything will be fine for you p>
He smirked, but this time he had no idea who he was dealing with. I wasn’t the Oriana he could abuse or hit anymore. I was a crusader.
“Really? You want to try that?” I whispered, smiling. I could tell my smile rubbed him the wrong way because he instantly reached for the back of my head.
I knew what would happen next, he would slap me around and remind me I was supposed to be his friend’s wife.
But this time, the moment he laid his hand on me, I grabbed his shoulders, lifted my knee, and slammed it into his stomach. Then I headbutted him and shoved him back.
He stumbled and fell on his butt, staring at me with wide eyes, fear and shock written all over his face.
I rushed toward the door, trying to escape the room, but he blocked my way. This time, he managed to stop me, grabbing my wrists and trying to pin my hands down.
I fought hard until he said something that froze me in place.
“Huh, so you’re gonna act like you’re a fighter now, huh? Leaving another miserable girl behind while stealing the baby from her and boarding the train—is that what you call yourself a hero for p>
It was as if someone had struck me with a silver bullet. This was something I wasn’t proud of, but how the fuck did he know about it?
I went emotionless for a hot minute. I stared at his face in silence. He started to smirk, realizing he’d caught me off guard.
“What’s wrong, huh? How about you behave and tell your father you’ll marry my friend, or else,” he hissed.
I refused to let him bully me. I refused to let him manipulate or threaten me.
“Go ahead, tell the world whatever you want. I don’t care. I didn’t do it. As for telling my father anything, I’m going to come back, and I’m going to tell him that I am fighting for the crown this time,” I stated, glaring straight at him.
He pressed his lips into a tight line, glaring back before turning around and walking out of the room.
Once he was gone, I broke down. There were so many questions racing through my head. I cried myself to sleep, telling myself I’d speak to my father in the morning and finally tell him everything.
But before that could happen, I woke up to agonizing screams, heart-wrenching cries.
I rushed out of my room like crazy. The maids were gathered outside my father’s room, and I pushed past them, forcing my way inside.
What I saw made my body go numb, my father’s lifeless body lay on the bed.
“No, no, no.” I broke down.
Everything around me blurred into chaos. My stepmother was crying, but I couldn’t find any sincerity in her tears.
I ran to my father’s side, sat on the bed with him, and cried as loud as I could. My sobs were so loud I swear I deafened not only everyone around me but myself.
Then I heard a faint whisper from the side.
“So what’s going to happen to her now? Is he going to make her a Lurker? Because— aren’t Lurkers orphans p>
That was all I heard from my stepbrother through his fake sniffles before his mother hushed him.