CHAPTER 100: _ ROTTEN SCHOOL

The first of them whose eyes collide with hers is Amias. He stands with his arms crossed, his black shirt tight against his muscles. She notes that he’s had a change of clothes.

Of course, he has.

The moment she travels into the depths of his eyes, memories surge in her head like a floodgate thrown wide.

The woods, damp leaves beneath her palms. His lips crash against hers, urgent, hungry. The shock of how safe she felt when his hand curled around her neck. The dizzy warmth of his jacket around her shoulders this very morning. The way they’d almost—almost... lost themselves to heat and desire under the cover of trees.

Her thighs clench at the thought. Her wolf presses harder against her bones, growling. "He’s ours, but he doesn’t want to give us all of him."

But then she sees Lira.

The girl is glued to Amias’s side like some designer accessory. She has red hair and painted lips, and her nails are hooked into his arm. She’s smiling at him with a tilt of the head that screams, "Back off, girls. He’s mine."

Jealousy hits Heidi like a fist. The urge to march over, rip Lira off him, and plant her own mouth on his is so sharp her vision whites out. Her wolf bares its teeth, hot fury in every note.

But then her gaze snags on Darien.

And oh, her heart caves.

Darien doesn’t look at her... at least, not directly. He stares straight ahead. But she sees him. The broad shoulders, the storm in his eyes, the memory of his lips dragging fire down her skin. He’s the one who ruined her in one night. The one who touched her like she was both fragile glass and the only flame in the universe. The one who left her starving after, then vanished into silence.

Her chest aches at the sight of him, a pressure that’s almost worse than the wolf’s howl. He abandoned you, her human brain spits. But her wolf answers with a low, throaty call.

"MATE!"

Then Morgan.

The most mischievous one. One hand is shoved into his pocket while the other strokes his chin like this is about to become the most interesting moment of his life.

Yet, when those eyes of his land on Heidi, the ground might as well crack open. It’s not fire that rushes through her veins but molten steel— burning from the inside out.

"MATE!"

The wolf doesn’t whisper this time. It roars.

Heidi gasps, clutching her stomach as though something inside her is clawing free. Her knees nearly give out.

And before she can recover, her gaze collides with Grayson’s.

The wildest. His grin is sharp like he already knows the chaos he’ll cause. His gaze locks onto her and a spark of recognition flares instantly in his eyes.

Her breath halts as her body screams.

"Mate!"

The second cry rips through her, then a third, then a fourth. Each louder than the last.

Her wolf is no longer restrained as it’s clawing at her insides, demanding, snarling, and desperate:

"All of them... all four of them are ours. Ours. Ours."

Heidi’s vision swims. She can’t breathe. She can’t think. Her thighs shake as though she’s about to collapse. Heat rolls through her body in waves, pulsing low in her stomach, clawing higher into her chest.

It’s official. She’s fated to all four Bellamy boys.

Junie notices the beads of sweat on Heidi’s forehead first. Her elbow jabs Heidi’s ribs gently, but her voice carries an edge of real worry.

"You okay?"

Heidi jerks her head up. For a split second, she can’t even remember where she is. The echo of her wolf’s desperate howls is still rattling in her chest like broken glass in a tin can.

Mates. All four of them. It nearly tore her apart just seconds ago, and if she lets herself slip back into it, she might just scream out loud in front of everyone.

She swallows hard. Focus.

They’re all staring forward now; every Moon Blessed in the hall with stiff backs, pale faces, hearts drumming in time like a funeral march. They can’t afford a distraction. They’re minutes away from walking to their deaths.

So Heidi forces her voice flat. "I’m fine."

She’s not fine. She’s the farthest thing from fine. But she can’t explain that her wolf just rolled over like a lovesick puppy for all four Bellamy boys in the room. She can’t confess that her body is still quaking with the urge to run to them, to claim them, and to crawl into the safety of arms that might not even want her.

She sucks in a breath, steadying herself. Not now, please. Not when every second counts.

Junie squints at her like she doesn’t believe a word, but before she can push, the buzz of chatter dies.

At the center of the Convergence Grounds, Headmaster Halric steps forward. His voice resounds through the microphone at his chest. He wears the same expression he always does; authority and composure, but there’s something off in his eyes. Heidi doesn’t know what it is... too much pride? Or too much indifference?

"Students," Halric begins. "Do not be afraid."

The silence that follows is deafening. Heidi hears someone choke down a bitter laugh. Don’t be afraid? They’re literally about to be shoved into a monster-ridden maze that has eaten generations of werewolves before them. Fear isn’t optional.

"Your courage today is admirable," the headmaster continues. "We thank you for volunteering your service to both the school and the pack."

That’s when the room breaks. Not out loud, or in shouting, but in sharp murmurs. Shock. Disbelief. Angry hisses slipping through clenched teeth.

"Volunteering?!" a girl mutters from behind Heidi.

"Who the hell volunteered for this?"

"They’re lying!"

Valentina also whispered hot against Heidi’s ear. "I didn’t imagine the school could be this rotten. Lying about us volunteering—this is foul, even for them."

Junie chuckles softly. "Rotten is the understatement of the century."

But before anyone can build momentum, a thunderclap sound splits the air. Heidi flinches, clutching her ears.

It’s Master Corvin.

He stands tall in his usual black uniform, eyes sharp as obsidian. He doesn’t carry a microphone because he doesn’t need one. His voice itself seems to cut through flesh and bone when he bellows, "SILENCE."

How can a single word make such an impact?

A heavy, crushing force slams into Heidi’s chest, sinking claws into her lungs. Her voice dies instantly in her throat. Everyone else seems to suffer the same. Heidi can see one boy’s mouth still moving, but no sound is coming out of it. Even their thoughts feel muffled, like someone stuffed their skulls with wool.

It’s terrifying, but effective. It is in that moment that Heidi understands what Master Corvin’s ability is; a skull-crushing ability to manipulate sound.

Corvin’s lips curl in a sneer. "You will not disrespect this institution with insolence. Keep your mouths shut."