CHAPTER 56: _AWAKENING CEREMONY (THE NAY BOYS)

Lucan rises with his eyes fixated on Heidi.

For a heartbeat, she’s too stunned to process it. Sierra’s brother, and dare she say her own adopted brother – technically who doesn’t always seem to care about the world around him is coming to her rescue?

His tall broad-shouldered frame dominates the left side front row. His dark hair falls into his eyes as he steps out into the aisle.

W-WHAT?!

Heidi’s eyes almost pop out of their sockets at the impossibility playing before her. LUCAN IS SAVING AND HAS NO ISSUE WITH NOTICING HER NOW!

However, he’s the Delta’s son, so every one of his actions will definitely breed even more attention. Now that they are directed at her, Heidi finds this bittersweet.

"Of course," she mutters under her breath, mortification and relief tangling together within, "because what I need right now is an escort."

He doesn’t hurry or fumble as always. He moves like he belongs to the floor, moving confidently slowly, and soaking up the attention she desperately wants to avoid. When he reaches her, he offers his arm.

And now the whispers change.

"The NAY boys..."

"Lucan... he actually stood up."

"He’s bringing her to sit with them?"

"Why would they..."

"She can’t... she wouldn’t—"

Her ears burn. She stares at his arm, at the curve of his elbow, at the sheer absurdity of the moment. But she has no choice. Not unless she wants to keep standing here like a sacrificial lamb in front of the entire school.

So, with her spine stiff and her insides melting into panic soup, she slips her arm into his. Together, they walk down the aisle, past the sea of stares and past the endless rows of murmuring mouths.

Her senses scream at her; the brush of fabric against her skin, the heat of his arm under her hand, the stench of too many perfumes and colognes clashing in the air, the sound of her own heartbeat thundering in her ears.

They stop at the first row, opposite the Bellamys and there the NAY boys are.

The first one is Nash—the Beta’s son who has an easy grin that looks permanently etched into his face, like the universe exists purely for his amusement. Then, there’s Ace—the Gamma’s son who is leaning back with his small calculating cat eyes as though he’s already dissected every possible outcome of this interaction. And Lucan, of course, must be the Y in NAY, whatever that stands for. He’s still radiating that relaxed defiance that says he doesn’t care what anyone thinks.

The two pairs of eyes belonging to Nash and Ace meet hers as she slides into the seat beside Lucan. Heidi manages a weak and nervous smile. However, it’s genuine enough to be taken as an acknowledgement.

The two boys wink back, making Heidi squint. She doesn’t understand. The elitism in this school and even the entire pack most certainly wouldn’t exclude the NAY boys who are literally the sons of the pack leaders.

Regardless, Heidi doesn’t think she’s in the right place to be picky about who extends a hand of friendship to her. Hence, she pushes down her doubt and decides to make the most of the good things that come her way.

Now, across the aisle—oh, across the aisle, the Bellamys are practically consumed by fire. Amias’s jaw is clenched so tight it’s a miracle his teeth don’t shatter. Darien looks like he’s been betrayed by the girl he had in his arms all night. Morgan’s knuckles are white against his knees. Grayson’s glare has gone from dangerous to downright murderous.

Heat floods her. However, this one is not of fear—though there’s plenty of that, but exhilaration. Why? Because she knows, down to her bones, that they’re jealous. That sitting here, with their rivals, smiling at them, and letting them wink is driving them insane.

So she does the only logical thing... she basks in it. Sue deserves to flounder in it. They’ve had the upper hand since forever, so if this little harmless act can drive them insane, let it.

She sits a little straighter, lets her smile spread, even flicks a strand of hair back over her shoulder in an exaggerated gesture that would make Daphne faint. If looks could kill, the Bellamys would have set her on fire.

The headmaster clears his throat, dragging the hall back into the shape of order after she’s settled down.

"As I was saying," he continues, though the steel in his tone suggests he’d much rather throw her out onto the lawn, "the Awakening Ceremony is a ritual that has existed since the dawn of werewolves. Yet, with time, it has evolved and transitioned into something befitting our modern era. What you will witness today is both ancient and new, rooted in tradition yet adapted for progress."

Heidi exhales slowly, finally sinking back against her chair. The speech drones on, but she barely hears it. Her attention is trapped between two gravitational pulls: the NAY boys at her side, radiating amusement and camaraderie, and the Bellamys across from her, blazing with fury that isn’t even trying to contain.

And somewhere inside, under all the fear and embarrassment, she finds a wicked little spark of satisfaction because for the first time, she isn’t invisible. She’s unforgettable.

Daphne Bellamy’s face does something almost comical when she finally notices where Heidi has planted herself. At first, Daphne blinks as though her eyes are deceiving her. Surely, Heidi is not sitting beside him. Surely, Darien’s hopeless, no-name, insignificant one-night stand hasn’t wedged herself right into the spot beside Nash.

The Nash Daphne has been daydreaming about all through the car ride here/ The Nash she writes his initials beside in her notebooks, decorating them with tiny hearts no one is supposed to notice.

But then Daphne sees it clearly: Heidi is not only seated there but she is daring to smile as though she belongs to one of the NAY boys. And worse, Nash himself doesn’t look offended. He doesn’t shift away or sneer. He’s leaning a little closer, as if listening to something Ace mutters on the other side, and Heidi is right there in the middle of it, catching the edges of their smirks.