Chapter 51 Unsettled

Chapter 51 Unsettled.

ARDEN

0

D

I bwoke /bup feeling warmer than busual/b. Has someone fired the heater inside the dorm already?

With that, I snuggled deeper into the warmth, feeling myself falling into slumber once more.

s

My cheek was pressed against something solid, but beneath it, a steady rhythm was heard. That was when all the sleep in my body was flushed down the drain.

My eyes snapped open, and I finally found the source of the warmth. Cade, bin /bball /bhis shirtless glory, was lying in front of me.

One of his arms bwas /bunder me, while the other was cedzily on my waist.

1 bgasped /bquietly and tensed.

His arms loosened, but he didn’t wake. He looked peaceful, brows slightly furrowed even in his sleep. Unconsciously, I reached and smoothed out the lines between bhis /bbrowsb. /b

11 rxed slightly, making him appear more boyish. That also made me bsmile/b; however, when I realized what I was doing, I quickly closed my eyes and cursed internally.

Oh my goodness. What was I doing?

Images fromst night came back–me stumbling in bhis /barms, clinging to his shirt, my fingers digging into his bback/b, crying against his skin, and my lips brushing his neck as I’d begged him to take me.

It bwasn’t /bme.

It was the heat inducer. bI /bswear.

1 bbit /bmy

lower lip in horror, carefully shifting out of his embrace. I bwas /bbstill /bin my clothes–wrinkled with the faint scent of the drug lingering in the fabric.

I tiptoed across the massive room, grabbed my jacket, and slipped outside.

The sun was already high in the bsky /bover the Elite bcampus/bb. /bI ran through the cool morning air, darting into a bus stop, and proceeded to go to my dorm.

Maisey, who was alreaily at the front desk, looked at me with raised eyebrows, but I didn’t give her any attention as I ran toward my room.

bI /bquickly opened the door, and before I could even close it, I heard a sharp gasp.

“Arden!”

Tessa bolted toward me, eyes ssy with bpanic/b, and wrapped her arms tightly around my shoulders.

“I was so worried!” she whispered harshly. “I’ve been calling you sincest night. Are you okayb? /bbAre /byou hurt? Did they–did anyone–7

“I’m okay.” I breathed, hugging her back.

Tesa pulled back and cupped my face, checking for bruises. “How did you get away? We heard from someone in the cleanup

am that Kieran and his friends tried to do something. They bsaid /bsomething was off, and then Owen-”

My heart dropped “What about Owen?”

Tessa winced. “He went to confront Kieran this morning At the bElite /bMansions”

“No!” I ran toward the closet, fumbling for a clean shirt. “He shouldn’t have gone there. Kieran’s insane.”

“He said somer had to do Tessa said, biting her lip. “And Arden

?It

175

1:14 AM & c

Chapter 51 Unsettled.

b“/bWhat?”

Alpha Cade.”

“You you smell like bAlpha /b

I froze.

s

Then, I sniffed my sleeve.

Dawn it

“Did something happen between the two of you? I didn’t see it at the Aftersound.”

“No!” I said quickly. “Nothing happened. I was… in his room, yes, but–he saved me, Tessa. That’s ball/bb. /bI swear,”

She nodded bquickly/b. “Okay, okay. But we need to go now, I couldn’t stop Owen because I was still trying to contact you

I rugged bon /ba hoodie, spritzed perfume to mask the scent of Cade, and threw my hair up into a bun. We burst out of the dorm, feet pounding the stone paths as we bsprinted /bacross campus.

The Elite Mansions towered ahead. But even from a distance, I could hear the shouts.

“Owen!”

I rushed bforward/b.

The moment we turned the cornerb, /bbI /bsaw it. Owen was on the ground–bruised, lip bleeding, cheek swollen. Kieran towered over him, bhis /bbfist /braised, aiming for another hit. Beside him was Trevor, who was bkicking /bOwen before he could next to them was once again Sienna, appearing to be enjoying the show.

b“/bWhat the hell!” I screamed, rushing in and shoving Kieran back.

He stumbled slightly, eyes red, one cheek marked by what looked like Owen’s earlier blow.

“He started it!” Kieran spat. “He came into my mansion throwing punches.”

get up, and

Owen wiped blood from his lip and tried to lunge bagain/bb. /bI had to wrap my arms around his waist, holding him back with every ounce of strength I had.

“No, no more! Stop it!”

“I’m fine,” Owen muttered, though he clearly wasn’t.

Tessa knelt beside him, helping him sit upright. Her eyes burned with tears when she saw the blood on his temple.

“You’re bleeding, byou /bidiot,” she hissed.

Kieran smirked and stepped forward

“You freaks bthink /byou can walk in here and use me of

“Back off,” I snapped.

“You don’t get to touch my friends,” I snarled.

–

“Is that so Trevor basked /bin a teasing tone. “How about this?”

Ije tried to kick Owen again, but this time, Tessa covered him, so Trevor’s bshoe /bscraped against her knee.

“What is your problem?” I eximed, holding onto Trevor’s cor.

That was when amanding voice sliced through the air.

“What is going on here?”

Iveryone turned to the source of the voice.

Chapter 51 Unsettled

Alc. Winters

b5 /bFree Coins

We were all seated in Mr. Winters private office.

bKieran/b, Trevor, and Sienna sat on one side. On the other side, Tessa and I sat stiffly, hands clenched over our knees. Owen bhad /bbeen sent to the clinic, barfing and disoriented. They were checking his head for signs of trauma.

“So,” Mr. Winters began. “Someone tell me the story.

Kieran was the first to speak, casually leaning back in his seat.

“He started it,” he said, gesturing vaguely toward the empty bchair /bOwen should’ve upied. “That dude came storming into my ce throwing punches. I was just defending myself.”

Trevor nodded beside him, the perfect loyal minion. “We were bjust /btalking. Then hees in swinging like some lunatic.

Tessa’s frown bdeepened/b. “It bwas /bonly because of what they did to Arden. They drugged herst night when she was just cleaning bup /bafter the Ivory Solstice. It’s sexual assault.”

Mr. Winters sighed, tilting his head toward our side of the room. “Is that true?”

Kieran bgave /ba snort. “Of course not. In Elite, we value proof. They don’t bhave /bbproof /bof the assault.”

Sienna’s lips curved into a selfb–/bsatisfied smile. “And Arden is factionless,” she added, sounding fake sweet. “So the rules of the school factions don’t govern over her.”

My jaw clenched. I wanted to p that smirk right off her face.

Mr. Winters tapped his bfingers /bagainst the desk. “bShe’s /bcorrect

“What?” I blinked. “It’s a crimel How is this even a discussion?

“Did something bhappen/bb?/bb” /bMr. Winters asked evenly, gaze narrowing. “Did they really assault you? I was there at midnight, and no students were left in my mansion.”

I pursed my lips. In ba /bway, nothing had happened because Cadeved me before they could do some genuine damage.

“They drugged me,” I said finally.

“We bjust /bgave her ba /bdrink,” Trevor shrugged. “She drank it willingly. If it was forced, then something else would have happened, bright/b?”

I turned to him bwith /ba heated re. “bYou /bknow bthat’s /bnot the truthb./b”

Mr. Winters sighed but didn’t speak. Instead, he picked up a remote and pressed a button.

This is the footage we recovered from the mansion entranceb,/b” he bsaid/b. The video yed silently.

There was Owen marching btoward /bKieran’s ceb, /bbfists /balready balled. Then, he punched Kieran bcleanly /bbacross /bthe face.

I closed my ryri.

“Kieran’s right.” Mr. Winters bsaid/b. “It bwas /bban /bact of self–defenseb./b”

“I

“But they ganged up on him” I snapped. “Clearly, Owen’s the one in jeopardy now–he’s barely conscious!”

“He only has a scrape on the cheek,” Tessa muttered bitterly, pertaining to Kieran.

“Arad what about Tessa?” I added. b“/bShe got kicked by Trevor

Mr Winters rubbed his temples, tired. “Regarding that the nature of the vition surrounds Arden–a factionless–so in theory, this does not fall under standard protections

b3/5 /b

1:14 AM c d

Chapter 51 Unsettled.

My mouth went dry.

+5 Free C

Coins

“As for the injuries… Since Owen initiated violence but bwas /bthe one who was hurt more, I would suggest that they talk it out. Let’s bnot /bescte this further, shall we?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearingb. /b

bMy /bfists shook..

Across from me, Kieran grinned. Trevor nced down, smug, while Sienna bran /bher manicured nails through her hair like this was just another bwin /bin her perfectly charmed life.

I hated them. Every single one of them.

And worse. I hated how powerless I bwas/b. How, even now, Tessa had scraped her knees trying to protect me, and Owen was sitting in the clinic with a busted head because of me.

My eyes fell shut.

The door suddenly burst open with a loud m.

“I have ba /bint to make.”

“Alpha Cade,” Mr. Winters said slowly, sitting up. “What are you doing here? We’re still not finished with this meeting

“bCade/b?” I whispered the moment he entered the broom/b. The others also straightened, surprised by his presence.

Cade remained expressionless. “I just heard byou /bagreed toe to a settlement, right?”

“Perfect,” he muttered. “That means I can now make myints.

His eyes fell on Sienna. “Regarding Miss Sienna Graves.”

b“/bWhat?” she asked, her voice faltering for the first time.

Cade stepped inside. “She’s part of my faction,” he started off. “And per use 3.6 under factionw, a faction leader may remove any member from their faction for behavior deemed disloyal, criminal, or disruptive to faction integrity. I have proof she helped facilitate the drugging of a factionless student–Arden.”

He pulled out a data chip and ced it neatly on Mr. Winters‘ desk.

My eyes widened. “How did you?”

He nced at me but didn’t answer.

Mr. Winters inserted the chip. The screen changed bto /bfootage from the hallway where they tried to drug me, clearly without

Cade continued calmly: “bAdditionally/b, I’m proposing ban /bbequal /bsettlement for the conflict that bhad /bjust happened. Owen shall bpay /bfor Kieran’s hospital fees. And Kieran band /bTrevor shall pay for Owen’s.”

Kieran scoffed. “I barely have a scratch.”

“That’s how a settlement works,” Cade said simply. nt it, Mr. Winters?”

My Winter‘ eyes darkened “Mr. Cahan, I suggest you do not get involved-

How can I not?” Cade’s voice dropped. “When one of bmy /bmembers hasmitted ba /bcrime–not just by Elite’s standards, but by generalw This means that even if Arden is factionless and these actions are not covered by thews of Elite, I’m sure it vites the rule of ournd.”

Would you rather this video gets out to the public?”

He Hepped forward, now just a few feet from bthe /bdesk.