CHAPTER 45: MAREN’S INTENT.

The office was quiet except for Maren’s ragged breathing. Her palms pressed against the cool glass of the window, but her thoughts weren’t in the room. They were back in the forest, the smoke and blood and snarling wolves.

Her eyes still burned with what she’d seen.

She had seen it. All of it.

The wolves.

The four boys she had tolerated in her academy,all of them had shifted, revealed themselves in the very heart of Whitethorn’s grounds.

Worse still, their loyalty was to that girl. Bella.

Maren’s lips pulled back from her teeth in a soundless snarl before she dropped into her chair. Her pulse throbbed in her temples, anger and calculation warring inside her chest. For the briefest moment, she allowed her composure to slip, letting the wolf beneath her skin bristle.

Mallory was the first to break the silence

"You look like you saw something terrible," she said softly.

Maren’s gaze lifted to hers, sharp and cutting. "I saw everything!"

Mallory crossed the carpet slowly, setting the file on the desk with deliberate care. "What did you see?"

Maren leaned back, crossing her arms. "I saw those four stupid boys. They shifted! All of them. Four wolves circling one demon. And you know the worst part Mallory? They were fighting for her!" She screamed.

Mallory tilted her head as she came to realise. "Bella?"

"Can you imagine that?"

Mallory sat back, folding her arms. "You sound surprised. Haven’t they always revolved around her?"

"Not like this." Maren’s voice dropped lower. "They would’ve died for her tonight. I saw it in their eyes."

Mallory exhaled "You’re getting worked up over nothing, that shouldn’t bother you"

"Of course it bothers me!" She stood again.

"You sound like that because you didn’t see what I saw few minutes ago. She’s not even awakened yet and they’re already binding themselves to her. That kind of loyalty..." Maren exhaled sharply. "It’s very dangerous. Those boys are powerful."

"But you kept quiet until it got to this point. You should have known what their closeness would do for her."

Maren’s laugh was humorless. "They were meant to distract her!" She banged her fist on the table.

"You think I want her stronger? To do what? To come back and lead the very pack I should’ve commanded years ago?"

"Calm down, Maren. You want control. Right. But sometimes instead of tearing it down, just let it grow enough to choke itself."

Maren studied her for a long moment. "How can you speak of letting her grow? You of all people should understand the kind of power she wields.

There is no choking with Bella Rivers."

"You’ve always been impatient, Maren."

"And the little patience I’ve exercised, how has that helped me? That girl is remembering every part of her previous life by the second!"

She scoffed. "If you had seen what I saw tonight..."

"Then tell me what you saw, all of it."

Maren’s jaw worked. For a moment she looked almost reluctant, then the words spilled. "The demons that were meant to destroy her couldn’t even come close. They merged into one and still did nothing. Her powers kept seeping into those boys and making them stronger to ward off the demon. And she doesn’t even know that. Now imagine what happens when she’s fully aware of what she carries.

She ran out to escape the fight, that was when I blocked her path."

"That’s crazy," Mallory exclaimed.

"Exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you!"

"I mean I know she’s very powerful, but this powerful?

After blocking her path, did you attack?"

Maren laughed maliciously, "and risk her finding out who I am? Never. It’s not time yet.

I made her drag us back to the field. The demon vanished, the boys shifted back to humans. Like I wouldn’t know what happened. Fools."

Slowly, she sat down again on the chair. "I have other plans for them."

Mallory’s brows lifted. "What plans?"

"They will face the committee tomorrow. There I would wait for her." She smiled maliciously.

"That’s the only reason why I showed up physically. They will face punishment tomorrow. I even have worse plans for the girl."

Silence. Then Mallory gave a low whistle.

"But why tonight? Why now?"

Maren frowned. "Why what, the demons?"

"Yes." Mallory replied.

Maren pulled away from the window, stalking back toward her desk. "They felt her in the spirit realm. Her wolf is waking, even if she doesn’t know it yet. And when that kind of power unleashes fully—" She snapped her fingers, "—it’ll be over."

Mallory followed her with her eyes, calculating. "You sent the demons, Maren."

Maren didn’t flinch. "Of course I did."

Mallory’s composure slipped. She was getting angry. "You are risking everything, Maren. If those boys find out who you are..."

"They didn’t and they won’t," Maren cut in. "That was the point."

Her eyes glittered, "I needed to see how far they would go for her. How deep the bond already runs. The demons were bait for them too."

Mallory sat back, her lips parting in dawning understanding. "They must be thinking you saved them."

Maren’s laugh was soft, but cruel. "Exactly. They saw the demons vanish when I arrived. They’ll believe it was my presence that chased them, not recognition of who I truly am." She leaned on the desk, her voice dropping low. "To them, I am just their principal. To the demons, I am queen."

Mallory exhaled slowly. "That’s clever."

Then Mallory held her stare. "If she is as strong as we perceive, then don’t you think that all of these tests only work to sharpen her against us? We could be helping her harness her power into the weapon that kills us"

A tense silence stretched again.

"She was the reason for our last meeting at The Room of Echoes, remember?" Mallory asked.

*Of course I remember," Maren replied.

"But with all we agreed to do, nothing has been done yet." Mallory said again.

"Her mother’s spirit is so strong. She keeps protecting her. It’s become harder to penetrate even her dreams," Maren replied.

"She is indeed her mother’s daughter."

Maren levelled her with a deadly stare. "Stop giving them more credit."

"You’re the one who brought her mother into this."

Mallory leaned in. "You’ve been waiting years for proof. Well, here it is. The girl carries the same fire."

Maren’s eyes narrowed. "Her mother stole everything from me."

"And now she might take the rest."

The words hung heavy between them.

Maren finally spoke, quieter this time. "She doesn’t even know who she is. She still thinks she’s human. Yet, she’s this disastrous"

"What about the boys?" Mallory asked. "Do they know?"

"Why else would they fight for her?," Maren replied through gritted teeth. "Yes they know, And they love her for it. Ready to drop their last blood."

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, Mallory broke it. "So what’s next? More demons?"

Maren’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. "No. That would be too obvious. Let them breathe, let them think they survived something beyond them. Then I’ll send something subtler."

"What then?"

"Whispers," Maren said. "Doubt. Divide the boys from her. Break their trust before she realizes it binds her.

Mallory’s eyes flickered with interest.

"Make them question her, make her question them," Maren continued. "Since their bond helps her become stronger, we destroy it."

Mallory leaned back in her chair, curving her lips faintly. "That, I can help with."

Maren gave her a long, thin smile. "That’s why I keep you around, Mallory. You are my slow poison. You twist the knife just how I want to."

"Damn right I do," Mallory replied pridefully.

"But we need to be careful how. If they even suspect the hand behind it, all of this—" she gestured around the office, "—could unravel."

Maren smirked, her expression cruel. "That’s why we’ll use the school. The council will punish them tomorrow for exposing themselves. I’ll see to it. And while their pride is bruised, you will play your part. The smiling face. The sympathetic voice. Pretend to be on her side."

Mallory’s eyes gleamed. "The nice admission officer she trusts."

"Exactly."

Mallory allowed herself a slow smile. "Delicious."

Then Mallory leaned forward, her tone dropping. "But tell me, Maren. What if it doesn’t work? What if her bond with them is stronger than you imagine?"

Maren’s gaze darkened. "Then I’ll cut out the root myself. One boy at a time. Break the pack until she’s alone."

The words were so quiet, yet so sharp, Mallory’s wolf stirred beneath her skin.

"You’d kill them?" Mallory asked.

"If I have to," Maren said coldly. "But not yet. For now, they’re useful. Their loyalty ties them tighter to her, and that means I can measure just how strong she really is."

The office seemed to darken around her as she leaned back in her chair. "Tomorrow, we’ll start the first move. They won’t even see the knife sliding in."

As if on cue, the window behind her rattled, though no wind touched the glass. Both women froze. The lights flickered once, then steadied.

Mallory’s eyes snapped to Maren’s. "Did you feel that?"

Maren’s jaw tightened, her wolf senses bristling.

Yes, she had felt it.