CHAPTER 112: UNEDITED.

"Well, it’s obvious now," Theo chimed in with a grim tone, his arms folded. "Alpha Auren is the one who granted Jamaila her scholarship. That’s why he has her parents’ contact information. But this sudden change... we all know it screams trouble. Only the Moon Goddess knows what Jamaila did to offend him. Whatever it is, we’re better off staying out of it. He won’t hurt her in her own home." He exhaled heavily, then added, "He’s probably just going there to remind her of the punishments waiting for her at school... or to warn her to quit quietly before things get worse.

"And you expect me to believe that?!" Victoria shouted, her voice laced with raw fury. Her chest heaved as her hands trembled, rage boiling through her veins.

She then pulled out the paper airplane Jamaila had dropped on her desk earlier. Her eyes blazed as she held it up. "See this?!" she snapped, thrusting it toward him. "She dropped this letter....it says Help! What else could that mean, Auren?! It means you’ve hurt her!"

"Oh, please," Auren scoffed, his lip curling in disdain. "If I had truly hurt your little friend, do you think I’d be standing here trying to explain anything to you?" His voice dripped with anger, rising with every word. "Why should I bother hiding it if I had really done something? But I haven’t! That’s what I’ve been telling you, and you should damn well listen for once!"

Victoria’s gaze darted sharply around the room, her fury giving way to a fresh wave of horror as her eyes landed on a crumpled piece of clothing on the floor. She bent down quickly and picked it up. Her heart skipped a beat, then dropped into a pit of dread. It was a girl’s school uniform.

Her mind screamed one thing....that Jamaila might have been raped.

"You... you forced yourself on her, didn’t you?!" Victoria screamed, charging forward. Her hands shook as she grabbed Auren’s collar and yanked him down to her level, her eyes flashing with rage and grief. "When I came back in time, I didn’t vow to only protect myself from monsters like you....I vowed to protect those who can’t protect themselves! And you rich brat....you’ve hurt so many people already! I won’t allow history to repeat itself again!"

"You must have gone completely insane, bitch!" Auren roared, his own temper exploding. With a violent shove, he pushed Victoria hard to the ground.

Her body hit the floor with a dull thud, but before she could even gasp, the door to the swimming pool slammed open with a loud crash.

Six figures rushed inside....her brothers. Joe, Blonde, and Rose stormed in with fury etched across their faces.

Callum was the first to move, sprinting to Victoria’s side. He dropped down beside her, lifting her carefully, his hands steady as he helped her to her feet. "Victoria....are you alright?"

"The hell is going on here, Alpha Auren?!" Theo bellowed, his tone thick with rage. His eyes glowed with anger as he glared at Auren. "Are you trying to hurt our sister?!"

Auren let out a harsh laugh, his eyes blazing with irritation. "You should take your sister straight to the psychiatric ward! She’s completely lost her mind!" His tone was venomous, each word spat like poison.

"Oh, please, Alpha Auren," Lucian cut in, his voice sharp. "We’ve always given you respect only because of our elder brother, Damien. But even he doesn’t respect you anymore....so why should we? You don’t have the right to lay a single hand on any member of our family."

"Oh really?" Auren sneered, arching an eyebrow mockingly. His lips twisted into a cruel smile before he let out an outburst of mocking laughter that echoed through the pool hall. "And you think your precious elder brother has made the right decision?" He shook his head, his laughter darkening into a growl. "No, no... Damien has only chosen a path that will ruin him."

His tone turned cold, threatening. "I’m not like Darius, who’s wasting time keeping secrets. No... I’m not patient like him. I can ruin Damien, your family, and everything you hold dear in the blink of an eye." His gaze cut across them like a blade, his voice filled with venomous finality. "So don’t you dare test me!"

"You....!" Lucian growled, his eyes flashing dangerously as he started to step forward. But Callum quickly reached out and grabbed his arm, holding him back.

Just what exactly can ruin Damien... and the Ashford family? Victoria wondered silently, her throat dry as she swallowed hard. Her chest tightened with unease, dread stirring in her heart.

"Just where is Jamaila, Alpha Auren?!" Blonde finally demanded, frustration dripping from her voice. Her fists clenched at her sides, her expression tight. "I’ve heard too many stories about this school....how several scholarship students mysteriously went missing. At first, I thought it was all just rumors, ugly lies spread by people. I wanted to believe it wasn’t true, that this school... this country... still had rules."

"What did you do to her, Alpha Auren? Even though I don’t particularly like that girl, I still can’t stand by while you harm her. So answer me!"Rose chimed in, his tone sharp and edged with anger. His jaw tightened as he took a step closer

"I’m not going to stand here and explain a damn thing to fools like you!" Auren barked suddenly, his voice thundering across the room. His face was dark with fury as he snatched the school uniform from the floor. With quick strides, he stormed toward the swimming pool door.

Victoria, her brothers, and her friends exchanged quick glances before rushing after him. The group trailed him through the corridor until they reached Auren’s office.

Inside, the tension was suffocating.

"Are you sure Auren really hurt Jamaila though?" Rose asked suddenly, her brow furrowed in suspicion. She leaned casually against the desk, though her sharp eyes never left Auren. "Think about it....if he really had hurt her, would he bother trying to keep it a secret? That’s not his style." She smirked faintly before fishing a cigarette from her bag, lighting it with practiced ease. With a deep inhale, she exhaled a cloud of smoke, her words slipping through it. "He’d be proud of it."

"These bastards are capable of anything though," Blonde replied, her voice low, almost a whisper. Her arms folded across her chest as her eyes narrowed. "He might just be playing with our heads right now. That’s what worries me."

Suddenly, Auren’s voice broke through the silence. "Hello? This is Auren. Am I speaking with Jamaila’s parents?"

Victoria and the others turned to him instantly, their eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

"He... he has her parents’ phone number?" Blonde murmured under her breath, swallowing hard. Her skin prickled with unease. "Does that mean the Alphas collect the contact numbers of every scholarship student’s parents? From the very beginning?"

Wait... Blonde’s mind spun as realization struck her. Who was the one that accepted me into this school? Do they know my secrets? If one of them does, then surely the others know too... Fear tightened her stomach as she gripped the hem of her skirt so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Yes, is Jamaila at home then?" Auren continued, his voice shifting into a tone of forced politeness. He placed one hand on his waist and sighed heavily, though curiosity flickered in his eyes. "Oh, good. I’ll come over to check on her soon then. Thank you."

He ended the call with a soft click before turning back toward Victoria, her brothers, and her friends. His expression was unreadable.

"Jamaila is safe," Auren declared with unsettling calmness. "She’s already at home. Turns out another student managed to send her a uniform before I was able to." He settled himself down into the leather chair behind his desk, his tone unusually serious. "You can all leave my office now."

Victoria stepped forward, her brows furrowed. "And what happened to the clothes she was wearing before?" she asked, suspicion laced through her words. "You haven’t answered my question earlier about you forcing yourself on her so did you?"

"Oh, right." Auren’s lips curved faintly, though there was no warmth in his smile. "Nicole tore her clothes. I had no choice but to provide Jamaila with a new outfit." Rising from his chair, he closed the distance between himself and Victoria. For a heartbeat, he looked directly into her eyes. Then he brushed past her, heading toward the door. "I didn’t force myself on a cheap thing as her. Anyway, I’ll be leaving now. I’m going to see her."

The silence that followed was thick and heavy, broken only by the faint sound of Auren’s footsteps fading down the hall.

"Well... that’s it, Victoria. We’re done here." Leo’s voice whispered suddenly into her ear....low, calm, and invisible to the others. "You should head back to the mansion. Since you turned down Darius’s offer to teach you swordsmanship, it’s better this way. You can train at home while keeping an eye on your stepmother and stepsister."

"Let’s go, Victoria," Callum said aloud, pulling her gently from her daze. "You still need to tell me about your day."

Victoria frowned, shaking her head slowly. "Not only did Alpha Auren provide Jamaila with a new outfit, but now he’s suddenly announcing he’ll be visiting her at home." She scoffed, crossing her arms. "What’s with the sudden change in behavior?"