CHAPTER 50: THE PARTY.

The strong blast of music filled the air, accompanied by the loud chatter of people, as Victoria, Callum, Theo, and Lucian stepped into the magnificent living room.

The sweet aroma of various dishes and drinks wafted through the space, instantly making Victoria’s stomach grumble in protest. She hadn’t had dinner at home nor had her three brothers. Damien hadn’t returned to the mansion as promised. Most likely, he had been held up in a meeting with the other alphas to discuss the upcoming training schedule for the new recruits.

"You should get something immediately you settle down." Callum who was the first to notice voiced out with a light chuckle which Victoria nodded her head in response.

"Oh! You’re here!" Blonde shouted the moment her eyes landed on Victoria. With a wide grin, she ran across the room and threw herself into Victoria’s arms like an old friend reuniting after years apart. "I almost thought you weren’t going to show up!"

"Greetings, seniors," Joe said respectfully, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment toward Theo and Callum...whose hand rested on the hilt of a gun strapped to his waist, along with a sword and then to Lucian, who nodded curtly in return.

"What are they doing here?" Rose asked sharply, her voice laced with annoyance but low. She tilted her head and blew out a puff of smoke, her eyes narrowing with disdain. "Blonde, did you invite them? I thought this party was just for you, me, Dickson, Joe, and Victoria."

Callum, Theo, and Lucian didn’t spare her a single glance. As if she didn’t exist, the trio walked past her and sank into the velvet sofa with quiet indifference.

"What the hell is wrong with them?" Rose hissed, clearly offended. "They weren’t even invited, yet they walk in here acting like they own the place." Her voice was thick with fury, but there was a mocking smirk tugging at her lips.

"We’ll be here for a while, sister," Callum said calmly, ignoring the tension. "Just enjoy the party. Once it’s over, we’ll head home. Tomorrow is the day you newbies get to choose which of the heirs you want to train under. You wouldn’t want to be late."

His words sent a wave of shock rippling through Blonde, Joe, and Rose. All three turned toward him, stunned.

"What do you mean? We get to choose an heir to train under?" Rose repeated, placing her hands on her waist as frustration tightened her features.

"Yes. Alpha Darius, Zephyr, Auren, and Damien," Theo answered smoothly. "Those four are the ones you’ll choose from."

"Fuck! Are you serious right now?" Rose exclaimed, flinging her cigarette aside. "We’re supposed to be trained by real teachers, not arrogant heirs! Training under them?" She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Please. They’ll use that as an excuse to punish the newbies, make us bow down, remind us who really rules this academy. That’s what this is about....they want to dominate us."

"Well, since you already seem to know so much, maybe you should start behaving accordingly," Lucian said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Once you’re done partying, I suggest you start thinking seriously about which heir you’ll choose. As for Victoria, she’s obviously training under our elder brother Damien. She’s already managed to offend the other three alphas. Choosing them would be dangerous. She’d only be putting herself at risk."

"Oh, right....Alpha Damien," Blonde nodded, her tone shifting to something more thoughtful. "We’ll go with him too. Sure, he might not be the most influential heir in the academy, but he is still an heir. He’s experienced in all combat fields, and that matters."

"Well..." Victoria’s voice cut through the room like a blade.

Everyone turned toward her.

"I’m not training under Elder Brother," she said, her voice steady, calm but unshakable.

Shock etched itself onto every face present. Joe, Rose, Blonde, Callum, Theo, and Lucian stared at her, dumbfounded.

"I’ll train under Alpha Darius instead."

"What?" came a low growl, laced with disbelief and concern.

The voice belonged to Leo.

He was invisible to the others, his naked form standing just before Victoria. His piercing eyes bore into her with confusion.

"Didn’t you say you weren’t going to serve under him?" he asked quietly. "That you’d rather serve under your brother? Why the sudden change of heart?"

Victoria lowered her gaze momentarily before responding, her voice a soft whisper only Leo could hear.

"I just realized... you were right. I need to pretend. I’ll accept his proposal and get close to him. Because unless I willingly kiss him. unless the kiss comes from my heart, he can’t access any of the memories from my first life. No matter how much he believes I’m the girl in his dream, if he can’t retrieve those memories... he’ll eventually think he imagined everything. That it was all just a hallucination."

A pause passed between them. Then she added, "So I’ll train under him, earn his trust, get closer to him and the council. When the time comes and he kisses me, if my heart doesn’t respond, he’ll get nothing. And when that happens again and again, he’ll give up."

Leo arched a brow and then smirked. "Oh, I see now. You are clever after all."

He stepped closer, voice lowering to a conspiratorial murmur. "There are still a few more things I need to tell you though. But not now. When the time is right."

"I also have a lot of questions to ask you too... later. Until then," Victoria murmured under her breath, her words directed at Leo, who simply nodded in silent acknowledgment, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"What are you saying, little sister? Are you sick or something?" Callum asked with a puzzled frown as he stepped in front of her. Without hesitation, he placed a hand on her forehead, checking for any sign of fever. "You’re not burning up, so what’s with this nonsense you’re spouting?"

"I’m okay, brother," Victoria replied, meeting his gaze with steady eyes. "I’ve made up my mind. I prefer to train under Alpha Darius."

Callum blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting her to be so firm.

"If I train under my own brother, I won’t take his teachings seriously," she continued, her tone calm but resolute. "But if I’m under the supervision of another Alpha especially one I’ve offended....I wouldn’t dare act recklessly. I know I’ve crossed the line with Alpha Darius, Zephyr, and Auren, but this is also a chance to show them I’m serious... to prove myself. If I become a dedicated and respectful student, maybe it’ll help them let go of any grudges they hold against me."

A brief silence followed, the air heavy with unspoken thoughts.

"She’s crazy... but then again, what’s my business?" Dickson, who had been swimming in the pool this entire time, finally chimed in. His voice echoed lazily across the room.

Everyone turned their heads just as he climbed out of the pool completely naked, save for a single white bandage wrapped around his hardened length.

Gasps erupted across the room.

Theo, quick to react, raised his hand to shield Victoria’s eyes. "Don’t look!"

But Victoria calmly pushed his hand away. "It’s not the first time I’ve seen a naked man," she murmured, unbothered.

"Huh?" Callum, Theo and Lupien chorused together with shock and utter disbelief but then they could help but to swallow hard as Victoria was done talking, her gaze still fixed on Dickson.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Blonde snapped, her voice rising with shock and a tinge of restrained anger. She swallowed hard, her eyes betraying her as they fixated on the bandaged shaft dangling between Dickson’s legs. "Why are you naked, Dickson?!"

"Did you injure yourself down there or something?" Rose raised an eyebrow in amusement, blowing out a puff of smoke before letting out a dry scoff. "What, did you invite someone for a blowjob and they bit you so hard you had to wrap it up like a battle wound?"

"That’s not what happened. Fine I hurt myself but you don’t have to know how," Dickson barked, his tone laced with frustration. His face turned a shade darker as he stormed off further into the mansion, his flat backside on full display, drawing loud bursts of laughter from others around the room.

Victoria let out a low scoff, shaking her head. "Someone like you, Leo. No shame."

"Oh, no," Leo cackled with wicked amusement, invisible to all but her. "He’s not me. That idiot is naked because of the incident that happened earlier this afternoon."

Victoria’s eyes narrowed slightly. "What incident? What happened?"

"You’ll find out later," Leo replied, brushing the question aside with a mischievous grin. "For now, just focus on the party. I’m curious too. I want to take a look around... maybe taste a few delicacies."

"No you should tell me now. You shouldn’t keep anything away from me." Victoria replied, her eyes widen open in curiousity.

"Go and enjoy the party little girl." Leo replied followed by an outburst of laughter.

Without waiting for a response, he drifted away from her, deep into the mansion.