Chapter 242: Her Decision!
A cold shiver ran down her spine, her heartbeat quickened as she listened to the conversation between her father and Principal Valois. The woman knew about her, and she was going to hand her over tomorrow.
The thought alone made her chest tighten. Her breath came uneven and harsh. With her hand pressed against her chest, Angela stumbled to the door, struggling to breathe. She pushed it open and stepped outside, but Alex followed quickly.
"Breathe... take a deep breath," he whispered, his eyes full of worry as he held her arm firmly. Angela tried, inhaling sharply and letting it out in shaky bursts. "Yes, that’s it. You’ll feel better now," he assured her softly, rubbing her back in slow circles. "You’ll be fine... nothing will go wrong."
Before she could steady herself, Renn rushed forward and gathered her into his arms. "What happened? Don’t be afraid, Angela. We will find a way," he promised.
"She knew all along," Angela said with trembling lips. "Principal Valois was only waiting for the right time to hand me over."
"No one could see her true intentions, but now we know," Renn said as he cupped her cheeks, his eyes steady on hers. "I’ll fix this. You don’t have to worry anymore."
Angela’s chest ached as she looked at him. "How can you fix it? How are you going to stop this?" She had already thought of running away if she couldn’t fight Marcus. It felt like the only way to keep everyone from being dragged into her mess.
"I will talk to the principal," Renn said firmly.
"Why would she listen to you?" Angela asked, confused and desperate to understand.
Before Renn could answer, Stales appeared at the door. "You should all come in," he said, and once he saw them comply, he returned inside with Alex.
"Let’s go back in," Renn told her softly. Angela nodded and walked ahead, while he followed closely behind. Once she was seated on the couch, he leaned forward, his voice low but steady. "Now tell me, what’s the plan for tomorrow? We can’t just sit and wait. We have to do something."
"Yes, I am thinking," Kaito said as he rubbed his forehead. Fear crawled inside him because he knew that making a move against the principal could expose Angela’s identity. If Marcus failed to get her tomorrow, someone else might. Mr. Slade had already warned him that many were after her.
They could choose to stand and fight, but he had no idea who the others were. Were they ordinary people, or werewolves, or witches, or vampires? He had no fucking clue, and the thought left him helpless. He needed to think, to protect the students and keep them safe.
"What are you guys saying?" Renn asked, looking from one face to another. He didn’t like the heavy silence or the way their expressions had changed.
"I suggest we take Angela somewhere safe," Hailey said. "We can’t just fight Marcus when we don’t even know what he’s capable of."
"I don’t know much about him," Renn admitted, "but from the little Hiro found out with Eliza, Marcus is someone we should be afraid of."
"But will he really hurt his own daughter?" Stales asked softly. "We don’t know that yet, so let’s not conclude too fast."
Kaito glanced at Alex, who had remained quiet all this while. He was told that Marcus and his men had killed Alex’s father, but he couldn’t say it in front of Angela, not until he was sure. Still, his voice was sharp as he turned to Hailey. "We’re talking about protecting her from her father, Hailey. You saw how that man spoke to your sister."
"Maybe she deserved it," Hailey said with a shrug as she stood up. She wasn’t about to defend her sister, who had always been good at betraying people.
"I have a plan," Kaito finally said, shifting to the edge of the couch. His eyes went to Angela. She looked distant, as if she wasn’t even in the room. He reached out and touched her arm, pulling her out of her daze. "Angela, I said I have a plan."
"Sorry, I drifted off," Angela whispered, trying to smile, but it faded too quickly. She stood and spoke, her voice trembling. "I just want to thank you all for standing by me. Since I came into this academy, I have met amazing people. My best friends... my mates and their friends. I don’t know if I will ever be able to repay your kindness, Hailey."
"You are the Luna. It is our duty to protect you," Hailey said, and the others nodded, eyes warm.
Angela felt a rush of gratefulness she could not hide, but the words she had to say next sat heavy in her chest. "Thank you," she breathed. "I have decided to meet Marcus tomorrow so you do not have to fight him or anyone at all."
The room froze. Her announcement landed harder than she expected. Renn crossed the space to her and took her hands like an anchor. "We will protect you. Please, do not go to him," he pleaded, voice breaking.
Kaito sprang to his feet, anger flashing in his eyes. "We will not allow that," he said, his tone flat with warning. He had never been quieter about a promise than he was now. Protecting his mate was everything.
Angela let a long breath out and crossed her arms over her chest. "I am not asking. I am telling you what I will do. I planned to go tomorrow with Stales, but I am telling you because we said no secrets."
"You cannot do that. It will—" Renn began, but Angela cut him off with a steady look.
"Kael is receiving his dosage today. I am going there now," she said. "You and the others should start finding the other affected students so we can remove whatever Dr Dylan put in their system. We have very little time."
She did not wait for arguments. Even as disappointed and angry faces turned toward her, she added, "I cannot keep running. I must face my fear, even if I go alone. I will deal with my father. I need to know if he is truly a bad man."
Stales spoke then, quiet and sharp. "What if he is? What if it is not just stories and he wants to use you?"
The question hung in the air and Angela thought about it as if it were a knife. Then she straightened and something fierce lit her voice. "Then it will be father against daughter. If he wants my power for his gain, I will make him regret ever coming near me. My days of crying are over. If they want me— Grace, Uncle Toga, Dr Dylan, Marcus— they should try their luck."
Silence fell. They watched her, unable to find words, until Stales broke the hush with a warning that tightened the room. "Sorry to spoil the moment for the Luna, but are we really going to ignore Principal Valois talking about the deaths in the central House years ago? Could this be connected to Angela? What were those girls doing in an all Male academy?"
*****
Mass release is tomorrow.