CHAPTER 137: KAITO...A BLOODY LIAR.

"Are you trying to drive me crazy with your questions?" Kaito asked, his eyes burning with anger. How dare he accuse him and his brothers of something so vile.

"I don’t think that’s what he meant," Principal Valois said quickly, pressing her hand against her chest. She glanced at Mr. Slade before he could say anything else that would only make the boys angrier. "Can you please step aside while I speak to them? Call the ambulance to come for the body."

Mr. Slade hesitated, clearly unhappy to leave, but he had no choice. With a sour look, he pulled out his phone and walked toward the security guards who stood a distance away.

"Don’t tell me you actually believe what he said?" Renn demanded, his brows drawn together in disbelief. They could accuse him and his brothers of anything, but murder? That was too much. His voice broke with hurt as he added, "If we killed him, we would never lie about it."

"I didn’t say I believe him, but..." Principal Valois began, then stopped herself. The boys were ready to argue, and she knew she would get nothing out of them if it turned into a fight. Her face paled. "This is so bad. Did you truly not do it?"

Renn rubbed his forehead and began pacing. "She is still asking if we did it or not. Can’t you see—"

"Don’t let your anger take over," Taros cut him off firmly. He turned toward the principal, his voice steady. "Stop letting that man’s poison fill your ears. You know us better than that. We did not do this."

Principal Valois gave a small nod, though her eyes showed her worry. There were so many questions swirling in her mind, questions that could shake the entire academy. If the board and the sponsors heard that a student had died on campus again, it would cause chaos. Years had passed since such a tragedy. She had prayed never to see it return, yet here they were.

"We need to inform our parents, the students, and the board," Kaito said, stepping closer to the body. He bent down, about to touch it, when Principal Valois quickly stopped him.

"Don’t. We don’t know what that thing is. It could carry a disease or something dangerous to werewolves," she said, fear making her voice tremble. She backed away and motioned for them to follow. "Come, let’s stay clear of it until the ambulance arrives."

For the first time, the boys obeyed her without a single word of protest.

"What do you think it is?" Renn asked, his face clouded with confusion. "I have never seen anything like it."

"I don’t know," Principal Valois admitted softly. She looked at each of them, her tone turning grave. "This will remain a secret between us, do you understand?"

The boys stayed silent, but her eyes caught Alex standing aside. She pointed at him. "Even you too. Don’t say a word to anyone about this. It stays between us."

"Why should we listen to you?" Kaito’s voice was sharp, his anger clear. "You said you were going to get back to us about Evan’s case but you never did. If you had, maybe we could have stopped this. Now we don’t even know if someone turn Evan into it or if he was just born that way."

Taros stepped forward, his voice filled with frustration. "Yes. You never spoke of it with our parents during the last meeting. I asked my dad. You kept quiet."

"You kept it a secret and now look at what it has turned into," Renn shouted, his head shaking. He was more disappointed in her than angry.

"I got this, trust me," the principal said, but her eyes kept moving from one boy to another, unsure of what to hold on to.

Renn’s voice cut through her words. "I can see that. Then tell us, who is Evan? Why is he not a werewolf when he registered as one? Who is behind his death? What kind of creature are we dealing with? And what are you going to do to protect the students, because this is only the beginning."

Kaito added, his tone heavier now. "And above all, Angel was his target. Why was he so focused on him? Don’t tell us it was just obsession, because it is more than that. Cameras were in Evan’s room. That boy had support from someone higher. You owe us answers. We will not stay quiet."

The principal’s lips tightened before she suddenly spoke again. "Or maybe Angel is not who he claims to be. Maybe he is the one who brought this trouble to us. Think about it. He lies, he hides, he deceives."

The boys froze, surprise flashing in their eyes as they turned to her. The sudden turn of her words stirred something inside them.

She felt their attention shift, heavy and expectant, and she wondered if she should finally reveal the truth of what was really happening or bury it deeper.

*****

Angela managed to take her bath and changed into the clothes Kael gave her. They belonged to Hiro, and his scent lingered on them. Even with everything that had happened, she could not take Evan’s image out of her mind.

She still remembered that morning she went to his room. It was hard to believe that a boy like him could do something so frightening.

Her hand had trembled when she held the doorknob, her heart heavy with doubt. Who was truly responsible for his death? Was it her fault? Did he bring it upon himself? Or had some wild animal attacked him?

Her thoughts gave her no peace. Even though he had been her enemy, she did not want to be the reason he was gone. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom. Hiro and Kael stood in the corner, speaking in low voices, but the moment they saw her, they went quiet.

She knew at once they had been talking about what happened.

"Hey, how are you feeling now?" Hiro asked, turning toward her.

Angela only nodded and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do you want food? I could bring it to you," Kael offered.

She shook her head, and he gave her a small nod. "I’ll go and join the rest. I’ll keep you updated."

"Thanks, man. And be careful out there," Hiro said. Once Kael left, silence fell between them. He did not know what to say, and she stood there with tears in her eyes. The sight of them tore at him.

"You should get some sleep," he finally said.

"I can’t. Today is not supposed to end like this," Angela whispered, trying to hold her tears back.

"I understand. It started rough because of us. I do apologise, for myself and my brothers," Hiro said honestly. He was never good at comforting anyone, but he tried. "I don’t know how to make it right."

"You don’t have to worry about me. I just want to know what really happened to Evan," Angela replied. "Do you think the school authorities will believe it was us?"

"Hey, don’t bother yourself about that," Hiro said as he walked closer. He was the worst person when it came to consoling, but he still reached for her hands and held them gently. "Kaito will handle it. He always does."

"The way you are so sure that he will..." she rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. Hiro let go of her hands, reached for his phone, and opened the music app. A soft tune filled the room as he came back to her, taking her hands again.

"What are you doing?" she asked, puzzled.

"We are going to dance. I don’t want us to end this day thinking about death," he said with a small smile as his hand slid around her waist.

Angela chuckled and placed one hand on his shoulder while holding his other hand, letting him guide her as they began to move sideways.

"You know Kaito," Hiro said, his voice light, "he acts like our big brother. It suits him though."

"Yeah, kind of," Angela replied, trying to picture it. "He gives me daddy vibes when he’s with Alex and the rest of the pack."

"Exactly," Hiro said, his eyes resting on her. She was too beautiful for anyone to think of hurting her. He hated himself for not admitting his feelings sooner. At first he had even fought them, confused by the way he saw her when he thought she was a boy. It had shaken him, made him question everything. Now, with her so close, he knew how foolish he had been. "Kaito is that one person who will step in and save you no matter what. He always protects us all."

Angela knew he was right. From her very first day in the academy, Kaito had been there. He was a good guy, no matter what anyone said.

"I’m closer to Renn," Hiro admitted as they moved gently together. "He’s always been there for me. But Kaito... he’s there for all of us. That’s why I’m saying you don’t have to stress yourself. Just wait for his feedback. He’ll handle it."

Angela nodded softly and laid her head on his shoulder. For the first time since the day started, she allowed herself to breathe. The warmth of his arms gave her comfort, easing the weight pressing on her chest. She was glad he wasn’t asking for a kiss or pushing her into anything more. His calmness made her heart relax.

But Hiro’s calm was breaking inside.

His eyes fell on her neck, and his heart stopped. There was a fresh mark there. He had smelled Taros on her earlier, but he had pushed the thought away, convincing himself he was wrong. Now the sight of that mark tore him apart. Taros and Angela... together in the woods making out.

Damn it.

He shut his eyes, fighting the burn of tears. His chest felt heavy, his blood hot with anger and pain. He bit his lower lips...Kaito was a bloody liar.