CHAPTER 175: THE TRUTH.

No one had an answer to what Miss Valois was asking. They never thought she knew so much. Angela felt her chest tighten because she knew that if she didn’t say something now to save the situation, everyone would be in trouble, and it would all be because of her.

"Kael got sick. It was really bad and they went to the hospital in my town to find help," Angela said quickly. The words were not even hers. Stormy kept pushing her, and she found herself repeating after her wolf. "Before you ask why we didn’t come to the school hospital, they only wanted to see Dr. Dylan, maybe book an appointment, and if possible take some tests."

"Why didn’t they do it here?" the principal asked, her eyes narrowing with confusion. "What kind of sickness is it?"

"We are not sure yet," Angela replied without pause. Stormy had given her that answer, and she was grateful her wolf was guiding her. "Kael thinks it has something to do with his genes. And Dr. Dylan is a wonderful doctor in that area. He could help with diagnosis and know exactly what is wrong with him."

She noticed how worry suddenly appeared on Miss Valois’s face. The woman seemed relieved that they had gone for a good reason and that it had nothing to do with Evan’s case.

"I am so sorry for blaming you. I was scared that you might be out making mistakes," the principal said softly, her shoulders easing with relief.

"I told you already we were not doing that. I had my birthday celebration today, and we spent the day preparing for it," Angela explained. She thought she was good at lying, but Stormy was much better. Together, they managed to calm the principal down.

But when she looked at Mr. Slade, her stomach sank. His face was stiff, his jaw tight, and his eyes burning with something close to anger. She felt her throat go dry. "Are you still mad at us, Mr. Slade?" she asked carefully.

The room went quiet, and every pair of eyes moved toward him. He looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected her to call him out.

"You don’t look happy, even though we should all be happy now," Angela said with a faint smile that did not reach her eyes. If Mr. Slade could pretend and keep secrets, then she could do the same while still showing him respect.

It was clear to her that he knew she was a girl, but for some reason, he refused to say it out loud.

"Me?" he asked, placing his hand on his chest as though to act surprised.

"Are there two Mr. Slades here?" Renn asked from behind.

"I don’t think so," Taros replied with a shake of his head. He turned to Beta Slade and added, "We didn’t say the Beta. She said Mr. Slade."

"I am fine, if that’s what she is asking," Slade finally said, his tone flat.

"Oh my... you all should let the man be," Miss Valois cut in, her voice firm. She knew they were trying to turn this into something against him. "So were you able to talk to Dr. Dylan? Renn, did you meet him?"

Miss Valois’ heart pounded hard in her chest. Angela could almost hear it echoing in her ears. Was Miss Valois scared of Dr. Dylan?

"No. We will see him next week," Renn said, his eyes fixed on the ground, avoiding her gaze. His voice carried sharpness, and his body was stiff. "Can we close this topic already? I am tired of being questioned like a kid. This is not high school where we need your permission for everything, even when it comes to saving our friend’s life."

"But that is not what I meant, Renn," the principal said, her voice low as she looked at him. She wanted him to look back at her, but he refused. Miss Valois could feel the wall between them. Her own son despised her now more than ever. "You can go back to the dorms. We will talk tomorrow about Evan’s case."

"Ma, why don’t we talk today?" Taros asked, restless and curious.

Miss Valois hesitated, then sighed. She knew they were eager to hear the truth. "Alright. I will tell you. The doctor found that Evan was injected with something bad. It was poison. It destroyed him from the inside. It was done in the woods, which means the person is from within the school. The guards did not see anyone enter from outside."

"What the principal meant," Mr. Slade cut in, his voice calm but heavy, "is that there were no traces of outsiders coming in. It means someone among us killed him."

"You are right," Kaito said, glaring straight at him. Angela’s heart clenched. She wished she could send him a message, warn him to soften his gaze, because the way he looked at Mr. Slade made it seem as though he was accusing him outright. "Who is this person? Is it you?"

"Are you accusing me of being a murderer?" Mr. Slade asked, his eyes flashing with golden light. His voice was sharp, filled with both anger and hurt.

It went silent. No one answered. It was not fear that held them back. Angela even saw Taros and Renn chuckling under their breath as if enjoying the tension. She quickly stepped forward and corrected what had been said. "It could be you as well," she said, turning toward Kaito. His brows furrowed at her words, and she continued firmly. "It could be anybody. We are not sure yet. Everyone is a suspect right now."

"Angela is right," Principal Valois said. Her tone carried both warning and plea. "Control your anger, Mr. Slade. You cannot take everything to heart. And you boys," she turned to face them, "respect your teacher."

"Of course we will," Taros said with a crooked smile. "It is not easy to spend years in the university studying tech, right Mr. Slade?"

Angela felt her stomach twist. She knew it was mockery because they just found out that Mr. Slade had studied medicine, not technology. She looked at the young teacher and saw beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Enough," Miss Valois said firmly. "We will continue this tomorrow. For now, make sure the students stay inside during this hard time. As a pack, you must look out for each other. Do you understand?"

No one replied, but she knew they had heard her. She straightened her back and added, "I will get to the root of this and I will find who the killer is."

"When you find him, leave him to us," Renn told her.

"How do you know it’s a him?" she asked.

Renn looked lost for a moment before shrugging. "It’s just a feeling."

"Whatever you say," Miss Valois muttered as she walked to her car. She noticed Mr. Slade had not followed her. He was still standing with the students, and she wondered what was going on in his mind. "Mr. Slade, can we go now?"

"Yes, ma," he said as he finally walked towards her. When he reached the car, he asked quietly, "Do you believe everything they said?"

"Why not?" she replied, fastening her seat belt. She glanced at him. "You don’t believe them?"

"No... no. My opinion doesn’t matter in this situation."

"Then why ask?" she pressed as she started the car. The road was quiet as they drove towards the staff quarters. "If you have something on your mind, then say it."

"I think Angel is a girl," Mr. Slade said at last. His voice was calm, but his eyes carried certainty. He wanted to see how she would react.

Her heart skipped, but she forced her face to stay the same. The air in the car grew heavy, almost suffocating. She swallowed hard before she managed to ask, "Why do you suspect that?"

"I saw the boy. He’s been marked twice already," Mr. Slade said with a faint smile.

She froze at his words. Marked? Twice?

"Marked by two of the alphas," he continued. "What do you think that means? Angel is a girl... the promised she-wolf."

Miss Valois was restless, her mind running in circles. Could Angel really be her? If Angela was the one marked by the boys, then everything she thought she knew was a lie. But she needed to be sure, she needed proof before her heart believed it.

If Angela was truly the Alphas’ mate, then the boys had been hiding the truth from her all along. They didn’t trust her. That thought stung more than she wanted to admit. She pulled the car to a sudden stop and turned to Mr. Slade.

"Get out," she said firmly.

His eyes widened in surprise, as though he hadn’t expected her to throw him out like that. "Did I say anything wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, you did," she snapped, her voice shaking with anger. "You are trying to put that poor boy’s life in danger with your rumour. Angel is a boy. I didn’t make a mistake in the admission. Now get out of my car and keep your mouth shut."

Mr. Slade hesitated but stepped out, and without looking at him again, Miss Valois stretched across the seat to slam the door shut. She reversed quickly and sped away, her voice cold as she muttered, "Stay away from the boys too."

She drove fast, her chest rising and falling as she fought the storm inside her. She only slowed when she reached her house. Once inside, she went straight to the study room. Her hands trembled as she pulled open the drawer and searched until she found the envelope Marcus had given her.

She had never opened it before. For so long, she avoided it, fearing what truth it might hold. Now she couldn’t run anymore. Closing her eyes, she tore it open and pulled out the folded paper. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes, praying it would not be Angela.

But it was.

The sketch stared back at her, the lines so clear she could almost see Angela’s eyes staring at her from the paper. Her hands shook so badly that her legs almost gave out beneath her.

Angela was the girl Marcus had been searching for. The Patriarch had warned that she could be his daughter, which meant she carried the blood of the most powerful werewolves. Angela wasn’t just another girl—she was the promised she-wolf. And if the boys had marked her, then they already knew. They hadn’t claimed her yet, which meant there was still time.

Miss Valois’ shoulders sagged as the weight of it pressed down on her. If Angela truly carried the Malynster bloodline, then giving her to Marcus would end the threat of war with that ruthless family. It was the safer choice.

But what about her own life? What about her son? If the Patriarch discovered she betrayed him, they would both be doomed.

Her head spun with the questions. The more she thought, the more her chest tightened. Who should she give Angela to—Marcus or the Patriarch?