CHAPTER 47: CAST INTO THE FOREST.

"Come on," Luca muttered under his breath, his tone steady as he urged his other four friends along. He wanted Bella out of that room. All of them did.

Killian shot a glance back at the table, his jaw tight, but he followed Luca’s lead. Cassian’s eyes, dark and unreadable, stayed on Maren for sometime before he turned. Rafe was last to turn.

Bella turned too and began to follow, relief curling through her chest like a fragile thread. It wasn’t over, but at least they were walking out together.

"Dismissed," Maren said, her voice carrying finality.

The boys were halfway to the door when it came.

"You, Miss Rivers. Stay behind."

The words froze Bella mid-step. Her heart lurched.

She turned slowly, her eyes darting from Maren to Mallory to the rest of the committee.

The boys all stopped at once.

"What?" Luca’s voice was sharp, protective.

Maren didn’t look at him. Her gaze pinned Bella like a hawk’s talon. "I said she stays. Alone."

Killian bristled. "With all due respect, Principal, why should she? You just dismissed us."

"She stays because I say so. This is not a request." Maren replied, her tone icy.

Mallory shifted slightly in her chair, her face schooled into calm neutrality. Only Bella caught the faintest flicker in her expression, pity, or maybe warning.

Cassian stepped forward in her defense. "But she hasn’t done anything wrong."

Rafe’s jaw clenched, his hand curling into a fist. "You can punish us, but not her."

Maren finally turned her head, her smile precise and cutting. "Your loyalty is... touching. But misplaced. Miss Rivers will remain. The four of you are dismissed. Now, get lost."

The committee members looked uneasy, but none challenged her. Alden shifted uncomfortably but said nothing.

"Bella—" Luca started.

"Go," Bella whispered, her throat tight. She didn’t know why she said it, only that if they refused, whatever Maren had in mind might become worse.

Luca stared at her, torn between instinct and obedience.

Maren’s voice came loud. "I said Get Out! Now!"

One by one, reluctantly, the boys turned toward the door. It closed behind them with a dull, echoing thud.

And Bella was alone.

She swallowed, forcing her voice not to shake as she turned back toward Maren. "Why... why me?"

Maren leaned forward in her chair, her smile widening just enough to show the gleam of teeth.

"Because, Miss Rivers," she said softly, almost sweetly, "we have much to discuss."

Bella’s stomach dropped.

Maren’s gaze fixed on her. "Miss Rivers."

Bella blinked. "Yes, Principal"

"I called you back because.." her tone was crisp, commanding. She tapped her fingers against the file before her, "...it seems the events of last night were not your first... violation of school policy."

Bella’s blood ran cold. "What?"

Maren opened the folder. "Roughly a week ago, you were overheard making a phone call to your mother. Relating private affairs of this academy. Matters you knew, or should have known, are not to be discussed beyond these walls. It’s clearly outlined in the rules and regulations pamphlet you were given upon admission. And yet—" she snapped the folder shut, "—you did it anyway."

The panel stirred, a ripple of murmurs.

Bella’s head whipped toward them. "That’s not true. I wasn’t—" She cut herself short, her breath catching. She had called her mom. The night her phone had gone strange and died in her hands, as if life had been drained out of it. She hadn’t told anyone. How could Maren possibly know?

Her lips parted, but no words came.

"You see," Maren continued smoothly, "it’s not merely a mistake. It’s a direct act of disobedience. A deliberate breach of the school’s trust."

One of the board members, Alden, leaned forward, frowning. "Not to question your authority, Principal, but are you certain of this? Such an accusation must be supported with proof."

Maren’s smile was razor-thin. "I don’t bring accusations, Alden. I bring facts."

Mallory shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes flicking to Bella, then back to Maren. "But—expulsion to the forest for three days? That is the punishment listed for such a crime. Severe punishment. Is this truly necessary for a first offense?"

"First offense?" Maren’s laugh was soft, biting. "We just witnessed her in the company of four boys caught breaking curfew. Four boys who lied outright to the faces of this committee. Forgive this again, and what message do we send?" She glanced down the line of the panel, her voice cutting sharper now. "That the rules are optional? That one can disobey without consequence?"

The weight of her words settled heavily in the room.

Mallory opened her mouth again, her tone firmer now. "Principal Maren, with respect, Bella Rivers is still a new student. She is adjusting. To strip her of protection and cast her into the forest for three nights—"

"—is exactly what will remind her that this is not a place for adjustment," Maren cut in. "This is a place of discipline. Of order. If she cannot respect it, then she cannot remain."

A heavy silence fell.

Bella’s pulse hammered in her ears. She wanted to speak, to protest, to demand how Maren even knew about the call. But her throat felt like it was closing. She remembered the static, the flicker of her phone screen, the way it had gone dark as though someone had reached inside and switched it off. A chill crawled up her spine.

The board exchanged glances, their expressions grim. Finally, Alden cleared his throat. "As much as it pains me... the offense is clear. And with last night’s incident considered alongside it..." His voice trailed off, but the meaning was clear.

Maren inclined her head as though satisfied. "Then it is decided. Bella Rivers will spend three days and three nights in the forest. Effective immediately. No exceptions."

Bella’s mouth fell open. Her chest tightened, words clawing at her throat but refusing to form.

Three days. In the forest. Alone.

Mallory’s hand curled into a fist against the table. "Principal Maren—"

But Maren’s gavel struck the wood, final and sharp.

"The ruling stands."