CHAPTER 35: ASHWOOD RETREAT

Ashwood retreat wasn’t what she was expecting. When she heard it was the most normal activity here at Gravemont, she couldn’t hardly believe it.

But here she was now, standing next to Liam under the moonlight, staring at the bonfire and the healthy, normal games that surrounded them.

The location was somewhere in the woods, around the ashwood trees, still within the school’s expansive territory. Boys gathered around different games, laughing and nudging themselves with their shoulders. There was hardly any bad energy around here, with both first, second and third years mingling effortlessly.

The scent of grilled meat filled the air, and it felt like the first had come alive.

"This is an image of what Gravemont would look like if it were a normal school," Liam said next to her, impressed with what he was seeing.

"Tell me about it," She replied as they walked forward.

He slung a hand over her shoulders, "Come on, let’s go,"

They walked into the gathering, passing by a ring of students playing cards, another group playing machine games and another, with a students teaching the others how to play poker.

She didn’t realise her expression had softened till Liam tapped her shoulder.

"What?"

"You’re smiling,"

"Am I?"

"You are,"

She shoved his hand away with the faint tug of joy still on her lips, "It’s just weird seeing everyone like this. No title, no family, just... people,"

"Yeah," He said, agreeing with her, "For these few hours, Gravemont pretends to be a regular academy,"

They kept moving and made their way toward the bonfire, where it was mostly populated. There were logs of wood surrounding the large fire, and the laughter was richer here, too.

She wondered what game had caught their attention this much.

Turns out it wasn’t a game, it was a person.

Or rather, people.

Aurelius and Celeste.

Even here, away from their booths and marble floors, they looked nothing less than the Alphas they were born to be. Aurelius was sprawled back against a carved wooden chair, his large frame filling the whole space and the flames painting a deep Shadow over his tanned skin.

His laughter was magnetic, and his dominance was fierce. Plus, his grey eyes seemed like the type that didn’t miss anything around him.

And a Celeste, mysterious, elegant and composed as always with his violent eyes reflecting the flames of the fire as he intently stared at it.

He seemed like an introvert to her.

Liam noticed her staring, but she was the first to speak, "I’m guessing you’re supposed to be there too, right?" She gestured at them

Liam shrugged lazily, "I don’t really care. I’ll do whatever I want to do,"

She turned back to them, and couldn’t seem to look away. Aurelius, Celeste and the other three were a constant reminder every day of the thing she wanted so badly - heirship - but couldn’t get at the end.

They were the kind of people who didn’t need to demand attention from anyone, especially their fathers. They didn’t have to cry or beg for it while they were young; they weren’t mistreated, bullied or neglected, and whenever they trained till they couldn’t breathe, the motivation behind it wasn’t anger, hatred or depression.

It was the need for power. The ability to rule.

It was to become an Alpha one day.

"Careful where you look, or you might just be issuing out a challenge," Liam warned when he noticed she was still staring.

Theodora wasn’t worried about issuing a challenge, but she didn’t want to draw much attention tonight that might end up ruining the day for her, so she quickly looked away.

But it was too late.

Aurelius had already seen her.

Aurelius tilted his head a bit, a knowing smile on his face. Then, he leaned over a bit and whispered something to Celeste, which also had him staring in her direction.

At that moment, Liam threw a hand over her shoulder again, and unlike the first time when it was just a pure action of friendship, she felt a shift in this. Like a territorial and possessive move on her. Like he was giving out a warning.

He exhaled quietly, "You always know how to attract trouble, Thad,"

"They’re just staring," She stated, not as tense as he was.

"That’s how it starts," He replied, his grip tightening around her shoulders.

"You know, I don’t need you to look out for me on these matters, right? I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. Plus, you’re gonna break my neck if you keep this up,"

His grip loosened, but only a bit, "Alphas aren’t the kind of people who easily give up on something that had caught their attention. I once attended Alpha Camp with Voss and Devereux, and well, let’s just say I’ve gotten a good glimpse of just how... invested they can be, especially Aurelius. Celeste doesn’t do too much, doesn’t talk too much. But Aurelius, he’s dangerous. And you told him you’re a lone wolf that day, which makes your situation even worse,"

"Like I said...," She repeated softly, "I can take care of myself. Trust me, will you?"

He shook his head stubbornly, "You’re my only friend around here, Thad. I’m not giving you up to the kings of the south,"

"Well, King of the West, I want to assure you that I can look out for myself. I may look like a commoner, but I’m capable of defeating Kings. I’m Capable of maintaining myself around one,"

Before he could respond, a smooth voice interrupted.

"Is that so?"

They turned around to see Aurelius standing there, hands in his pockets, and eyes gleaming with a hint of amusement.

Liam straightened immediately, his entire body shifting from relaxed to guarded, "Aurelius,"

"William!" Aurelius’s gaze flicked between the two of them, briefly settling on the arm still slung over Theodora’s shoulder before he added, "Didn’t expect to see you playing the watchdog tonight,"

"Didn’t expect to see you out here slumming with the rest of us," Liam shot back.

Aurelius chuckled lowly and unbothered by Liam’s words, "I like to be reminded of what humanity looks like from time to time,"

Then, his gaze turned to Theo and the smirk got even deeper, "And...Redhead, we meet again. You have a habit of standing out,"

Theo arched a brow, "Maybe you just have a habit of staring,"

"You were the one staring first," He retorted smoothly

Liam exhaled sharply beside her, arms still around her possessively, "What do you want, Voss?"

Aurelius’s grin didn’t falter. He seemed to be getting more and more intrigued by the sight with every second, "A conversation. Or maybe company. The night’s young, and my table’s dull without a little... spark," His eyes flicked to Theo, lingering with deliberate weight and the invitation, "Join us for a game. Cards. Maybe truth or dare if you’re brave enough, "

Theo leaned back on Liam, looking unimpressed. "Tempting offer, but I’ll pass,"

Aurelius tilted his head in question, "Are you always this stubborn, or do you just like pretending you have a choice?"

Liam straightened, "He said no," His voice was dangerously low now.

"Yeah, I said no," She repeated.

Aurelius chuckled, "Relax, William. I’m not stealing your... companion. You can join us too,"

"You don’t have to drag people into your ego games, Voss," Liam’s jaw tightened.

"Oh?" Aurelius’s gaze sharpened, the teasing slipping into something colder, "That’s funny, coming from you. You’ve been the one hovering over someone who clearly doesn’t need you. Makes me wonder, do you protect everyone this much, or just the ones who don’t need saving?"

Theo frowned, instantly sensing the weight in that line. She turned to Liam and saw that he was even more upset now, "What’s that supposed to mean?" She turned back to Aurelius.

"Ask him," Aurelius said with a small shrug, "He’s got a long history of losing the people he thinks he can keep,"

Liam went rigid next to her and Theo knew that statement had landed like a slap. Her eyes flicked between them, "Okay, what the hell is that about?"

"Nothing," Liam muttered, his voice more edgy, "We’re leaving,"

Aurelius’s smirk returned, with cruelty in it this time, "Of course you are. That’s what you’re best at, isn’t it, William? Walking away before someone proves you wrong,"

She felt that rising rage from Liam increase rapidly and knew he was about to connect with Aurelius. Quickly, she planted herself between them, "Stop it. Both of you!"

Aurelius’s smile vanished and he looked down at her, " Choose your company wisely, Redhead. Some heirs crumble faster than they fight,"

"Not Liam," She retorted immediately, "And just like he said, we are leaving,"

She grabbed Liam’s arm and pulled him with her, anger rising fast in her chest also. It was best they both left or else, tomorrow she would be popular for punching two of the strongest Alphas at Gravemont.

They hadn’t moved far when Aurelius called, "Tell me something, Redhead, are you his Lackey?"

She turned around and glared at him, "You don’t know when to shut up, do you?"

He smirked, "Only when someone makes me,"

Theo let out a sharp breath. There was no way her own ego was gonna allow her to walk away without making that smirk on his face falter, even if it was just a little bit.

"Fine," she snapped, "You want someone to play your little game? I’ll play. Let us go and play,"

Liam’s head whipped toward her, "Thad—"

"Relax," she said, grabbing a nearby drink and drowning it down instantly, "I’m not doing this because of him. I just can’t stand arrogant pricks thinking they can bait me. I wanna make him twitch,"

Aurelius’s grin widened with satisfaction, "Then come on, lone wolf. Let’s see if you’re as good as you think,"

She brushed past him, heat rolling off her skin, and Aurelius fell into step beside her with lazy ease.

Liam cursed under his breath and followed, every muscle in his body tight with irritation.