Chapter 30 29
Soraya's POV
EARLIER:
The moment I stepped out of Darius’ study, my brows furrowed in confusion. Emily had told me Darius was calling for me, but Darius just said he didn’t send for me. Something wasn’t right.
I rushed back to my room, closing the door quickly behind me. My eyes scanned every corner. Did Emily perhaps mess with the fan, or something else? Because there was definitely something off. There had to be a reason.
My gaze finally dropped to the bed. I froze, staring at the pile of books. My eyes widened. These books weren't here before. I knew it. I remembered the exact textbooks that were on this bed. My heart raced, and then slowly, a smirk tugged at my lips.
So this was her trick. Emily just wanted to distract me so she could swap the books.
I picked them up, flipping through quickly. These weren’t mine. These weren’t the books for the exam. She thought she could fool me?
Thank goodness I checked. If I hadn’t, I would’ve been preparing for failure.
I carried the books and went back to Darius' study. He was still at his desk when I entered. The moment he saw me, I chuckled softly. “My mate has become clingy lately.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not being clingy or anything. Your cousin is after my life.”
That caught his attention. He immediately sat up, his eyes narrowing. “What?” He pushed back from the desk and rose to his feet. “What did Emily do?”
I crossed the room and dropped the pile of books in front of him. “Look at these. Emily put them in my room. She lied, told me you called for me, and while I was gone, she replaced my books. These aren’t mine.”
His jaw clenched as he picked one up, flipping through it. His face darkened. “These aren’t the books I brought for you.”
“Exactly my point,” I snapped. “She wanted me to read the wrong books so I would fail my exam.”
Darius’ hands tightened on the textbook. His teeth ground together as his eyes glowed faintly.
“She dared…” he growled. “Emily won’t get away with this.”
Darius was about to storm out of the study when I rushed and stood in front of him.
“Wait, don’t go,” I said quickly, spreading my arms so he couldn’t pass.
He stopped, glaring down at me, his eyes sharp with rage. “What? Why? I’m going to Emily. I’ll make her regret what she did.”
I shook my head. “No, Darius. That’s not a good idea.”
His brows pulled together. “Then what do you suggest?”
“We could handle this a better way,” I said, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the tension.
“A better way?” he repeated.
“Mhm.” I nodded confidently. “Trust me.”
PRESENT DAY
“And that’s how Darius ended up getting the right books for me again,” I said calmly. “He did it secretly so Emily wouldn’t know about it. And because of that, I studied the actual books.”
Emily’s lips trembled, her face drained of colour. “W-What? D-Darius, I… it’s not… I can’t…”
I tilted my head. “Really, Emily? What do you want to say? Should we check your room for the actual books Darius got for me earlier?”
Her eyes widened in panic, and then she burst into sobs, her shoulders trembling. “Aunt, I’m sorry! I just… I just didn’t want… I didn’t like the fact that Darius was spending money on…on her.”
Mrs. Opaline’s eyes flashed with fury. “What are you saying, Emily? Soraya is Darius’ mate—his better half. You know what mates mean to us. Why can’t he spend money on her? And did he tell you he was going through financial problems?”
Emily shook her head miserably, the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“No, Aunt, I was—I’m sorry,” Emily sobbed, shaking her head desperately. She suddenly rushed toward Darius and dropped to her knees at his feet.
“Darius, please, don’t be upset. Forgive your little sister, okay? I won’t do anything like this again.”
But Darius pulled back, stepping away. “If Soraya wasn’t smart enough to have noticed,” he said coldly, “she would have studied the wrong books just like you wanted. She would have failed her exam, and maybe even been forced to go to another school or wait another year to try again. Tell me, Emily, where did you get such evil ideas from?”
Emily’s tears flowed faster. “Darius, I can explain.”
“No,” he cut her off harshly. “You weren’t like this before, Emily. Yes, you tended to be hyper, annoying and stubborn—but you had a good heart. And now? Now, all of a sudden, you’re filled with poison and hate.”
The door creaked, and all our heads turned as Dante walked in. His expression serious, his eyes scanning the room before settling on Emily.
“What’s going on?”
Darius didn’t look at him. “Emily changed the books I got for Soraya. She swapped them with the wrong ones so Soraya would fail her exam.”
Dante’s eyes widened in shock. He turned fully toward Emily. “She did what?”
“I don’t understand what’s wrong with Emily anymore,” Darius said bitterly. “She needs to be checked.”
Dante frowned. “Darius, I don’t think it has gotten to that—”
“What do you mean?” Darius snapped. “Emily’s acting evil. This isn’t about throwing tantrums or being spoiled anymore. This is straight-up wickedness.”
The air in the room turned heavy, Emily shook her head violently, still kneeling, still sobbing, but no words came out of her mouth this time.
“Emily has to leave today,” Darius growled.
“Darius, I think you should calm down,” Mrs. Opaline said quickly, stepping forward. “You don’t want to lose control. You know how Zeus—”
“I don’t fucking care if Zeus takes over now!” Darius barked. “I’m so pissed about what Emily did. I can’t believe someone with my own blood would do something against somebody I care about. I already hate the Patriarch so much because of his wickedness, now Emily is even as evil as he is!”
“Relax, Darius. Relax. Please, calm down. I’m more concerned about your wolf right now. You really need to calm down,” Mrs. Opalyline pleaded.
I looked at Darius, my own chest clenching. His veins popped out across his neck and arms, his breathing ragged. He looked like he was seconds away from losing control.
I had seen him lose control before. I knew what could happen if he lost it in front of the whole family.
Without thinking, I walked to him, my heart pounding in my ears, and placed my hand on his arm. His body was so tense under my touch. I didn’t know what gave me the courage, but I couldn’t just stand there.
“Look,” I said softly. “I scored 85%. I didn’t fail the exam. I can get admitted. So please… don’t get so upset.”
Darius’ blazing eyes met mine, and suddenly his hands came up to grip my shoulders softly.
“How can I not get upset, Soraya?” he growled. “I’d kill anybody who tries to harm you. Now how am I supposed to feel, knowing the person who tried is my own blood?”
“I know,” I whispered. “But you should really calm down and you know why.”
His gaze moved toward Emily, who sat crumpled and crying on the floor.
And then he let out a sigh.
The next moment, he pulled me into his arms. My eyes widened. This was the first time he had ever hugged me. His strong arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly, and I froze against him. My heart was about to leap out of my chest.
His face lowered, his breath brushing my hair. He inhaled deeply.
Was he… smelling me?
“Your scent…” He murmured in my hair. “...calms me.”
I just stood there, stunned. My arms hung awkwardly. For a moment, it felt like the whole room disappeared.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Darius pulled away. His expression was composed again.
He turned to everyone. “Emily leaves today. I’m calling Aunt Ronnie.”
“Um…” Dante spoke, scratching the back of his head. “Darius… about that.”
Darius’ eyes narrowed. “What is it?”
Dante hesitated, then let out a sigh. “Aunt Ronnie is dead.”