Chapter 153 Chapter 153
Chapter 153 Chapter 153
Amber
I had barely closed my eyes when the world decided to personally attack me.
A siren blared through the academy like the building itself was having a panic attack. The sound vibrated in my teeth. I groaned into the pillow, convinced this was some new form of psychological warfare.
Around me, the other girls made various noises of protest. Someone buried their entire head under a blanket. Someone else muttered a curse that sounded creative enough to be illegal.
Ellie, of course, escalated.
“I swear on every goddess and half the minor ones,” she mumbled into her pillow, “if this is some idiot practicing for the apocalypse, I will find them and kick them so hard their ancestors feel it in the afterlife.”
As if offended by her, the siren blared again.
She flailed one leg toward the door without sitting up. “Midnight devil, this is your final warning. Leave. Or I start throwing shoes. Expensive ones.”
I was amazed she was speaking full sentences while being half asleep.
The siren cut off mid-wail.
Ellie made a smug little sound. “See? The threat worked. Midnight devil knows better than to test me before caffeine.”
I was just starting to sink back into blessed darkness when the principal’s voice boomed through the speakers like he had swallowed a megaphone and was now regurgitating announcements with far too much enthusiasm for 2 am.
“Students of the Academy! Today is a monumental day! The Hunt begins at dawn, and with it, the chance for glory, power, and making a name for yourself”
Ellie groaned so loudly it almost drowned him out. “It’s still night. The sun is not even pretending to rise. Why are you talking like this is a TED Talk for people who hate sleep?”
“—and to properly celebrate this historic occasion,” the principal continued, completely ignoring the collective misery of every student in the building, “we invite you all to the Grand Hall for a pre-hunt celebration. Immediately.”
Ellie cracked one eye open.
“Immediately? I will hunt you down first thing in the morning” she whispered, like the principal had personally offended her.
“Furthermore,” the principal’s voice rose with unnatural cheer, “we are honored to announce a surprise visit from the Four Alphas themselves. In light of their presence, the celebration has been elevated to a formal welcome party. Dress accordingly and gather in the hall in half an hour. It goes without saying that full attendance is expected and failure to show up will reflect poorly on your academic scores.”
There was a beat of pure silence.
Then Ellie shot upright so fast her blanket went flying across the room.
“Oh my goddess, is there a party at freaking 2 am in the academy?!”
I made a pathetic noise and tried to crawl under my pillow. “No. We are sleeping now. The Hunt can wait. The Alphas can wait. In fact, the entire academy can wait until I’ve had at least four more hours.”
But she was already on me, hands on my shoulders, shaking me like a malfunctioning vending machine that owed her money.
“Amber, listen to me. There’s going to be a party before the hunt and this might as well be the last party of our lives. And all the four alphas are attending. This is a once in a lifetime chance.”
“You go enjoy”
But she shook me again. “The principal also mentioned academic scores. Why do you want to lose points just like that?”
I felt her plop on the small bed beside me as her knee dug into my ribs.
“All the four alphas will be there in some time, looking hot and dangerous and probably judging everyone’s life choices.”
I blinked blearily at her. “ That’s not a party, that’s a disaster.”
Ellie shook her head so hard her neck almost sprained. She shoved her phone in my face which was blindingly bright and my eyes watered as I shoved it away.
“Look. there’s a group announcement in the academy group.”
She began reading it aloud when I wouldn’t open my eyes.
Principal has organized an emergency welcome party. Formal attire preferred. Do not embarrass the Academy.
“It’s a surprise visit,” Ellie said, already half-falling out of bed, “so the principal threw a hasty party in their honor which means there will be free drinks, possible bloodshed, and you looking like you didn’t just crawl out of a war zone. Move!”
I sat up, my brain still lagging several minutes behind reality.
“What are we even supposed to do at a party at—” I checked the time and nearly wept “—this ungodly hour? Smile? Pretend we have personalities? Survive?”
Ellie was already yanking clothes out of her wardrobe like she was raiding an enemy stronghold.
“Get ready in the best possible dress! No arguments! No excuses! No ‘but Ellie I only own three shirts and one of them is in tatters’!”
“Ellie, we have to prepare for the hunt,” I grumbled, pointing weakly at my training gear. “I should wear something practical, something I can actually run and fight in. Not stupid dresses that would hamper my movement.”
She scoffed so hard it was almost a personal insult, then shoved the training clothes off the bed like they had personally offended her bloodline.
“Absolutely not. You are not showing up in front of the Four Alphas looking like you just finished scrubbing floors and crying about it. I have just the dress for you.”
She held it up dramatically and I stared at it, all the sleep vanishing from my eyes.
It was a deep crimson dress that looked like it had been designed by someone who thought less was more.
The neckline plunged lower than my remaining dignity, the back was completely nonexistent except for two thin straps that crossed just enough to keep the whole thing from becoming a public indecency charge, and the skirt had a thigh-high slit so aggressive it might as well have come with a warning label and a waiver.
“Absolutely not,” I said. “That is not a dress. That is an open invitation to…”
She cut me off. “...to worship you, and bow to you, yes Goddess Amber!”
Ellie didn’t even blink. She marched me into the bathroom, forced a toothbrush into my hand, and started splashing water on her own face aggressively.
“You are the only sole hunter in this entire academy,” she muttered while scrubbing her arms with the same aggression.
“Damian would be ashamed if you stepped out looking like you just rolled out of a laundry basket. He already has to deal with bloodlust, politics, and whatever emotional damage comes with being the Mad King’s heir. The least you can do is not look like a sleep-deprived raccoon who lost a fight with a pillow.”
“I look like a sleep-deprived raccoon because I am a sleep-deprived raccoon,”
I shot back around a mouthful of toothpaste.
“And Damian is probably still at the fight club right now, knuckles bleeding again, because of me. Because I asked him to keep me safe and somehow that turned into him throwing himself into the Hunt like it’s a casual hobby.”