Chapter 155 Chapter 155

Chapter 155 Chapter 155
Amber

Ellie and I found a spot near the middle just as the principal strode onto the stage, wearing pristine robes over his usual suit.
He raised both hands and the crowd quieted almost instantly.
“Students of the Academy,” he began, speaking into the microphone. 
“Tonight we stand on the threshold of tradition, of trial, of transformation. For generations this institution has forged the strongest among us. And tonight, it is our profound honor to welcome the Four Alphas themselves.”
A ripple of anticipation moved through the crowd. 
Everybody straightened and a girl near me whispered, “They’re actually coming. They’re here.”
The principal continued, launching into the usual speech about heritage, bloodlines, and the sacred nature of the Hunt. 
I only half-listened because my eyes kept sweeping the edges of the stage, the shadows, the side entrances—anywhere Damian might appear.
Then the giant screens behind the principal flickered, making students buzz with excitement.
And then they all came to life in perfect, high-definition clarity as four men appeared, each framed in their own panel.
On the far left sat a man who looked like he had been carved from cold marble with silver threading through dark hair at the temples, sharp jaw, and eyes the color of winter ice. This, the lower caption read, was Alpha Voss — father of Ryker.
Next to him was a man who looked like he had walked out of a different, far more dangerous party. He was lean, golden-skinned, with a perpetual half-smile that never quite reached his eyes. His dark blond hair was swept back, and a thin scar cut through one eyebrow. Alpha Thorne — father of Soren — gave the camera a slow, almost mocking tilt of his head, as if the entire academy was a mildly entertaining joke
The third man was broader, heavier with muscle and wore a simple but expensive charcoal shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, revealing forearms covered in old fight marks, and a black tactical-style watch. This was Alpha Kane, father of Kade.
And on the far right sat the most elegant of the four. He was tall, silver-haired despite only being in his late forties, with sharp aristocratic features and pale violet eyes that looked almost bored. He was Alpha Vael, father of Caspian.
At first everybody simply gawked at the screens but then a collective murmur swept through the students.
“They’re… not here?”
“Is the meeting virtual?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I got dressed up for a video call?”
The principal, to his credit, barely missed a beat. “As you can see, the Four Alphas honor us with their presence this evening, albeit from afar due to unavoidable circumstances. Their support for the Hunt and for this academy remains absolute.”
Disappointment rippled outward in waves. Some students looked deflated and others muttered under their breath about wasted effort and ruined first impressions. 
A few still stared at the screens with wide eyes, clearly starstruck even through the distance.
Ellie leaned in close, voice dry. “Well. That’s anticlimactic. I spent twenty minutes on your eyeliner for a group Zoom call with four terrifying older men.”
I didn’t answer because I thought that maybe this could mean we can go back to our rooms and finish our sleep.
Though part of me was increasingly wondering if I should just go find Damian.
Where the hell was he?
Meanwhile, the principal raised both hands, palms facing outward to ask everybody to quiet down.
“The Alphas wish to address you,” he announced, “So I ask that every student give them your full and undivided attention.”
A hush fell following his line almost immediately.
I looked up at the screens, at the four alphas staring down at us from wherever they were, their assessing gazes sweeping over the crowd and even those who were whispering stopped gossiping immediately.
I pulled my arms closer to my body without thinking, the open back of the crimson dress offering no protection against the chill that had begun to settle into the bones of the evening.
I found myself scanning the giant screens more carefully now that the initial shock had settled, trying to map the older faces to the younger ones I had seen around campus these past weeks.
The principal was still praising the alphas and the academy and just about everything under the sun except us, the students.
“The Alphas are watching closely this year. They hold high hopes that the Hunt will prove fruitful—not only for the academy’s prestige, but for each of you standing here tonight. This is your chance to prove your worth, your mettle, your right to stand among the strongest. The heirs have chosen their hunters with care, and the Alphas themselves…”
A deep, cold voice cut across the night like a hot blade through butter.
“That will be enough, Principal.”
The principal’s mouth snapped shut so fast I heard the distinct click of his teeth. 
A few students near the front flinched and in the sudden silence the crimson and gold banners snapping against their poles with sharp, restless sounds.
Alpha Voss had spoken. On the screen his ice-colored eyes were fixed somewhere beyond the camera, as though he could see every student standing in the grass and had already sorted them into categories of useful and disposable. 
His expression had not changed, but the temperature of the entire grounds seemed to drop several degrees. Even through the digital barrier, his cold aura pressed outward without mercy. 
“Ryker.” Voss’s voice was quiet, yet it carried perfectly through the speakers, each syllable precise. “Step forward and explain how you chose your hunters. Walk me through the process”
On the far side of the stage, near the steps, Ryker moved. He had been standing among the other three heirs the entire time—a fact I hadn’t fully registered until now. 
The four of them had been positioned just off to the side in formal formation, waiting politely for their fathers to call upon them. 
Ryker climbed the steps with the same rigid control as his father and faced the screens. 
“Greetings, father.” Ryker bowed before continuing, “ I selected for loyalty first, skill second and temperament third. Every hunter under my banner has been tested in controlled conditions designed to break weaker wills. None of them break under pressure. None of them hesitate when ordered. I have ten. All of them know exactly what is expected and what the consequences are for failure.”
I gulped because I had none of those qualities.