Chapter 4 Chapter 4
Amber
I was dragged out of sleep by someone shaking my shoulder with the enthusiasm of a caffeinated squirrel.
"Amber! Amber, wake up! We have exactly two hours before the introduction and I haven't even decided what to wear yet!"
I cracked one eye open to find Ellie hovering over me, already dressed in a bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel.
"It's six in the morning," I croaked.
"Exactly! Two hours is barely enough time!" She darted back to her side of the room where approximately fifteen dresses were laid out on her bed in a rainbow of colors. "Do you think the emerald green makes me look too eager? Or should I go with the burgundy? Burgundy says sophisticated, right?"
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Ellie, it's just an introduction."
She whirled around, clutching a dress to her chest. "Just an introduction? Amber, this could determine our entire year. Our entire lives, maybe!"
I swung my legs out of bed and caught sight of the metal band sitting on my nightstand. The thing I was supposed to wear around my neck like a collar like I was someone's pet.
I picked it up, turning it over in my hands. There was a small clasp mechanism, clearly designed to lock around the throat.
I grabbed a pair of scissors from my desk and went to work on the band, cutting through the excess length until I had something that could wrap around my wrist instead.
"What are you doing?" Ellie's voice went up an octave. "Amber, you can't just…"
"Watch me." I fastened the modified band around my forearm, testing the fit. Snug, but not uncomfortable.
Ellie looked like she might faint. "You're supposed to wear it around your neck! That's the whole point!"
"The point is to dampen the scent, right?" I stood and headed for the bathroom. "My human scent aka sweat won't bother anyone if I shower and wear perfume. Problem solved."
"That's not how…"
Twenty minutes later, I had dressed in my most comfortable blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt.
Ellie had moved on from dresses and was now debating between three different pairs of earrings, holding them up to her ears one at a time in the mirror.
I caught my own reflection and stopped.
For a moment, I just stared at myself. The girl looking back at me had dark hair still damp from the shower, amber eyes that matched my name, and a stubborn set to her jaw that I'd inherited from my father.
I wondered if he was thinking about me this morning. Probably not.
"Amber?"
I blinked and turned to find Ellie watching me with concern.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Fine," I said. "And you look pretty. Ready?"
She wore a long, flowing dress in a soft lavender color that actually looked beautiful on her.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
We left the room together, joining the stream of students heading toward the main assembly hall.
The closer we got, the more I noticed the four colors of collars, red, green, blue and black.
Everyone wore them prominently displayed around their necks like badges of honor, color-coded to show which alpha heir they belonged to.
They were all clad in designer clothes and wore makeup that must have taken hours to apply.
I glanced down at my jeans and t-shirt.
"I told you to dress up," Ellie hissed.
"I did," I shot back. "These are my nice jeans."
She looked like she wanted to argue, but we'd reached the entrance to the assembly hall.
The space was massive, with vaulted ceilings and rows of seats arranged in a semicircle facing a raised stage. Students were filing in, clustering together by collar color, whispering and giggling and pointing.
Ellie and I found seats near the middle, and I couldn't help but notice how many eyes landed on me, specifically on my empty neck and modified wrist band.
Thankfully, a man in formal robes stepped onto the stage, and the chatter died down.
"Welcome, students, to another year at Silvercrest Academy," he began. "I am Principal Davison, and it is my great honor to oversee this institution that has educated some of the finest alpha heirs and warriors in the Zephyron kingdom."
He launched into a speech about tradition and excellence, dropping names of famous alumni and bragging about the academy's reputation that only made me yawn and check my watch.
"And now," Principal Davison said, "I would like to introduce our returning alpha heirs, who don’t really need an introduction but tradition says…"
Someone cleared their throat behind him loudly.
The principal froze mid-sentence, his expression flickering between confusion and annoyance. He turned slightly, and I saw a figure standing in the shadows at the back of the stage.
"Ah, yes," Principal Davison said, his tone strained. "We also have… a new alpha heir joining us this year."
The murmuring started immediately as Damian stepped forward into the light.
He was wearing all black again but his dark hair fell in loose, short curls around his face and those silver eyes swept across the assembly hall with bored disdain.
The whispers exploded as soon as he appeared.
"That's him!!"
" He is the Mad King's descendant!"
"Oh my Goddess, he's even hotter up close!"
"If he takes me into his camp, I'd let him ruin me all night!"
I glanced at Ellie, who was staring at Damian like he was a snack.
On stage, Damian walked to the front and stopped beside Principal Davison, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"I'll make this quick," Damian said, his voice cutting through the gossip like a blade. "I'm not interested in running a camp. I don't want followers, or anyone wearing my colors. So if you were hoping to cozy up to me for protection or status, find someone else.”
Every girl in the room looked like they'd been slapped.
Principal Davison cleared his throat. "Well, that's… certainly direct. Thank you, Mr…"
But Damian was already moving, walking straight to the four chairs positioned at the front of the ornate, throne-like seats on the stage, clearly meant for the alpha heirs and dropped into one of them.
The other three chairs sat empty.
He leaned back, crossed his arms, and stared out at the assembly like he was daring someone to object.
Principal Davison looked like he might have a stroke. "Mr. Blackwood, those seats are reserved for…"
"Alpha heirs," Damian finished. "I am well aware."
And then, just like yesterday, his gaze swept across the crowd and landed directly on me.
I felt my breath catch.
Those silver eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
Why did he keep looking at me? Did he already hold a grudge against me because I hit him?
My pulse was hammering in my throat, and I couldn't look away even though every instinct screamed at me to break eye contact.
Finally, mercifully, someone else stepped onto the stage, and Damian's attention shifted.
I exhaled shakily but then I heard someone shout loudly.
“What the fuck is that?”