Chapter 51 Chapter 51
Amber
I could see the way they were all trying to intimidate me by tricking me into believing I had no choice and that I would be killed if I don't do as they want.
They had figured out my scent affecting ability was rather unique and killing me was of no use.
I still didn’t know how or why a nobody like me from a random pack could affect them. Or why I didn’t affect Damian.
“Its not a good thing to keep four heirs waiting” Ryker bit out, dragging me back to the present.
I had to find a way to get out of this mess without irking them.
“What if I don't side with either of you and just leave the academy after a year and never show my face again?”
Kade actually laughed. “That’s not gonna happen.”
At least, I tried.
The problem was, they were not idiots.
And worse, they were not the kind of men who liked being denied.
The air around us had shifted the moment I said that like I had just taken one step too close to a line I couldn’t see.
I exhaled slowly, forcing my shoulders to relax even though every instinct in me was screaming to tread carefully.
“I am not refusing,” I added, lifting my chin just enough to meet their gazes one by one, refusing to look smaller than I felt. “I just don’t see why I should rush into choosing something that clearly benefits all of you and not me.”
Soren’s lips curved, amused, like he had been waiting for me to say something interesting.
“And what would benefit you, darling?” he asked lightly.
“I don’t know any of you well enough,” I said, letting my voice stay even. “I don’t know how you fight, how you think, what you expect from the person standing beside you. And yet, you expect me to just pick one blindly like I am choosing a dress.”
Ryker scoffed, clearly unimpressed, but I didn’t look at him.
I kept my focus on the group as a whole.
“If I am going to make a decision that puts a target on my back either way, I would at least like to make it intelligently.”
Caspian’s gaze sharpened slightly at that, interest flickering beneath his otherwise calm expression.
“And how do you propose to do that?” he asked.
I had been dying to get that question and jumped on it immediately.
“You want me to choose?” I said, folding my arms slowly, like I was considering something instead of carefully placing every word. “Fine. I will.”
That got their attention as they all looked at me hopefully.
“But not now,” I continued before any of them could interrupt. “I will choose after the hunt.”
For a second, nobody said anything. Then Ryker let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “You think you’ll still have the luxury to choose after we are done hunting you?”
I tilted my head slightly, letting a small smile touch my lips, just enough to show I wasn’t intimidated.
“If I don’t survive, then you don’t get anything out of this anyway,” I pointed out calmly. “Which defeats the entire purpose, doesn’t it?”
Kade’s gaze lingered on me longer this time, like he was reassessing something.
“And if you do survive?” he asked.
“Then I choose,” I replied simply. “Based on what I see.”
Soren chuckled under his breath, clearly entertained now. “You’re turning this into a trial for the alpha heirs?”
“I am turning this into something that makes sense,” I corrected, meeting his gaze. “For me.”
Ryker stepped forward, his gaze more direct and aggressive.
“And what’s stopping us from just cornering you together and ending this in five minutes?” he challenged.
I didn’t step back or let my voice waver.
“Because that would mean you needed help,” I said, praying to Goddess they wouldn’t really do that. “And I don’t think any of you want to admit that.”
A flicker of irritation crossed Ryker’s face while amusement deepened in Soren’s eyes.
Kade’s expression remained unreadable, but there was something there now.
Caspian’s lips curved just slightly, like he appreciated the logic behind it.
“So,” I continued before anyone could dismantle what I had just built, “if I am being hunted, then I get conditions too.”
“Of course you do,” Soren said, almost indulgently. “Let’s hear them.”
“No teaming up,” I said first. “If I am worth this much attention, then each of you should be able to catch me on your own.”
“Able to?” Kade sneered but Soren squeezed his arm, asking him to let me complete.
Ryker’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t interrupt.
“No lethal force,” I added, my gaze flicking briefly between them. “I am not interested in dying over your…experiment.”
“And how do we win?” Kade asked.
“If you corner me,” I said. “If I can’t escape you, if I have no way out, then you win that encounter.”
“And if by some miracle, all of us fail?” Caspian asked quietly.
I held his gaze and muttered. “Then I walk away and none of you get to claim me. I study here as a regular student that you can forget about.”
There was a longer pause this time as I saw the four look at each other and wonder if I was stupid or brave.
Soren was the first to break the silence, a slow smile spreading across his face as he let out a low laugh.
“I like her,” he said, glancing at the others. “She’s making this fun.”
Ryker rolled his shoulders, irritation still evident but mixed now with something sharper. “You’re confident for someone who hasn’t even lasted a week here.”
“Confidence has nothing to do with it,” I replied. “Survival does.”
Kade studied me for a moment longer before giving a slight nod, like he had come to a decision. “Fine. You get your hunt.”
Caspian didn’t say anything immediately, but the way his gaze lingered told me enough.
“Prepare yourself,” he said finally, his voice calm, almost quiet. “You won’t get lucky twice.”
“I am not counting on luck,” I replied.
I was counting on Damian training me. I was gonna learn whatever he was willing to teach me if that meant I never became either of the four heir slaves even if it meant submitting myself to endless torture at the hands of the fifth heir.
I was truly fucked!