Chapter 166
Chapter 166
Third Person’s POV
+8 Pearls
Carmen stood at the gates of Ashmoor Academy, her fingers clenching the handle of her umbrella. Mist curled around her feet like wary shadows, and though the clouds above hadn’t broken, there was a trace of light in her gaze –hopeful, tentative
The sharp purr of an engine cut through the morning silence.
A sleek, black Maybach tore through the rain–slicked road, spraying water into the air. The vehicle was unmistakably elite- one only seen among high–ranking Alphas. Its tinted windows reflected the dull gray sky, its presence commanding
Carmen’s breath caught.
That car–she recognized it.
Her heart leapt and a smile bloomed across her lips, the kind so rare it made her look almost too young, too untouched by the cruel world of pack politics. She raised her umbrella and waved with enthusiasm, fully believing he had returned for her.
Duke had said he would.
“I’ll retrieve the umbrella myself tomorrow morning,” he had told her with quiet precision, his voice smooth and unreadable.
But the car didn’t stop.
Like a streak of shadow, the Maybach passed by without pause. The gust from its speed blew her hair across her face, and her umbrella twisted under the force of it. She stood stunned, her smile falling away as quickly as it had formed.
She turned slowly, her gaze locked onto the departing car. Her eyes narrowed at the license plate.
There was no mistake.
It was his
So much for his word.
So much for being different from the rest of the arrogant wolves in the Ebonclaw Pack. Just another promise from a man too important to remember a girl like her.
The light in her eyes extinguished, replaced by something colder–more calculating
Carmen’s lips curled into a smile again, but this time it was sharp, almost predatory. A smile honed by betrayal and long nights of silence. She had seen what people like Duke were capable of. She’d seen what the Ebonclaw Pack did to Riley–a betrayal so deep, it poisoned Carmen’s blood.
She had learned then: no one was coming to save her. And she didn’t need them to.
Arrogance made people predictable. And predictable people were easy to manipulate.
She’d learned how to survive long before setting foot in Ashmoor Academy. Her mother Mia had scrubbed packhouses to the bone Riley had been discarded like trash by those who claimed nobility and honor. Carmen had watched it all—and remembered every name, every slight.
Til become strong enough to tear free from this city, she whispered to herself, her voice quiet and lethal. I’ll take Riley and Mom away from Mooncrest, to a place where no one can find us Where we don’t have to bow to Alphas or bloodlines
The words were a vow etched into her bones.
one last glance at the gate where the Maybach disappeared, Carmen turned and headed back to the dormitory Her steps were firm now, each one echoing with silent resolve.
She would not wait for kindness. She would not wait for men like Duke to remember her
Inade the dormitory, laughter rang out–sharp, grating and unmistakably cruel.
350 PM p p.
Chapter 166
“She’s out. She won’t be back any time soon. Hurry up before Carmen the psycho catches us p>
“Seriously, who does she think she is? Just a little servant–born rat trying to act all Luna – like”
“She’s from the gutter. And you know what they say– trash always stinks p>
“That’s whyisfying. Let’s scrub the toilet with her toothbrush p>
it’s so
“I’ll use her towel to wipe my paws p>
“ I already poured toilet water into her shampoo. Wanna add more p>
Carmen froze in the hallway, just before the door. She’d heard every word.
They didn’t know she was there.
+8 Pearls
They never believed someone like her could hold power. That someone with no name, no title, and no pureblood pedigree could rise above their cruelty.
Her fingers found the charm around her neck–a tarnished pendant that had once belonged to her father.
Carmen still remembered his final words before he disappeared: “Wolves with broken chains bite the hardest p>
She hadn’t understood them then.
Now, she did.
Carmen’s eyes turned razor–sharp in an instant, gleaming with a coldness that belonged more to a predator than a teenage girl. Her lips, however, curled upward into an eager grin. She looked electrified, like a she–wolf seconds away from sinking her fangs into prey. Her presence exuded a dangerous, almost feral energy–something primal and uncontainable.
Ever since those malicious rumors started spreading–whispers that she was some wealthy Alpha’s mistress–her reputation at Ashmoor University had rotted beyond repair. Students sneered. Professors stopped looking her in the eye. The air changed when she entered a room.
If it hadn’t been for Kael Vale, she would have been expelled.
But she wasn’t like her mother. She didn’t feel gratitude for that intervention.
Because she wasn’t stupid.
She knew exactly who started those rumors.
Kael had orchestrated it all. That fake act of coming to her rescue had nothing to do with her–it was all to manipulate Riley. her sister. Carmen had seen through his schemes from the start.
Ebonclaw Pack wolves, she thought with venom. Arrogant cowards who crushed others just to make themselves feel powerful
After the rumors took root, the girls in her dorm– those who used to share friendly conversations and late–night snacks- suddenly showed their fangs. They came from privileged packs, born into Beta bloodlines or future council houses, and the moment they sensed weakness, they pounced
They thought Carmen was soft. Quiet Easy.
They had no idea what she’d become