Zoe’s POV

“C’mon Lyra, hurry up dude. The classes are about to get over. We can’t afford to lose out on this opportunity,” I frantically called out of my window.

“Zoe, don’t worry about me. I’m just packing some important stuff to keep us going till we reach home,” Lyra replied, stuffing almost everything she could find into her backpack.

“You don’t need a lip gloss for lord’s sake!” I exclaimed indignantly.

“You never know when we meet a sexy dude,” Lyra winked.

I rolled my eyes and groaned. She’d flirt with Death himself if he had a six-pack and nice hair.

Our feet soon touched the soft grass after we jumped from the third-floor windows of our dorm and headed toward the main gate of the school with garbage bags slung over our shoulders, dressed in stolen linemen uniforms.

“Are you sure the IDs will work, Seris?” Lyra asked worriedly.

“Just trust me, okay? Have I ever failed you guys?” Seris replied, feigning a wounded expression.

“Guys, close your mindlinks and hold your breath. Do not let these dunderheads get a whiff of us. Act human as much as possible,” I whispered, pulling my cap down low.

We made our way through the first three checkpoints, successfully convincing the security staff we were garbage pickers on duty. But fate had other plans.

At the worst possible moment—just as we were about to escape—Virelle entered the premises. The Headmistress of Asheville Academy. Of all people.

“Guys, just stay calm and keep your eyes on the ground. Try to keep your mind blank and hold your breath,” I murmured, keeping my neck low and movements slow.

Every heartbeat felt like it could give us away. We passed her—barely—and only exhaled when we crossed the school boundary.

“Whew, that was close. Finally free, bitches! Let’s hurry up and go back to Diamond Ville,” Lyra shrieked.

“What’s up, Zoe? Why are you so panic-stricken?” Seris asked, noting my alarmed expression.

“My mindlink... it’s still blocked,” I whispered, chilled to the core.

“What? That’s just not possible! Wait a minute... even mine is still blocked,” Lyra said, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“So we’re still inside the school’s perimeter?” Seris blurted out in shock.

“Seems so... but this is weird. Let’s just run for it. We can’t afford to be caught, can we?” I said, bolting forward before either of them could answer.

“Zoe, how do we travel now? We haven’t shifted yet, and if we take the main road, our scents will be all over the place. We’ll be tracked in minutes,” Lyra pointed out, catching up beside me.

“Yes. We’ll travel by foot through these woods and only take a cab when we’re safely away from Asheville,” I replied, keeping my voice calm and authoritative.

“I wonder if the boys will be mad at us for leaving them behind,” Seris mumbled with guilt in her voice.

“No. Stick to the plan the boys made. We cannot afford to get out together,” I said with finality, cutting off that thought before it could linger.

We pushed forward, ducking under branches and keeping low to the undergrowth. Time was the enemy now. Every second spent near the academy was a second closer to disaster.

***

“Ma’am, you need to see this right now,” Kacy barged into Virelle’s office without knocking.

“What’s the matter, dear?”

“Five rogues were found dead outside the school’s perimeter in the woods.”

“Then that’s not our business,” Virelle replied curtly, barely looking up from her tea.

“Ma’am, one of the rogues had this in his hand.”

Virelle raised a brow. Then she sniffed.

Everything stopped.

She stared at Kacy for five whole seconds, color draining from her face.

“Oh no. It can’t be,” she whispered, her voice brittle.

“I’m afraid so. They must be halfway to Diamond Ville by now,” Kacy said.

Virelle stood, her expression darkening.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care from here.”

After our glorious escape from Asheville, we were met by a fuming Alpha—who also happened to be my dad—right at the edge of Diamond Ville.

“Hello, Dad! Did you miss me?” I chirped, planting an innocent kiss on his cheek.

“Virelle called,” he said, ignoring my attempt at charm.

“What about her, Dad?” I asked, feigning cluelessness.

“She’s agreed not to throw you three into the Red Room—if you go back after one week and never pull a stunt like this again,” he said in his best angry-Alpha voice. It was mostly an act. He’d crack soon.

“But Dad, we don’t want to go back to Asheville! This is our home—it only makes sense to learn in the place where we actually belong!” I wailed. “Please don’t send us away.”

“My silly child,” he sighed, pulling me into a long hug, arms wrapping tightly around my waist.

Yeah, he missed me—even if it had just been a few hours.

“Zoe, let’s go inside and talk. Alex, bring the others. I want to tell you all something,” he said, ushering us into his truck.

***

“Zoe! My baby!” Mom cried, enveloping me in her arms the moment I stepped inside our mansion.

“I missed you so much, Mom!” I sobbed into her chest. Her embrace felt like everything I’d been aching for.

“My sweet girl, I missed you too,” she whispered, rubbing my back. Then she pulled away slightly to check us all for injuries. “Did any of you get hurt?”

“Relax, Mom! No one got hurt!” I said, half-laughing.

“I heard about the rogue ambush on your way back,” Dad jumped in. “How could you take such a risky route?”

“Dad, we’ve trained our whole lives. We handled them—it was over before it even started.”

“That’s not the point!” he barked. “They were ex-warriors. One wrong move and—”