Chapter 39: An Unexpected Betrayal

Words : 1228 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 39: An Unexpected BetrayalRiver: The call came just as I was boarding the truck with my guards. We had been combing through the edge of the neighboring town for nearly two days now, chasing rumors and shadows. It wasn’t the first time we thought we had found her. But every lead turned to ash. And then Oscar called. His voice was low, tight with disbelief, and yet every word cracked like thunder in my ear. "She was there, River. In the arena. Masked. Fighting me." I froze mid-step and my fingers tightened around the truck door. "What?" I demanded as I stepped away from the vehicle. I was confused, and yet, there was a part of me that already knew whom he was talking about. "Who?" "Her. Evaline Greystone." I went still as the weight of that name dropped into my stomach like a stone. "No," I muttered. "That’s not possible. She’s supposed to be in hiding. We have been looking for her. We searched every possible-" "She didn’t come out of hiding," Oscar interrupted me. "She was already inside. Already enrolled as an applicant. She fought with me and... beat me. And then... then she took off her mask at the end..." Oscar was clearly having a hard time keeping his emotions under control. Whatever happened there, it had him in shackles. But I was in no place to try to comfort him as my own thoughts were going berserk. I stared at the dusty road, trying to piece everything together. No one could infiltrate the Academy... at least not without help, especially someone as weak as her. Not unless someone on the inside let her in. And then Oscar said the name I wasn’t expecting to hear at all. "Kieran knew." It was like something cracked inside me. And it wasn’t just anger, but a heavy sense of betrayal... one that came from my very brother. I didn’t respond and just hung up the call without a word. Then I turned to the guards. "Return to the outpost. The girl’s not here." They blinked at me in surprise. "But Alpha-" "I said she’s not here. Dismissed." I didn’t wait for a reply. I climbed into the car and drove myself back to the mansion. * * * The sky had turned purple by the time I reached our private estate - home for me and my brothers. It was a fortress between us and the rest of the world. My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I pulled into the gravel path. I knew Kieran would be inside and I made my way to his room. I found him there, fresh out of the shower with damp hair and a towel slung around his shoulders like he didn’t have a single regret in the world. "Kieran," I barked. He looked up and gave me a smile... the same warm smile he used to greet me with every time. "You are back early." My blood was boiling, not just because of what he had done but also because I wasn’t seeing an ounce of regret or guilt on his face. "Don’t play games with me," I said as I stepped into the room and swung the door shut behind me. "You knew. You knew where she was this whole time." He didn’t even flinch as he replied, "Yes." Just like that, no hesitation, no denial. He said it like it was nothing. Like he hadn’t broken every vow we made when we founded this Academy. Like he hadn’t gone behind my back while I wasted days chasing a ghost. I stared at him, stunned. "You helped her?" "Yes," he said again, still calm as usual. "I helped her apply. I helped her sneak out of the mansion that night. And I have been helping her stay hidden ever since." I felt the words like daggers, sharp and deliberate. "Why?" I asked, my voice low and tight. "Why, brother?" He shrugged as he answered, "Because she wanted to enroll into the academy." "That’s not good enough!" I roared, slamming my hand against the wall. "You put everything at risk - our position, our laws, this entire Academy. We searched for her across five provinces while you were hiding her in plain sight. You lied to me." "Not once did I lie," he corrected. "You never asked the right question." "That’s bullshit." I stepped closer to him. I was breathing hard, and my fists were clenched, turning my knuckles white. "She’s the daughter of the man who took everything from us, Kieran! You hate her!" His expression didn’t change. "I did," he finally said... softly. That stopped me cold. Did? What the hell was going on? "You have seen what her father did. You were there. You know what we went through because of him. So why would you help his daughter?" Silence stretched between us as he didn’t answer. But that told me more than anything. He had a reason. He just wasn’t ready to say it. Or maybe he couldn’t say it without digging deeper into something he didn’t understand himself. My heart thudded with a bitter rhythm. I turned away from him, trying to rein in the fire inside me, trying to think. But the door creaked open behind us and another voice cut through the tension. "What’s going on?" It was Draven. He stepped in, dressed casually but alert. He looked between us and narrowed his eyes. "I heard yelling," he said as his eyes flickered to Kieran. "What did you do?" Kieran didn’t respond. I turned to Draven as I filled him in. "She was at the exam. Evaline Greystone." His face went blank. "What?" "She fought in the arena," I continued. "Against Oscar and she defeated him. She’s been here the whole time." Draven blinked, then looked sharply at Kieran. "And you knew?" When Kieran didn’t answer, Draven cursed and ran a hand through his hair. "Brother, you helped her? That girl is the daughter of-" "I know who she is," Kieran cut in, finally letting some steel into his voice. "I’m not stupid." "No," I said, "but you are reckless." "You think I don’t know the consequences?" he asked. "You think I haven’t spent every second knowing what this would mean if I got caught? But I didn’t get caught. She passed every test. She earned her place. And as for the rest, I did what I believed was right." "That’s not your call to make," I snapped. "No," he said, "it wasn’t. But I made it anyway." I stared at him. Fury was pulsing through me. But so did something else - helplessness. I couldn’t hit him. Couldn’t throw him out. Couldn’t strip him of his rank. Not only because he was my brother, but because he knew I wouldn’t. Kieran had always been the righteous one among us. The one who held us to a higher standard when we forgot our way. And that made his betrayal cut deeper than any blade. But the worst part? He had outsmarted me. Because five years ago when we built this Academy from scratch, we made rules. Rules that protected the students... all students. And now, Evaline Greystone was a student. I couldn’t touch her. Not without breaking the very code I had written. "She’s off-limits now," Kieran said quietly. "You know that."

Chapter 39: An Unexpected Betrayal

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