Tempted By my Evil Lycan Stepbrother novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72: The Future King

Riley’s POV

The garden was ten floors down. I was high but the stone wall was rough, old, full of handholds if you knew where to look. I’d climbed taller towers a hundred times as a kid, sneaking out to meet friends my grandma didn’t approve of. So this was a piece of cake for me.

I climbed it now.

My arms screamed. My legs shook. The exhaustion from the game still weighed on me like wet concrete. But I didn’t stop.

I dropped into the rose bushes, thorns tearing at my sleeves, and ran.

The castle gates loomed ahead. Guards patrolled the perimeter, but I knew their patterns. Every shift change. Every blind spot. I’d memorized this ever since I arrived here. I knew I would need this information someday.

I slipped through the service gate, ducked into the tree line, and ran.

The school was miles away. I didn’t have a car. And my phone was still locked in my school locker. All I had were my feet and my fury.

I ran until my lungs burned and my vision blurred. I ran until the iron gates of the academy rose up out of the darkness.

When I got there, I found luxury cars already pulling into the circular drive.

Black sedans. Stretched limousines. SUVS with tinted windows and custom plates. Parents in evening gowns and tailored suits stepped out, laughing and chatting, their jeweled hands clasping champagne flutes.

The after party.

They’d all come to celebrate with their children and congratulate them on their achievements. It’s a moment you wanted to spend with your family.

My heart ached when I thought about what my mother had done to me.

I straightened my torn shirt, wiped the dirt from my face, and started toward the entrance.

“Riley Monroe!”

The voice stopped me.

I turned. Camila stood near the base of the steps, flanked by her father and two soldiers. Beside her, Laylq,and | them wearing matching expressions of smug satisfaction.

Camila’s father stepped forward first. He was a thick man with a thick mustache and thicker fingers.

her mom, both of

“Where do you think you’re going, young lady?” he asked with a fake smile.

“Inside.” I kept my voice steady. “To hear the winner announced. Obviously my team won.

Camila laughed. It was a sharp, ugly sound. “You? The winner? Please. Everyone knows you cheated.”

My blood boiled. “I didn’t cheat!”

“Then how did your team suddenly get so strong?” Camila sneered. “One minute you were losing and bleeding, the next you were slaughtering Mooncrowns like they were nothing. You did something. You definitely cheated.”

“Nobody cheats in the Hunting Season. It’s just not possible! If you think I cheated, tell me how I did it and show me the proofs.” I gritted.

Camila rolled her eyes. “How would I know how you cheated? I’m not a cheater.”

+15 Bonus

Then you have no proots. And you can’t stop me from going in there.”

She sneered. “I don’t need proofs. A werewolf winning to an all-Lycan game? It’s just not possible.”

All heads turned to me. Parents stopped mid-conversation to stare at us. Someone whispered behind a gloved hand.

I glared at Layla. “Then what’s her doing here? She was expelled and has less right to be here than I do. She’s the one who needs to be gone!”

Layla’s face went red with anger. “I was wronged by you, you sneaky little twat. My mother and I came here today to talk to the king about reinstating my enrollment.”

“My daughter can’t go to the same school with a cheating, shameless bitch with you,” Layla’s mother squeaked. “Where’s the guard? Drag her out!”

I saw two school guards step forward from the shadows. And they grabbed my arms. I tried to put away, but I was too tired and

drained.

“Let go of me!” I snapped, my voice shaking with fury. “I didn’t cheat!”

But nobody gave a damn.

People were laughing. The kind of quiet, polite laughter that rich people use when they’re watching someone beneath them get humiliated.

My face burned.

“Let her go.”

Suddenly, a voice cut through the noise like a blade.

Silas stepped out from the crowd. His father stood right beside him-tall, broad-shouldered, with the same quiet authority that Silas carried. Their family crest gleamed on his father’s lapel.

I knew Silas came from a powerful family. More powerful than Camila’s and Layla’s families combined.

The soldiers hesitated.

Camila’s father flinched when he saw Silas. Then he forced out a stiff smile, “It’s a shame you have to team up with a cheater like her, Silas. But nobody will blame you. I believe you must have been fooled by her somehow…”

“I didn’t get fooled by anyone,” Silas snapped. “Riley’s a great healer. I survived this game all thanks to her. You agree with me,

r right father?”

Silas’s father, Mr. Crowhurst, nodded slowly. His sharp, commanding gaze swept across the crowd, and instantly everyone laughing at me just now fell silent.

“Miss Monroe saved my son’s life,” said Mr. Crowhurst. “As a senior Lycan and a member in the King’s cabinet, I’m willing to voucher for Miss Monroe’s integrity.”

Gasps could be heard from the crowd. A senior Lycan’s endorsement! That’s not something you get every day.

Layla’s mom’s face twisted for a moment, then she forced a fake smile. “We have high regard for you, Mr. Crowhurst. But you see the thing is…the parents had started a petition to kick Riley Monroe out of school. More than 200 parents have signed.”

She pulled out a piece of paper full of signatures and waved it at me smugly.

“Effective immediately after the Hunting Season. She’s not a student here anymore,” she snickered.

“What?!” I snapped.

I couldn’t believe this. I knew I wasn’t welcome here. But more than 200 people wanted me gone? What have I done?

+15 Bonus

Camila’s father added slyly, “Mr. Crowhurst, you are powerful, yes. But 200 signatures carry weight. With all due respect, your family’s influence doesn’t extend to this matter.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify