The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 284

I knew I shouldn’t care. I’d pushed her away. I’d told her to stay away from me. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? For her to move on. To be with someone who could actually be there for her.

But the jealousy was overwhelming. It took me by unexpected force and made it hard to swallow around the sudden lump that had formed in my throat.

I leaned against the wall and pressed my palm to my forehead. I told myself to pull it together, to just let her go. Maybe Zane could make her happy. He definitely liked her more than he liked any other girls he’d fooled around with. Maybe they could be… something.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about the look on her face when I’d sided with Bianca. The betrayal in her eyes. The way her voice had cracked when she asked for my help.

I’d hurt her. Again.

And I hated myself for it.

My wolf growled. “You’re an idiot.”

“I know.”

“Then do something about it.”

“I can’t. Not without putting her in danger. We’ve been over this.”

My wolf didn’t respond. Just retreated, leaving me alone with my guilt.

I pushed off the wall and started walking. I didn’t know where I was going at first, but my feet carried me to Principal Alder’s office. Before I could second-guess myself, I opened the door. Alder was sitting behind his desk, and jerked his head up when I entered.

“Is today National Burst into the Principal’s Office Day?” His shoulders slumped slightly when he saw me standing there. “Oh. Callum. It’s you.” He set aside his pen. “What do you need?”

“It’s about Liora Belrose,” I said.

His face hardened. “If you’re here to plead her case, you’re wasting your time. I’ve already told her no.”

A slow smile spread across Alder’s face. “You’d steal from your own family for this girl?”

“It’s not stealing if it’s mine to give.” Technically, everything in the house was supposed to go to me one day. My parents had promised it years ago, so long as I behaved. Well, I was behaving. I was marrying the woman they wanted me to even if it was killing me. “Do we have a deal or not?”

Alder was silent for a long moment. I held his gaze, even though my heart was pounding. I feared he might refuse, or even call my parents up then and there and tell them that I was betraying Bianca.

But to my surprise, he didn’t.

“Fine. I’ll allow Miss Belrose to retake the field exam.”

“Thank you,” I said, straightening.

“But I won’t make it easy for her, Callum,” he said. “In fact, I’ll make sure it’s the hardest test she’s ever taken.”