The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 301

Callum’s POV

The last day of the semester arrived with a snowstorm on the horizon. Students were rushing to pack and leave before it hit, which meant the parking lot was chaotic.

I loaded my bags into the trunk of my car, then went back inside to grab Bianca’s things. She’d “conveniently” forgotten to pack until the last minute, so now I was stuck hauling four oversized suitcases down three flights of stairs.

“Callum, hurry up!” Bianca called from the passenger seat. “I don’t want to get stuck in traffic!”

I grit my teeth and shoved the last suitcase into the trunk, slamming it shut hard enough to make the entire car rattle.

When I turned around, I spotted her.

Liora.

She was standing by the edge of the parking lot, watching a car pull away. Even from here, I could see her wringing her hands and wiping her eyes. She was crying. Or trying really hard not to, at least.

My wolf wanted me to go over there and check on her. I hadn’t spoken to her since the exam. I wanted to check on her. But I couldn’t.

“Callum!” Bianca honked the horn. “Let’s go!”

I tore my gaze away from Liora and got into the driver’s seat.

The drive home took two hours. Bianca spent the entire time on her phone, occasionally showing me pictures of dresses she wanted me to buy her or complaining about how boring the semester had been.

I barely listened.

When we finally pulled into the driveway of my family’s estate, the sun was starting to set. The dark stone facade almost seemed to gleam in the golden light, and a fine dusting of snow had begun to coat the manicured grounds.

“Wow,” Bianca said, staring up at it. “This place is huge.”

“Yeah.” I glanced at her. “The palace is surely bigger though, right?”

She blanched. “Yes,” she said quickly, waving her hand. “Four times the size, at least.”

I parked in the circular driveway and got out. The butler was already waiting at the door, along with a couple of staff members to help with the bags.

“Sorry, miss!” The staff member scrambled to pick everything up, and I knelt down to help. As I grabbed a blouse, something else caught my eye.

A small packet, tucked between two folded sweaters.

I picked it up. It was about the size of my palm, filled with a fine purple powder.

My stomach dropped.

Wolfsbane.

I stared at it, my mind racing. Why the hell would Bianca have wolfsbane in her suitcase?

Liora’s voice echoed in my head. She’d suspected Bianca of drugging her during the field exam. I’d told her to drop it, and that she was being paranoid. But what if she’d been right?

Before Bianca could spot it, I slipped it into my pocket and helped the servant finish cleaning up. By the time we were done, Bianca was in the bathroom. I decided to take the opportunity, and I headed downstairs, finding my parents again.