The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 463

“Daisy—” I clawed at her arm. I felt blood draw beneath my fingernails. She didn’t even react, like she didn’t feel it at all. Around me, I heard students murmuring. Some scattered laughter. Like this was just a show to watch.

Then, her fist came down.

I just barely had enough time to jerk my head out of the way. Her knuckles grazed my cheekbone, but the bulk of her fist went into the concrete.

I gasped, looking over at her hand. Blood was already spraying from her knuckles. She drew her hand back again, and I saw bone sticking out of one finger.

“D-Daisy!” I shouted. “Your hand—”

She didn’t even look at it. It was like she didn’t feel the pain at all.

Her fist was curling again.

“Hey! Break it up!” a voice suddenly shouted.

Daisy froze. Blood dripped down onto my face, but she didn’t go in for the hit again.

With a final growl, Daisy released me and stood just as a security guard came rushing over. He opened his mouth to say something, eyes widening when he saw her hand, but she snapped her head toward him and snarled again, and he stopped, staring in shock.

She turned and walked away after that, blood dripping down her side.

I propped myself up on my elbows, still breathing hard, and watched her go. Slowly, I reached up and wiped the blood from my forehead, looking at it on my fingertip.

How the hell did she not feel that?

Something had been done to that girl. I was absolutely certain of it now. No one, not even the toughest rugby player on the women’s team, could walk away with broken knuckles and not care.

The security guard looked at me. “Don’t go causing trouble, traitor,” he hissed, then left.

I rolled my eyes and stood, ignoring the chuckles from the nearby students. I was just dusting off my knees when I heard Callum’s voice call across the quad.

“Liora.”

I turned to see Callum jogging toward me with an expression that said he’d seen everything. I crouched and picked up my bag, and he helped me gather my scattered belongings.

“I know.” Callum moved forward. His hands found my hips, and he gently lifted me up onto the table. I went easily, letting him use his handkerchief to wipe Daisy’s blood from my forehead. For a few moments, we were quiet.

But he wanted to say something. I knew he did; I could see it in the way jaw feathered as he gently cleaned the blood away.

“What is it?” I asked, pulling back.

Callum’s eyes darkened as he lowered the handkerchief. He looked down, placing his free hand on my thigh, and thought for a moment before he looked back up at me.

“I want you to let me mark you,” he said. “Bringing your wolf back would end all of this. I think it’s time.”

My lips parted, but the words caught in my throat.

“Liora?” Callum looked at me.

The greenhouse went quiet. Outside, I could hear birds chirping and the distant sound of students talking, but inside, it was just us and the heavy silence between us.