ERIC

I reached Elyse first.

At least, I thought I did. But Kol moved faster than I expected, pulling her out of my arms and into his.

He crouched on the floor, holding her close as she writhed in pain.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his expression tightening.

"Does she look alright to you?" I snapped.

Anyone with eyes could see she wasn’t.

I turned toward the committee, expecting them to act, but they only watched, their expressions filled with curiosity rather than concern.

Even my father, who had looked bored moments ago, now leaned forward slightly, a faint crease forming at his temple.

"Do something," I demanded, gesturing toward Elyse. "She’s in pain!"

Silence. They just kept staring, as though what was happening was something they couldn’t quite understand.

"It hurts," Elyse whimpered.

"Where?" Lance asked, reaching carefully for her hand, the one not clutching her stomach.

"Everywhere," she choked, tears spilling down her face. "It hurts everywhere..."

Something twisted inside me at the sight.

I had never cared for girls crying. If anything, it irritated me. I had always believed they used it to get what they wanted.

But this...This wasn’t fake. I could feel it. Her pain. It was real.

"Please... help..." she sobbed.

Kol and Lance both looked at me at the same time, their expressions saying everything they didn’t need to voice.

For the first time, we were on the same side. And it was all because of Elyse. My mate.

I turned back to the committee. They still hadn’t moved.

A surge of anger rushed through me, hot and immediate, and I slammed my foot against the ground hard enough to snap them out of whatever trance they were in.

All of them turned at once, their gazes locking onto me, eyes narrowing, jaws tightening.

Good. I ignored my father completely and focused on Headmaster Alaric.

"Elyse is in pain," I said, forcing the words through clenched teeth. "Shouldn’t you be calling for an ambulance?"

"Calling for an ambulance?" my father let out a quiet scoff.

He set the folder in his hand aside, lacing his fingers together beneath his chin as he leaned back.

"For once, you manage to say something that almost makes sense," he continued, his voice laced with disdain. "And yet, you ruin it immediately with your lack of thought."

I let the insult pass. It wasn’t the worst thing he had said to me.

My father turned his attention to Nelson. "Is this what you’ve been teaching him?"

Nelson flushed and shook his head quickly. "No, sir."

"How exactly is he meant to become an Alpha with reasoning like that?" my father muttered.

My hands clenched at my sides.

"Perhaps sending him here was a mistake," he went on. "He might be better off being schooled at home... or sent abroad..."

"I apologize for interrupting, Lord Callahan," Headmaster Alaric said.

My father’s gaze shifted sharply to him. Headmaster Alaric rose to his feet and gave a slight bow before speaking.

"I understand the need to reprimand your son," Headmaster Alaric said, his voice measured. "But Eric is one of the brightest and most promising students in this academy—"

"I didn’t ask for your assessment," my father cut in dismissively. "His intelligence is meaningless to me if he isn’t the best."

I swallowed, forcing my gaze away from him. Nelson shifted slightly, as if about to speak in support, but whatever he intended to say died before it left his mouth, and he lowered his eyes instead.

"And as for the girl..." my father continued, glancing at Elyse as though she had only just come to his attention. "We will look into this matter."

Kol and Lance turned toward him at the same time I did.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

My father rose to his feet without answering, his attention already elsewhere as he faced Headmaster Alaric.

"This is... an unusual situation," he said. "I will present it to the council." His gaze swept across the room before settling on me. "In the meantime, you know what to do, Alaric."

"Yes, sir," Headmaster Alaric replied.

My father left.

I stepped forward slightly, my patience gone. "So?" I demanded, raising a brow. "Is anyone going to do something about her?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"She’s going to be fine," Headmaster Alaric said.

"She is?" Lance’s voice rose, disbelief clear in it. "She’s hurting, she’s crying, she needs help, and all you can say is that she’ll be fine?"

He shot to his feet, shaking his head as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "No," he said firmly. "Then I’ll do it. If no one else is going to. Elyse is my mate after all."

I scowled at him, the way he said her name, like he had any claim over her, sending a surge of anger through me.

I would deal with him later. Right now, the committee was the problem. They were the ones standing there, watching, doing nothing.

"Ms. Maddox will be fine," Headmaster Alaric repeated. "This is a bond activation. It’s being triggered."

Bond activation. I looked at her again.

She was calmer now, though still trembling slightly in Kol’s arms, curled into him with her arms wrapped around his waist while he held her like she might slip away if he loosened his grip.

If this was bond activation... Did that mean we were all truly her mates?

"Of course not," Raze snarled inside my head. "She’s ours."

Mine. Elyse was mine. I would never share her.

Headmaster Alaric settled back into his chair, running a hand along his beard as that same calculating look flickered across his face before it disappeared just as quickly.

When his gaze returned to me, it was hard again.

"I assume you’ve been informed of the consequences of your actions," he said.

"Losing a hundred points each," I replied with an air of nonchalance.

He gave a small nod, then shook his head.

"That would have been the case," he said slowly, "if you were merely ordinary students."

My throat went dry.

"What does that even mean?" Kol spoke for the first time since Elyse collapsed into his arms.

"It means," Headmaster Alaric replied calmly, "you will not only lose one hundred points, but every point your respective houses have accumulated since the session began."

"What?!" Lance burst out. "That’s ridiculous!"

"Exactly," Headmaster Alaric said without missing a beat.

I winced, turning slightly as I caught Nelson’s glare fixed squarely on me.

"And finally," Headmaster Alaric continued, his tone growing more intense, "to contain this anomaly while we await the council’s decision, all of you will maintain a ten-meter distance from Ms. Maddox."

"Impossible," Kol, Lance, and I said at the same time.

Headmaster Alaric didn’t react to our protest.

His gaze hardened, his voice dropping into something colder with a note of finality. "If you fail to comply, we will enforce separation. And believe me, that is the last thing any of you want."