Chapter 0449


    “Nichs? Who is it?” came a voice from within Nichs’s room. A female voice. One I recognized.


    Bridget.


    My stomach shot into my throat so quickly, I thought I might be sick.


    Suddenly, before I could even think to react, the door opened, and Bridget was standing there.


    Nichs was behind her, hand on the door like he had tried to stop her, but she dipped under his arm.


    “Oh. Piper! What a surprise! What are you doing sote?” Bridget’s tone was friendly enough, but there


    was a sharpness in her eyes that I was learning only appeared when she was particrly irritated. She


    must have been tired, as well, to let it show through so obviously.


    –


    “I… uh…” I hadn’t been expecting to run into Bridget or anyone other than Nichs tonight, so I didn’t


    have an excuse prepared. I wracked my brain. “I just wanted to… congratte Nichs… on his


    performance tonight.”


    –


    The lie was weak, and I hated saying it. What did I even need an excuse for? Bridget was the one who


    needed an excuse!


    “Why, uh… Might I ask why you are here sote?” I asked.


    “Oh, that’s easy,” Bridget said. “Nichs and I were just talking about the nuances of our new


    rtionship.”


    “Bridget,” Nichs said, none too gently. There was a growl in his voice.


    “She should know,” Bridget told him. “Or did you mean to keep it a secret longer?” Then she looked at


    me and winked. “You won’t tell anyone about this, right, Piper?”


    “I…” I had no idea what to say. To have too big of a reaction would be to give myself away. But I was


    not a good actress. I didn’t know how to properly hide the horror and heartbreak


    from my face.


    “Oh, dear, don’t worry,” Bridget said. “Thepetition will go on as before. No one will know that the


    end is already fixed.” Another wink.


    “That’s enough, Bridget,” Nichs said, some of his Alpha tone seeped out.


    1/2


    +15 BONUS


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Bridget’s smile never wavered, though she did stop speaking. I doubted it was because of the Alpha


    command. It was more likely because of theplete one–two punch of her words. What was there


    left to say that hadn’t been said?


    In a few brief sentences, she’d indicated she was going to be the one to be Luna, that Nichs


    was on board, and that I would be strung along the rest of thepetition and eventually kicked out. 1


    And each of those words stabbed into me like a sharp object between my ribs, tearing at my


    heart.


    I looked to Nichs, hoping he would deny her derations. He stared back at me, a hard expression


    in his eyes. Typically, I could read Nichs, at least enough to have some base idea what he was


    thinking. Now, though, he was entirely shut off.


    Behind his golden gaze, there was a wall. Even the forest green flecks in his irises seemed grim.


    For him to stand there and not deny it meant either it was true, or that he wanted Bridget to


    believe it was true. The difference didn’t seem to matter much in the moment.


    For my part, there was nothing I could say that would make much difference one way or the other.


    Bridget seemed sure. And I could break down and ask Nichs the questions I wanted to in her


    presence.


    Questions like, what about us? What about those things you said? What changed? Why now?


    Maybe the answers would have only served to break my heart further.


    So I did the only option that I felt was open to me in that moment. I turned. And I ran away before my


    tears could fall.


    I didn’t know where I was going. I hated that I kept finding myself in this situation. Heartbroken as I


    was, I couldn’t return to my room. I didn’t want to worry Elva, or rm her that anything was wrong. But


    I did need a few minutes to pull myself together.