No going back

Malia

I couldn’t sleep.

After the chaos of last night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together how everything had gone so wrong. My plan was simple: make Avan jealous, get my revenge, move on. But now… now my life was spiraling out of control, and I couldn’t stop it.

The more I thought about what happened last night, the more I asked myself why Asher didn't tell me that he was a Lycan. He could've prevented this by just refusing! I would've understood his reason! 

Now it's over for me. I basically sealed my fate the moment I kissed Asher Mendoza. My plan to hurt Avan had backfired spectacularly, and now I was the one who would pay the price. 

Lycans were practically royalty among our kind, and being entangled with one - especially while being a werewolf - was nothing short of scandalous. I couldn’t face it. 

I turned over in bed, pulling the covers over my head as if that would somehow block out the nightmare that awaited me in the morning. Maybe if I stayed here long enough, the world would forget. Maybe it will all blow over.

But deep down, I knew better.

The knock on my bedroom door came far too early, pulling me from the edge of sleep. I barely had time to blink before my mother barged in, her face red with anger, my father right behind her.

“Malia, get up. Now.”

I sat up groggily, my heart sinking as I saw my father standing behind her, arms crossed, his expression grim. 

“What is it? ”

“Look at this,” she snapped, shoving her tablet in my face.

I blinked, still half-asleep, but the image on the screen jolted me fully awake. It was a photo of Me and Asher, lips locked, bodies entangled, looking like we were deep in the throes of passion. Asher’s face, dazed, as though he were completely under my control.

The headline blazed underneath; “Seductress of the Lycan King’s Son.”

I felt my stomach churn. “Mom, I didn’t—”

“You didn’t what, Malia?” my father cut in, his voice cold and sharp. “You didn’t seduce him? Do you have any idea what kind of scandal this has caused?”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen like this,” I tried to explain, my voice shaking. “It was supposed to be just - "

“ -Just what?” my mother hissed. “You’ve embarrassed this family, Malia. Do you realize the consequences of what you’ve done?”

“Do you think we sacrificed everything to give you a place among high-ranking wolves just so you could throw it all away?” my father’s anger was barely contained. “An affair with a Lycan? The Lycan King’s son?” 

I opened my mouth to argue, to explain that it wasn’t like that, but how could I? The evidence was right there. I had let things spiral too far. I had let my emotions cloud my judgment, and now, I had to deal with the fallout.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, though I knew it wouldn’t be enough.

“Sorry won’t fix this,” my mother snapped, her eyes flashing with frustration. “You’re going to school today. You will apologize to Asher, the board, and anyone else who matters. Do you understand?”

My heart sank. “Apologize? For what? I didn’t force him into anything!”

“Do you think that matters?” my father barked. “You will go, and you will fix this. If you don’t, you’ll be expelled. You know that, right? This isn’t just about your reputation anymore, Malia. It’s about our standing in this pack.”

I didn’t have the energy to fight them. My mind was already reeling from the thought of what awaited me at school. Everyone had seen the photo by now, and I knew what they thought of me. The whispers. The stares. I would be forever branded as the girl who got caught with a Lycan.

The ride to school was tense, the silence in the car thick enough to choke on. I sat in the back seat, staring out the window, trying to block out their harsh words. My mind kept racing back to the kiss, to Asher’s intense gaze, to Avan’s shocked face as he stood frozen in the doorway. 

None of it made sense. How had everything spiraled out of control so quickly?

When we finally arrived at school, it was clear that things had escalated. Instead of being able to walk in quietly, we were met with whispers and pointed stares from students who had clearly already seen the photos. The scandal had spread like wildfire.

“Keep your head down,” my father muttered under his breath as we walked toward Brooke Hall, where the board meetings were held. 

But I didn’t need him to tell me. I could feel the weight of their stares, the judgment in their eyes. I wanted to disappear, to turn back time, to undo it all. But it was too late for that.

As we approached the office, my heart sank. There was already a meeting in progress. The door was slightly ajar, and I could hear muffled voices inside. My parents were quickly ushered in, but I was told to wait outside, the heavy wooden door shutting firmly behind them.

I stood there, alone, staring at the floor as the minutes dragged by. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut: I was going to be expelled. There was no way they would let me stay after this. Not after everything.

I pressed my back against the wall, sliding down to the floor as I hugged my knees to my chest. My hands shook, the enormity of the situation crashing down on me all over again. My plan to get back at Avan had destroyed my future.

How could I have been so stupid?

Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. He glanced at me, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that made me pause.

“Asher,” I muttered under my breath.

He slid into the seat next to me without a word. His presence filled the small waiting area, and I turned to face him, unable to stop the trembling in my voice. “You need to tell them the truth,” I whispered, my desperation bleeding through. “Please… tell them we didn’t actually -”

“It’s too late for that,” Asher interrupted, his tone casual, as though this entire mess didn’t affect him in the slightest. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “The story’s already out there. They wouldn’t believe you, not after everything that's happened.”

I stared at him, desperate for answers. There was a moment when our eyes met, and I could feel that strange tension between us again. That same tension I felt during the kiss. What was it? Why did I feel this pull toward him, even now?

I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting with dread. “So what am I supposed to do? I’m going to get expelled!”

Asher glanced at me sideways, his hazel eyes glittering with something unreadable. “There’s a way out, but you’ll have to play along.”

My breath caught. “What do you mean?”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Just trust me. I know a thing or two about how to protect a fake lover,”

The word “lover” hit me like a slap. Was this really my only option? My pulse raced, fear and humiliation mixing into a toxic blend in my chest. I was about to protest, but before I could, the office door opened.

My parents and the board members stepped out, looking grim. Their eyes locked on me with judgment and disappointment. My mother’s lip trembled, while my father’s face was a storm of barely contained rage.

“Banes, just end this whole thing already. Her fate has already been decided,” a tall woman with long black, lustrous hair said. 

“Yes Luna,” the man named Banes said, and my eyes widened in shock. She was Asher's mother, Luna Brooke! “Asher,” he continued, acknowledging him with a slight nod. “We’ve come to a decision, but before we continue, is there anything you would like to say on Malia’s behalf?”

 

I turned to Asher, my heart pounding in my chest. This was it. He could either save me or let my world collapse completely.

To my shock, Asher stood and faced the board with an air of authority I hadn’t seen before. His voice was steady, confident.

“There’s something you all should know,” he said, his eyes flicking to mine briefly before returning to the board members. “Malia is pregnant with my child,”

The room went deathly silent. My breath caught in my throat as the weight of his words settled over the room like a suffocating fog. 

I stared at him, stunned, unable to process what he had just said. My parents gasped, their shock palpable. The board members exchanged startled glances, whispering among themselves in disbelief.

Pregnant?

“Asher!” I said, getting up, but my voice came out in a weak, trembling whisper. My world tilted off its axis, spinning into chaos. 

Asher didn’t flinch. He stood tall, every bit the son of the Lycan King, as though he’d just delivered some irrefutable truth. “Yes, we’ve been seeing each other secretly, and we didn’t want to announce it yet, but since rumors have spread... We decided to come forward.”

I could barely breathe, the ground beneath me crumbling. This wasn’t happening. How could he lie like that? And yet, as I glanced at the board members and his mother, I could see it working. Their skepticism was fading, replaced by concern. Concern for the future heir, concern for me as the supposed mother of his child.

My parents stood frozen, unsure of what to believe, but too stunned to speak.

I wanted to scream, to deny it all. But instead, I just stood there, paralyzed, trapped in the web of a lie I had never meant to create.

And Asher, with his calm, controlled expression, just stared ahead, as if this was the plan all along. As if I had no other choice now but to go along with him.

Because once a lie like this started, there was no going back.