All Chapters of The Mate I Can't Have: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Niylah's pov The air in that hall was thick, and nobody spoke for some time. The principal gaze swept icily around the scene before him—Liam and Henry bruised, breathing heavily; me still wrestling with the pull of my Alpha instincts, my arm still tingling from Henry's grip."What is going on here?" the principal asked once more, this time more sharply.I sharply drew one breath to calm the storm inside. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, but the truth was out now, and it could never be taken back. "Sir, it's over," I stated, firmly but calmly. "I'm done with Henry. Done with all of this. Can't keep pretending.Henry's face twisted in anger, but some of the defiance had leaked from his stance. "You don't get to just throw me away, Niylah," he spat, but there was no mistaking the desperation underlying his tone.Liam took another step forward. Bruises were still evident, but he held himself tall. "She doesn't owe you anything, Henry," he said, his tone clear yet quiet. "You lost

Liam's P.O.V.The corridor was silent except for the sound of my footsteps, and the muffled chatter of students hanging around in corners farther down. My fists were clenched at my sides, my jaw clamped, and every nerve in me was ready to go. Too many days had been wasted watching Henry toy with Niylah, and his thinking he could just continue to walk all over her-thinking he could just claim her at any time-managed to boil my blood.I found him leaning against the wall beside the lockers like he didn't have a single care in the world. He was at ease, but there was something beneath that smug veneer-something dark. When he saw me approach, a smirk curled the corners of his mouth and he straightened, clearly enjoying this about as much as he could.Liam," he drawled, tone mocking. "To what do I owe this? pleasure?"I held his gaze, letting him see the anger simmering in my eyes. "We need to talk, Henry. About Niylah."His smirk grew, and he cocked his head to one side, feigning curiosit

I felt the wave of melancholy wash over me, mixed with relief, as Evelyn walked away. The stirring of those memories was part of seeing her again, a sense of touching things I hadn't in so long, that I had thought were locked away. Yet, those memories seemed to be an echo from another life, a life I no longer wanted to hold onto. My eyes drifted to Niylah beside me. Her searching gaze was steady and warm, a sense of home.She didn't need to say anything. It was sufficient that her hand had touched mine, to put me in my place. I leaned into her, my fingers instinctively giving her hand a light press as if to reassure her that maybe this was where I was supposed to be: here, now, with her.The rest of the assembly passed in a blur, with all those announcements and speeches no person listened to. My mind kept wandering back to the strange encounter, that out-of-place reminder of a past I thought I had long since outgrown. I couldn't get Evelyn's words out of my head, especially: *"Some t

IVORY'S POV I watched Hilda leave the room, a feeling of thrill still buzzing in my veins while pacing back and forth, imagining every step of our plan falling into place. My mind was a turmoil of pictures of Niylah's face, proud, self-assured smile faltering as she realized that everything around her was slipping away.The more I contemplated it, the better it sounded. I had to watch her for too long walking around like she was greater than everyone else, like she was some sort of untouchable princess. She wasn't different from any of the rest of us, though. And I would be the one who'd make her see that.I couldn't wait to get started, but I knew I had to tread with caution. I couldn't afford for one single moment to raise suspicion that it was Hilda and I behind it all, or else we'd face the punishment instead of Niylah. That thought alone was enough to make me slow down, take a deep breath, and rethink every step in my head."Patience, Ivory," I said slowly, my fingers tightening

Evelyn's POVThe loud buzz of the hallway was reassuring for the sole fact that it was familiar chaos. I adjusted my backpack, looking around at all the new faces of my classmates. It was great to finally be here, but the nerves still humming in my body were hard to ignore. I wasn't sure how it would feel after so much time away from Liam.Then, there he was.Standing by his locker, Liam looked no different yet was somehow different. His expression was a little more somber, like something inordinately heavy weighed upon his mind, yet at the very sight of him, a smile crept onto my face. I pushed through the crowd, walking up to him, and couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up as I greeted him. "Hey, stranger!”Surprised, he turned, and then his face lit up. "Evelyn?" he said, his voice full of incredulity and a delight I hadn't seen in ages. "What are you doing here?""Surprise!" I chimed, throwing my arms playfully. "I transferred here. Guess you're stuck with me now.Liam's smile