Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 71: Irreplaceable

Reign:

I knew exactly what I needed to do.

Selene couldn’t be allowed to suspect that Elara meant anything to me, because the moment she realized that, Elara would become another weapon in her endless game of manipulating everyone around her.

So I let my expression shift, deliberately replacing the tension with something almost amused as I shrugged. "Honestly, isn’t it even better this way?"

Selene’s brows drew together immediately.

I smirked slightly, letting the same disdain coat my words that I used almost every time I talked with Elara.

"She’s already managed to upset me, Liliana and half a dozen other people. Everyone wants to put her in her place, which means my job becomes much easier. I won’t have to do much myself when everyone else is already lining up to teach her a lesson. Don’t you think that’s a good thing?"

She studied me with those calculating eyes of hers, as though she could peel away every layer of my expression and discover what I was hiding underneath.

I gave her nothing. After a few seconds, I tilted my head and added casually, "But I’m curious about something. Why are you so interested in the Argentis princess? Don’t tell me you are planning to get on her good side."

That made her scoff almost instantly.

"Please. I’m not so desperate that I need to cling to some powerless young girl simply because she happens to carry the royal surname."

The contempt in her voice made my wolf bristle, but I kept my face completely blank.

Powerless.

That was what everyone kept calling Elara because her seal hadn’t broken yet. They had no idea what might be waiting beneath it. I did. I’d felt enough of her power during our encounters to know that whatever was sealed inside her wasn’t ordinary.

But Selene didn’t need to know that.

I smiled faintly. "Good. Because the last thing Father would want to hear is that his dear wife embarrassed herself trying to poach a groundling princess."

The change in her face was immediate. Her smile vanished and her eyes turned cold. I almost laughed in satisfaction.

I stepped closer, lowering my voice until only she could hear me. Not like there was anyone present there except the two of us. "You better be telling the truth, Selene. Because unlike you, I don’t have to worry about being replaced."

Her jaw tightened.

I leaned in just enough to make sure every word landed exactly where I intended.

"I might not be Father’s perfect son, but I’m still irreplaceable." I paused, letting my gaze settle on hers. "You, however, aren’t."

The silence between us became suffocating.

"One wrong move," I whispered, "and he’ll find another woman to wear your crown."

Her aura exploded.

The pressure rolling off her was powerful enough that the lamps lining the hall flickered. For the first time that evening, I felt genuinely amused.

Perfect. I had hit exactly where I wanted.

I straightened and turned toward the entrance without giving her another opportunity to respond. I had no reason to stay. Father had given me what I needed, Selene had been reminded of her place, and I had successfully made sure neither of them would look too closely at what Elara actually meant to me.

I had barely reached the bottom of the stairs when movement caught my attention. Valerie was making her way down the staircase, almost bouncing with excitement. She spotted me immediately and her beautiful face lit up.

"Reign!"

I heard her loud and clear but didn’t stop.

"Reign, wait!"

I kept walking.

The front doors opened before me, and the cool night air swept across my face. I stepped outside without looking back.

Unlike my hatred for Selene, I had no hard feelings for my stepsister. But at the same time, I could never be the brother she desperately searched for. Because becoming that meant handing Selene the exact sword she wanted to use against me.

With a soft sigh, I climbed in my car and started the engine, my mind already shifting to Elara and the promise I’d just made to my father. I was going to handle the Argentis princess and make sure she never stood in my father’s path.

Instead of returning to the academy, I changed my route and headed toward one of the towns nestled at the mountain’s foothills. I needed noise, distraction, anything that could keep my mind from circling back to the conversation I’d just had with my father.

By the time I reached the club where my friends usually spent their weekends, the music was already shaking the walls.

The moment I stepped inside, Liliana appeared beside me as though she had been waiting for me. Her arm immediately looped around mine, a bright smile plastered across her face as if the incident earlier that evening had never happened.

"Reign!"

I looked down at her hand before calmly pulling my arm free.

Her smile faltered. But I didn’t bother with her for another second. I made my way toward the private section where Alaric, Esme and Kairo were already settled with their drinks. I dropped into an empty seat and poured myself a glass of wine, barely acknowledging anyone around me.

It wasn’t until Kairo casually mentioned Lorien that my attention finally shifted.

"By the way, did you know Moonveil took Argentis to one of the Argentis properties nearby?"

My fingers stopped around the stem of my glass. "What?"

Kairo shrugged. "From what he told me, it’s something the other Reagents want. They left the academy earlier this evening."

I stared at the wine without drinking it. For some reason, knowing she would be once again made to face things she wasn’t ready for - just because the council wanted her to - made my wolf worry.

Minutes passed before Alaric finally noticed I hadn’t touched my drink. "What are you thinking about?" He asked.

I leaned back against the couch and stared toward the crowded dance floor.

Then, with a faint smile, I answered honestly. "I’m wondering how to impress my princess again."

Silence fell around the table.

Kairo’s eyebrows rose. Alaric looked amused. And Esme simply stared at me as though he had just discovered that I’d finally lost my mind.