Chapter 26: my toy servant again

"Sorry, I don’t like being touched." Liliana glared at her. "Keep your people away from me. If you let them touch me again, it might not only be your people who get hurt, but you as well, Valerie."

Liliana turned around and opened the door to her room, no longer caring about Valerie’s face, which had reddened with anger.

Click.

The bedroom door closed tightly before Valerie had the chance to say anything else.

"Valerie, you’re no longer my sister," Liliana murmured softly. "Don’t expect me to give in and lower myself like I did in the past. Live according to your own path. I will live on the path I choose for myself."

Liliana lay down on the bed while staring at the ceiling of the room.

The room was very spacious, almost three times the size of her former dormitory room. For the first time, Liliana felt that she truly had a place she could call home besides the Draven Pack residence.

Her hand slowly rose and touched the earring on her ear.

"Silver."

Inside her mind, Silver lifted her head and let out a low growl in response.

"If I train harder, can I use my power as I please without anyone knowing?"

"You are Liliana. What can’t you do?" Silver replied. "As long as you are willing to fight, it is not something impossible."

Liliana nodded slightly.

"After the student welcoming event tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the library to study my power."

She stared at the ceiling with a serious gaze.

"Although Father and Lady Mega said it would be difficult to find books about my power, there should still be something I can find. Even if it’s only a little information."

Silver did not answer.

Her eyelids slowly closed. Using Liliana’s power to heal Cassian and the white tiger in the river earlier that morning had drained much of her energy. She needed time to recover.

Since she received no response, Liliana eventually closed her eyes as well.

Liliana and Silver were one entity. They could feel each other’s discomfort, even when one of them was exhausted.

Liliana only opened her eyes when it was already dark.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

A loud knocking sound came from outside her door.

At first, it sounded soft, but gradually turned into increasingly impatient knocks.

Liliana’s brows immediately furrowed.

She got up, straightened her clothes, then walked toward the door and opened it.

"What do you want here?" Liliana asked when she saw the faces that had made her life so painful in the past.

"How dare you hurt Valerie’s friend, Liliana?" Alaric said.

His tone was not that of someone asking a question.

It was an accusation.

Liliana looked up at him.

"She tried to hurt me. What do you think I should have done, simply surrender myself?"

"That is your duty," Alaric replied coldly.

A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Liliana’s lips.

Alaric was stunned. In the past, Liliana had been nothing more than a girl who did not dare to fight back. She could not even cry when she was bullied and simply accepted all their treatment in silence.

But now, the girl actually dared to show him a mocking smile.

"How dare you smile like that?" Alaric asked in disbelief.

"Looks like you’ve forgotten, Young Master Beaumont." Liliana looked at him without fear. "I am no longer your servant. I have no obligation to accept any form of torture from you."

"Liliana..." Valerie stepped forward with a pitiful expression. "Noli is the daughter of a Beta of the Beaumont Pack. You know how powerful her family is within our pack. Do you want to make her dissatisfied just because you hurt Noli?"

"You’re wrong, Valerie." Liliana smiled faintly.

"That is your pack, not my pack anymore. You and the elders expelled me after finding out that I could not summon my wolf."

Alaric frowned. "Then apologize to Noli. After that, I’ll ask the pack elders to consider accepting you back."

Liliana stared at Alaric’s arrogant face.

Her former Alpha. The former Alpha who had rejected her as his Luna just two weeks ago and forced her to watch them mark her sister as their replacement Luna.

Liliana took a deep breath. "I’m no longer interested in your pack. Stop bothering me."

"Besides..." Liliana added, "I have already found a pack that is willing to accept me gladly."

"Huh?" Alaric laughed mockingly. "The Draven Pack?"

His gaze was filled with contempt. "Liliana, do you think their pack is much stronger than ours?"

"Whether it is stronger or not, it seems I don’t need to explain it to you."

Liliana smiled faintly. "You clearly know the answer better than anyone, don’t you, Young Master Beaumont?"

Alaric clenched his fingers. However, he was unable to respond.

Liliana had lived in the Beaumont Pack for three years and had only lived in the Draven Pack for less than a month. Yet, she did not need to think for long to know the difference.

The Draven Pack was clearly much stronger and wealthier, at least compared to the Beaumont Pack.

"Sister Liliana..." Valerie interrupted again with an annoyed expression. "The Draven Pack was exiled by the Alpha King to guard the border. How could you think that the Beaumont Pack is weaker than the Draven Pack?"

Liliana only smiled without answering.

"Liliana, you’ve only lived in the Draven Pack for a month and you already think like that," Alaric said. "If one day you live in another pack, will you think they are better too?"

He stared sharply at Liliana. "Will you consider every pack much better than ours just because you have only seen their outer appearance?"

Alaric sneered. "Such a country bumpkin."

"Fine. Say whatever you want."

Liliana sighed. "But one thing is certain. I, Liliana Draven, no longer have any relationship with any of you. Excuse me. I’m tired."

Liliana turned around, intending to close the door. However, Alaric moved faster.

His hand held the door back, then grabbed Liliana’s arm and forcefully pulled her.

"You’re going to run away just like that after causing trouble?" he asked.

"Let go!" Liliana tried to pull her arm free.

Although she had learned self-defense from Cassian and Mega, her body was not yet strong enough to face Alaric directly. The difference in their strength was still too great.

"You want me to let you go after you dared to hurt Valerie’s friend?" Alaric shouted. "Dream on!"

"I said, let go of my hand!" Liliana struggled to free herself again.

However, Alaric’s grip only became tighter.

Behind him, Valerie smiled triumphantly.

"Liliana, you only need to apologize to Noli."

Valerie stepped closer. "After you apologize, I’ll forget all your mistakes in the past and accept you as my close friend again."

She paused for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Or rather... as my toy servant again."

Liliana gritted her teeth. Alaric’s grip on her arm grew tighter, making her skin hurt.

"You..." Liliana looked at them in panic. "Where are you taking me?"

Alaric did not answer. Instead, he and Valerie dragged Liliana farther away from her room, toward a dark corridor that grew increasingly deserted.

Liliana looked back. The door to her room was now getting farther and farther away.

And for the first time since arriving at the academy, a bad feeling once again overwhelmed her heart.