Page 82 of The Forgotten Princess

I stand from the bench, cutting him off. “I will show the dark fae a kindness like they’ve never known. The only legacy you’re leaving behind is that of hatred. Do not worry—I’ll make sure history never forgets you.”

With that, I turn and walk away from him. Devin still holds my hand and I can feel his happiness. He’sproudof me. When we reach Damian and King Basilicus, they are both smiling.

“We should get back to Shifter Academy,” I tell Damian. “I need to get all my stuff moved back to my dorm room.”

Damian’s smile widens. “All right, Queen Tori. Whatever you want.”

For once, I don’t hate the title. No matter what, I’ll never be as bad of a ruler as King Hastings.

I can still hear him yelling at me as we walk from the room. King Basilicus stays there, not following us. We head back to the airport right away and get back on the plane. An hour into our flight, we get word that King Hastings has passed away. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I am relieved.

That monster will never hurt anybody ever again.

Why?

As I’m unpacking my things, there is a knock on my door. I figure it’s Devin, come to see me. I know he is anxious about being back in the dorms, though I’m not sure why. Our rooms here are closer than they were in the beach house. Devin made sure that our rooms were right next to each other. When I open the door and see Headmaster Graham on the other side, my eyes widen in surprise.

What is he doing here?

“Hello, Headmaster,” I say, greeting him. “Is there something I can do to help you?”

Without invitation, he pushes his way inside my dorm room. I leave the door open as I turn around to face him. I didn’t know anybody could come inside unless I invited him, though I guess being headmaster has its advantages. Still, I don’t like that the wolf shifter has come inside without me asking him to.

I stand up straighter, carefully watching him.

“You know, I’ve never seen anybody cheat death the way that you have, Victoria Hastings.”

I swallow hard. “Excuse me?”

“I knew your roommate wouldn’t tolerate you. It’s why I put you with her to begin with. And then Katherine…” his voice trails off as he shakes his head. “I gave permission for her to come in, but she couldn’t get the job done. They couldn’t kill one dark fae.”

He gave her permission…

His words sink in as I realize that the attacks on me in this school haven’t been random. They’ve all been carefully planned. I knew somebody had to help Katherine get into my dorm, but I never imagined Headmaster Graham would be offering his assistance.

Other than the first few weeks here, I’ve hardly even seen the headmaster. Though, if I had, I’m not sure he would’ve been able to hide the way he feels about me.

How has he hidden it? His hatred of me is so strong, I cantasteit.

“Devin is next door,” I warn him.

He smirks. “You think I’m that stupid? I know your mate is with Alpha Damian. It’ll take him a long time to reach you. By the time he’s back here, you’ll be dead.”

Headmaster Graham pulls out a knife from his back. The blade looks suspiciously like iron—the only type of blade that can kill a dark fae.

“Why?” I ask him.

He wrinkles his nose as he looks at me. “It’s a disgrace to have a dark fae as our luna. The rest of them may be fooled by you, but I’m not. I never wanted you at this school. Your entire species is beneath us.”

Beneath them… wow, he sounds a lot like Isabella and Katherine. He hates me for no reason, other than the fact that I was born a dark fae.

This is what I expected when I came to Shifter Academy. I was pleasantly surprised that not everybody felt that way. But maybe more wolf shifters feel this way than I realized.

“But you approved of me coming here,” I counter. “Dawson said you agreed to it.”

“Only so I would have the satisfaction of murdering a dark fae. The fact that you’re King Hastings’s daughter is only going to make it that much sweeter.”

I raise both hands in the air. “Whatever my father did to you isn’t my fault. He paid the ultimate price for his crimes. He’s dead.”

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