Sacrifices

"Louis, what are you saying! How can an alpha live in the boys' dorms? Please don't make such a big sacrifice for my daughter, one that both of us shall be unable to repay. "

It was Frederick who had spoken promptly as soon as Louis had finished his statement, showing how grateful he was because of this offer made by him. While the reality was the complete opposite; this offer from Louis had given him a run through of the future, where every plan of his had gone in vain! And he was never ready to take any chances when it came to seeing his plans come to fruition, so the burden of gratitude had been an apt way to pass off this offer. 

Without letting his words sink in first and giving the conversation a chance to continue along those lines, Francisco eagerly jumped into the exchange. He spoke animatedly, with literal stars shining in his eyes due to the feeling of pride he was currently experiencing, thanks to his son.

"Yes, yes absolutely! I think Louis is saying the right thing, Frederick, I have also given it a thought. Nora is in trouble because of Louis, so I guess it makes sense for him to be the one giving this sacrifice -"

"I am sorry to interrupt, uncle, but neither Nora nor Louis are familiar with the system of dorms. That's why, I still think it is a bad decision. But I do have another suggestion- what if Louis gets to keep his palace and Nora too gets one, and instead I am the one who shifts to the boys' dorms? It would be more practical, because I am not only familiar with the arrangements and rules here, but I am accustomed to living in the school as well."

Ryan interrupted the older Alphas to give voice to his thoughts, simultaneously rendering everyone baffled by his statement. While no one present at the meeting had expected Ryan to speak this way, Nora was especially impressed by him. She had been noticing his actions from the moment she had stepped into the school, and he was the one who had always taken a stand for her, and had stood by her side every time David had tried to bully her. Although what he had said did not fully align with her wishes, she was still grateful to him for being willing to make the sacrifice he had just proposed.

Whereas Nora was the one who was quite impressed by his words, David, Robin and Louis were extremely angry, knowing that it had to be one his new moves to create trouble for Nora, and none of them were ready to let it happen- at least not on their watch.

The flash of anger triggered by Ryan's words brought the blood in David's veins to a boil. He opened his mouth to voice his objection, but before the words in his mind could have made their way into the world and registered in anybody's ears, Romera spoke up, knowing that the Principal was too timid to say anything in front of the Alphas or their children.

"Why don't we think about the problem in this way - Nora is not only unaware of the rules and regulations of the dorm and the school, she does not know about how the games are organised and how the final match will take place, either. She has never witnessed any such event even once in her lifetime, hence I would really suggest vacating the entire beta wing to accommodate her. There is enough space in the ACC beta wing; there are rarely any she- wolves who are good at archery, so the house is almost empty. There is just one girl living there, Valerie."

Romera presented her case, looking into Frederick's eyes unwaveringly. There were many unsettled accounts between them which she could neither settle nor disclose, and above all, she would not be ready to leave Nora alone in this mess created because of the throne, in any conceivable scenario.

"I guess it would be a good idea -" 

The principal finally uttered a phrase in support of this proposal, where the Princess would not have to dwell amongst commoners while also having a valid reason for her stay, only to be interrupted by Frederick before he could have gone through with it. 

He spoke up in a fit of self - righteous anger for the injustice being meted out to his daughter, making it a point to glare at Romera throughout the spiel as if he was going to end her right then and right there.

"But Nora has her birthday coming at the end of this month, and my Princess has never celebrated her birthday without a grand party. You all must know that, even though you have never gotten the opportunity to see her in person before now, because of the rituals of our pack. But her birthday has always been a grand affair, and this time, it is going to be her first heat. She might get know who is going to be her mate soon, then how can you all consent to this unfair -"

"It is decided, then! Nora will stay in the hostel till her birthday; in this duration, she will get to have the experience of one tournament, which is going to take place before her birthday. Initially, I had just meant to suggest this arrangement for the period of one fortnight, but now that you have mentioned that it is going to be her first heat, then I really hope it would be the best way to give her the best surprise party of her life."

Romera placed the last nail in the coffin, sealing the matter completely, knowing that this was the closing statement. She was secure in the knowledge that now, the ball was bound to fall in her court; and with this thought, she looked at Nora, who was also looking at her at the same time, and flashed her a reassuring smile.

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