Verdict

Valerie had also started to follow Louis, as if a match had been struck in her mind after hearing what he had said. She realised how uncontrolled and unchanneled anger can become the reason of destruction of one's life, inviting their doom by their own hands. Not only had she picked a fight with one of the Alphas, but she had also accused and offended her; when in reality, she was just trying to help her.

And with this humbling realisation, came the thought that she should be apologizing to Nora at the earliest, and she began to shuffle forward while her mind busied itself in finding the correct words to be used in the apology.

But they hadn't walked for more than a minute, when Louis and Valerie saw Nora's figure in the distance. In a few minutes, it became clear that she was walking towards them to return, while Ryan was gracefully leading her by the hand.

Not only were the situation and scene bizarre and faulty as of themselves, but there was something on both their faces that nobody had seen prior to today. Certainly, there could be no chance that Ryan was bringing Nora so carefully towards them, without any anger residing on his heart and mind. Because if anyone knew Ryan even by his name, then they were bound to be aware of the fact that he was not willing to listen to his parents when it comes to the throne. The sole target of his life was to win the throne, and he was ready to achieve it by hook or crook, but the story that the scene in front of them was narrating, was completely opposite to it.

But before she could have dug deeper to find out what was going on after assuming it from their expressions, she heard Louis' hesitant voice.

"Nora... you… you okay? I was… I was -" 

Before Louis could ask about her or explain his intentions and the initial reason for his presence in the situation that had later devolved into chaos, Nora cut him off with a complacent look.

"I know you were there to help Valerie, and to be very honest, this is the first time I am happy with any of your actions. Because apart from this, no matter what you have done, I have never found myself being able to appreciate it. But today, I can really appreciate your -"

Valerie cut in with her own apology, which practically burst out of her as soon as she heard Nora's statements.

"Nora… I mean Alpha, I am sorry! I didn't mean to say the words I did before, it was like I was possessed by someone -"

"It's okay, Valerie! We have talked everything out and don't worry about leaving your dorm, for we Alphas are not as cruel as you think us to be!"

Ryan completed the cycle as he interrupted Valerie, who had interrupted Nora while she was talking to Louis.

And then, he again started walking ahead without waiting for any response from either of them, or without giving any extra time to Nora to speak.

Myron, Robin and Louis also started following them, thinking and walking at their own pace and criticizing Nora's choice of acting without caution. Or perhaps, it was her tendency to not be able to recognise the truth between the people who were trying and showing that they were nice in real life just in front of her, and the people who were genuinely nice and kind.

But before they could have reached to any conclusion or had gotten any chance to warn Nora from indulging Ryan any further, they saw Frederick waiting for her in front of the dorm, flanked by Francisco and Carl.

And before anyone could have concluded what was going on, and most importantly what was supposed to be going on, they all saw Nora freeing her hand from Ryan's grip and moving towards her father.

She had not even managed to take more than three steps in his direction, when Frederick covered the distance between them in no time. Striding forward, he pulled her into his big, safe and protective embrace, trying to provide her with the entire warmth of the world and making her realise that she wasn't alone… most importantly, she was never going to be alone.

Meanwhile, as he was trying to prove by his hug that he was going to mend everything that had gone wrong, Nora was busy being overwhelmed by the fact that her father had hugged her for the first time in her life, publicly and out of his own will. Just this factor alone was enough to shower her with immense happiness.

She was feeling that someone had just led her to the golden and grand doors of heaven, and told her that there was now a fountain of love in there, somewhere behind that said door. And once she entered inside, only she would be able to open or close the door in order to rejoice and experience the joy of that fountain on her own terms.

She was ready to do anything… anything to keep this feeling inside her heart and thrumming within her body. She was even ready to stay on the trees if her father asked her to, she was ready to jump off the highest cliff in the territory, and whatnot! If only, her father promised her in return, that he was not going to stop hugging her in the future ever again, like he had done in the past. Only for the reassurance that she would be able to feel this affection in his embrace, throughout her life… this hug had not only made her feel alive, but had also made her feel safe and protected… like nothing could happen to her now. She was busy collecting this feeling of joy, when everyone present there heard a familiar voice that echoed in the background;

"What is going on here?" 

_________________

Everyone heard the Principal's voice when they were least expecting it; as he had arrived at the scene seemingly out of nowhere. It was something that would fit the definition of "perfect timing" in Frederick's dictionary, because there was no way he was letting such a good opportunity slip from his hands.

So he spoke up the moment the question was completed, while he was still holding Nora in a side hug, showing everyone that he had protected his daughter well so far and was going to do the same in the future; nor was he afraid of fighting anyone who was there to hurt or harm her. He wanted them to understand that he was also ready to withdraw her admission from the school if this bullying did not stop right at that moment, and as his gestures conveyed the intended words, he also opened his mouth to voice the same intentions as a statement.  

"Something that should never be going on!"

"Something that should never be going on… What do you mean?"

The principal opened his mouth once again, but this time in confusion. He had approached the student dorms only after getting the intimation that Nora had settled down in the hostel with her belongings and everyone had left her alone there. Once this had been confirmed, he had strolled out of his office, really wanting to see how she was feeling about staying in a cage. After all, she should also experience how it felt like to stay in one, given that her father was already fond of sending people into their own personal cages. 

However, every single element of the situation was not just different from what he had been told, but also completely opposite to it! His expectations had been subverted- Nora had not settled down, but rather, had caused a storm; and Frederick was present there with his entire army, as if ready to fight a battle with him.

At that moment, he really felt like he was trapped in some comedy movie, where he was the actor cast in the role of a joker, who was present in the movie just because he was supposed to be the clown.

He didn't know what he was supposed to do next, when he spotted Adrin. He was also heading towards the location of the unplanned gathering, probably in search of his wife, or perhaps to see the mockery going on! No matter how much he was trying to convince himself that the situation would not fly off the handle, all he could see was humiliation coming his way.

Now, more desperately than ever, he was in search of something that would be able to get him out of this situation, and for that he was ready to do anything… anything, even if it included sending Nora back home! He had already witnessed the chaos that had been created, and initially, he had definitely wanted to extract his revenge from the Alpha of the Moon pack by making his only daughter stay in the dorms- not only away from home, but also away from the luxuries she was accustomed to. 

But now! After getting a healthy dose of reality, he was sure that in order to extract revenge from someone, the most crucial part of the plan would be the one about the part where they had secured a hideout for their own protection. God knows it was the step which had to be put on priority, or else, he knew he would not be able to last long after setting up this rivalry with the Alphas - not just at the post of Principal, but it would turn out to be difficult to stay for long on this earth, too! 

In this moment of unprecedented clarity, he had made the decision to ditch his previous plans and opt for sending Nora back to her house- but before that, he must act according to the plot line they had decided.

After taking a total of a minute and a half, during which he had opened and shut his mouth multiple times while thinking about all this, he finally spoke up in a subservient tone; 

"I don't understand, Alpha! Please have mercy on me, and explain what is the thing that has made you so angry so that I can do my best to eradicate that factor from in front of your eyes. Because everything was supposed to be going smoothly as per my knowledge, and I was here to give a warm welcome to the Princess -"

"Warm welcome? To a place where people have not even allowed my daughter to step foot in, properly?"

Frederick bellowed out, making the Principal hesitate for a second before pulling on his mask of confusion and loyalty. 

"What do you mean? Who, in this entire world can have the courage to stop the Princess from stepping anywhere she wants, in this entire territory?"

"Someone whose mention should be exempted from this debate, because they are not the problem here. In fact, the problem here is actually you, Mark! It is you, who doesn't know how to run the school perfectly, and is not even open to suggestions, either! Don't forget the fact that even if you have been offered this position because of the selection ritual, you could be dethroned any moment if we Alphas are not satisfied."

It was Carl who spoke up immediately after the question was raised, not only pointing the accusatory arrows towards the Principal himself, but also making him aware of the reality upon which his supposed 'throne' had been placed. 

Meanwhile, Frederick was patting his daughter's head, looking suitably enraged at the situation. The moment Carl stopped speaking, he voiced his agreement. 

"Yes! Carl is absolutely right, and you know what the other thing is right here? The fact that I wanted my daughter to study in this school to carry forward the legacy of our family. But if the school management is not even able to provide a single room for my humble daughter who has even agreed to stay in the dorms with the commoners, even after my graceful donation every year, then I really don't have any issues in sending my daughter abroad for completion of her education, just like my son! So here is my verdict, have it!

My DAUGHTER is leaving the school!!"

Fredrick completed his statement with a growl, looking at the principal while holding fire in his eyes.

________________