KAI'S POV
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The Dean's receptionist wouldn't look me in the eye.
That's how I knew I was screwed.
"Mr. Ashford," she said quietly. "The Dean had to step out. There's been... a complication with another student. He'll see you in fifteen minutes."
"What kind of complication?"
She ignored my question. "You can wait in the conference room."
I paced the empty conference room like a caged animal. My wolf was agitated, sensing danger we couldn't fight. Harassment accusations. My name dragged through mud. And I had no idea who or why.
The door opened. Not the Dean—Dante.
"How did you know I was here?" I asked.
"Campus security called Dad. He's losing his mind." Dante closed the door behind him. "What did you do?"
"Nothing! That's the problem." I slammed my fist on the table. "Someone filed a harassment complaint. The Dean wouldn't give me details, just said to come immediately. Then I get here and he's dealing with 'another student.'"
Dante's eyes narrowed. "Another harassment case?"
"I don't know. Maybe." I ran my hands through my hair. "This has Sera written all over it. She threatened me last week when I ended things."
"Sera's crazy, but this seems extreme even for her."
"You don't know what she's capable of."
The door burst open. Dean Whitmore entered, his face grave. "Mr. Ashford. Thank you for waiting."
"What's this about?" I demanded. "Who accused me of harassment?"
He sat down heavily. "That's complicated. The initial complaint came from Miss Blackwood—"
"I knew it!"
"—but it's not what you think." He pulled out a folder. "She claims a female student has been harassing you. Following you around campus. Making unwanted advances. She filed the complaint on your behalf, claiming she was protecting you."
My brain stuttered to a halt. "What?"
"She provided evidence. Photos. Text messages allegedly from this student, begging for your attention." He slid papers across the table. "Do you recognize any of this?"
I looked at the photos. Coffee shop. Library. Streets near my house. But the girl in the photos—I'd never seen her before. Auburn hair in a messy braid. Worn clothes. She looked exhausted in every shot.
"I don't know her," I said.
"You've never interacted with..." he checked his notes, "...Isla Monroe?"
The name meant nothing to me. "Never."
"She's a scholarship student. Pack Law major. Top of her class."
"Good for her. I still don't know her." I pushed the photos back. "This is fake. All of it."
"The text messages came from a blocked number—"
"Which proves nothing! Anyone could have sent them!" I stood up, anger replacing confusion. "This is Sera's revenge. She's framing some innocent girl to mess with me."
Dante leaned forward. "Dean, my brother ended his relationship with Sera Blackwood last week. She didn't take it well."
"Be that as it may, I have to investigate." The Dean's expression softened slightly. "However, I find the timing suspicious. Two harassment complaints filed within an hour of each other, both involving Miss Blackwood? That raises questions."
Relief flooded through me. "So you believe me?"
"I believe something isn't right. But until I sort this out, you're both on probation. You and Miss Monroe are banned from the Lunar Gala tomorrow night."
"That'll trigger automatic academic consequences for her," Dante said sharply. "If she's already on probation for missing the Gala—"
"She'll be expelled," the Dean finished. "I'm aware. Which is why I'm giving both of you twenty-four hours to provide evidence proving your innocence."
"How am I supposed to prove I didn't do something I didn't do?" I asked.
"That's your problem, Mr. Ashford." He stood up. "Twenty-four hours. If you can prove Miss Blackwood fabricated this, I'll clear both your records. If not... well, let's hope you're as clever as your grades suggest."
He left us sitting there.
"This is insane," I muttered. "Some girl I've never met is about to get expelled because of Sera's psychotic revenge plot."
"So fix it," Dante said simply.
"How?"
"Find Isla Monroe. Talk to her. Figure out what Sera's really planning." He stood up. "And do it fast, because if Dad hears you're banned from the Gala, he'll make the harassment charges look like a vacation."
He was right. My father would explode. The Gala was his chance to parade me around with Sera, to secure political alliances, to mold me into his perfect heir.
Missing it meant war.
I pulled out my phone and texted my best tech guy: *Need everything you can find on Isla Monroe. Scholarship student. Pack Law. Now.*
The response came in seconds: *On it, boss.*
"What are you going to do?" Dante asked.
"What I should have done with Sera from the beginning. End this."
I left the Dean's building with one goal: find Isla Monroe and warn her that Sera Blackwood was coming for both of us.
My phone buzzed. A photo from my tech guy.
Student ID picture. Auburn hair. Sharp green eyes that looked fierce even in a boring ID photo. Pretty in a way that had nothing to do with makeup or money.
Isla Monroe.
The girl whose life Sera was destroying just to hurt me.
I pulled up her class schedule. She had Pack Law in twenty minutes across campus.
I started walking, my wolf pushing me faster. We had to warn her. Had to stop this before—
My phone rang. Unknown number.
"Ashford," I answered.
"Stay away from her." A voice I didn't recognize, female and distorted. "Touch Isla Monroe and we'll make sure you both pay. Her scholarship. Your inheritance. Everything you care about will burn."
"Who is this?"
"Someone who knows your secrets, Kai. All of them. The question is—how far will you go to protect them?"
The line went dead.
I stood frozen in the middle of campus, my heart pounding.
This wasn't just about Sera's jealousy anymore.
Someone else was playing a much bigger game.
And Isla Monroe and I were both pawns.