Seducing the forbidden ice princes

Chapter Ten

Lucien’s POV

This morning was so cold it felt like the chill was coming through the walls of our little conference room. Honestly, it was just a cramped space with a big table, some hard chairs, and a window that wouldn't close right. The air kept hitting my neck, making me even more on edge.

Kellen was by the bad window, tapping his fingers on the glass like he was about to explode. Eira sat across from me, all calm with her legs crossed, chin up like she was untouchable, like she'd already won.

I wasn’t used to her type of confidence so it was…interesting to say the least.

“Are we really doing this?” Kellen asked, his voice low and harsh, never taking his eyes off her.

“We agreed,” I said, leaning back in my chair that I couldn't get comfortable in. “We’ll make things official. Publicly. She knows what she's doing, and she’s ready. The students will go along with it if we’re all on the same page.”

Kellen gave me a look that showed distrust. Underneath it was more of the stress that’s been with us all.

Eira smiled a little bit as if we were a joke. Not a real smile. Just enough to let me know she was enjoying us struggling with this choice.

“I don’t need your permission,” she said. Her voice was soft but hard. “I just need you to go along with it. And last I checked, you both said you would.”

Kellen’s jaw tightened. “Going along with it isn’t trust.”

“Not yet,” I said.

The truth was heavy, she had us trapped. She found what was wrong with us and used it. Now, we were stuck with her plan, whether we wanted to be or not.

The day went by fast. No more fighting, just getting things ready quietly. A few words said here and there. It all had to happen at the right time. Eira didn't waste a second. She looked at the assembly hall until she knew it by heart. She memorized where the cameras were and where Aria, Ares, and the Darkmoor twins would be.

I hated that I was impressed.

As night came, the hall felt like it was ready to burst. Students packed every seat, stood against the walls, and gathered in the back. The usual noise was replaced with excitement and rumors that had already spread about us. Teachers whispered to each other. Some important people were dragged in for some “important announcement.”

Kellen stood next to me by the stage. He was stiff, like he wanted to move around. I watched the entrance.

Then she came in.

Eira didn’t rush or smile. She was just sure of herself, cold. She walked steady, and the room reacted right away. People stopped talking and turned to look. Even Aria’s group froze for a second, showing their confusion.

I felt Kellen get tense next to me. He growled quietly, not just at Eira, but at how everyone was reacting to her. He still didn’t trust her. But he never let her leave his sight either.

I raised my hand, and the room got quiet fast. Everyone was looking at me, waiting.

“Everyone,” I started, my voice loud. “You need to know something.”

Kellen stepped up to my right, making the moment feel bigger. “This isn’t just small talk. It’s not a game. It’s the truth.”

Eira nodded to the crowd. We were really doing this.

“Eira Hartwell,” I said, letting her name sink in, “has been claimed as our mate.”

The hall went silent.

Then, shock spread, gasps, whispers, disbelief. Someone in the back cursed. A girl grabbed her friend’s arm like she was going to faint.

Next to me, Kellen’s voice cut through the noise. “Everyone here now knows she is our mate. So anyone who disagrees or hurts her will answer to us.”

That got even more reactions like fear, awe, curiosity, confusion.

I looked back at Aria, who was frozen, wide-eyed. Her face fell apart. She was hurt, mad, and trying hard to hide her feelings. But she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking.

Ares was no better. He stared holes through us, his face twisted in anger. He looked like he wanted to step forward, but there were too many witnesses to risk anything.

Eira stepped closer to us, but still held the stage. “You heard them,” she said, coolly. “Go against this if you want. But think about it first.”

She didn’t even hesitate. The room could feel it.

Aria tried to talk. “This is stupid…you can’t just say—”

“Sit down for now,” Kellen snapped, probably annoyed he had to lie to her too, but cutting her off so fast she flinched.

Aria did what she was told with a look of surprise since he never snapped at her like this, but it was for the best even if she didn’t know.

The Darkmoor twins looked at each other, whispering. Their usual smiles were gone. They weren’t ready for this.

The hall filled with whispers again, louder this time. Students talked, trying to figure things out. Some liked what they saw. Some wanted what she had. Others were trying to see what this meant going forward.

One thing was sure, everything had changed.

I stepped closer to Eira, and the feelings between us—mistrust, desire, stress, twisted inside me. Kellen was next to me, still taking it in, still watching her like she was both dangerous and hard to ignore.

The bell rang. It was the end of the show.

But nobody moved.

Everyone watched Eira as she walked out between us, head up, shoulders back, walking through the chaos as if she was born to it.

Whispers followed us as we left the hall. The students were trying to pick sides. Excitement and fear moved through the corridor.

Kellen spoke. “She’s dangerous.”

I didn’t say he was wrong. I smiled a little. “Yeah. But she’s still our mate… for now.”

We walked quietly, the news hitting us slowly settling. This hasn’t even started yet, with Aria, Ares, the Darkmoor twins, and all the students and teachers. All would have something to say.

Today Eira Hartwell stood in the middle of the storm. And nothing, not even fate, seemed like it was going to be able to push her out, and if it tried, I knew that somehow, she wouldn’t go down without a fight.