The Predator's Invincible Heir

Chapter 10: The Mask of Happiness

The forest might have been a cage, but the next morning, I refused to let it lock me down. I woke up feeling a little better, the suffocating panic from the night before replaced by a strange, sharp clarity.

I sat on the edge of my bed and made a promise to myself: If I am going to die before my next birthday, then I am not going to spend my remaining days just surviving. I am going to live—to live fully, to live happily. I've decided that. I am going to be happy.

So, I forced myself into a cheerful mood, plastering a bright smile on my face before heading out the door. It wasn't easy. The happiness was entirely fake, a brittle mask held together by sheer willpower. But I knew that if I kept forcing it, if I kept smiling through the dread, I would eventually start believing the lie.

When I arrived at school, everything looked exactly the same, yet entirely different through my new lens.

The bullies were already holding court in the hallway—Tanya and her usual crew. As soon as I walked into the classroom, the first person I ran into was Alex. With a smug grin, he deliberately stretched his leg out into the aisle to trip me as I passed. In the past, I would have ducked my head and tripped or scrambled away. This time, I stopped. I looked right at his face, smiled warmly, and playfully waved a finger at him.

Alex froze. His jaw dropped, his mouth hanging open in sheer confusion. He stared at me, completely dumbfounded, utterly unsure whether to smile back, sputter an apology, or fly into a rage. I didn't give him the chance to figure it out. I just chuckled and walked straight toward my seat.

As I made my way down the aisle, I caught Tanya and her friends watching me. Instead of shrinking away, I caught their eyes, smiled brightly, and said, "Hi," before slipping into my desk.

Tiffany was already there, and she quickly shifted her books to make space for me. As I sat down, she didn't say a word; she just stared at my face, her sharp eyes searching my expression like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

"What is it, Tiffany?" I asked, keeping my voice light. "You're staring at me like I've got a hole in my face."

She leaned in, her brow furrowing. "You're wearing a mask, Aria, and I know it. Something is definitely wrong with you."

"Nothing's wrong with me," I replied, smoothing down my shirt.

"No," she insisted, shaking her head. "I don't believe it for a second. Something is wrong. You must have taken some kind of crazy happy pill before coming to school today."

A genuine laugh escaped me then. I threw my head back, the sound echoing in the quiet room—and that's when I saw him.

Liam was standing near the back of the classroom. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, his intense eyes locked onto me, tracking my every move.

The moment our eyes met, my entire face lit up. The fake happiness melted into something real. I stood up, walked straight to the back of the room, pulled a chair close enough to brush against his, and sat down. "Good morning," I greeted him softly.

He didn't respond. He just kept staring at my face, his expression mirroring Tiffany's deep suspicion. The heavy, protective silence rolled off him in waves.

Before I could say another word, Liam reached down, grabbed my hand, and gently but firmly pulled me up from the chair. He led me out of the crowded classroom, guiding me through the hallways until we reached a quiet, empty alcove where we could be completely alone.

He dropped his hand and turned to me, his jaw tight. "What is it, Aria?"

"Nothing," I said, trying to maintain the bright smile.

"Tell me," he demanded, his voice low and laced with a mix of frustration and worry. "What is wrong with you? This person standing in front of me... this isn't you. What's wrong? Why are you behaving like this?"

Just like that, the high wall I had built up all morning cracked. The fragile happiness shattered, and the raw weight of reality came crashing back down on my chest. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, blurring his beautiful face.

"Liam... I just want to live," I whispered, my voice breaking as the tears finally spilled over. "I want to be happy, even if it's just for a little moment. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I don't want to be weak anymore. I don't want to spend every second thinking about the shadow of death hovering over my head. I don't want to think about Astraea, or Morrigan, or curses. I just want to live. I just want to be happy."

Liam's expression softened instantly, the tension draining from his shoulders. He stepped forward and pulled me into a tight, crushing embrace, wrapping his powerful arms around me until I felt safe from the world. He buried his hand in my hair, gently patting my head, while his other hand reached up to wipe the hot tears from my cheeks.

"Aria, you're not dying," he murmured fiercely into my hair, his voice vibrating against my collarbone. "You're not going to die. I won't let you. But yes—please, live. Live and be happy. Just don't overdo it, because faking it will only end up hurting you more. Be happy... but remember that we are going to find a solution for this. We're in this together. We're going to conquer it."

I leaned into his warmth, drawing strength from his heartbeat. I took a deep, ragged breath, dried my tears, and nodded. Slowly, I put my cheerful mask back on, squared my shoulders, and went back to class by his side.

---

Afternoon: The Confrontation

By the time the afternoon classes ended, the brief sense of safety had vanished. Liam had been forced to leave school early for pack duties, leaving me on my own. As I gathered my notebooks and began walking toward the front of the classroom, a solid wall of fabric blocked my path.

I looked up. Tanya was standing there, her arms crossed, a malicious sneer playing on her lips.

"Why did you step on me?" she demanded loudly, drawing the attention of the remaining students.

I blinked, keeping my voice calm. "I didn't."

"Yes, you did," she insisted, taking a step closer, trying to use her height to intimidate me. "And why are you lying about it?"

"I didn't step on you, Tanya," I said firmly, holding her gaze. "I'm sorry, but I didn't."

Before I could react, her hand flew out and shoved me hard against the shoulder. The force jarred me, but instead of shrinking back like I usually did, a sudden spark of defiance flared in my chest. Without thinking, I reached out and shoved her right back.

The entire classroom went dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone froze, their eyes wide with absolute shock at my audacity to strike back against a werewolf.

Tanya's face contorted into pure, unbridled rage. Growling under her breath, she lunged forward, grabbed my jacket forcefully, and dragged me toward the nearest wall. With supernatural strength, she slammed me against the rough concrete, pressing my face into the surface while pinning both of my hands painfully behind my back.

I gasped, a small whimper escaping my throat. I tried to wriggle free, kicking my legs and twisting my wrists, but it was entirely useless. The cold reality washed over me all over again: I was completely helpless. There was absolutely nothing a wolfless girl could do to beat a werewolf. She was too strong, her grip like iron, and I was entirely trapped.

Then—suddenly—the crushing weight on my back vanished.

A sharp, choked whimper tore through the air, sounding like a dog being squeezed.

I stumbled away from the wall, rubbing my wrists, and spun around. My breath caught in my throat.

Liam was back. His face was a mask of pure, terrifying Alpha rage, his eyes flashing dangerously. He had Tanya by the throat, lifting her completely off the floor with a single hand. Her fingers clawed desperately at his iron grip, her face turning a mottled red as she struggled to catch a single breath of air.

The sheer violence of the moment terrified me. I looked at Liam, my eyes pleading, begging him silently to stop. "Liam, please," I cried out, my voice trembling. "Let her go!"

With a low, disgusted growl, Liam shoved her away. He released her throat, sending her crashing hard against the wall. Tanya collapsed into a heap on the floor, coughing violently and clutching her neck.

Slowly, she scrambled to her feet, shaking all over. She looked at Liam, then looked at me, a sudden, horrifying realization dawning in her eyes.

"Oh my God," Tanya whispered, her voice cracking with a mix of fear and sheer disbelief. "You're in love. Liam... she's your mate."

The few students remaining in the room gasped. Tanya's eyes filled with tears of pure anger and disappointment as she stared down the future Alpha.

"How can you accept her as your mate?" she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at me. "She's wolfless, Liam! She's wolfless! Wake up! How can you—the future Alpha of our pack—accept a broken, wolfless mate? How can you do that? She's nothing but a liability to us! I am so disappointed in you!"

Liam didn't even blink. He just scoffed, his expression completely indifferent to her words, his posture remaining a solid shield in front of me.

Bursting into bitter tears, Tanya turned and ran out of the classroom, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

---

The Walk Home

The tension from the classroom followed us out into the afternoon air. Liam and Tiffany walked me home, the silence between us heavy with the weight of Tanya's public outburst.

As we approached my driveway, Tiffany finally broke the quiet, looking between Liam and me. "What are your plans for the rest of the day, Aria?"

I swallowed hard, looking toward the dark tree line in the distance. "I'm going into the woods again. I want to see if I can find Astraea."

Liam and Tiffany exchanged a quick look, their protective instincts instantly kicking in. "Okay," Liam said firmly. "We're coming with you."

We didn't waste any time. We crossed the threshold into the forest, making our way through the dense undergrowth until we reached the exact clearing where we had encountered the massive beast the day before.

The forest was completely still. I stepped into the center of the clearing, took a deep breath, and called her name. "Astraea!"

Nothing happened.

I called out several more times, my voice echoing uselessly through the towering trees. I squeezed my eyes shut, focusing all my energy, trying to reach out mentally to find that strange, invisible wall I had crashed into before. I searched for any sign of resistance, any flicker of a mind connecting to mine.

But there was nothing. The air was empty. The forest was entirely silent.

After a long while, the frustration and exhaustion began to take over. I opened my eyes and looked at Liam and Tiffany, shaking my head. "She's not here. Let's go home."

They nodded silently, and we turned back toward the path. But the moment my feet hit the dirt trail leading out of the clearing, a sudden, powerful vibration echoed directly inside my skull. It was her voice—calm, majestic, and entirely inside my mind.

"Aria. When you want to talk with me, you come alone. I will be here, waiting for you. Wherever you want to come—with me. Whatever you want to talk about—with me. Come alone. I will be here waiting for you. Not when you have an audience. We have a lot to talk about, child. We don't need an audience yet. I'll see you next time. Go home and take a good rest."

I stumbled slightly, my breath catching, but I forced myself to keep walking. I didn't say a word. I didn't tell Tiffany, and I didn't tell Liam about the voice echoing in my mind. I kept the secret locked tight behind my teeth as they walked me all the way to my porch.

Once we arrived, Liam gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before heading toward the pack house, and Tiffany waved goodbye as she walked down the street toward her own home.

---

The Truth About My Parents

The house was quiet when I stepped inside, but the silence didn't last long. When my mom finally returned home later that evening, the heavy words Morrigan had spoken about my identity came flooding back to me, drowning out everything else.

My mom walked into the kitchen, looking exhausted, and sat down at the table. I stood across from her, my heart hammering against my ribs. I couldn't keep the question bottled up anymore.

"Mom..." I started, my voice barely a whisper. "Are you and Dad truly my birth parents?"

Mom froze. She looked up at me, completely taken aback, her face turning pale. She stared at me for a long moment, swallowing hard before she spoke. "Aria... who have you been talking to?"

"Please, just tell me the truth," I pleaded, stepping closer to the table. "Did you give birth to me?"

She let out a long, heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping as the secret she had kept for seventeen years finally slipped away. "No, Aria. We didn't." She reached across the table, her eyes filling with genuine warmth. "But you are more than any child any parents could ever hope for. I am so deeply glad you came into my life. You are my child, Aria. In every single way that matters, you are mine."

"I know, Mom," I said, a tear slipping down my cheek. "And I love you so much too. But I need to know... who are my birth parents?"

Mom sadly shook her head. "I don't know, sweetheart."

She leaned back, her eyes looking past me as she recalled the memory. "I found you lying deep in the woods. You were nearly naked, barely a year old, just left there on the forest floor. I picked you up, and when I brought you home to your father, we looked at your sweet face and decided right then and there to raise you as our own. We figured your birth parents didn't want you, and since we couldn't have children of our own, it felt like a miracle. We made the date you came into our lives your birthday, because we really didn't know your birthday. But it was obvious you were less than a six months old when we found you.

She wiped a stray tear from her eye. "As you grew, we realized you weren't showing any signs of a wolf. We thought you were completely human. Because we wanted to protect you from the judgment of the pack, your father and I decided to move far away to the city, where there is less strict werewolf rules to raise you."

"But things didn't work out for us in the city," she continued softly. "Financial struggles, the bullies... everything fell apart. So, we had no choice but to come back here, close to the pack house. I am so sorry, Aria."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to process the massive revelation. "Okay," I whispered. Then, looking down at my hands, I asked the question that had been haunting me. "Mom... am I human?"

Mom looked at me, a strange, solemn expression crossing her face. "I don't know. But the things I have seen in you over the years... the strange aura I have felt radiating from you at times... I know you aren't human, Aria. But what you actually are... I truly don't know."

"Okay," I said, forcing a small nod. "That's not a problem."

I leaned across the table and caught her hand. "Please, don't let Dad know that I know the truth yet. I'm trying to find out what I really am first."

She promised she wouldn't say a word.

I kept the rest of my secrets hidden. I didn't tell her about Morrigan's terrifying prophecy—that I had already lived four lifetimes and died at eighteen each time. I didn't tell her that I might not survive past my next birthday.

I didn't tell her about my secret meetings with Astraea, or the deep, fated mate bond pulling me toward Liam. Even though she had suspected there was something between us, I kept it completely to myself.

Instead, I held onto the promise I had made to myself that morning. I was going to be happy. I was going to get better.

When I finally climbed into bed that night, the room was dark, but my heart felt a little lighter, a little more at peace. Even though my entire world was shifting, and the answers were still shrouded in mystery, I had made a firm choice.

I was going to be happy.

I was going to get better.

And tomorrow morning, I would walk into the school woods entirely alone. I would find Astraea, and I would finally get the answers I deserved.