Chapter 256: Who The Fuck Is The Patriarch?
The fireballs tore through the door like bullets. Kaito didn’t even see them coming. The woman was too fast, too furious. She didn’t care about the students or the sick patients in the building. She only wanted destruction.
"Fuck," Hiro cursed under his breath as he hid behind a pillar. The hallway was glowing red from the fire.
"I hate to say this, but Marcus is fucking smart," Taros said, his voice shaking as he shielded Miss Valois and Seraphina. "He attacked the hospital because he knew we’d be helpless here."
The alarm blared nonstop as smoke filled the place. Kaito got up, his chest rising with anger and worry. "Is anyone hurt?" he shouted.
"Nah," Alex answered, glancing at Stales’ bruised knees. "Just a few scrapes. That woman’s worse than Marcus. We need to get rid of her."
Kaito clenched his fists and faced her again. Without thinking twice, he began to block the fireballs coming at them. She was a master at this. Her movements were fast and precise, far more skilled than his. He could feel his energy draining and wondered if she was running out too. That always happened when he pushed his power too hard.
Hiro focused his mind on her, trying to create illusions...anything to break her focus and give Kaito a chance.
"This is when I need Renn," Kaito muttered, glancing at Miss Valois. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with shock and fear. Something was wrong. What had happened between her and Marcus?
Marcus had taken their mate by force, and now he was trying to burn the school. None of it made sense. From what Kaito knew after talking with the principal last night, Marcus only wanted his daughter and to walk away. So why this chaos now?
Taros moved closer to the hall, dodging fireballs as they flew past. It was reckless, but he had to know Marcus’s real plan. Marcus already had his daughter, why was he attacking them again?
The woman suddenly slowed down. Her face twisted as her eyes fluttered. Hiro’s illusion was working. He had built a world inside her head, trapping her in a place that wasn’t real. Her strength began to fade, her attacks slowing as she lost grip on reality.
Marcus saw what was happening but said nothing at first. Then his expression hardened when he noticed a faint figure forming near him. He smirked coldly and looked straight at the alpha standing before him. "She sent a student to face me? You really have no idea what you’re standing against. Your principal failed to tell you who I am."
Taros clenched his fists. He wanted to tell Marcus that he damn well knew who he was, but he held his tongue. Let the man finish his nonsense first, then he would talk.
"I am Marcus Malynster," Marcus roared, his voice echoing through the hall like thunder. "And this is nothing compared to the rage I will bring on this disgusting academy. Bring me my daughter—that’s all I ask. Do that, and we end this madness. Tell your principal to come out and face me."
Taros stood near the shattered glass door, his chest tightening. Marcus’s eyes burned with hatred. He wasn’t bluffing. He wanted destruction.
But something didn’t add up. Didn’t Miss Valois hand Angela over to him already?
Taros turned to his brothers. Their faces showed the same shock and confusion. Why would Marcus be demanding for his daughter again when he had already taken her? There was only one explanation...something had gone terribly wrong.
"We do not have your daughter. You took her this morning, did you not?" Taros asked, his voice searching for a simple answer from Marcus, but the man moved so fast Taros had no time to duck. A wooden stick flew straight at his chest.
Kaito was quicker. He stepped forward and intercepted the stick before it hit Taros. The sharp end clattered to the floor and Taros stood frozen, his breath coming in ragged pulls as shock washed over him. He could not believe how close he had come to being struck.
Kaito grabbed his brother and pulled him back to safety, his hands firm and shaking with anger. He looked Marcus in the face and demanded, "What do you want, Marcus? Have you not done enough? You took the girl. You had her. Why are you back asking for more?"
Hiro’s voice came low and hard, full of fire. "You will give her back because she does not belong with you," he said, every word heavy with truth and hate.
Marcus laughed, a sound without humor, and spread his hands like a man who thought words could cover his anger. "Who are you to tell me what is mine?" he spat. "When did you give her to me? I found out your useless principal tried to trick me and that only makes this worse. Right now I want my daughter and I will leave this place. I will settle my debts with your principal much later."
"We do not have your daughter," Hiro answered, steady and sharp. "Principal Valois handed her to you. Drop your act and stop this madness."
"This is a joke. You should try better ones because you messed with the wrong daughter this time," Marcus said, turning to his men and nodding.
Kaito moved back with his brothers. He could feel something wasn’t right. From what was happening, it was clear that Angela was not with Marcus. In fact, he began to think Marcus had been deceived too.
"Can you explain what’s going on, Miss Valois?" Kaito asked with a deep frown. She looked lost, her face showing fear and confusion.
"Wait," Alex stepped forward. "Don’t tell me you didn’t hand her to Marcus... but to someone else?"
Miss Valois swallowed hard and shifted uneasily from where she sat. She had felt safe before, but now that the truth was starting to come out, she knew she had to get away before they turned on her.
"Answer him!" Taros shouted, his voice shaking the room. "What is going on?"
Her lips trembled. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at them, terrified. Her heart pounded fast, and her hands shook. "I can explain..."
"Fuck you, Miss Valois. To hell with you," Hiro hissed as he paced the room, anger burning in his eyes. They had been played the whole time, and the realization tore him apart.
If only she knew what it felt like to lose a mate, to have half of your soul ripped away, she would understand their pain. But no, this woman had never felt that kind of loss. Her heart was too cold to understand it.
"I’ll go and check on Renn," Samuel said quietly. He stepped back, his voice heavy with defeat, and turned to go upstairs.
Alex stood there, watching everything unfold before his eyes. His chest tightened as he thought of his best friend. He had no idea where Angela was or what she was going through. The fear was eating him alive.
"Tell us who you gave Angela to, and we’ll go after them," Stales said finally, his voice steady but filled with rage. "It’ll make things easier for everyone."
"After we find her, she and Marcus can talk about their relationship properly," Alex added, though his voice trembled with emotion.
Principal Valois looked at them in silence for a moment. Her hands shook slightly as she swallowed hard. When she finally spoke, her voice was weak but clear. "The Patriarch. I handed her over to him."
"Who the fuck is the Patriarch?" Kaito asked, his brows furrowing in confusion. He turned to his brothers, but their faces only mirrored his own—lost and terrified.
Principal Valois knew the question was coming. Her answer would make them angrier, but she had to speak. Silence would be worse. "I don’t know who he is," she said, voice small and raw.
Hiro moved like a storm, but Taros was faster and grabbed him before his fist could fly. Hiro’s chest heaved with rage; the room felt tight with it.
"How can you say you don’t know who he is?" Kaito snapped, annoyance cutting through his words. Her lies kept coming, and with each one the boys grew more furious.
"I honestly don’t know," Principal Valois whispered. Her hands trembled as she spoke, but nobody listened. The truth or the lie—it all sounded the same to them now.
"This is so messed up," Alex muttered, his frown deepening. They were hiding in the building while Marcus raged outside, desperate to take his daughter back. Fear and anger pressed on them both.
"I swear I will kill you as soon as my brothers let me go," Hiro hissed. He had held himself back before, but no longer. Miss Valois’ betrayal cut too deep. "What do we do? How do we get her back?"
"Getting Angela back is the most important thing, but we have to stop Marcus first," Kaito said. "We need to make him understand what’s really happening."
"Why don’t we send her out to meet Marcus?" Seraphina suggested, eyes rolling. "She can tell him everything."
Hiro gave a sad, thin smile. "Good idea."
"What if she kills him before she says anything?" Stales asked. "Marcus doesn’t seem calm or safe."
"If that happens, it’s not our fault," Taros said, shrugging as he stepped closer to Principal Valois. She looked smaller than before, swallowed by the weight of what she’d done. "She brought this on herself."