Chapter 257: Who Is Bellezza?
Principal Valois knew her time had come. If she didn’t act fast, the boys would throw her into the fire without thinking twice, not caring whether she lived or died.
"Get up," Hiro said, helping her to her feet. He shook his head with pity as he held her arm, ready to move. "It’s a shame that we have to give you away to protect everyone. If you had been a better person, maybe we would have spared you."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Dr. Dave asked Kaito quietly. He wasn’t on his aunt’s side, but he still wanted them to think before acting.
Kaito shrugged, unsure. He didn’t have the strength to go against what his brothers had decided. Yet a thought flashed in his mind—this woman they were about to throw into the fire was Renn’s real mother.
If Angela were here, knowing who Miss Valois truly was, would she ever want that? The question echoed in his head, but Taros’ sharp voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"No... no... everyone to safety now!" Taros shouted, frustration in his tone as he led Seraphina upstairs.
Kaito turned toward the large glass window and froze. Marcus’ men were outside with guns raised, already aiming at him and his brothers.
They ran upstairs for cover just as the first shots rang out. The deafening sound of gunfire filled the hallway, and people screamed as chaos broke loose. Kaito’s heart clenched at the sound—it was pain, fear, and loss all at once.
Fortunately for him, the people already cleared the hallway before the fight started.
When they reached the upper floor, Kaito looked around at his brothers and the others. He knew he had to think fast. Marcus was going to destroy the entire academy if they didn’t act soon.
"Marcus, is he a psychopath?" Hiro asked as they moved closer to the window, watching Marcus outside. He stood there coldly, his men shooting at anything.
"What do you expect from a man whose daughter was taken away?" Seraphina said softly. She looked briefly through the window, then walked back to the corner and sat down. Tears filled her eyes. Deep inside, she feared she might never get out of there alive.
"I’m trying to think of something," Kaito said, his voice tense. Time was slipping away fast, and everyone was confused. Their minds were blank. None of them expected this day to turn into such a nightmare.
"I’ll call the board," Principal Valois finally spoke. "It won’t be easy to stop Marcus, but maybe they can do something better than what we’re doing now." She had been silent all this while out of fear that no one would listen to her.
"You think the board can help?" Taros asked, folding his arms. The woman nodded. A faint smile touched his lips but vanished just as fast. "Hell no. You want to trap us with this board thing."
"She thinks we are fools," Kaito muttered as he stepped closer to the window again. His eyes searched for something, anything, that could help them. But the sky suddenly darkened, and thunder rolled in the distance. The air grew heavy, the wind wild. Something was changing.
Kaito’s heart pounded. He tried not to panic as his gaze shifted to the woman standing beside Marcus. She was calm, too calm. There was something about her that made his chest tighten. "Marcus really meant it when he said he was going to burn this academy," he said quietly.
"Are you even doubting it?" Dr. Dave asked, frowning. His voice was sharp, cutting through the tension that filled the room.
"Not anymore. But we can’t just sit here and watch him make it happen," Kaito said, moving away from the window. Someone had to stop Marcus, and he was ready to do it. But he couldn’t do it alone. They needed to work together. That was what made a pack strong.
"You’re one of the reasons we can’t face Marcus right now," Hiro said bitterly. "We don’t have Angela. We don’t even know where she is, and as her mates, we failed her completely."
Principal Valois lowered her eyes to the bare floor. She looked ashamed, but deep down, she didn’t regret what she had done.
"If Angela was here, she would have already spoken to her father. And if she refused to leave with her family, we would have fought to keep her," Kaito said, his voice breaking with emotion. The more he thought about it, the more it hurt. If Angela was by their side, things would have been easier. He couldn’t even think straight without her.
"I didn’t even think about the students in the hall," Taros said suddenly, and his words froze everyone.
"Slade and some of the senior students are with them. They’ll make sure everyone is safe," Alex said. His words brought a little relief to the group.
"Who’s that woman with Marcus?" Kaito asked. His eyes turned sharply to Principal Valois. She was the only one who could answer. He needed to know who that woman was and why she had such power.
"Bellezza," Principal Valois said quietly. "She’s Marcus’s elder sister."
"I see." Kaito nodded slowly, then looked back at her. "What is she like? Can we talk to her? Maybe negotiate?"
"I don’t know," she admitted. "I’ve never met a good Malynster before."
"How is she that powerful? She has my gift or maybe even more. What should we expect from her?" Kaito asked, desperate for any piece of information that could help them survive.
"What do you expect? They are the moon goddess’s children," Miss Valois said, her voice hard and full of hate for the Malynster. "Marcus can do the same. He has more power than she does. You should fear him more than Bellezza."
For a long breath the room held its silence, broken only by the storm rolling in outside. Then Hiro spoke, low and urgent. "I heard from Eliza that Bellezza is not cruel. If we could talk to her for a few minutes, she might listen."
Stales rubbed his temples, eyes jumping from face to face. He felt the blood pounding in his ears. "Why not try a mind link?" he asked. War had already shown him how sudden fear could come.
Hiro shook his head, tired. "She shut me out when I tried." From the window he watched Marcus, who had ordered his men to lower their guns but still looked ready to strike.
Kaito stepped forward, voice steady though his hands trembled a little, and every head turned toward him. "I have a plan," he said, and for the first time since the shooting began a small flare of hope lit the room.
"What is it?" Dr. Dave asked, hanging on every word.
Kaito moved to the center and looked at each of them. "Alex, Stales and Dave, you stay inside and care for the students and anyone hurt in the building. Make sure no one is left alone or afraid. My brothers and I will go downstairs. We will find a way to speak to Marcus."