Page 45

Sable presses closer to me, her body warm against mine as we finish our toast. I’m about to lean in, whisper something just for her, when the doors to the ballroom burst open.

Every head turns toward the interruption.

A group of campus police officers file into the room, led by a man in a plain suit who exudes authority. Something in the way he walks, his cold, deliberate movements, tells me that this isn’t just a routine patrol.

The lead officer’s eyes sweep the room, landing on us with unsettling precision. My gut twists, but I don’t move, forcing myself to stay calm. There’s no reason for them to be here. No reason for them to be looking at us like that.

Right?

The officer steps forward, his voice cutting through the heavy silence. “Levi Thompson.”

Everything freezes. I feel Sable stiffen in my arms, her breath catching as the officer continues, his tone as cold as ice.

“You’re under arrest for the murders of your peers: Victoria Ashford, Asher Blackwood, and Toby Lancaster.”

Time slows to a crawl, the words hitting me like a punch to the chest. Murder? My mind races, trying to make sense of what’s happening, but all I can do is stare at Levi.

Levi doesn’t move. He pulls his mask up on top of his head, his face expressionless, as if he wasn’t just accused of three murders.

But I know him well enough to see the tension in his shoulders, the slight twitch in his jaw. Like he knew this was coming.

Beside me, Sable’s hand tightens on my arm. “This isn’t real,” she whispers, her voice shaky. “It can’t be real.”

Silas steps forward first, ripping his orange mask off. “What the hell are you talking about?” His voice is low, dangerous. He sounds like he’s ready to tear someone apart, and honestly, I’m right there with him.

Dayton moves next, pulling his yellow mask off as he positions himself between Levi and the officers, his posture protective. “There’s been a mistake. My brother didn’t kill them,” he says, his voice steady and calm, though I can see the fire blazing in his eyes. “He was with us. This is ridiculous.”

I glance back at Levi, waiting for him to react, to say something, to fight. But he doesn’t. He just stands there, eerily calm as the officers start to approach him with handcuffs.

“Levi,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. But he hears me. His gaze shifts to mine, and for the first time, I see something behind his mask of indifference—an apology.

Slowly, he lifts his hands and pulls the mask off his head entirely. He hands the mask to Sable, his fingers brushing hers for the briefest second.

“It’s okay,” he says softly. “This is all a big misunderstanding.”

I hear the strain underneath, the tension barely held in check. He’s going to fucking crack. I just hope he waits until he isn’t in front of all of Greek life.

One of the officers steps in front of him, snapping a pair of handcuffs from his belt. He reads off his Miranda Rights as he slips the handcuffs behind Levi’s back.

Sable’s voice, desperate and panicked. “Levi, no!” She lunges forward, but I catch her arm, holding her back. I can feel her trembling, her eyes wide with fear.

Levi turns his gaze to her, his expression softening for just a moment. “It’s going to be fine, Sable. Trust me.”

I want to believe him.

I want to believe that this is some kind of mistake, that Levi couldn’t possibly be involved in something like this. But the accusation, the look on that officer’s face—sends ice through my veins.

Could he have actually done it? Did he lie to me? How come there is not an entire ounce of remorse written across his face? He’s just lying down and taking it like a fucking dog.

Please, baby, fight for yourself.

The metallic click of the cuffs sounds like the rattle of death, the sound echoing in the now silent room.

Levi doesn’t resist. He doesn’t fight. He lets them cuff him without a word, though his eyes flick to mine as they lead him away.

“Remember what we talked about,” he says. “There’s more to this, baby.”

I nod, though I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. Levi’s been playing some kind of game, one I don’t fully understand, and now I’m left with nothing but fragments of a puzzle that feels impossible to solve.

Sable struggles against my grip, her voice frantic. “Levi! No, you can’t just?—”

“Sable, stop. We can’t do anything right now.”

But she’s not listening. She’s shaking her head, her eyes wild as she tries to break free from my hold. “We have to do something! Kai, we can’t let them take him!”

“I know,” I say, my voice strained. “I know. But we need to figure out what’s going on first.”

Levi’s already being escorted out of the room, his tall figure moving with a chilling kind of grace, even in cuffs. He’s not scared. At least, he doesn’t look at it. But I can’t shake the feeling that something’s horribly, irreversibly wrong.

The second Levi is out of sight, the weight of everything crashes down on me. The room feels too small, too suffocating. I need answers—now.

I step forward, pulling away from Sable’s grasp as I move toward the lead officer. The man is still standing near the entrance, his eyes on me as I approach.

“You don’t have proof.” My voice is cold, sharp. “There’s not a piece of fucking evidence against Levi. You and I both know that.”

The officer pauses, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. Then, slowly, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small card.

He hands it to me with a mocking smile. “You’ll want to keep this. Trust me.”

I frown, staring at the card in my hand. It’s plain black, with nothing but a single embossed symbol on the front. My breath catches in my throat as I recognize it instantly.

A dagger that is slicing through a book, with blood dripping down the sides and into a puddle on the bottom.

My mind flashes to all the places I have seen this. The stairs of the frat house, inside the DSN meeting room in the catacombs, the library.

It’s everything Ashen Grove.

The Syndicate.

The secret society of the elites.

The police for people like us.

But what does it mean?

And where are they taking Levi?

What the fuck is happening?

My heart pounds in my chest as I look up at the officer, my hands trembling. He’s watching me with that same knowing smile, as if he’s enjoying every second of this.

“What is this?” I demand.

The officer doesn’t answer. He simply tips his head slightly, acknowledging the card in my hand like it’s some kind of twisted gift. “Welcome to the game, kid.”

The room around me feels like it’s closing in, the once-opulent surroundings now a cage. Everything has shifted, twisted into something I don’t understand.

This is bigger than us. Bigger than anything we thought we were dealing with.

The boys are standing behind me in stunned silence, Sable’s frantic whispers barely registering in my ears. Levi’s gone. And now this card, this symbol, is burning into my memory like a brand.

Everything’s about to change.

The night that started as a celebration has turned into a nightmare.

And we’re trapped in the middle of it.