Page 40 of Hidden

I blinked at him, unsure if I understood. “But—”

“Shifter forms are inherited through the father.Ourchildren were powerful, but they were still human. Shifters are not entirely human, and are much harder to kill,” Julian continued, touching my shoulder. “Any of Titus’s children would be terrifyingly strong.”

“One of the divination masters had a vision. The council wanted to do anything they could to make sure Titus wouldn’t procreate,” Julian said.

The way his voice had deepened caused my heart to race rapidly.

“The prophecy states Titus will have a mate, and the union will be the beginning of the first dragon hive,” he said. “The very thought of it continues to worry the council, and people outside of that circle as well.”

“But…” I glanced between the two of them. “You said no one has been able to reach Titus’s level. So it won’t happen.”

“We’re the only five who have comparable strength,” Julian said slowly. “None of us has ever been born a female before. When the law was made, the possibility wasn’t even considered. The council thought a talented Er Bashou might qualify—so the rule would apply to that.”

“But you’re on his level. The council will doanythingto make sure Titus doesn’t have children. And he is untouchable—it is almost impossible to kill a dragon,” Bryce grumbled. “But you? You were targeted the moment you were born. The only way to keep you safe was to send you away.”

His tone turned my blood to ice. My attention turned to Bryce. He looked nervous, and even slightly apologetic.

“You must be joking. We don’t even look alike!”

Bryce frowned, blinking slowly, before he pointed at his own eyes, his widow’s peak, and last, his wavy, brown hair. All features I also possessed.

“Two of those are dominant traits!” I snapped. “Lots of people have widow peaks and brown hair! That proves nothing.”

“And our eyes?” Bryce raised an eyebrow. “What about our pigmentation? We must return you to class, there are some foundational elements missing from your education—”

“Shut up!” I pointed at him. “I understand genetics perfectly fine! I just can’t believe that you…you…Who is Bailey? Why did you…”

My question trailed off. No, it was just an excuse. They really thought their only option was to abandon me? I couldn’t believe my parents would agree to this. It seemed too easy and convenient. He was wrong.

And why did Bryce suddenly care now?

“You proposed to me! You can’t be my brother!”

“That’s exactly why,” Bryce replied, his tone even. “As Miles pointed out to me earlier, this marriage would only be on paper. So long as you’re not hurting yourself, I have no interest in controlling you. I’d let you make your own medical decisions, including checking yourself out of here. Meanwhile, Miles is beginning work on restoring your rights.”

“But, wecan’tbe married,” I said.

“No,” Bryce agreed. “It wouldn’tactuallybe legal. But the only people who know won’t want to draw the council’s attention, so they won’t speak up. From what I’ve seen, they’ve been working too hard for too long to risk that. This also provides a cover for your… closeness to the rest of your quintet. After all, Damen and I were best friends once.” His gaze drifted over my shoulder, and he continued, “It will work, but only if Damen is willing to bring his A-game.”

“I loathe you.” Damen’s voice was dark, commanding. Instinctively, I turned my attention to him.

He was an imposing figure, his frame rigid and menacing. His hands were clenched over his knees, and the focus of his molten gaze was entirely on Bryce.

“She won’t be able to live on campus as a married woman,” he said. “And she’s not living alone with you.”

“That’s up to Bianca,” Julian cut in, wrapping his arm over my shoulders. “And she hasn’t even made a decision.” His eyes sought out mine, and I could see his question. “Darling?”

This was happening so fast. My thoughts were in overdrive.

Bryce was my brother. The crazy law that the boys hated was my fault. And there was that prophecy, which held implications I couldn’t digest at the moment.

And now I was supposed to be married?

My mind kept going back to one thing: my family. This could be my chance to find out who they were. I might even meet my birth parents.

But did I want to?

My focus returned to Bryce. It was strange to see him as anyone other than my challenger. But hewasfamily… and he was trying to help me. But I hardly knew him, and the thought of being alone with anyone other than the boys filled my heart with dread.