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CHAPTER FOURTEEN – The Judas Room
Emily didn't knock when she entered the dorm.
She didn't have to.
Chloe sat on the bed, like she'd been waiting for this moment.
Still dressed in pink, still clutching that stupid iced coffee she always offered like a peace treaty.
Emily dropped the folder on her lap.
Photos. Emails. Audio recordings.
"I trusted you," she said.
Chloe didn't look up. "You weren't supposed to last this long."
Silence.
Then Emily moved, fast and furious—shoving her against the wall, hand pressed to her throat.
"You sold me out."
"I saved you," Chloe snapped, coughing. "You think the Wolves are your friends? They eat girls like you. They always have."
Emily's voice dropped. "And what are you? A savior? Or just another spy playing weak?"
Chloe's mask cracked.
> "I was there before you. They promised me a place at the table. Then you walked in—shiny and angry and perfect—and I became invisible."
There it was.
Jealousy.
Rage.
The kind that simmers under smiles.
Emily stepped back, disgusted. "You could've told me the truth."
Chloe's laugh was bitter. "You only believe people when they lie beautifully."
---
That night, Chloe disappeared.
Her things gone.
Her side of the room scrubbed clean.
No goodbye.
No apology.
Just a note left on Emily's pillow:
> "You think you're the hunter now. But you're still in the cage."
---
Meanwhile, Luke was breaking into Crestwood's financial archives.
Buried beneath donations and scholarships was a hidden ledger—one with red-inked names and initials.
He recognized them.
Professors.
Alumni.
Tessa.
Chloe.
And at the top?
His father.
Next to an account titled:
> "Project Omega – Candidates for Reconditioning."
He kept reading.
One line froze his blood.
> Emily Hale. Status: Active Target.
---
Tessa met him outside the chapel ruins.
She lit her cigarette with trembling fingers.
"You read it, didn't you?"
Luke nodded. "How long have you known?"
"Since I was fifteen."
"And you let her walk into this?"
Tessa blew out smoke. "She's not innocent. You of all people should know—Emily is most dangerous when cornered."
Luke grabbed her wrist. "This isn't a game."
Tessa's eyes flickered.
"No. It's a kingdom. And she wants the crown."
---
Back at the Wolves' manor, the ring on Emily's finger pulsed warm—summoning her.
She entered the central chamber.
The floor glowed with silver runes.
Tessa stood at the front.
"The Judas Room has been opened," Tessa announced.
Emily's stomach turned.
"What's the Judas Room?"
"A test," another voice said.
From the shadows stepped an elder—a man in a dark suit, with a scar along his jaw.
"To keep your place among us, you must offer a sacrifice."
Emily's heart pounded. "What kind of sacrifice?"
"A name," he said coldly. "Someone you love. Someone you trust. Betray them… or lose your ring."
Tessa met her eyes across the circle.
And whispered, "Choose wisely."
---
Later, Emily found Luke sitting on the old library stairs, soaked in moonlight.
She didn't say a word.
Just collapsed beside him.
"You ever wonder how we got here?" he asked softly.
"All the time."
"I read the files. They're coming for you."
"I know."
He reached over, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Then run."
"No."
"Why?"
> "Because I'm done being hunted."
---
They kissed like it was the last time.
Because maybe it was.
Because maybe the only way to win was to lose everything first.
Emily tasted war on his lips.
And Luke tasted heartbreak on hers.
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