Chapter 3 The invitation
CHLOE’S POV:
I managed to get absolutely zero sleep after that.
How could I? I was trapped on a countdown timer inside a warehouse where I wasn’t allowed to leave, surrounded by an unknown number of shallow graves. Every creak of the floorboards made me jump.
Every gust of wind outside sounded like his boots on the gravel. I spent the rest of the early morning convinced he was going to walk through the front door and slaughter me the second he got bored.
Now, sitting in my parked car in the university driveway, I aggressively wiped a stray tear from my cheek. For the first time, a wave of bitter regret washed over me. I shouldn't have left home.
I shouldn't have demanded freedom from my father, because look where it got me—starring in my own true-crime documentary.
I leaned forward, checking my reflection in the rearview mirror. I tilted my head, examining my neck and collarbone. Thankfully, the heavy layer of high-coverage concealer had completely masked the hickeys Grey had left behind.
I took a deep, shaky breath, gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. Compose yourself, Chloe. You are not a victim. I turned off the engine, grabbed my bag, and stepped out of the car.
Walking onto the grounds of Halden University, I forced my spine to straighten. I was a fighter. I grew up around dangerous men; I wasn't going to let one monster break me.
I slipped on my oversized sunglasses and began rehearsing a familiar mantra in my head, chanting it in sync with the rhythmic, confident clink of my heels against the pavement.
I am elegant. I am strong. I am powerful.
Several students turned their heads to watch me pass, but I kept my chin high, striding straight toward my first class.
When I reached the lecture hall, I pulled off my sunglasses, pushed the heavy door open, and immediately spotted a familiar head of hair.
"Chloe!" Aria squealed, jumping up from her seat.
"Ari!" I managed a genuine smile, rushing down the steps.
We immediately embraced in a warm, tight hug, doing those dramatic little air kisses on either side of our heads without actually touching cheeks so we wouldn't ruin our lip gloss.
We slid into our seats, completely ignoring the lingering stares from our classmates. The moment we settled, Ari turned to me, a massive, knowing grin spreading across her face as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"What?" I asked, laughing a little.
"Oh, come on, you know what," Ari teased, leaning in closer and grinning wider. "How did it go last night? Did the dangerous, hot, and sexy Mr. Grey finally pop your cherry in your new secluded love shack?"
I rolled my eyes so hard it physically hurt, but a breathless laugh escaped me. "Girl, you won't even believe it. The guy actually threw a massive tantrum and bailed on me just because I took a phone call from my dad."
"No way," Ari gasped.
"Way. We were literally right in the middle of it, my phone rings, and he loses his mind because I wouldn't ignore my father. He packed up his clothes and stormed out." I shook my head, leaving out the minor detail about how I spent the rest of the night being chased through the freezing woods by a blood-splattered psycho.
As we whispered about Grey’s massive ego, Ari suddenly unlocked her phone and shoved the screen in front of my face.
"What is that?" I asked, my brows creasing.
"Look!" Ari beamed. "The Kings are hosting a party at the mansion this weekend, and I actually got an invitation."
My stomach did a sudden, uncomfortable flip. I snatched the phone out of her hand, staring at the sleek digital graphic.
"Ari, are you serious? Do you really want to go to this? I’ve heard crazy, messed-up rumors about what happens behind the gates of that mansion. Besides, how did you even get this? No one is allowed near the Kings' territory unless they're elite."
Ari shrugged carelessly. "I just applied through the campus portal for a guest pass, and it randomly got approved. Come on, don't be a party pooper."
"I don't know, girl..."
"Oh, please!" Ari cut me off, grabbing my arm and pouting. "You have to apply too. I am absolutely not going there alone, but there is no way I'm missing the biggest event of the semester. Give me your phone, let's just submit a request for you."
Before I could protest, she snatched my phone off the desk, but the heavy click of the lecture hall door cut us off.
The professor walked in, tossing his briefcase onto the podium, and the room instantly fell silent
It was an advanced anatomy lecture, and today’s topic was the muscular and cardiovascular systems.
I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly at the projector screen as diagrams of human dissection popped up. My mind violently drifted back to three o'clock this morning. The flash of the silver moonlight. The wet, heavy thud of a human arm spilling out of a black plastic bag.
Blood everywhere.
And that poor dog.
A knot tightened in my throat. Why the hell did he kill a dog? Where did he bury it? What kind of heartless, twisted monster behaves like that? He had looked so calm, so utterly polite while surrounded by a literal massacre.
I couldn't help but wonder who those people were... and who the dog had belonged to.
I was so deeply lost in the horror of my own thoughts that I didn't even notice the time flying by. The professor's voice was just background noise until the rustle of papers and students packing up echoed through the hall.
Suddenly, a hand shoved my shoulder.
"Earth to Chloe," Ari’s voice broke through the haze.
I blinked, jolting slightly as I realized the lecture was completely over and the room was emptying out. I turned to look at Ari, only to find a weird, triumphant smirk plastered across her face. She was holding my phone, waving the screen inches from my nose.
I aggressively snatched it back, my eyes widening as I read the notification flashing on the display. My heart leaped straight into my throat, and I jolted upright in my seat.
"What did you do?!" I gasped, staring at the official approval notice from the King’s Council.
Ari giggled, throwing her notebook into her bag with a satisfied shrug. "Great... now I'm not going there alone.”
