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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – Revenge Dresses in Silk
Emily wore black silk to the Wolves' Assembly.
No chains. No makeup.
Just that flawless face and a stare that could curdle blood.
Luke stood beside her, tux crisp, expression unreadable.
The moment they walked into the ballroom, everything stopped.
The music.
The whispers.
The Wolves.
Because tonight wasn't just about who had power.
> Tonight was about who owned the room.
---
"Speech," one of the elders called.
Emily raised a glass.
"Funny how this school teaches us about history," she said, "but never expects us to make any."
A few chuckled. Others watched her with narrowed eyes.
"I was told I couldn't lead. That I was too emotional. Too impulsive. Too… new."
She paused.
"Turns out, I'm exactly what they feared: a girl who doesn't ask to sit at the table—she burns it down."
---
Behind the scenes, Luke's phone buzzed.
A message lit up the screen:
> FROM: UNKNOWN
She's using you.
Project Omega has a second phase.
Check the lockbox behind her dorm bookshelf.
His jaw clenched.
But he said nothing.
Yet.
---
The Wolves mingled beneath crystal chandeliers, but Emily moved through them like a queen through her court.
Then she spotted Noah Hale—Tessa's younger brother.
Still loyal to the old ways.
Still watching her like he was deciding whether to kiss her or kill her.
She approached him.
"Noah," she purred. "Still sulking about your sister?"
"You took her ring."
"She tried to kill someone I love."
He didn't flinch. "And who's that? Luke?"
Emily smiled. "You're sweet if you think it's just him."
---
Later, Luke stood outside Emily's room, heart pounding.
He opened the bookshelf. Found the lockbox.
Inside?
A file.
> Project Omega – PHASE II
Target: LUKE BENNETT
Objective: Emotional Collapse & Reconditioning
Author: E. Hale
The blood drained from his face.
He read every word. Every fake scenario. Every script. Every manipulation.
It was her handwriting.
---
She walked in moments later, silk slipping off her shoulders.
"You shouldn't be in here," she said quietly.
Luke turned, eyes glassy. "Tell me it's not real."
Emily froze.
"That file," he choked. "That wasn't us. It was a f**king experiment, wasn't it?"
Emily's jaw clenched. "It was real."
"No. This was scripted," he hissed, throwing the file at her feet. "Every kiss. Every fight. Every moment you made me feel like I mattered—was that in the plan too?"
Tears rimmed her eyes. "I didn't choose the program. I was born into it."
Luke stared at her. "You broke me."
Emily stepped forward. "And then I fell in love with the pieces."
---
He kissed her.
Not like before.
This kiss hurt.
It was punishment. Passion. Desperation.
And when he pulled away, he whispered,
> "You wear revenge like a crown. But I know what it cost you."
Then he walked out.
And for the first time since this all began…
Emily cried.
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