Colton just walks, hands in pockets, already gone from the moment.
I take one last look at the boardroom through the glass. Steele is talking, but the others are already on their phones, making plans, counting days.
I want to smile. Instead, I promise myself that I’ll watch them all bleed out, down to the last germ.
The future belongs to the last man standing.
And I don’t intend to be anything less.
Before I can make it down the hall, the Dean calls my name. I have no choice but to turn and follow as he beckons me into a small side office.
“Sit,” says Marcus.
I don’t. I stand by the window, hands in pockets.
He clears his throat. “You understand that this is not a normal Hunt.”
“I’m aware.”
“She’s my only daughter.” He says it like it’s a confession, like the sentence itself is difficult to form.
“And?”
He hesitates, searching my face for something. “She’s special.”
“All the girls here are special. That’s the point, isn’t it?”
He looks away. “Her mother had… difficulties. That’s why the Board is adamant about the protocols.”
The implication is clear. They think Amara is defective, or that she might be.
“She’s not broken,” I say.
Marcus waves his hand. “You don’t know that.”
“You want to check her for purity,” I say. “You want to make sure she’s fit for breeding.”
He looks at me, and for the first time, I see the man under the mask. It’s not guilt. It’s terror. “It has to be perfect,” he says, voice hard. “The legacy. The line.”
I let the silence stretch. The air grows thick.
He composes himself. “The medical assessment is this afternoon. Nonnegotiable. She must be certified before the contract is binding.”
“You’re a sick excuse for a father, you know that right?”
He opens his mouth, then closes it. His hands shake. He reaches for the framed photo, brushing dust from the glass.
“Are we done?” I ask.
He nods, but I don’t leave. I take a step closer. The room shrinks.
“You’re a coward,” I say, voice soft enough that it cuts.
He stiffens, but doesn’t deny it. “I just wanted to inform you that she will be of good breeding stock, should she pass the medical exam.”
Without thinking, I raise my middle finger and walk out. The door closes behind me with a click.
Chapter 11: Amara
