Chapter 098
HANNAH
The whole of the administrative block was filled with excited chatter. I was standing around with the other contestants, waiting. The girls and even guys who weren't competing stood some distance off, looking on wistfully.
I didn’t want to be here, knowing I wouldn’t participate in the next contest. But Julia’s words had somehow pushed me here. I would never let her look down on me again or give her the satisfaction of mocking me.
After a while, what we had all been waiting around for finally happened. The tall, hefty men guarding the principal's door stepped aside. The principal came out, closely followed by a tall, young Lycan who could only be the prince.
Several girls shrieked. There were muted clicks and whirrs as people started taking pictures and recording.
"Ladies. Ladies." The principal shouted to be heard over the noise. He gave the prince a half-embarrassed, half-apologetic glance. "Please calm down so you can all hear me. Remember you are in the presence of royalty."
It took over a minute of the principal calling and even begging for order before the girls quieted down.
"Thank you, ladies," he continued. "Now everyone form a single line so the prince can get to meet each of you."
The words were hardly out of his mouth before there was a jostle for the front spot. I quickly stepped out of the line to avoid being shoved. I wasn't really here to see the prince anyway. I was just here to annoy Julia.
Said Julia had, of course, managed to shove her way to the front of the line. No surprises there.
With a weary sigh, I calmly walked to the back of the line.
The principal spoke again, "You will all introduce yourselves to-"
"Thank you, but I'll take it from here," the prince interrupted. His voice was low and musky, and I could see some girls fawning so badly over him.
He had a pleasing, mellow smile. Two of his guards moved with him as he stepped forward. Julia was all but bouncing in excitement. Somehow, she had gotten the time to perfectly apply some glitter eyeshadow.
The prince gave her a polite smile.
"Hello," he said. "I'm Prince Edward. What's your name?”
Julia nodded and dropped a curtsy with a smile so wide it looked like it would split her face in half. "I'm Julia, the Beta's daughter. I'm also a cheerleader. Oh, and did I mention I'm also one of the best she-wolves in school?"
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Julia's desperation made me sick to my stomach. She could have also prepared an autobiography if she wanted.
"Nice to meet you, Julia," Edward replied, his eyes already on the next girl.
I hid a grin. At least the prince hadn't been taken in by her efforts to impress. The disappointed look on Julia's face made me feel a little lighter. I was suddenly glad I hadn't remained in class.
Edward’s charade of meeting the girls continued. He didn't stop to exchange more than one or at most two sentences with each of them. I was watching the clock with glazed eyes, thinking of lunch, when someone prodded me from behind.
Edward was headed for me. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw his eyes light up with something that looked a lot like interest.
This close to him, I could see what the girls were raving about. Edward was a guy with perfect features: dark blue eyes, a chiseled face like that of a Greek god, a long straight nose, and a square jaw. The golden curls framing his face gave him a boyish look most females would die for.
"Hello," I said. "I'm Hannah. Just Hannah."
He didn't move or speak. A little nervous, I shot a look over his shoulder at his guards. Was I supposed to bow again or something?
Then I noticed Edward was staring at the button pin on my blouse. It had a slogan from my favourite author written on it.
The prince looked me in the eyes and smiled. It was not his usual polite smile, but a wide, friendly one.
"Elle Manning," he said. "She's my favourite author. That line is from one of her best-selling books. You're a fan?"
I felt an answering smile on my face as I nodded. "Yes, but I'm actually wearing this because today is reading club day."
"Ah. Let me guess. You're a member of the club?"
"Yes. Do you read often?"
"I love books," was his fervent reply. "Give me a good book, and everything else fades away."
I laughed. "I feel that way too."
"Well, Hannah. You seem to be the last person on the queue."
"I hope you enjoyed your visit to my school," I said, stepping aside to let him pass.
He made no move to go. One of the guards behind him shifted uneasily. Apparently, Edward’s reluctance to move on hadn't been part of the plan.
"I don't think my visit is over yet," he said after a pause. "If you're not too busy, could you show me around the library? Maybe we can even talk about books. Curious to know what your favorites are. What do you say, Hannah?"
For the first time in a long time, I was speechless. Having a polite conversation with the Lycan Prince was one thing. Having him want to extend his visit to the school because of me was another.
All around me, people looked as surprised as I felt. Even the principal was staring.
My eyes slowly landed on Julia. She was glaring at me, looking like she would explode at any moment.
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