It was past midnight when I finally stepped into the safehouse's main room.
My hands still trembled from Alden's words, from the ring now hidden inside my boot. E.V.E.01. What did it mean? Was I really the first?
The boys didn't ask again. Not yet.
Kael sat near the window, shirtless from the explosion, his wounds barely patched. Darius stood in a corner, arms crossed and eyes narrowed—he hadn't said a single word since I returned. Ryker nursed a cracked rib on the couch with a sarcastic wince. Lucian… was gone.
I sat on the cold metal stool and stared at the floor. Silence buzzed louder than any scream.
Then, Vale walked in holding a black envelope.
"Mail for the princess," he said dryly, tossing it into my lap.
I stared at the seal.
A waxed crimson crown.
Kael stood up immediately. "No."
Ryker raised a brow. "You know what that is?"
Darius responded instead. "The King's Game."
Everyone went still.
Kael's jaw clenched. "They want her in."
I opened the envelope. The paper inside smelled faintly of ash and roses. One line was printed in silver:
> "The Player of Chaos is hereby invited to join The King's Table. One seat remains."
Beneath it: A chessboard. The black queen piece was marked in red ink.
Lucian finally stepped through the door, his eyes scanning me quickly. "You're not going," he said, not even greeting the others.
I stood. "It's not your choice."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "It's not a choice at all. That table isn't a game. It's a contract of blood. Every member was hand-picked by the founder himself—Alden."
Of course.
Darius: "If she doesn't go, they'll come to her."
Vale muttered, "And burn this entire place down just to drag her to the table."
Kael turned to me. "You're not ready."
I: "I've never been ready. Not for this school, not for you, not for Alden… but I still came."
No one had anything to say to that.
---
Later That Night – Roof of the Safehouse
Lucian followed me up after a while. He didn't speak at first, just stood beside me as I looked over the academy walls in the distance.
Lucian: "When Alden disappeared three years ago, I thought he was dead. Turns out he was watching us the entire time."
I: "He said he made me. What did he mean?"
Lucian hesitated.
Lucian: "Project EVE… was a prototype assassin program. You weren't just part of it. You were it."
I turned to him, confused.
Lucian: "They built a spy who could infiltrate any organization—male or female—adapt completely, and eliminate without ever being caught."
I looked down at my hands. Suddenly, they didn't feel like mine.
Lucian's voice softened. "But you… went beyond what they expected. You started thinking. Feeling. Disobeying."
He reached into his coat and pulled out something small—a photo.
It was a picture of me, at around ten years old, with Alden behind me.
Lucian: "He wasn't just your handler. He was your—"
"I know," I whispered. "He was my father figure."
Lucian flinched, like I'd hit him.
"No," he said quietly. "He was your biological father."
My heart. Stopped.
---
Next Morning – Grand Hall, East Wing
The King's Table was held in a secret chamber beneath the Grand Hall.
Seven seats, seven factions of power within the school. Mafia heirs, assassin legacies, hacker prodigies, even government plants.
And now me—the chaos variable.
I entered through the mirror gate. Everything inside was shadow and firelight.
Six boys sat waiting. Each wore masks.
The one in the center removed his first.
Silver eyes. Blond hair. A serpent tattoo curled around his throat.
"You're late," he said with a smirk.
I bowed slightly. "I'm fashionable."
He grinned. "Good. We like attitude."
Then he tapped the queen piece on the board.
"Welcome to the table… Ashira Eve."
---
End of Chapter 37