"Enzo, hand over your phone," this marked the first time Hila employed her serious expression with him. He appeared flustered, realizing he was cornered, which only bolstered the credibility of Mara's words. Enzo seemed increasingly agitated and unwilling. The door swung open, and two male teachers entered to address the situation. These two were the senior instructors of the Wolf Fighter Club. There was no way Enzo would be foolish enough to argue with them. One of the teachers stepped forward, took the phone from his hands, and began inspecting it. At this point, the issue would be handed over to the council to decide whether Enzo was suitable to remain an alpha or if he should be sent to detention. My heart raced inside my chest. I felt the fear of what they might discover, and how Atticus would react to me after I had inadvertently gotten him involved in this mess. It wasn't just Enzo who would face consequences; Atticus would have to bear them too. "This! She is referring to this." Mr. Lowell showed us the text messages between Mara and Enzo with a video from the gallery. "He's using a secret video he took of her to manipulate her," I said, relieved that Mara and I weren't mistaken. Or so I believed. "Maybe you should have a closer look," Mr. Lowell suggested, handing me the phone. My jaw dropped in disbelief. It turned out that he wasn't blackmailing her. Instead, the two of them were flirting, and she had initiated the messages. On the phone, there was a video of them making out in the girls' locker room, which Enzo had recorded. Mara didn't seem to resist at all. She appeared happy in the video and didn't object to him filming their encounter. "Young man! You're not allowed near the girls' changing rooms; why did you enter?" Mr. Lowell took charge of the situation, as he needed to report it to the council. "Why did you let him in there?" Hila expressed her disappointment with Atticus. It seemed he had no response. However, the issue wasn't about why Enzo went in there; it was the lie Mara had told me. "You two are suspended until your parents come in and apologize," Hila declared, feeling the weight of Mr. Lowell's judgment. It was clear she couldn't act as if nothing had happened in front of him. "I'm not just a contestant; I'm also a trainer for this competition and involved in the Alpha wars. If you expel me, I'll lose both these opportunities," Atticus argued. "I'm sorry, but this kind of behavior is not acceptable," she replied firmly. "You were entrusted with a responsibility, and you mishandled it." Enzo chimed in, "What about Mara? She led me into the changing room." "You're an alpha; you should know your boundaries. Besides, she's permitted to be in there; you are not," Mr. Lowell retorted, maintaining a stern stance towards the boys. I couldn't help but wonder why Mara had lied to me so blatantly. Atticus didn't argue any further and stayed silent. As we left the office, we found a crowd of students gathered around, whispering to each other. I wasn't sure why Atticus was glaring at me, considering he had once dragged me to the office when he thought I was wrong too. With everything resolved, Mara suddenly appeared out of nowhere and took hold of my hand. I didn't want to react in front of everyone, so I remained silent. But I had plenty of questions that she needed to answer. "What happened? Did they say anything?" she asked, looking nervous. “Why are you looking at me like that?” the little awkward smile she gave me was a confirmation that she might be aware of what she had done. I could not believe my own friend got me in such a huge mess. "I'll talk to you in a bit," I replied, and she realized she had messed up. Did she honestly believe her lies would remain hidden? I couldn't understand why she had accused them of such a thing and put me in a position to confront them. I had accused them wrongly and even slapped Atticus because of her. Now, I was just frustrated and angry with myself. "I'll explain everything, but please don't think badly of me. I'm not lying about anything. There's just a different side to what they showed you," she said, walking with me toward the exit. With Atticus in detention, I wondered how long it would be before he returned to disrupt my life again. Everyone was buzzing about them. This incident was bound to be remembered and even criticized. I had just reached my locker to grab my belongings when I noticed Rosalie meeting up with Atticus before he left school with Enzo. The three of them exchanged a few words before the boys departed. Rosalie then remained in her spot before she lifted her head and locked eyes with me. "Are you satisfied now?" she shouted from a distance. "That deceitful bitch lied to you, and you're still hanging around her," she persisted. By now, the other students had stopped what they were doing and were paying attention to our exchange. "I don't know what she's saying," Mara whispered to me when Rosalie accused her of lying. "She knows," Rosalie scoffed at her. "All that I did for you..." I stammered, my voice trembling with the pain of betrayal. I had done so much for her, only to discover that she had lied about everything. "I can explain," Mara uttered once it was clear that she had no other option left. "You'd better explain because I took a big step against my mates for you, only to discover that you were flirting with my friend," I grumbled, refusing to remain silent this time. Mara seemed taken aback by my response. But our eye contact was short-lived because Rosalie moved a few steps closer to us and whispered, "You both really messed up big time. I won't stop until I make sure your life becomes a living nightmare." As if she hadn't already caused enough chaos. "Just fantastic! Thanks a lot, Mara," I muttered to her after Rosalie stormed off. "I can explain," she stammered, visibly shaken. "Then go ahead and explain!" I demanded.