Page 45 of Stalk Me

Despite these concerns, L remains our most valuable asset for client entertainment. Her genetic profile remains optimal for eventual reproduction program. At 18, she is approaching peak value window. Suggest accelerating marriage arrangements with prominent family to ensure bloodline improvement and asset consolidation.

Shipment to Shark Bay will provide a cooling-off period while marriage negotiations proceed. Several families have expressed interest in using connection to expand their political influence. Suggest next month's ceremony for maximum impact.

The words blur before my eyes as understanding dawns. They've been planning to marry me off to some random person who, as far as I know, could be three times my age. I'm not just a daughter to them—I'm a genetic asset, a bargaining chip in their quest for greater power and influence.

"Marriage arrangements," I whisper, the words tasting like poison on my tongue. "They were going to marry me off like I'm livestock."

Professor Austin's expression is a mixture of disgust and pity. "Luna?—"

"Don't." I cut him off, unable to bear his sympathy. "It doesn't matter. None of it matters except stopping them before they get to Erik."

I gather up my things, the USB drive now safely tucked away in my bra. Before I go, I turn back to look at Professor Austin, studying him in the dim light of my dorm room. He's not the man I thought he was when I first decided to seduce him. There's a strength beneath his academic exterior, a capacity for righteous anger that I hadn't expected.

"Thank you," I say, the words unfamiliar on my tongue. "For helping me. For… not being one of them."

He nods, something like respect in his eyes. "Find your friend. Warn him. And, Luna—be careful. Don't face these people alone."

I slip out of my room, my mind already racing ahead to what comes next. The boys’ dorm, Erik's room, somewhere I can show him what I've found without Belle or her minions seeing us. I need to move fast, before my parents know for sure that their system has been breached.

The hallway stretches before me, its marble floors gleaming in the late afternoon light. Every step feels like a countdown, time slipping away as I race against my parents' plans. The weight of the USB drive against my skin is a reminder of what's at stake—not just Erik's freedom, but my own.

For years, I've been caught in their web, fighting for scraps of control while they manipulated every aspect of my life. But now, armed with their secrets, I have a chance to break free. To take back my life, my future, my body from those who sought to use me as nothing more than a pawn in their game of power.

As I rush toward the dormitories, a strange sense of clarity washes over me. I've spent so long believing I needed to protect myself by pushing everyone away, by maintaining my isolation. But the truth, hidden in those emails, reveals the opposite: My parents were terrified of my connections, of my capacity to form bonds that might challenge their control.

Erik isn't my weakness—he's my strength. The proof is in how desperately they want to break him, to use him to break me in turn. They fear what we might become together more than they fear either of us alone.

And for the first time since I can remember, that knowledge gives me hope.

The boys’ dormitories loom ahead, the gothic windows reflecting the setting sun. Somewhere inside, Erik is going about his day, unaware of the danger circling closer with every passing minute. Unaware that he's been marked, targeted, and set up to be destroyed by people who view him as nothing more than leverage.

But I know. And this time, I won't let them win.

I pick up my pace, my heart pounding against my ribs. Time is running out. Erik needs to understand what he's walking into before it's too late. Before my parents can sink their claws into another person I care about.

Because that's the truth I can't deny anymore: I care about Erik Stone. Enough to risk everything to keep him safe.

And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Truth and Consequences

Betrayal has a peculiar scent—like copper and fear mixed with expensive cologne. I’ve been breathing it my entire life, choking on the toxic fumes of my parents’ ambitions. But now, with the USB drive pulsing against my skin like a second heartbeat, I finally have something they don’t: evidence.

The boys’ dormitory looms ahead, medieval and menacing against the twilight sky. Every shadow seems to watch me, every rustle of leaves a potential threat. The campus security cameras track my progress across the quad—innocent-looking devices that feed directly to my father’s private servers. I’ve learned the art of appearing casual while being hunted.

Erik’s door is the last barrier between me and the most dangerous conversation of my life. Three quick knocks, then silence. I count my heartbeats—one, two, three—until the door swings open, revealing his storm-gray eyes widening in surprise.

"Luna?"

A flood of emotion threatens to drown me. I want to hug him, kiss him, pull him into a shadowed corner, and promise that I'll never leave him.

Instead, I gently push him into his room and close the door behind us. Whatever I am going to show him isn't something anyone else on this campus should ever see.

"Hey, beautiful," he says, smiling. There's so much genuine affection in his eyes, and I hate myself for having to wipe that away.

"Erik, I need to talk to you," I say, my voice quivering.

"Okay."

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