The Forbidden Heiress At The All Male Alpha Academy-Chapter 169: The Lady in the Silver Dress.

There were so many things wrong with that train of thought alone, with many more that could go completely wrong.

Theo as Lyra? In a school where she’s pretending to be a boy? That was impossible.

But the thought of it wouldn’t leave her head.

"I have this...crazy idea," Theo laughed dryly, "Real crazy one,"

"Tell me," Ava urged.

Theo stared at Ava, wondering how she would take it. The idea was unfathomable, and Theo decided to say it and have Ava discourage her from doing anything stupid because of the play.

"You see...my wolf can make me a dress...," Theo drawled softly, like each word was going to set off a bomb anytime, "And well, I think maybe if I could get a mask or something, maybe I could be Lyra...,"

Ava blinked.

"It’s stupid," Theo quickly shook her head, "Forget I said that,"

But Ava’s eyes twinkled with something like a brewing idea that could work, "Do you know my lines as Lyra?"

Of course, Theo did. She always glared at them with jealousy whenever she and Zeke rehearsed, and she had subconsciously crammed every line of theirs. Plus, she was the errand boy and being the overthinker she was, she might have secretly gone through Lyra and Kael’s script a few times out of sheer curiosity.

"No," Theo lied.

"Yes, you do," Ava squealed with excitement and suddenly grabbed Theo’s hand, "This is perfect. You’ll play Lyra, then,"

"What??!" Theo shrieked, trying to yank her hand out of Ava’s grip, but the girl was surprisingly quiet strong and refused to let go.

"You said it yourself, didn’t you? You don’t wanna leave Zeke hanging, and Gravemont wouldn’t cancel such an important event, so the play must go on!"

"I didn’t mean that I would play Lyra," Theo whopped, but Ava was already dragging her along, "A lot of things could go wrong! Everyone is gonna know who I am. I can’t be a girl on stage!"

"Shut up and follow me!" Ava snapped.

Theo was seriously regretting this. Moments later, they had arrived in Ava’s room. Ava locked the door behind her and ran off to her bag.

Theo watched her shove out every piece of clothing she had from her drawer, till she finally pulled out a small black veil.

"Bingo!" Ava’s eyes twinkled with delight as she stared at the small piece of clothing, "You know what this is?" She asked.

"Something that’ll make you discard my idea of me being Lyra?"

"No!" Ava huffed, a bit of adrenaline still pumping through her, "This right here, is the mask of Aletheia. It’s something that has the power to distort the scene, the aura, and guides expectation of whoever wears it. If you wear this, not only will they be unable to see your face clearly, but they won’t know it’s you,"

Theo was seriously thinking of breaking down the door and running out at this point. It looks like Ava had taken this more seriously than anything.

"But I’m not supposed to be in the play. Let’s say I perform a scene with Zeke successfully. The moment I step out backstage, the Professors and students would apprehend me. It won’t work,"

"Unless," Ava smirked, "You don’t go backstage,"

"Huh?"

"Remember the side alcove behind the flat? You could use that instead and wait for your next scenes. And if you’re worried that anyone would find you there, well... don’t. I’m the only one who knows of the secret alcove,"

"You mean the little cramped space by the corner of the stage right beside the prop room?"

"You know about it, too?" Ava’s eyes gleamed again.

"Yeah, of course I do. I was the errand girl, remember? I know every nook and cranny of that Hall by now,"

"That makes it even better!" Ava clapped, "I can assure you that no one knows that space still exists right now. And I’ll hijack the lightning backstage and take it off you just before the scene ends and the curtains close, enough time for you to run back there and hide. What do you think?"

"I...I can’t," Theo fell back on the bed, "It’s too risky. I’m not ready to take such a risk. What if I get caught?"

"You were the one who just told me tonight’s your last night at Gravemont. You’re caught already. Might as well make your last night unforgettable here at Gravemont, and not leave your mate stranded on stage with no Lyra," Ava sat down next to Theo, and laid down next to her.

Both of them were staring at the ceiling.

"Kael is Lyra’s mate, and they would do anything for each other," Ava continued softly, then turned her head to the side to look at Theo, "You are Zeke’s mate. What are you going to do?!"

.

.

.

The forest breathed.

Tall, shadowed props framed the stage. Gnarled trees dusted in ash-grey paint, and hanging moss caught the low green lights. Fog curled lazily around roots and stone, alive enough to feel real.

Crickets chirred softly through the speakers. Somewhere deep in the soundscape, a distant howl lingered and faded.

Zeke stepped into the clearing from stage left, and the reaction was instant. The large audience that had filled every seat in the hall leaned forward as one body.

He was bare-armed, powerful, his torso wrapped only in layered leather and dark, refined fur at his waist. The trousers sat low on his hips, fitted and fluid, warrior-made rather than savage. A ceremonial belt of bone and silver rested against his thighs, catching the light with every step. His long hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, and some stubborn strands fell over his eyes.

He looked so different from the Zeke everyone was used to. But right now, he wasn’t Zeke.

He was Kael.

Alpha.

And the air shifted when he moved.

He stopped at the centre stage, listening. This was the scene where he was supposed to meet Lyra for the first time, but he wasn’t feeling Ava’s presence at the moment.

Was she not here?

Suddenly, his wolf stirred under his skin, uneasy and alert, like it had scented something it wasn’t supposed to want this badly. He felt a presence, exactly where Ava was supposed to emerge from.

But...the aura was too distorted to know who exactly it was.

Still, he remained in character.

"Who’s there?" he called into the trees, and his words echoed, swallowed by the forest.

Silence.

Then, a figure emerged from behind the props, and Zeke’s breath caught before he could stop it.

She emerged from between the trees like she had always belonged there.

The silver dress clung to her body as though woven from moonlight itself, strapless and fluid, and shaped perfectly to her curves. The fine fabric carried a subtle texture, fur-soft, and warm.

Her bare shoulders glowed under the lights.

The mask of Aletheia fell from her crown, dark and translucent, hiding her face while revealing her eyes.

Long, wavy red hair spilled down her back, nearly brushing her hips, catching the silver glow with every small movement.

Zeke forgot his next breath again.

This wasn’t acting. This was... pull.

His wolf surged hard, confused and suddenly ravenous, every instinct screaming recognition without explanation. He felt it in his chest, low and deep, something tightening and loosening all at once.

Right.

Wrong.

Terribly, beautifully both.

Zeke took a slow step toward her without realising he’d moved.

The audience was silent now. There was no rustling and no whispers as hundreds of eyes watched the space between them, felt the tension stretch like a drawn wire.

Lyra stopped just beyond arm’s reach.

Zeke was entranced. Who the hell is this?

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