Chapter 10 I Will Become Your Most Loyal Knight

Catherine's POV

The voice was cold, distant, and barely hiding its anger.

I spun around to look at the classroom door. Lynn walked in wearing a suit that still carried the chill of outside air, his tie loosened. Daisy stood behind him, whispering something in his ear.

Lynn seemed to piece together what had happened and walked quickly to my side. Noticing me staring at him, he gave me an apologetic smile.

I'm so sorry. I'm the reason you got dragged into this.

My stomach clenched. My nose stung. I felt like I could cry at any second. I had genuinely thought everything was going to fall apart today.

The hurt, the frustration, the sadness, it all felt like it was tearing my heart to pieces.

Then Lynn appeared in the classroom like a miracle, and I could finally breathe again. I was gasping, my chest feeling like something had punched a hole through it, but I couldn't stop staring at him.

Lynn patted my back and said quietly, "Lean on me."

I turned and stared straight at Celine, who was standing there frozen.

Now I only felt one thing: anger.

"Celine, why aren't you saying anything? This necklace is from Lynn. He can take it off."

Lynn's cold fingers brushed across the back of my neck, and I shivered all over.

He unclasped the pigeon blood ruby necklace. Lynn stared at Celine, his voice heavy with contempt. "Your turn, Celine."

"Can you put it on?"

Celine never expected Lynn to actually rush back from a family gathering for me. She also never expected me to openly admit that the necklace was a gift from a half-blood, let alone wear it every single day.

She screamed, "What if Liam Hammer just tampered with it? Of course I can't put it on!"

Cosette was caught in a tough spot too. He urged Celine under his breath, "Celine. No one else can alter the enchantment on a necklace. If it's yours, Lynn Hammer can't do anything to it."

"Just take it and put it on."

I glared at Celine and said with a sneer, "Don't tell me you actually can't wear it."

Only Celine and I knew the truth, this necklace was never hers.

Every pair of eyes in the classroom was now locked on Celine. The students wanted a show. They didn't care who was right or wrong.

They only cared who won and who lost.

Cosette was nervous too, and for good reason. Given what he had just done, rushing to condemn a student without any solid evidence. If the principal found out, he'd be in serious trouble.

He might even get expelled from the school.

Celine's mouth started trembling. Now it was her turn to feel dizzy.

Lynn had no patience for someone like Celine. He glanced back at Daisy and gave her a look. Daisy nodded.

She pulled on a glove, picked up the necklace, and walked up to Celine in a few quick steps. Before Celine could react, the necklace was pressed into her hand.

Then something no one expected happened.

Celine screamed in pain.

The necklace looked completely normal, but the moment Celine was forced to hold it, she reacted as if it were burning lava searing through her skin.

Her screams were awful. But Daisy kept her face blank and held Celine's hand shut without flinching.

The students who had been whispering among themselves the entire time finally went silent. The classroom was truly quiet for the first time.

Everyone looked at Daisy, then at Celine. Finally, all eyes landed on Lynn.

Lynn's face showed nothing.

It was obvious. Daisy followed Lynn's orders.

Every student in that room had underestimated the real power and reach of the Hammer family.

These young kids had been misled by textbooks that barely mentioned half-bloods, before they ever stepped into a world the Hammer family actually controlled.

But the world isn't a book.

Some people are invisible on the page, but in real life, they hold power and influence that nothing can match.

I grabbed Lynn's sleeve, and a few seconds later it hit me. I shook my head at him. Daisy immediately flung Celine's hand away.

Celine clutched her hand in pain.

In that moment, everyone realized something.

I was the one controlling Lynn.

Cosette rushed over in a panic to steady Celine, shouting furiously at Daisy, "Are you out of your mind? What did you do to her?!"

Lynn tugged at his tie, irritated. "Look at her hand. The Hammer family necklace's enchantment repels anyone who tries to claim it but isn't its true owner."

Professor Cosette pried open Celine's clenched fist and found nothing. Her skin was completely unharmed.

The room went dead silent.

Daisy had dropped every trace of her usual warmth. She said coldly, "Celine, I think it's safe to say we don't need to check the security footage anymore. The principal will be calling in everyone involved. Be ready."

Celine clutched her hand, glaring at me with fury. "Who do you think you are? A worthless Unawakener! I'm the only child of the wolf clan leader. I won't face any punishment!"

I crossed my arms. "Celine, was it really worth all this just to come after me?"

Lynn stood beside me. "Don't waste your breath. Let's go."

On my way out, I shot a look at Professor Cosette, who was pretending nothing had happened. "Professor, please stop by the principal's office this afternoon. Come see exactly how this little thief gets expelled."

I had never hated a teacher this much in my life.

The professor stared at me, his face tight and pale. He clearly hadn't expected me to be someone who paid back every wrong. He also hadn't expected that one careless decision would lead him here.

The moment I stepped out of the classroom, my legs nearly gave out. Lynn caught me before I could fall.

"Are you okay? Were you too stressed just now?"

I nodded weakly. After everything, I didn't have the energy to say a single word.

Lynn guided me anxiously to a garden nearby and sat me down. He started apologizing right away. "I'm sorry. I never thought it would go this far. I should have seen how hostile Celine was toward you. I shouldn't have gone to that dinner at all..."

Seeing how hard he was being on himself, I quickly tried to reassure him. "It's okay, Lynn. The necklace you gave me is beautiful. I love it. Don't worry about those people..."

But Lynn only grew quieter. I sighed and said, "Lynn, don't be like this. Didn't you say you'd protect me? If something like this ever happens again, you'll protect me then too. Right?"

That did the trick. Lynn snapped his head up, his voice firm. "I won't let anything like this happen to you again. Never."

I burst out laughing. "That's really good to hear."

"But Catherine, you were so strong. You didn't cry, you didn't go quiet. You were brave. You fought back."

I looked into Lynn's eyes. Sincere. Gentle.

"Because I'm not going to just sit there waiting for someone to save me." I held his hand. "We're partners. We're a team."

Lynn stared at me without a word, but he held my hand and didn't let go.

Lynn Hammer's POV

When Catherine smiled at me in the garden and said we were partners, I was gone.

Completely gone.

I couldn't explain what this was, or what exactly I felt for her. The warmth spreading through my chest seemed to be telling me that everything between us was meant to be. And right now, I could only put it into one sentence.

I was more devoted to her than ever.

Catherine was going to change something about this world. And I would be there to protect her, to let her do whatever she wanted to do.

Maybe one day, what she does will save me too.

That afternoon.

When I pushed open the principal's office door with Catherine, I saw the wolf clan leader, Celine, Professor Cosette, and Vera, sitting there with a cold expression on her face.

The moment Vera and I made eye contact, she let out a helpless sigh that almost made me laugh.

I understood exactly what she meant.

I'm on your side. On the Hammer family's side.