Beneath the Mask of Power
**Chapter 7: Beneath the Mask of Power**
**The Second rule of Blackwood Academy: Nothing is ever as it seems.*
Sienna had learned that quickly.
But tonight, she was about to learn just how **deep the darkness ran.**
---
**The Warning That Came Too Late**
The hallways were silent.
Too silent.
Sienna should have turned back the moment she stepped out of her dorm, but she needed **answers.**
Damien's brutal attack in the hallway.
Killian's cryptic warnings.
Professor Hayes's secrets.
**Everything was spiraling out of control.**
She was about to turn the corner when—
**A hand clamped over her mouth.**
Her scream never made it past her lips as she was **dragged into the shadows.**
The grip was strong, unrelenting.
Then—**a voice.**
Low. Dangerous. **Familiar.**
**"You don't listen, do you?"**
The hand released her.
She stumbled forward, heart racing, turning to face the one person who kept invading her life.
**Damien .**
His gray eyes were sharp in the dim light.
She exhaled sharply. "Are you insane? You can't just—"
**"Shut up."**
His voice sent shivers down her spine.
"I just saved your life," Damien muttered. "You were about to walk straight into a trap."
Sienna's breath caught. "What?"
His jaw clenched. "Someone is out for you, Sienna. And they're not playing games anymore."
She swallowed hard.
This wasn't just about rumors and bullying.
This was something **bigger.**
Something **deadly.**
---
*Killian's Midnight Warning**
Killian Voss leaned against the library desk, flipping his lighter open and shut.
The soft flicker of flame was the only thing keeping him sane.
He had seen Damien drag Sienna into the dark earlier.
And he hated how much he cared.
He was the **Prince of Blackwood.**
He wasn't supposed to care about anyone.
But Sienna was **a storm that wouldn't stop.**
The moment she walked into this school, **everything shifted.**
He had tried to push her away.
Warn her.
But she was stubborn. **And now?**
She was walking straight into **hell.**
With a sigh, Killian pulled out his phone and typed a message.
"If you want to survive, meet me at the rooftop. Midnight. No questions."*
He sent it to Sienna.
And for the first time in years—**he felt afraid.**
Because if she didn't listen, **she wouldn't live long enough to regret it.**
---
**The Secret That Could Destroy Everything**
Professor Callum Hayes sat at his desk, gripping his whiskey glass.
He had made a mistake.
He had let Sienna see too much.
And now, she was **dangerously close** to the truth.
Someone was blackmailing him.
He didn't know who, but they had **powerful leverage** against him.
Photos. Secrets. **A threat that could ruin him.**
And if Sienna kept digging—**she'd be the next target.**
He rubbed a hand down his face.
He needed to stop this before it was too late.
He needed to **stay away from her.**
But when she walked into his classroom the next morning, their eyes met—
And he knew.
**It was already too late.**
---
*Celeste's Deadly Game**
Celeste lounged on her expensive leather couch, painting her nails blood red.
Her phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen.
**Unknown Number:** *"It's done. She won't see it coming."*
A slow smile spread across her lips.
Sienna thought she could waltz into Blackwood and take what wasn't hers?
**Wrong.**
Celeste had spent **years** building her empire here.
No one crossed her and survived.
Sienna Monroe was about to learn that **the hard way.**
---
**The Rooftop Meeting**
The air was crisp when Sienna stepped onto the rooftop at midnight.
Killian was already there, leaning against the railing, his black coat billowing slightly in the wind.
His gaze locked onto hers.
"You actually came," he mused.
She crossed her arms. "You said my life was in danger."
He flicked his lighter open. Shut. Open. Shut.
"That's because it is."
Sienna took a cautious step forward.
"Tell me everything."
Killian sighed. "You want the truth?"
She nodded.
He took a step closer.
Then another.
Until there was barely any space between them.
"The truth, Monroe, is that you walked into a **war zone.** And you have no idea how deep you're already in."
Sienna's pulse **spiked.**
Killian's voice dropped.
"There's a hierarchy in Blackwood. And at the top? Are the ones who control everything."
Her stomach twisted.
"You mean Celeste?"
Killian smirked. "Celeste is just a pawn in a bigger game."
Sienna inhaled sharply. "Then who—"
"Doesn't matter," he interrupted.
He flicked his lighter shut.
"What matters is that **someone put a target on your back.**"
Sienna's blood ran cold.
"Who?"
Killian's lips curved into something between amusement and **danger.**
Then he leaned down, his breath brushing against her ear.
**"You already know who."**
Sienna knew this was a mistake.
But when Killian **grabbed her wrist,** something inside her **snapped.**
Maybe it was the fear.
Maybe it was the chaos.
Maybe it was the fact that he was **the only one telling her the truth.**
But when he pulled her closer, she didn't resist.
Her heart pounded as he whispered, **"You should be running from me."**
But she didn't run.
She stayed.
And then—**he kissed her.**
It wasn't soft. It wasn't gentle.
It was **fire meeting gasoline.**
And Sienna knew, in that moment—
She was already too far gone.
---
**The Dark Truth Unfolds**
As Sienna pulled away, breathless, she knew something had **changed.**
But before she could speak, Killian's phone **buzzed.**
He checked the screen.
And his entire **expression shifted.**
"What is it?" Sienna asked.
Killian's eyes darkened.
Then he turned the phone toward her.
She felt the blood drain from her face.
Because on the screen—
Was a **photo of her.**
And underneath it, two chilling words.
**"She dies tonight."**
---
*End of Chapter 7**
---