Episode 3

“Kath!” Anna walked toward Kath. The two of them were heading in the same direction toward the Training Academy.

“Anna, do you know any herbal medicine for reddish rashes?” Kath asked. Anna looked puzzled by her friend’s behavior she was wearing a scarf in the middle of summer.

“You’re wearing a scarf in summer?” Anna raised one eyebrow, confused. Her friend’s behavior was strange indeed.

“Did something happen, Kath?”

“When I woke up, my neck felt like it was bitten by an animal,” Kath answered innocently, lowering her head in embarrassment.

“Oh my, you should ask Markus,” Anna suggested. Markus was the grand teacher who usually handled herbal remedies.

“Kath, have you been crying?” Anna’s gaze accidentally caught the puffiness around Kath’s eyes.

“No, I just got something in my eye,” Kath replied quickly. Anna still felt suspicious Kath’s expression clearly showed sadness.

“So you don’t consider me your friend anymore, huh?” Anna pouted like a child complaining to her mother. She touched Kath’s hand, trying to convince her to trust her.

“It’s not that, Anna. I’ve just been keeping this matter tightly hidden.” Kath shook her head. That wasn’t what she meant it’s just that—

“Kath, we’ve been friends since we were little, haven’t we?” Indeed, Kath and Anna had been friends since childhood. Kath had even once saved Anna’s life from a rogue attack.

“This is about the engagement between Alpha and Keona. I’ll tell you about it later. Bye, I’m going to see Markus,” Kath said hurriedly and ran off, leaving Anna behind in confusion.

Kath walked toward Markus’s room, wondering if he still used the same office. Lost in thought, she accidentally bumped shoulders with someone passing by.

“I’m sorry!” Kath stumbled backward from the force of the collision.

She lifted her head to see who she had run into  and was completely shocked when she realized it was Alpha Zach himself.

The man, who was both the Alpha and the owner of the Training Academy, stared at her sharply. Kath froze, stunned to meet her mate.

“I—” Before she could say another word, Zach turned and walked away. Kath watched his back with a heavy heart.

She continued walking, her heart pounding, until her eyes caught a group of people gathered nearby.

“What’s going on there?” Kath moved closer.

“You know Kath tried to flirt with the Alpha? This morning I saw her trying to get his attention,” Alexa said to her classmates. Kath’s eyes widened in disbelief. That wasn’t what had happened at all.

“Really? That’s disgusting!”

“I totally hate her.”

“How embarrassing.”

They all whispered among themselves while Kath stood frozen in place, her knees weak.

“Oh, hi Kath.” Blaire and Alexa smiled as they walked up to her. Kath stepped back slowly, clenching her fists.

“What’s going on?” Everyone glared at her with hatred and contempt.

“You tried to seduce Keona’s fiance, Alpha Zach,” Blaire accused.

“I— I didn’t do that at all!” Kath said fearfully.

“Still denying it? How dare you try to seduce the Alpha with that ugly face of yours?” Alexa circled around Kath. Now Kath had become the center of everyone’s attention at the Training Academy.

Without mercy, Blaire grabbed one of Kath’s neatly braided strands of hair and yanked it hard. Kath screamed in pain, the sharp sting shooting through her scalp.

“It hurts…!”

“Help…!” Kath cried out to her classmates, who all stood still like statues.

“Alexa, hold her,” Blaire ordered. Alexa immediately held Kath’s body as she struggled to free her hair from Blaire’s grip.

“You should know your place — Keona is far above you,” Blaire sneered, slapping Kath’s left cheek until it turned red.

“I’m sorry,” Kath said weakly, her voice trembling with pain.

“Ugh, she’s disgusting,” Alexa said, turning her face away as if afraid the bad luck might rub off on her perfect skin.

“Tch.”

“You worthless brat!” Blaire shoved Kath hard, sending her crashing to the ground. Kath winced in pain.

The students of the Training Academy surrounded her, glaring down at her with scorn.

Without a hint of sympathy, her classmates began to kick her repeatedly. Kath’s body grew weak; blood trickled from her nose and temple.

“WORTHLESS!!!”

“Ungrateful creature!”

“Go to hell!”

“What are you all doing?!”

The crowd fell silent instantly as Keona appeared, breaking up the brutal scene before her.

“Keona…” Blaire muttered under her breath. Damn it, why did Keona have to show up now? she thought bitterly.

“I was just teaching her a lesson,” Blaire said defensively.

“She’s my sister! You have no right to treat her like that!” Keona shouted.

“But Keona, I saw Kath flirting with your fiancé.”

“My sister would never do such a thing,” Keona denied Blaire’s accusation firmly.

“Keona’s too kind to her,” Blaire whispered irritably to Alexa.

***

Kath looked at the corner of her mouth, which was bleeding. A tissue was stuffed into her nose to stop the steady flow of blood.

“Tomorrow is your sister’s engagement ceremony. I hope you won’t interfere,” her aunt suddenly barged into Kath’s room.

That was all she said before turning to leave. So she came here just to make sure Kath wouldn’t ruin Keona’s engagement?

“Why?” Kath’s question made her aunt stop mid-step.

“What can I do? I’m just a lowly creature,” Kath continued, trembling for no clear reason.

“Good. At least you know your place—” Her aunt sighed heavily before finishing her sentence.

“Even if you’re the Alpha’s mate.”

Hearing that, Kath quickly approached her aunt. Could it be that her aunt knew Alpha Zach was her mate? But how?

“So you know that I’m the Alpha’s mate?” Kath stood right in front of her aunt, demanding an explanation.

“Answer me, Aunt!” Kath grabbed her shoulders, shaking her violently in desperation.

“Mate or not, your sister’s engagement will go on as planned,” her aunt said coldly.

“Move!”