Chapter 9: An Unexpected Pair

Kate’s POV:

I clutched the straps of my backpack, swallowing hard as my eyes locked onto Chris.

He glanced at me from his seat, his jaw clenching, and his hands forming tight fists itching to reach me.

The anger burning in his eyes made it seem like he wanted to kill me right then and there.

As I hesitated at the classroom entrance, Anna hurried back to my side before I could proceed any further.

“What’s wrong, Kate? They can’t know that you don’t have a wolf, remember? My spell will protect you, so it's okay. Come on in,” Anna spoke in a hushed voice, sensing my distress.

While I understood that my lack of a wolf wouldn't be a significant issue due to the spell, I also realized it wouldn't shield me from Chris' wrath.

I hadn’t known before if Chris blamed me for what Deimon had done to him, but judging by his intense glare, it seemed likely.

It pained me to see that, especially since I had no control over Deimon.

Nervously nodding at Anna, I followed her into the classroom, aware of everyone's eyes on me, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Why is everyone looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?” I whispered to Anna as we settled into our seats on the opposite side of the room from Chris.

“You don’t, haha. I think it’s just because you're new here in the middle of the semester,” Anna revealed, calming my nerves a little.

Shortly after, the professor entered the classroom, introducing himself as Mr. Darwin. He was in charge of teaching us the history of our pack, country, and the world.

I had to admit, history fascinated me, and that was the only reason I enjoyed his class, aside from the occasional stares I received from some students, especially Chris, throughout the class.

Soon, the bell rang, and Mr. Darwin excused himself, allowing all of us to leave.

“See, I told you. Everything will be fine,” Anna said, letting her arm hang around my neck and pulling me closer as we walked down the hallway.

“Thank you so much. It was only because of you and your magic,” I expressed immense gratitude.

Not only was she the first and only person to befriend me, but she had also helped me so much, making my life a little smoother.

“Don’t worry about it. Anything for a friend… and besides, I’ve always been dying to practice my skills anyway. Maybe someday, I can level up and be a level ten witch,” she said with anticipation.

I never really knew much about witches before meeting Anna. My grandfather wasn’t interested in fueling my curiosity when I was younger. It was only his passion for getting my wolf out that made him spend time with me.

“I believe you will without any doubt,” I gave her motivation with a huge smile, and she chuckled in excitement.

—------------------------------

After a series of classes, Anna and I headed towards our next class, Combat.

It wasn’t a class I was looking forward to at all. Just thinking about it made my heart beat rapidly.

Not only did it depend on our physical strength but also on our abilities as supernaturals, both of which I lacked.

I dreaded it as we entered the classroom, located on an outside gym. It was said that our powers grew when we were in touch with nature.

But what powers did I have? I felt like a rabbit entering a lion’s den.

We were all dressed in gym wear, the majority of the guys displaying muscular arms in sleeveless tank tops. Even the girls were powerful and strong in nature. I was the tiniest and weakest one.

“Alright. I want everyone to stand at attention, right now!” A deep authoritative tone filled the air, replacing the chatter, and grabbing everyone’s attention.

A huge man, wearing nothing but a white shirt and black sweatpants, appeared in front of us. He wore a whistle around his neck, with veiny biceps threatening to rip his sleeves.

We stood in a neat order as the man, whom I assumed was our combat instructor, walked around, eyeing each one of us.

I gulped the saliva in my mouth as his intimidating figure towered over me when he crossed my path.

“My name is Jake Cooper, and I’ll be training all of you to turn into strong, fearless men and women. I will not tolerate any cries or excuses in this class, do you understand?” He asked at the top of his lungs.

“Yes, sir!” All the students yelled at the same volume in response, making Mr. Cooper give a stiff nod.

I could sense the eagerness and excitement in everyone for this class, except for me. I broke out in a sweat, my mind unprepared for anything about to happen.

After a moment of silence, Mr. Cooper blew his whistle and yelled again.

“I’m going to make today’s class a bit interesting. We’re going to be playing Capture the Flag, but… extreme.”

“If you don’t know what this game is, let me explain. Listen carefully because I will not repeat myself!” He ensured everyone kept their focus on him, not being distracted by anything around them.

“For each session, there will be two groups: one being the predators and one being the prey. Each group will consist of two students. The prey will have to work with each other to capture the Umbra Pack’s flag located in the dense forest behind you and bring it back here,” he continued as everyone listened attentively.

“While the predators will have to guard and protect the flag from the prey’s filthy paws. Remember, fighting is allowed when provoked. Do try to keep yourselves alive if you want to continue the rest of the semester, got it?” He asked, prompting a loud, unified response from the students.

“Yes, sir!”

I could feel the color drain from my face as I listened to what we were about to do today. Anxiety gripped me by my shoulders, making me shake in my spot.

Anna held onto my hand, blinking her eyes slowly to help me calm down.

I turned my attention back to the front when Mr. Cooper began to speak again.

“Let’s start off with the first predator group.”

He scanned the students carefully, and my body shivered whenever his eyes went past me.

I wished there was a way I could avoid this class. It was torture with every passing second. I did not want to be beaten down to the ground by my classmates, the way Axl used to do it to me.

Suddenly, Mr. Cooper’s announcement gripped me with fear.

“Deimon Lombard, let’s start with you.”

I lost my breath the moment I saw Deimon walk out of the crowd and head towards Mr. Cooper, standing upright with his hands behind his back.

The Alpha aura that emitted from him made everyone bow their heads except for other Alphas.

“It’s only fair to see how strong and skillful our future Alpha will be. And now, let’s see who will pair up with him,” Mr. Cooper said, patting Deimon on his back as he held a cold expression on his face.

He scanned us once again, making me lower my head to keep myself undetected by his sight.

“You! The new girl,” Mr. Cooper announced, causing my soul to escape my body.

My orbs popped out of their sockets as everyone drew their eyes at me. I was frozen to my spot, not knowing how to react, while Deimon stared at me intensely.

I didn’t want to participate in the game, let alone pair up with someone like Deimon.

But luck was never on my side. I didn’t know when I would learn that lesson instead of keeping my hopes high for no reason.

Reluctantly, I left Anna’s hand and nervously made my way towards Mr. Cooper, standing beside Deimon.

“Deimon and Kate, you may enter the forest. The ribbon that you’ll find on the first tree will contain the blood of the members of the prey group. After identifying them, go find the flag and protect it.”

“Yes, sir,” Deimon said with his full chest, while I meekly nodded.

Deimon made his way to the forest with full determination and focus, and I followed him.

I was like a fish out of water, unable to understand how I could survive this game.

I wasn’t a predator to begin with, but it was a lot better than being the prey in this situation, especially with Deimon being the predator.

Walking into the forest, Deimon immediately spotted the two red ribbons tied to the first tree we encountered.

He ripped one of them out of the tree and sniffed the blood smeared all over it.

“Chris is my target,” he announced coldly, turning his attention to me.

“What are you waiting for? Grab the other ribbon and check who’s the other prey,” Deimon ordered, catching me off guard.

I felt mortified in that moment as I untied the ribbon from the tree. No matter how hard I tried to sniff the blood, I couldn’t identify whose blood it was.

I didn’t have a wolf that could pinpoint the person easily. The only thing I could smell was blood, and that made me feel nauseous.

“For f*ck’s sake, what’s taking you so long? Oh.. Give me that,” he irked, snatching the ribbon from my hand and inhaling the scent.

Unlike before, Deimon didn’t yell the name out, making me confused. He kept staring towards the area where the rest of the students were.

“Who is it?” I asked with a low voice, but he ignored my question.

I followed his gaze, realizing that he was looking towards Monica.

Was Monica the other member of the prey group?

“Stop wasting time. Let’s go find the flag,” Deimon rebuked me before running into the forest.

“Huh? Deimon! Please wait for me!” I screamed, but he ignored my cries, continuing to run faster as I struggled to keep up with him.

An Alpha was always stronger and faster compared to a regular warrior wolf. I couldn’t compare at all to either of them.

Soon enough, I stopped in my tracks. My feet were burning from the constant running I was doing.

I placed my hands on my thighs, bending to catch my breath.

As I took my time to recover, I noticed Deimon entering a cave that was right ahead of me.

I felt like I was about to pass out, but I pushed myself to go further, fearing Deimon would get pissed at me again.

The further I walked inside the cave, the darker it became.

“Deimon? Are you there?” I called out to him, my heart beating out of my chest. But there was no response, just my own voice echoing through the cave.

I didn’t have a good feeling about this. It was a forest; anything could be inside this cave and rip me into shreds.

I took a step back before turning around to run away, but I soon tripped and fell.

Before my body could land on the rocky ground, I landed on Deimon’s arm, his blue orbs glowing in the dark.

“Thank you for saving me,” I said, trying to get myself back on my feet.

But before I could do so, Deimon held onto my body, keeping me in his arms.

His gaze was fixated on me as silence enveloped the atmosphere around both of us.

Amidst the darkness, I could only find myself looking into his blue orbs as my heart raced.

Being so close to him, his musky scent filled my nose, making my body feel tingly.

I didn’t know what I was feeling, but it was taking over me completely, just like last night.

My legs felt twitchy while my opening gradually began to feel wet, the more my skin caressed his.

With the help of his thumb, he brushed against my lips, a deep whisper leaving his lips, “You have soft lips.”

As I continued to remain still in his arms, I could feel his hard member emerge from his pants, pressing against my thigh.

I widened my eyes in a mix of shock and surprise as I felt his member, long and hard, touch the side of my thigh.

A wave of heat washed over my body, and beads of sweat formed on my forehead. My cheeks blushed a bright red, leaving me stunned in his arms.

He took his thumb off my lips, leaning even closer in an attempt to collide his lips with mine. Despite my desire to stop him, a strange sensation in my body prevented me from taking any action.