Bruises You Can’t Explain

By the next morning, I was already exhausted. Not physically. Emotionally. My chest still felt strange after what happened with Bane yesterday, and Nyx had been restless all night because of it. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept remembering his mouth on mine, the way his voice sounded when he called me his true mate, and then immediately after that, Pia kissing him like none of it mattered. I hated him for confusing me. I hated myself more for still reacting to him anyway.

The hallway near the lockers was crowded when I arrived, but I barely noticed anybody around me while I shoved books into my locker half-asleep. Aurelia was late for once, Vesper and Kane were probably together somewhere, and for the first time in days I actually had a quiet moment alone.

That peace lasted less than thirty seconds. “Hey.” I looked over to see the human boy from class standing awkwardly beside me again. Up close he looked even more nervous than before, holding the strap of his backpack so tightly like it was emotional support. “What’s your favorite flower?” he asked suddenly. I blinked once. “What?” He smiled sheepishly. “Your favorite flower.” I stared at him for a second before shrugging. “Anything, honestly.” “Red roses?” “Cool.”

He nodded like that answer somehow changed his entire future. Then he cleared his throat nervously. “So… would you maybe wanna go out with me Saturday?” “No.” “Sunday?” “No.” “Next Saturday?” I sighed. “Still no.” “Upper Sunday?”

That made me snap a little. “Oh my God,” I groaned, turning toward him fully now. “Why do you keep asking? You’re bothering me.” The poor guy immediately looked crushed. Actually crushed. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I just… really like you.” My irritation faded almost immediately. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while avoiding my eyes. “I know you’re probably out of my league anyway. My friends just told me to keep trying because maybe eventually you’d say yes.”

Guilt hit me fast because now I felt horrible. Nyx shifted uncomfortably inside me too, reacting to the sadness rolling off him. I sighed heavily and leaned against the locker. “You really don’t know when to give up, huh?” He laughed nervously. “Not really.” For a second I thought about saying no again. But honestly? After everything with Bane, maybe I wanted one normal thing in my life. One person who looked at me like I was enough without making it complicated.

So I smiled a little. “…Fine.” His eyes widened instantly. “Really?” “Yes,” I muttered. “One date.” The happiness on his face was so immediate it almost made me laugh. “Saturday?” he asked quickly. “Saturday.” He looked genuinely excited now, like he couldn’t believe it actually worked. Then before I could react, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss against my cheek before rushing off down the hallway grinning like an idiot. I touched my cheek slowly afterward. Cute. A little pathetic. But cute.

Then the air shifted. Nyx reacted instantly. I turned slowly. Bane stood at the far end of the hallway staring at me with a look that made my stomach tighten immediately. Everyone else had already gone to class, leaving the hallway strangely empty except for us. His voice came low and dangerous. “You don’t follow instructions very well.” I swallowed once. “What are you talking about?” “The human,” he snapped. “I told you to stay away from him.”

Anger immediately flared inside me. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.” Bane moved toward me too fast. One second he was across the hallway. The next his hand slammed against the locker beside my head while his mouth crashed roughly against mine. The kiss wasn’t soft like yesterday. It was angry. Possessive. Frustrated in a way that made Nyx shiver beneath my skin despite my anger. I pushed against his chest immediately. “Stop ” But he kissed me harder instead, like he wanted to erase the memory of another boy touching me.

When I finally managed to shove him off properly, I was breathing hard. “Go fuck Pia like you did last night,” I snapped angrily. Something dark flickered in his eyes. “Don’t worry,” he said coldly. “I will.” The words hit harder than I expected. Bane stepped closer again, lowering his voice. “Pia is my future Luna. The one I’ll mark. The one everyone expects beside me.” Nyx recoiled painfully inside me. “But you…” His eyes dragged slowly over me. “You’ll keep me entertained while we enjoy the mate bond.”

I stared at him in disbelief. My chest hurt. Not because I loved him, but because he could say something so cruel so casually. “You’re disgusting,” I whispered. His jaw tightened slightly, but he stepped away anyway before turning toward class like none of this mattered. I stood there alone afterward trying to steady my breathing before straightening my clothes and walking into class like I wasn't shaking inside. After classes ended, Damon found me outside near the stairwell. He looked uncomfortable immediately. “I wanted to talk to you.”

I crossed my arms slightly. “About what?” “Bane.” That answered everything already. Damon sighed quietly before rubbing a hand over his face. “Look… I’m sorry about how he rejected you.” I stayed quiet. “He was angry yesterday,” Damon continued carefully. “The bond is messing with him more than he expected.” I laughed softly without humor. “That doesn’t excuse anything.” “No,” he admitted. “It doesn’t.” Then I looked at him properly. “He told me he wants me as his plaything.”

Damon froze. Actually froze. “…he said that?” “Yes.” “That’s fucked up,” Damon muttered immediately. “Even for Bane.” Something inside my chest tightened painfully again. Damon looked at me quietly for a moment before sighing. “You know… you’re actually really beautiful.” I blinked. “And cute,” he added awkwardly. “Bane’s just too stupid to see clearly right now.” That almost broke me for some reason because kindness felt harder to handle than cruelty lately.

My eyes burned slightly before I looked away quickly. Damon stepped closer and gave me a brief awkward hug, patting my shoulder once before walking off. Unfortunately, peace never lasted long around me anymore because not even ten minutes later, Pia cornered me near the restroom with two girls trailing behind her like bodyguards. “You really don’t know your place, do you?” she said sweetly. I immediately tensed. “I’m not in the mood, Pia.” “Oh, I think you are.”

Before I could react properly, they shoved me into the restroom. The door slammed shut behind us. Pia stepped closer slowly, her nose wrinkling slightly before her expression darkened. “You smell like Bane.” Fear curled coldly in my stomach. “It’s not what you think” Her knee slammed into my stomach before I could finish. Pain exploded through me instantly. I gasped sharply, folding forward while Nyx whimpered inside me. Pia grabbed my hair roughly. “You think you can steal him from me?” she hissed.

Another hit. Then another. By the time they finally left, my stomach burned so badly I could barely stand properly. “Stay away from Bane,” Pia warned coldly before walking out. The restroom fell silent afterward, and for a few seconds...I cried. Quietly. Angrily. Then I cleaned myself up, washed my face, fixed my makeup, and forced every emotion back down where nobody could see it. Because if rejection taught me anything, it was that weakness became entertainment for people.

I stepped back into the hallway a few minutes later, heading toward my locker slowly while my stomach still ached beneath my clothes. Then I stopped walking. The three Lycan Caspian, Julian and Silas stood near the far end of the corridor. Tall. Beautiful in a way that didn’t even feel human. Caspian with silver eyes that locked onto mine immediately.

Another leaned casually against the wall smirking faintly. Silas looked colder than the other two combined. For a second, the entire hallway felt strangely still. Nyx went completely alert. I blinked once. Then twice. And suddenly the three lycan were gone like they had never been there at all. Maybe they were looking at something else besides me.