A rematch?

RACHEL

What does the professor know, and why wasn't he eager to tell me, considering it could be the best way to explain the reason I was in this academy and how to leave?

Also, what was that earlier? The unfamiliar feelings in the pit of my stomach. The heat that spread through me as our gaze lingered, and I had even blushed!

I shouldn't react to a man I didn't even know until today. But I didn't think it was me. It was his aura. Male, dominant, and powerful. I'd never sensed anything like it before. Not even faintly.

Maybe because I rarely saw the opposite sex growing up. It was just my foster fathers and foster brothers. But they were always distant and closed off.

A chair scraped on the floor, cutting through the moment we had.

The young professor blinked. He turned back to the room, calm and composed, scribbling something on the board.

“Welcome to bond ethics, I'm Professor Jaxon Steele. Here, you'll learn about mate marks, laws, history, and bondmates,” he said.

“He's so dreamy—the hottest and youngest professor in school. At twenty-three, he had achieved a great deal. He’s the only thing worth noting about that good-for-nothing House Ferales because he got promoted to house master today,” Clara whispered, leaning into me.

Her eyes were glazed over.

She was right. He was dreamy and so young. But I never knew he was a professor and a housemaster until now. I wouldn't have known because I never attended here before.

Maybe it was the reason he had saved me. But why?

I wanted answers. Only he could answer because he seemed to know a lot.

I noticed the class had suddenly grown quiet. The population of girls in the class was over that of the boys. So, all the girls in the room were staring, barely listening to what he was saying.

While I, on the other hand, try to distract myself. I felt his eyes on me. I couldn't tell if it was in my head that he was staring at me again because each time I looked at him, he was staring at the board.

Still, I felt it.

“What's, mate mark, bond mates?” I asked, leaning into Clara. Professor Jaxon had mentioned it earlier. “Is that code word for something?”

Clara stopped scribbling, and she turned to me, frowning.

“Are you genuinely asking me that? Did you hit your head or something?” She clasped my head, shaking it.

Clara laughed as she let go. “First, it's you getting changed into another house, and now you're asking me an obvious question. You're even more werewolf than most of us here. Don't play with me.”

She nudged my shoulder.

I shook my head. But I wasn't playing dumb on purpose. I wanted to tell her that if it weren't genuine, I wouldn't have asked her, but Professor Jaxon interrupted us.

“Do you want to tell us more about the topic, Miss Sawyer? I can see you're disagreeing with me about it,” he pushed his glasses down the straight bridge of his nose.

Goodness. How could he be so attractive doing that?

The whole class turned their eyes on me, and I felt my cheeks heat up. I'd surely disgrace myself as I didn't know what he was even talking about.

“I'm sorry,” I whispered.

“Good. Now be quiet and listen, except you wish to teach the whole class.” His voice was authoritative and I could only nod.

I remained silent throughout the entire class, even when students began to ask and answer questions. I had nothing to contribute to the discussion, so there was no reason to say anything.

Also, Professor Jaxon didn't ask me anything, whereas he bombarded the other students. I wondered if he knew what was going on with me or if he was just being intentionally vague. Whichever it was, I was glad.

The class finally ended. I went to the next class, which was scheduled to take place in the training field.

It was an open arena, ringed by rough stone pillars—each one scarred with what looked like deep claw marks and blackened scorch lines. The ground was uneven, a harsh mix of cracked stone and hardened dirt, and the air reeked of sweat, steel, and blood. A few wooden benches circled the space, where students sat watching what was happening.

They were fighting. Of course. After all, it was combat. What the hell was I expecting? But I had never heard of an Academy involved in such a thing!

Maybe a military Academy, but this wasn't one. No, not at all. Professor Jaxon had said it was a world of werewolves. Even Clara had confirmed it as well.

Lucy would have said something like that to her mother if she had such a thing in her school. She had only spoken about how her nasty teachers made her do more homework than necessary.

And I was supposed to be a werewolf. That should be a joke.

Bodies collided with each other, and growls rose from every direction. The trainers stood on a raised platform, barking out instructions for the students to follow.

While I tried to blend in, attempting not to draw attention to myself. It was the reason I didn't follow Clara because Ivy seemed to be noticeable without putting in too much effort.

“Hey bitch, Ivy Sawyer.” A voice said. It was loud enough for everyone to hear, and I guess they did as the training ceased.

My stomach dropped. Great. Just great.

I turned slowly. A girl stepped forward. She was tall and toned, with a bright smile on her lips. Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

“How about you show me what you got? I've been waiting for the stupid winter break to be over so I can permanently damage that face of yours.”

“I—” I cleared my throat. “I'm not ready to fight anyone.” I wasn't ready because I didn't know how to fight!

The girl tossed her head back and let out a burst of laughter.

“No one cares if you're ready. You know that, too.” She snarled.

The trainer, Mr Wayne, came forward, his expression bored, and he shrugged. “Looks like we've got ourselves a rematch. She challenged you, Sawyer. Either forfeit or face her.”

A rematch? That meant this had happened before. Fuck me.

I’d rather forfeit because, by far, she looked stronger than I did. But the crowd seemed to anticipate it, and I wonder if Ivy would have accepted or ignored it.

“What do you say, Princess Ivy Sawyer?” She sang, taunting me.

My hands clenched at my sides. “Fine.”

There was no reason for me to try to prove myself. I didn't know why I agreed to it. Maybe I didn’t want to get exposed.

The crowd snickered. They didn't look surprised. That meant I made the right decision. Ivy might have agreed to that as well.

We stepped into the circle that was formed.

And Mr Wayne barked out instructions. “No shifting. Standard rules: First to pin or yield. Go!”