Redwood Elite Academy

[ Calantha ]

"That's her?"

"Oh my god, she's not even pretty. What does the Lycan King see in her?"

"Do you think he was charmed?"

"This is such a slap to Isadora's face."

The whispers flooded into my ears as I walked through the grand hallway of Redwood Elite Academy. I could feel the weight of a hundred eyes piercing through me, judging, mocking and dissecting my very existence.

At that moment, I regretted not walking in with Kaiden. Letting him go ahead while I followed later had been a mistake. A big one.

At first, I had been excited by the idea of a new school, new beginnings. But that feeling had faded the second I stepped through the academy doors and realized I was the day's spectacle.

I kept my head down as I walked, my fingers gripping the strap of my backpack so tightly that my knuckles ached.

I wished, desperately, for the ground to split open and swallow me whole.

I felt like an imposter. I don’t belong here.

And as if the universe had heard my silent misery and decided to add more to it, I collided into someone hard.

The impact sent me stumbling backward, but before I could hit the floor, a hand shot out, gripping the collar of my shirt to keep me upright.

A loud ‘rrriiip’ filled the air.

Cold air kissed my now exposed skin, and my breath hitched as I realized the tear had been large enough to pull down the fabric near my shoulder, dangerously close to revealing my bra.

Shit.

I instinctively threw my backpack over my chest to cover myself and lifted my gaze to see who had grabbed me.

My stomach twisted into knots.

Oh no.

Isadora stood before me, her lips curled into a sickly sweet smile. The kind that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Beside her stood Miranda and Sara, her loyal minions. The same two girls who used to follow her around like shadows when I still worked as a slave in her parents’ household.

They stood with their arms crossed, their expressions coated with amusement.

I took two steps back.

"What? You look like you've seen a ghost." Isadora’s amused tone was mockingly sweet. Then, she took a step forward to close in on me. "Or is that guilt I smell?"

I swallowed hard, feeling my throat suddenly dry. My eyes darted around, searching for Kaiden.

He was nowhere in sight.

Great. Just great!

I was alone, surrounded by Isadora, her bullies, and the swarm of students who were now eagerly watching the unfolding scene like it was their midday entertainment.

I needed to get out of here before the whole situation escalated.

I attempted to move past Isadora, but Miranda’s hand shot out, gripping my arm with bruising force and yanking me backward.

My backpack slipped from my grasp, tumbling to the floor.

The torn fabric of my shirt shifted and a wave of laughter and whistles erupted from the onlookers.

“Damn, nice boobs!” some guy hollered from across the hall.

My face burned. Humiliation clawed up my throat, but I swallowed it down, forcing a tight smile onto my lips as I chanted my mantra in my head.

Smiling vanishes pain. Smiling vanishes pain.

"You. Ungrateful. Wretched. Slave." Isadora’s voice was a venom, each word punctuated by a sharp jab of her finger against my chest, forcing me to stumble back.

"My family took you in," she sneered. "Fed you. Sheltered you. And how do you repay us?" Her eyes flashed with anger and hatred. "By stealing my betrothed!"

Another jab. Another step back.

"You think I'm just going to let that slide?" Her mask was fully off now and her smile was gone. "Never."

Her voice dropped lower, more menacing.

"I'm going to make your life a living hell in this pack, Calantha. And by the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish you were never born."

“That’s enough.” A voice thundered through the hallway and everyone went silent instantly.

I turned toward the sound, my pulse hammering.

Standing at the end of the corridor was no other than Ryker. His eyes were locked onto Isadora and his jaw tightened with disapproval.

“Let go of her.”

He reached us in just a few strides and stepped between Isadora and me like a shield.

Isadora hesitated, her lips pressing together in annoyance. But after a beat, she scoffed and took a step back.

Ryker turned to me with a small flicker of concern written on his face.

I scoffed in my head. Bullocks.

Not waiting for him to say anything, I bent down, grabbed my backpack, and shoved past the gathering crowd. My only goal was to get as far away from these people as possible.

But before I could get far, I heard hurried footsteps behind me followed by Ryker’s voice.

“Calantha, wait. We need to talk. Please.”

But I didn’t stop. I kept walking fast, hoping to get away from him. But he didn’t stop following me either.

Reaching for my hand, he spun me around to face him.

"Can you just listen to me for a moment?" Ryker panted, his grip tightening around my wrist as his gaze locked onto mine.

The contact disgusted instantly, and I wrenched my hand away, glaring at him. I had done my best to avoid his calls and his texts to meet up, and it pained me that I couldn’t avoid this one too.

"Talk? Oh, now you want to talk?" I spat bitterly.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He exhaled sharply, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "The whole thing was complicated. I know I was an asshole for what I did, but I never meant to hurt you…”

"Forget it, Ryker," I cut him off coldly. The time I needed to hear those words had passed and I didn’t care about it anymore. "Save your excuses for someone who cares. You should have explained yourself when I needed it."

I turned to walk away but once again, he grabbed my wrist, this time with more force. A flicker of irritation flashed across his face now.

"And that's why you decided to get mated to the Lycan King?" His voice turned sharp. "To spite me because I'm his cousin?”

Wait…what?!

I froze for a second, stunned by the revelation.

Kaiden and Ryker were cousins? What kind of twisted joke was this? How did I never know that?!

But I didn't let my shock show. Instead, I scoffed at his ridiculous assumption. If I had known they were related, I would have crafted my revenge with even greater strategy..

"I didn’t decide anything, Ryker," I lied smoothly. "The Moon Goddess chose me for him."

His eyes darkened instantly.

"Don't be naive, Calantha," he seethed. "Kaiden isn't who you think he is. If you believe you know anything about him, you're dead wrong. He's going to break you in ways you never imagined."

I let out a bitter laugh.

"And you wouldn’t?" My voice cracked slightly, but I masked it with defiance. I glared at him, feeling my throat tighten with unshed tears.

How could I have been so blind? How did I not see past his charming facade for three years until that night?

"If there's anyone I should be afraid of, Ryker, it’s you —you lying, selfish, pathetic excuse for a man."

His jaw ticked as his frustration grew.

"Kaiden is going to destroy you, Calantha," he insisted. "Let me help you."

I scoffed. "Help me how?"

"Reject him," he urged me. "Come back to me. I’ll fix everything. I’ll make up for what I did."

A hollow, humorless laugh bubbled from my throat. How had I ever loved someone this self-absorbed?

It was obvious now that he didn’t care about me. All he cared about was the fact that Kaiden had me.

To him, this wasn't about love. It was about winning.

"Go. To. Hell." I hissed, enunciating each word before spinning on my heel to leave.

But before I could take a step, he yanked me back, his grip bruising this time.

His eyes had darkened and his expression had shifted from desperate to dangerous.

"Don't be a fool, Calantha," he sneered. "You love me. I know you still do. Stop playing hard to get."

"Let me go." I struggled, trying to wriggle my arm free, but his hold tightened.

"You really think you're something special now, huh?" He smirked cruelly. "Just because you got mated to Kaiden? You’re still nothing but a worthless little slave. You should be grateful I'm even willing to manage you."

"Let. Me. Go," I gritted out, my voice shaking with rage and humiliation as a single tear slipped down my cheek.

But before Ryker could utter another vile word, a force slammed into him with violent speed.

A sickening ‘crack’ echoed through the hallway as the fist collided with Ryker’s face, sending him staggering backward.

What came next was Kaiden’s deep and dangerously angry voice.

"How many fucking times do I have to warn you to stay away from what's mine?!”