Chapter 5

[Narrator's pov]

Piper's heart thundered in her ears as she stood shaken in between Rollins and the wall behind her. He held both her hands, pinning her in place. Piper glared hard at him, masking her dread in fury.

But she was angry at him. He rejected her and caused her so much pain and humiliation. And now? Now he says ‘I made a mistake’ like it's a casual statement.

Her teeth clenched “Let go of me, you bastard!” She said angrily, twisting her wrist as she tried to pry free from his grasp.

Rollins scoffed playfully “Bastard? You have only ever called me sweet names”

His words made her skin crawl. She was head over heels for this guy, but she couldn't even bring herself to say she loved him anymore.

Or perhaps denial was her own way of grieving the bond she lost. “We are not mates anymore” she spat, her tone raw with finality.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips when, suddenly, Rollins threw both her hands above her head. He held her hands tightly with one hand while the other grasped her neck, tilting it slightly to the side.

His voice took a sadistic turn “I made a mistake, Piper, can't you understand that?”

She could feel his grip tightening with each word. She let out a wince, a feeling of disgust washing over her as he leaned in for her neck. His breath was hot against her skin. Panic set in. She wasn't going to let him do it. Her trembling lips parted “Let me g—” but she was cut off.

“What do you think you're doing?” A voice caused Rollins' movements to cease.

It was Archie.

A wave of relief clouded Piper instantly. She couldn't believe how glad she was when he suddenly showed up. What's more, she was pissed because he was coming to her rescue for the second time.

Archie's expression was dark, the air around him turning thick with tension. The aura encircling him was heavy with rage. Piper could feel it. Her wolf could feel it.

Rollins leaned away from Piper's neck, giving Archie's hand that rested on his shoulder a sidelong look. As if subdued by Archie's presence alone, Rollins' grip on Piper's hands loosened.

A deep frown settled on his lips. He turned with a sneer, leaving Piper to face Archie. “Who are you to interfere?” his fist clenched, and he let out a low growl.

Rubbing her sore wrists, Piper stood aside with an uneasy look on her face. She knew what Rollins' crash outs were like and how aggressive he gets. She hoped they weren't going to get into a fight because of her.

The two of them were evenly matched. In height and arrogance, neither wanting to be oppressed. If they fought, it would be an ugly sight.

Archie's eyes narrowed. He glanced at Piper, zero remorse in his eyes as he said “I'm Piper's mate.” He declared, earning a stunned look from her. His gaze found Rollins' again, unwavering, “Who are you?”

Rollins felt the veins pop out in his neck after Archie called Piper ‘his mate.’ The statement alone made his blood boil, his wolf seethed within. His jaw set. Piper belonged to him! And no one else!

Thankfully, before anything could escalate, a Dean graced the scene. She sensed their bicker from a distance and immediately interfered. Her arms were crossed, a deep scowl etched on her face. She spoke in a rather unsettling voice,

“There will be no fighting in this hallway,” she said, staring in between what looked like a showdown where the winner gets the girl.

Rollins worked his jaw, backing away. He said to Piper, “Come on, let's go.” he extended his hand, but she remained standing. She looked over to Archie to find his hand also outstretched, beckoning her with gentle eyes.

It's true that Rollins betrayed and cheated on her, but she wasn't going to rule out the fact that Archie, though nice and all, was a total stranger.

It was overwhelming. She slowly backed away without a word and ran from the scene, leaving both men watching her back disappear into the distance.

For the rest of the day, Archie didn't get to see Piper. He thought she must have been avoiding classes because of him. He needed to apologize for making her feel belittled and for threatening her.

When the lectures for the day were over, he headed to the school's field. He was called in by the ice hockey Coach, Drew McFidelis, to make a formal introduction to the school's hockey team.

Since the majority of them knew who he was and where he came from, Coach Drew ended up showing him off as a spectacular hockey player in his old school.

He was welcomed warmly and soon after, training drills began.

It was all fun and games until Rollins arrived. He was introduced to Archie as the team's Captain. That struck a slight frown on his face.

“He's the best among them,” Coach Drew muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Archie to grab. He scoffed, the corner of his lips lifting in a cruelly sweet smirk “Not for long,”

He stepped out, hands akimbo. “Hey, Captain,” he said, his voice dripping with obvious mockery. Not just Rollins', but everyone's attention was piqued. His smile broadened “I've heard you're the best of the best”

Coach Drew smacked his forehead.

Rollins gave him a leveled look. He said proudly “You heard right.” He clicked his tongue, pointing to the captain's band “I wouldn't be wearing this band on my arm if I were anything less”

Archie let out a low chuckle, almost ridiculing. A silence settled but was short-lived, cut off by a challenge. Archie flexed his arm muscles.

“Race me.”

Gasps erupted around them, but he wasn't done.

“If I win, I get to wear the Captain band for a week” he grinned.

Rollins folded his arms “And if I win?” He raised a brow.

“Then…..I'm out of the hockey team”

“Hold on” Coach Drew stepped in with slight panic. He said to Archie “You literally just got in!”

Rollins cut him off, raising his hand to stop the Coach. “Relax, Coach Drew,” his voice lowered, eyes locked onto Archie's confident frame “I'll make him regret this bet”