Adira(the vegetarian)

Adira (Flynn)

I jolted awake with a sharp gasp, sudden pain splitting through my skull like a honed knife. I had a nightmare—one that sent chills into my bones. It was about the forest closing in on me, swallowing my screams, and trapping me. 

Sitting upright on the bed while a groan slipped from my mouth, I flitted my eyes around with a half-lidded gaze. At first, I was oblivious to where I was but then the memory rushed in and it hit me that this was my dorm, and last night, Miguel almost killed me. 

That should be the reasonable explanation for my nightmares because I hardly had any. 

I reached for the dagger by my side, slid it back into the sheath as I moved away from the bed. I glanced at the wall cock, my mouth parted in shock!

7:30 am?

I had missed the training slated for 4:00am and to think that no one even bothered waking me up? Oh Great!

On the bright side of it all, it meant that I was just in time for school breakfast, and at the same time, it meant that I had the chance to use the bathroom without worrying about anyone barging in since they should still be at the training ground or they should be on their way to the cafeteria. 

I removed the school uniform I wore to bed because there was no way I was undressing before any of them. That would expose my secret. I rushed to the closet, grabbed my towels, and arranged them on the towel rack mounted on the wall. 

I soaked myself in the bathtub— enough to compensate for the missed shower last night. 

As soon as I was done, I was off to the academy, the ground already bustling with Alphas coming back from the training ground, some making their way back to the dorm while others rushed to the cafeteria. 

I had checked the meal plan for the morning. Pork chops, basic butter, eggs, and toast on the side. Just the thought of having that before me made my mouth drool, it felt like I was levitating already. 

Stepping into the cafeteria, the noise that floated around died and unease rose to choke me as everyone turned their eyes to me. I resisted the urge to swallow, glanced ahead and when I ignored them, the noise continued. 

I was about to grab a tray from the stack when I caught sight of Carl, surrounded by two Alphas flanking him by the side. I lifted my hand to wave but the smile on my face faded as of the Alphas slammed his fist against his temple.

My grip suddenly loosened around the tray, clattering to the ground as Carl staggered sideways. 

Mortification replaced the expression on my face and at the same time anger flared within my chest. Without thinking twice, I snarled— enough to command attention and keep my voice masculine like I was taught. 

“Leave him alone!”

I rushed towards Carl, his eyes pleading for me not to intervene but I ignored him because how dare they do that to him?

I stood before the Alphas, stylishly glancing at the name tags on their shirts as they were still in their training clothes. Alpha Noah and Alpha Xavier. 

However, the reaction on their faces took me aback as they lifted their brows in surprise. “Alpha Flynn, you shouldn’t have ghosted us like that. We came to check on you in the pack house when we heard that you were ill but no one allowed us in” Noah said. 

I was confused for a second. Were they close friends with Flynn?

Xavier’s eyes roamed down my body. “You have indeed lost a lot of weight and you sound so different,”

Anxiety crawled down the back of my neck, the weight of their stares pressing on me and when I thought that they were about to notice the truth, Xavier blurted out. “But this idiot, Carl told us how the sickness affected you a lot”

I glanced at Carl who now had blood streaking underneath his nostrils and a wave of relief flooded through me. 

I stared him in the eye. “Why are you bullying my assistant”

Noah and Xavier exchanged fleeting glances with each other, a glint of confusion flashing through their eyes. “But we have always bullied him together, you have always humiliated him at every given chance and made him take the scraps off the floor with his mouth…” He trailed, squinting his eyes at me suspiciously. “By chance, have you lost your memories?”

I was momentarily stunned, hearing the horrendous things that Flynn had done to Carl. That was on some top-level villainous shit. But I didn’t want to leave any room for suspicion or make rumours spread around about me losing my memories. 

I folded my hands behind me. “Of course, I do remember the things that I have done to him but while I was ill, Carl had stayed by my side, caring for me irrespective of what I had done to him…” I lied through my teeth, grabbing Carl by the wrist. 

“After he sacrificed his life to save mine, I have decided not to bully him anymore and he is now my friend. Anyone who bullies him would have to experience my wrath!” My fingers tightened around his wrist protectively and the hall stilled at my words. 

I didn’t even notice that everyone was now listening. 

How did my words sound? Did it terrify them? I mean, it sounded cringe to me. 

But, whatever!

Alpha Xavier and Alpha Noah lowered their heads and the moment I turned, pulling Carl behind me, my heart stopped. 

Hazel eyes glinting with dark amusement in them clashed with mine and an almost imperceptible wicked grin curled at the corner of his mouth. 

Miguel. 

My breathing faltered and it became a staring contest between us. From what I assumed concerning Flynn, he wouldn’t be the one to back down easily so I kept staring even though it felt like the weight of his intense gaze could make me crumble to my feet any moment from now. 

Miguel finally backed down, tearing his gaze away from me but not without a scoff. 

When he turned away, it felt like a heavy yoke had been taken away from me as I inhaled a lungful of crisp air, enough to keep me sane. 

I glanced at Carl who stared at me with disapproving eyes. “You shouldn’t have done that, Flynn isn’t the type to make friends with me or with people of lower rank” His voice was barely a whisper. 

“I told you already, I don’t care” My fingers left his wrist and I reached for the handkerchief in my breast pocket and handed it over to him. He took it, dabbed at the blood under his nostrils. 

“You weren’t at the training ground?”

“I woke up late” I muttered. 

He heaved an exasperated sigh, his voice coated with worry. “If you miss two more training sessions, you could get expelled, Alpha Flynn”

I gasped. “Oh wow,”

“I will always set an alarm now.  In the meantime, let's grab something to eat…” My words trailed and a shiver ran down my spine when something came to my mind. 

The first trial will commence today. How the hell would I survive against these men?

Carl seemed to have noticed the color that drained from my face and a faint smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t worry, everything is sorted out already. Alpha Harlan wouldn’t leave you stranded like this”

What did he mean?

Instead of asking further questions, I decided to think about breakfast instead. How the savory taste of the pork would spread through my tongue when it gets into my mouth.

I was already daydreaming about it because back home, I rarely had protein. My uncle’s wife would charge me a ridiculous amount for it and since I couldn't afford it, I had to settle for eggs. 

So eating a bowl of chicken, steak, pork, and salmon was like a dream come true for me. 

It almost moved me to tears. 

Miguel and Vernon didn’t wait in the line and I figured out that since Flynn also ruled the school, I didn’t have to wait to. So I moved to the front, oblivious to the gasps that swirled around me as my eyes were fixed on the price before me. 

My mouth watered, my grip tightening around my tray. 

The server was about to drop the pork on my tray when she glanced back and forth at the tray and my face. “Alpha Flynn, what are you doing here?”

For a second I was confused but slowly, the words came rushing in. ‘Alpha Flynn is a vegetarian and you have to be one’

The smile on my face vanished and the budding excitement inside of me disappeared. 

How could I have forgotten?

I forced out a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “My friend Carl got injured, I wanted to get this for him” I turned to Carl whose eyes glinted with panic. “I’m grabbing a plate for you, come choose”

As I handed the tray filled with my dream meal to Carl, anger coursed through me and the smell of pork taunted me, and my eyes burned with unshed tears as I walked towards the vegetarian section in defeat.