Chapter 008

NOVA

      I know I should probably not wander off the way I'm doing now. But for the life of me, I don't think I can bear Rhydar's presence anymore. And worse, it's only been a few days since I arrived at the academy. He's always watching me, just like he promised. And thankfully, I haven't encountered Scarface again. I'm heading past the garden path when I hear grunts.

Curious, I quicken my pace, my movements light and soundless. And that's when I see him. It's Theo. He's straining hard, trying to lift a weight. He's shirtless, and his toned body is soaked with sweat. He's trying so hard to lift the weight, but he keeps failing. And that is pretty unusual. Alphas are supposed to be super strong. The only possible reason for his failure and frustration is that he's an imposter or he's just not an alpha. Suddenly, he sits up, turning his head. His eyes are dark with menace. But they soften the instant he sees me. He grins, rising to his feet.

"Yo, you didn't have to sneak up on me like that," he says, brushing his sweaty blonde hair away from his face. He's embarrassed, I can tell.

"How long have you been watching me?" He asks, and I shake my head.

"I just got here, honestly."

He lets out a sigh. "You can't tell anyone what you saw. Not even Rhydar, okay?"

I blink at him, surprised. Okay, something smells fishy.

"Why? You think they're going to judge you?" I ask, bumping his bicep with my fist.

He smiles sheepishly. "It's embarrassing that I'm not an Alpha. Yet, I pretend to be."

My brows shoot up in surprise. I didn't think he would say it outright like that. So, I stare at him, unsure of what to say.

"Well… don't worry about what anyone else says. You're hardworking and dedicated. That counts for something," I blurt out.

He stares at me with his mouth agape, his green eyes shimmering with surprise. And now, it's my turn to feel embarrassed. I wince then.

"Sorry, did I say something wrong?"

He smiles and shakes his head. "No...it's just...no one has ever given me the credit for anything. I'm not smart or strong enough, so I'm basically background noise."

He wipes his face with a small towel and lowers himself onto the wooden bench. Then he uncaps a bottle of water and brings it to his lips. Come to think of it, the whole friendship group is hot as hell. They should all be supermodels or something.

A bell rings, and we hear it all the way from where we sit. Theo groans in frustration.

"Here we go again," he mutters, and I tilt my head, confused.

"What is it?"

He lowers the bottle to the ground. "Right, you don't remember. Our next class is a torture class in disguise."

He rises to his feet, and the bottle falls to the ground. He doesn't bother picking it up. He walks over to me and gestures at me to follow him. So I do.

"I guess I should educate you since you have amnesia. In the academy, we're divided into six ranks. And each rank has three tiers. We're in the third rank. Just three ranks left before we can graduate. The tiers are according to the level of our strength and abilities. I'm at Tier 3, which is the lowest. Uriel is at Tier 1 just like you."

I gulp. Me? Tier 1?

Now that is terrifying.

"What about Rhydar?" I ask, and he shrugs.

"Tier 0."

I blanch immediately. "What?"

He sighs. "Rhydar's power is insane, but there are rumors that his wolf has been suppressed."

My eyes go wide, and suddenly, I feel dizzy.

"So brace yourself, Leo. We're about to have the predatory instincts and pain endurance class," Theo adds.

A shiver runs down my spine. That shit sounds terrifying. And I'm not sure I'm truly ready for it. As we head towards the training ground, I notice a familiar figure sitting on the floor, curled up against the wall with his long legs stretched out in front of him. His head is lowered, and his black nape-length hair falls around his face. And somehow, I recognize him instantly.

"Isn't that Rhydar? What's he doing?" I say, and Theo turns in his direction.

"Shit!" He exclaims, and sprints towards Rhydar, and I follow right away.

Theo crouches in front of him right after he skids to a stop, and I reach them more than just a few seconds later. I stumble back slightly when Rhydar's creamy scent washes over me. To my bewilderment, it's more intense than before. Summer howls in my head, and then she whines.

"Our Alpha hurts," she finally says, and I'm taken aback because it's the first time she's speaking so clearly to me.

"Hey, hey, hey, look at me. Rhy, where is it? Do you have it with you?" Theo asks, and Rhydar groans, leaning his head against the wall. And that's when I finally see his face. Strands of his hair stick to his sweaty face, and his eyes are squeezed shut, his brows deeply furrowed in pain.

"No, it's at the dorm," Rhydar groans thickly.

I gulp. He's in agony, and I shouldn't think about how gorgeous he looks right now, but I can't help it. He shivers hard, wrapping his arms around him.

"Fuck," I hear him curse weakly, swallowing hard.

"Stay with him. I'll be back," Theo says to me and doesn't wait for me to give him a response before he takes off.

I don't know what's wrong with Rhydar. But whatever is going on is causing his scent to intoxicate me.

"Creed," he suddenly growls, opening his eyes. They are blazing red. But they keep switching to grey and back. It's like he's losing control of his wolf. This isn't good.

"Come here," he croaks, and despite the fact he isn't using any command, my body obeys.

"Closer," he groans.

The instant I'm close, he grabs me by the wrist and pulls me down to my knees beside him. Then he leans in close, burying his face against my neck. I shiver, my stomach doing random somersaults. I try to pull away, but he holds on to me firmly.

"What are you doing? Stop!" I hiss, but he merely growls and burrows closer.

Shit, at this rate he's going to do something stupid.

"Rhydar, I'm going to knock you out if you don't let go," I threaten, even though my voice is shaking badly.

"I dare you," he whispers, and I gasp, shocked. The nerve of this idiot.