CHAPTER 3

"Damn it, let me go, you filthy mutt!" Victoria spat, pulling violently at the arm I held in my grip.

I didn't just let her go. Instead, my grip on Victoria’s wrist tightened, pressing down on her pressure points until her fingernails turned stark white.

"Let me go, damn it!" Victoria shrieked once more, her eyes flashing a dangerous crimson from a volatile mix of fury and pain.

She attempted to swing her left hand to claw my face, but before her sharp talons could even extend, the restroom door behind us suddenly shattered into splinters.

Crash!

The heavy oak door buckled completely, ripping off its hinges and slamming onto the floor with a deafening roar. A dense, freezing gust from the outside immediately rushed in, violently dispelling the damp warmth of the restroom.

Along with the cold, a sharp, suffocating aura of a high-tier Alpha’s pheromones flooded the entire space, instantly seizing the lungs of everyone inside.

Victoria’s friends, who had been pinning my arms just seconds ago, instantly released their grip and dropped straight to their knees. Their bodies trembled violently, utterly unable to withstand the crushing pressure of such a massive Alpha aura.

I let go of Victoria’s wrist, letting her stumble backward as she gasped for air.

Standing in the ruined doorway was Kael.

He was still wearing his hockey jersey, but this time, the mocking smirk was entirely gone from his face. His golden eyes swept over the room with lethal intensity.

His gaze slowly lowered, taking in the overturned bucket, the puddles of water on the floor, and finally landing on my drenched form and the dark purple bruise on my shoulder, which lay exposed through my torn hoodie.

"K-Kael?" Victoria whimpered, her voice instantly softening into a meek whine. "Help me, Kael. She... that mutt is bullying me," she sobbed, taking a step toward Kael, who stood completely still.

"Don't touch me," Kael barked coldly as Victoria reached out to grab his arm.

I knew exactly what Victoria was doing. She was trying to win Kael’s sympathy by twisting the facts and painting me as the abuser. How utterly pathetic these pureblood wolves could be.

Kael walked right past Victoria, leaving her frozen by the blunt rejection. His Alpha pheromones continued to roll off him in heavy waves, sending Victoria’s friends scrambling backward in sheer terror until their backs hit the wall.

The prince stopped right in front of me. Looking down, he took in my disheveled, soaking-wet appearance from head to toe, his jaw clenching tightly.

"You really are a handful, sweetheart," Kael muttered under his breath. His voice sounded as sarcastic as always, but he immediately stripped off the thick hockey jacket draped over his shoulders and tossed it over my head.

"Kael! Why are you helping her?!" Victoria shrieked from behind, her voice cracking with pure frustration. She couldn't accept that the man she worshipped was giving his attention to the illegitimate sister she hated most. "She attacked me first! She intentionally trapped me in here!"

Kael turned around slowly. His golden eyes locked onto Victoria with a gaze so chilling it practically froze the air in the room.

A cruel, mocking smirk carved its way onto his handsome lips. "Attacked you?" Kael chuckled darkly, a sound that sent a shiver of pure intimidation through the air. "She’s completely alone, she's the one who looks like a total mess, and you girls have her outnumbered. How on earth could she attack you and trap you in here? Don't make an absolute fool of yourself," he said, emphasizing every single word.

Victoria was silenced instantly, her face turning pale.

Without giving them another glance, Kael turned back to face me. His grip felt incredibly solid and warm as he grabbed my arm to pull me out of there.

"Come with me," Kael commanded, leaving no room for argument as he led me right past the shattered restroom door.

I had no choice but to resign myself to his strength and follow him, entirely ignoring the venomous, vengeful glares Victoria shot at my back.

"Enough!" my voice flared, successfully halting Kael's steps in front of me.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at me. "What?"

"This is far enough," I said, pulling his jacket off my shoulders and thrusting it back to him. "Now, give me back my pendant."

"No," Kael replied casually.

I stared at him in utter disbelief. "What do you mean, no? It’s mine. Give it back!"

Instead of complying, Kael crossed his arms over his chest, letting the hockey jacket hang loosely from one of his forearms. His golden eyes stared straight at me, scanning my dripping wet body from head to toe before locking back onto my gaze.

"Do you honestly think I walked into a ladies' room, destroyed a door, and rescued you from those annoying wolves for free?" Kael took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance.

"I never asked for your help. I could have handled it myself."

"Oh, really? And yet, you managed to walk out of that place because of me, didn't you?" he countered. I couldn't deny it; he was right.

"Regardless, I thank you. But please, just give me the pendant," I pleaded, holding out my hand.

"I can't do that," he said, a thoroughly infuriating expression crossing his face. If he weren't the future Alpha, I would have punched him right in his handsome, smug face. "Consider this pendant collateral."

"Collateral for what?!" I snapped, fighting to keep my voice from rising.

"Collateral for laying your eyes on my priceless body. You do know, don't you, that an Alpha's body isn't meant to be seen by just anyone? Especially someone who isn't his fated mate," Kael replied, a sly, predatory glint in his eyes.

My eyes widened as a surge of disbelief washed over me. What kind of ridiculous excuse was that?

"Are you insane?!" I hissed, completely unable to contain my annoyance this time. "It was an accident! The instructor punished me by making me clean that room, and I had absolutely no idea you were in the showers!"

Instead of backing off, Kael merely arched an eyebrow, thoroughly enjoying every spark of fury radiating from my face. He took another step forward, closing the gap between us until I could smell the rich, masculine scent of his skin.

"Accident or not, your eyes saw everything, sweetheart," Kael whispered deeply, his playful smirk shifting into an intense gaze that entirely pinned me in place. "And in my world, everything requires accountability."

"I refuse to take accountability for something so indecent! Give me back my pendant!" I thrust my palm right in front of his chest, demanding the precious heirloom that belonged to my mother.

Rather than answering, his gaze drifted down to my drab, soaking hoodie, which clung tightly to my skin and revealed the deep purple bruises beneath the torn fabric. Ignoring my protests entirely, his large, powerful hands moved swiftly to take the heavy hockey jacket and forcefully drape it back over my shoulders.

This time, he pulled both sides of the collar forward, gripping them tightly to ensure I couldn't rip it off again.

"Wear it and stop being so stubborn. Your hybrid body will freeze to death before you ever manage to take this thing back from me," Kael commanded, his voice sharp and laced with the absolute authority of an Alpha.

He released his grip on the collar and turned on his heel to lead the way. "Come to my lounge. Clean yourself up and tend to those bruises. Once you look more like a human and less like a drowned rat, then we'll talk about this pendant."

I clenched my fists inside the oversized sleeves of his hockey jacket. This man was incredibly sarcastic, stubborn, and always did exactly as he pleased. However, watching his broad back as he walked away, I knew it was pointless to argue with a dominant wolf in my current, weakened state.

With extreme reluctance, I took a breath and followed him.

Kael stopped in front of a heavy teak door carved with the emblem of a golden wolf. He swiped his keycard, causing the electronic lock to emit a soft click, and pushed the door open.

"Get in," he ordered without looking back, walking straight toward a mini-counter inside the room.

I stepped inside hesitantly, my eyes scanning the vast, luxurious space. It was the epitome of a crown prince Alpha's quarters. However, my attention was quickly brought back as Kael turned around and tossed a small first-aid kit and a clean towel onto the couch in the center of the room.

"The bathroom is on the left. Change your clothes into one of the shirts in that closet, then treat your bruises," he said in a curt, utterly unwelcoming tone. "Oh, and get out of here the moment you're done. I have to leave. We'll talk about the pendant another time."

"Hey—" Before I could even voice my protest, he had already sauntered out. What an incredibly infuriating, self-centered man.

I let out a long sigh, my gaze falling back onto the clean towel resting on the sofa.

I had just arrived back at the estate of Gamma Julius, my father. I had intentionally left Kael’s jacket back at the lounge and hadn't changed into his clothes. It would have been far too dangerous to return home wearing his things.

Besides, I knew trouble was already brewing, considering the chaos that had unfolded at the academy.

Slap!

A brutal, heavy backhand struck my left cheek with full force.

The impact was so powerful it sent my body reeling, crashing hard onto the cold marble floor. A searing heat burned across the skin of my cheek, followed immediately by the metallic taste of blood welling up at the corner of my lips.

***