Chapter 3

The class began as Professor Ste-phen continued from where the old lecturer had left off. His voice was thick yet smooth. Each time his gaze met Mason's, Mason quickly looked away.

Why did it affect him? Was it the same for everyone else?

Mason's eyes darted around the room. He noticed the girls were practically drooling over him, their faces lighting up whenever Professor Ste-phen's gaze fell in their direction.

Mason couldn't concentrate. He then decided to fix his eyes on his book.

The class seemed to drag on, finally ending after an hour. Professor Ste-phen was good—smooth in his teaching, his accent impeccable.

The girls clapped as he wrapped up his lecture, drawing out the list of names in the class.

"Sarah Martin," he called out with ease, his voice filling the room.

"Present, sir," a girl exclaimed excitedly from the back.

"Is this some kind of freaking high school or something?" Mason heard Aurthur mutter under his breath.

Professor Ste-phen's piercing gaze snapped to Aurthur, and he immediately fell silent. For the first time, Mason witnessed Aurthur being intimidated by someone.

"Carl Martinez," the professor called next, and a guy responded from the back.

Soon, it was Mason's turn. "Mason Allen."

"Present, sir," Mason replied, swallowing hard as their gazes locked. Chills prickled his skin. What was happening to him?

"Freak," Aurthur whispered just loud enough for Mason to hear.

After class ended, Professor Ste-phen left the class while Mason hastily packed his things, but Aurthur stepped in his path, a smirk on his lips.

"Where are you going, Misfit? Let's have a chat," Aurthur taunted smugly.

"Get out of my way," Mason demanded. The anger of what Aurthur said to him earlier, still gnawed on his nerves.

"Or what?" Aurthur challenged, his friends watching with eager anticipation. Mason could feel the stares of the other students, enjoying the show. 

When Mason didn’t respond, Aurthur shoved him in the chest. "Or what, Mason?" He pushed him again, making Mason lose his balance and fall, hitting his head on one of the desks.

Pain shot through him as he groaned, reaching for his head only to see blood on his fingers.

Mason's eyes flashed with anger as Aurthur laughed. Hissing in fury, he charged at Aurthur and landed a heavy punch on his face.

Blood spilled from Aurthur's lips like a fountain as he fell against the desk with a loud thud. A cry escaped him, and realization struck Mason.

He had just hit Aurthur—the son of the renowned CEO of Moore Corporation.

The word "doomed" hardly captured his predicament. It was over. Mr. Moore would undoubtedly come after him. His education would be ruined, and all his efforts wasted.

The other students were just as shocked as Mason, including Aurthur's friends, who were momentarily distracted. Seizing the opportunity, Mason dashed out of the classroom.

"Asshole!" Thane shouted, trailing after him.

Once outside, the chase began. Thane and Reed were hot on his heels. He ignored the ache on his body and focused more on escaping these guys.

A dropout? He was considering that as the best option now.

Mason weaved through the crowd, the chase lasting several minutes before he finally lost them. He found a corner to hide and catch his breath.

Tears pricked at his eyes. There's no way he'll be able to set foot into school ever again.

•••

That night, Mason settled down with the small dinner he had managed to prepare for himself, his heart still racing from the school encounter with Aurthur. What was he thinking hitting Jmaes like that. He deserves it. Yeah, but he still shouldn't have.

They didn’t know where he lived, but he couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding growing within him.

A knock sounded on his door, making him flinch. He stayed quiet, not expecting any visitors. The knock came again, louder this time.

"Who's there?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Open the door, freak," came Aurthur's voice from the other side, causing Mason to jump. They had found out where he lived? How?

"Oh God," he muttered, fear etched on his face.

"Open up, or I'm gonna break this door down!!" Aurthur yelled, punctuating his threat with a loud thud. It was clear he was furious. Unfortunately, the lock on Mason's door was faulty.

After several hard hits, the door smashed open. Aurthur and his friends stepped inside his room apartment, their eyes burning with rage.

Mason grabbed a frying pan in defense, his heart racing as he stared at them. Aurthur's eyes darted around, and Mason noticed the bruise at the corner of Aurthur's lips—the one he had inflicted.

"I knew your place would be as trashy as you are," Aurthur mocked, drawing something from beneath his shirt. A dagger. His friends did the same.

Oh shit.

Sweat beaded on Mason's forehead as he took a step back.

Mason's throat dried, his mouth slightly parted, chest heaving as he struggled to control his breathing. His grip on the frying pan tightened, bracing for what was about to come.

"You've got some nerve, Misfit. Not only did you insult me, but you also punched me in front of the entire fucking class!" Aurthur roared, kicking a chair before stepping forward.

"Get out of my house, or I'll call the cops," Mason's voice trembled.

"The cops? Oh please, even if you do, they'll do nothing," Aurthur sneered, his expression transforming into one of bloodlust. "I should have killed you when I had the chance. There’s no holding back now."

Thane and Reed charged at Mason, who tried to defend himself with the frying pan but was no match for them. They brought him down to the floor.

"Stop it! Ugh!!"

They hit him several times, and Mason curled into a ball. By the time they were finished, he was bleeding from multiple wounds, bruises marring his skin.

His vision blurred as he fought to stay conscious. Was this how it was going to end?

"Mom," he whispered, though no sound escaped his lips. It hurt everywhere.

Aurthur let out a dark chuckle, crouching down to cradle Mason's bloody face. "Now I'm going to savor your screams while I cut you piece by piece, Mason. You don’t deserve to live."

It was all over. This was how he was going to die. A painful smile spread across Mason's face as despair washed over him. After all his struggles, he would end up killed in his own apartment.

Just as Aurthur raised the knife, the lights flickered out.

"What the hell?" Thane's voice echoed in the darkness.

"Turn on the lights!" Aurthur demanded, his grip tightening around Mason's neck.

The air suddenly shifted, becoming cold and chilling, as if the room had been swallowed by an unnatural force, sending shivers down their spines.

"Guys, do you feel that?" Reed asked, his eyes darting around in a panic.

"Yeah," Thane whispered.

"Turn on the damn lights!" Aurthur barked, but a low rumble echoed from the darkness. Thane quickly reached for his phone while Reed stared at a dark figure he had spotted.

Silence. Then, a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the corner of the room, cutting through the dark like twin orbs of fire.

"What the—"

Reed’s words were cut off. Mason, confused by the unfolding events, felt Aurthur's hand leave his neck, followed by sounds that terrified him to the core.

Screams. Pleas. Sickening cracks of bones. Growls and the sound of blood splattering. Some of it even reached Mason's face.

Mason noticed the glowing eyes moving like a flash before everything fell silent. The eyes settled on him, drawing closer with heavy thuds, a clear sign of their approach.

A terrifying monster was in his room. This had to be a nightmare, right? This couldn't be real.

Just then, the light flickered back on for a brief moment, and Mason caught a glimpse of the tall, imposing figure in his room.

No way.

Professor Ste-phen?

******

Ste-phen 

Weak, lowly human... Not just a human, but a male. A fucking male, bullied by his own peers. He was full of shit.

The moon goddess was certainly playing tricks on him.

After centuries of searching, filled with the hope of finding his female mate—the one he desired above all—he ended up with a male.

His beta had been right. He was cursed never to be happy. How could he have thought the moon goddess would forgive him after what he had done years ago?

The heavens would torment him until the end of his immortal life. Why not just end him as punishment instead of tormenting him this way?

Ste-phen eyes settled on the unconscious boy laying on his king sized bed. His body full of bruises, some old, some fresh. Just how weak his mate is?

His dark eyes observed his face close. 

The boy's face was delicate, paled beneath the bruise and scratches that marred his skin. His breath were shallow, with each rise and fall if his chest reminding Ste-phen of how fragile he was.

Ste-phen was twice his size—a far cry from the strong, fierce, beautiful mate he had craved for all these years.

Every fiber of his being resented this bond, feeling like a curse—a twisted joke that gnawed at his soul. He rebelled against the invisible strings that tied their souls together, yet he could feel them pulling him towards the boy on the bed.

Ste-phen leaned closer, his breath brushing against the boy's skin. The scent overwhelmed him, faint yet buried beneath blood and sweat.

He hated it. He hated him.

What was his name again? Mason Allens.

"Damn the moon goddess," Ste-phen growled, his cold eyes fixed on the boy.

Mason stirred slightly, his lips parting in a soft whimper, although he didn’t wake up. For a fleeting moment, Ste-phen’s gaze softened before bitterness and anger returned.

The boy would break under his pressure.

He had almost killed those assholes from last night. He enjoyed torturing them, almost killing them, and savoring their screams. This was his mate, after all.

Fuck. He hated the possessiveness he felt toward boy. The urge to destroy anyone who hurt him. He loathed it.

The boy's stirred again, this time his eyes fluttered open, meeting with his gaze.

He gasped and shifted away from him in a haste, a frown settled upon his face.

"Pro... Professor Ste-phen?" He stuttered, darting his eye around the room. "W..what am I doing here?... Why am I here? What is this place?"

He asks a lot of questions, and have a bad retentive memories. Ste-phen took note of those points.

Okay. This is all bullshit. He should just go with rejection instead. He can't keep up with this.

"I Ste-phen Draven reject you Mason Allen as my mate" Ste-phen said, his voice cold as he waited for the boy's reaction.

Nothing.

Mason only stared at him confusion, a frown settled on his face. 

No pain on his chest? Like his heart was squeezing?

Ah right, he doesn't have a wolf. He was a human.

Mason suddenly hissed at the pain on his body, his hand rubbed on his rib region. Then, his eyes snapped wide open, his began to race as he shifted his gaze to him.

"You..." He paused. "You were in my room last night... That wasn't a dream? You... What are you? You had glowing eyes"

Ste-phen sighed, maybe once he accept the rejection, all of these would be over.

"Accept the rejection, Mason" he demanded, eyes cold as he waited for the boy to speak. Instead, he quickly jumped down from the bed and ran to the door to dash other.

Just as Mason was about to reach the door, a strong wind brush his skin, and Ste-phen's hand wrapped around his neck, slamming him to the wall.

He winced as the pain that shot through his spine.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ste-phen growled, his eyes flashing color for a fleeting moment.

"Please let me go. Please don't kill me" Mason sobbed.

'Fuck, such a crybaby' Ste-phen thought, then something struck his mind. A sly smile crept on his lips.

"Fine, I won't kill you. But only on one condition, Mason" Ste-phen could hear Mason racing heart. Seeing creatures fear him, oddly intrigued him but it wasn't the case for this boy. He need to get this over with.

"Accept my rejection and I'll let you go" Ste-phen demanded.

"I don't know the fuck you're talking about" the boy trembled under his hold. 

Ste-phen let out a low rumble of frustration. "Fine repeat after me. I Mason Allen accept your rejection, Ste-phen Draven"

"I, Mason Allen accept your rejection, Ste-phen Draven" he said quickly.

Ste-phen felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. The string tying their soul together was still there. His jaw clenched hard. This wasn't right. The rejection should severe the bond, shattering the chain that bind him with this fragile human.

Yet it was still there, strong. Gnawing at his soul.

"Fucking damnit" he growled.

Mason whimpered, his hold around his neck was getting tighter. He asked "You said you'll let go.. Did..  I do it wrong?"

Ste-phen let out a low growled. He would do it again.

"I Ste-phen Draven reject you Mason Allen as my mate" he repeated and instructed. "now repeat what you said earlier"

He seemed to catch on and accepted the rejected. Yet nothing. The bond remained the same. It was driving him nuts. 

He released and moved away from the boy before he squeeze the life out of him, and end him right there. In which would destroy him completely.

Mason saw that he distracted, occupied by rage and confusion. His eyes spot a random key on the small shelf, siezed the opportunity and dashed out of the room only to meet the spacious living room, bath with wealth and luxury, well furnished and grand.

Just how rich was this man? Who was he? His space was overwhelming-- a display of wealth and power. The wall lined with ancient priceless arts, framed with gold, crystal chandelier hund at the center of the room, casting a soft glow. The ground made of plush dark carper, far luxurious for his dirty feet.

He haven't encounter such a luxurious place before, but then reminded himself of his situation. His eyes search frantically for the door, and when he spot it, his feet quickened towards it.

He searched for a key hole, but found none. It was a high tech door, that can be open through a fingerprint, key card or face identification.. which means, Ste-phen was the only one who can open the door.

"Oh God"

"And where do you think you're going?" Ste-phen’s voice made his voice ran cold. Not only just because of his voice, but because, he could feel his hard chest pressing against his back.

Mason didn't even hear his footstep coming close, how did he got to him like a flash. His eyes shut, waiting for the man to tear him apart, but instead he heard beep and his eyes opened only to see the door slipping open.

Mason didn't waste a second stormed out before the door could close. Just before it shut, his eyes met with Ste-phen.

Those eyes felt like it peirced through his sould, he noticed Ste-phen's lips curled up, making him look like one of those demons from hell. It scared the shit out of him.

Mason ran as he could without looking back.

What the hell was he?!