~ Nine ~

The bell rang. Lyall quickly grabbed his bag and left the classroom. He left as fast as he could to avoid Miro.

“Why are you walking so fast?” Miro asked, who was starting to have difficulty keeping up with Lyall.

“None of your business and stop following me.”

“I’m just curious. If she’s really your mate, then—”

Lyall stopped walking and glared at Miro. “I know I’m still a teenager, but I’m an alpha. My bite is deadly for you. So don’t make me upset.” Lyall turned around and started walking again.

“But I’m curious. They are too. You’ve found a mate at a young age! There’s no one like you.”

“Gosh, you’re so nosey.” Lyall said as he continued walking.

“That’s amazing. Come on, admit it. She’s your mate, right?”

Lyall was annoyed and didn’t want to answer anything Miro said. They were really nosey. It made him sick.

“Lyal.”

Lyall ignored the call.

“Lyall.”

Lyall was still walking out of school.

“Lyall.”

“WHAT?! Can you stop calling me?!” Lyall shouted. Several kids there were already staring at him.

“I wasn’t the one who called you.” Miro pointed at someone who was standing behind him. A middle-aged man wearing a plaid shirt with the buttons buttoned to the very top. Matched with a brown velvet jacket that looked old because the color had faded. He was his history teacher, Mr. Myles, who was also a member of the RaClaw pack. Mr. Myles looked surprised by Lyall’s shout earlier.

“A-ahh.. S-sorry.” Lyall replied.

“No problem (laughs awkwardly) Where are you going?” Mr. Myles asked. It was obvious that he was being very careful with Lyall.

“Uhmm.. Going home?”

“At this hour?”

Lyall nodded. “Yes. Is there something wrong?”

“Today there are trials for five sports. Aren’t you coming?”

“Uhmm.. I don’t like sports.” Lyall answered casually. Miro glared at him. “What? That’s right. I don’t like sports at school or with other people.”

“But you have to. You’ll be a senior soon. And grades in extracurricular activities will help.” Mr. Myles tried to persuade.

“I don’t think so. My grades are very good, I think they’re enough to be in the senior class.” Lyall got up to leave.

“But you have to take one of them.” Mr. Myles’ words stopped Lyall in his tracks. “That’s one of the requirements for you to be a senior. No extracurricular activities, no grades.”

Lyall frowned. “I just knew there was such a thing. I thought academic grades were more important.”

“Everything has to be balanced, right? If your academic grades are low, your sports grades will help you. And vice versa. Just go along with it. It doesn’t matter if your grades aren’t perfect or you’re just on the bench. The most important thing is that you’re on the list. That’s enough to be a senior.”

Lyall looked at Mr. Myles and then at Miro. Miro shrugged his shoulders. Lyall took a deep breath.

“Okay.” Lyall finally said.

Mr. Mylas smiled and patted Lyall’s shoulder. Lyall walked back into the school.

“I didn’t know there was such a thing.” Miro commented.

“Just help and look after him. We have to keep him busy, remember? That’s the alpha’s order.”

Miro nodded and ran after Lyall.

“So… What do you choose?” Miro asked when he had caught up to Lyall.

“I don’t know.”

“There are four favorite sports in this school. Basketball, soccer, rugby, and Lacrosse. Who wins the most? Lacrosse and basketball. Rugby? A bit lousy. Soccer? Sucks.”

“Then what are you joining?”

Miro pointed to some people walking away. The basketball team.

“Ahh, so you’re joining that. Wait, isn’t that a boyband member?” Lyall narrowed his eyes, trying to see carefully. “Welp, yup, that’s him. So he’s playing basketball?”

“Yeah, he’s the team captain. He’s really annoying but he plays well.”

“Alright.” Lyall walked back in the opposite direction of the basketball practice area.

“Hey! Where are you going? The gym is over there.”

“I didn’t say I was going to the basketball team. Besides, I don’t want to be on the same team as that cheesy boyband member. I’m going to the rugby team.”

“But why? There’s still the Lacrosse team.”

“Catching a ball while running with a netted stick? Not my type.”

Lyall continued walking while Miro paused for a moment, looked towards the gym, and then ran after Lyall.

***

“Don’t tell me we have to wait for him to wake up.” Odys was getting annoyed with the whole thing.

“There’s no other way. We have to wait.” Darius looked at Scott who was lying on a log that had been enchanted into a wooden bed.

“But you’re a witch, can’t you do your hocus pocus to make him wake up?” Odys began to raise his voice.

“That’s not how magic works, sir.” This time it was Mr. Vattin who answered. “It’s better to let him come to his senses. That would be good for him. He seems to be in too much shock.”

“This is so annoying.” Odys moved away from Scott. He was too upset.

“Okay, while I wait for him, I’ll go get some food. I’m hungry. I want to try something from this town.”

“Your majesty, you know the rules, right?” Darius reminded him.

“Oh, come on, Darius, I’ve been a vampire for thousands of years!” Nick stared in disbelief.

“But part of your life is spent in the castle.” One of the fairies chimed in.

“It’s not like I don’t know anything!”

“I’m just reminding you, your majesty. I know you’ll follow the rules.” Darius explained.

“You’re so annoying, Darius.” Nick glared at Darius. Darius laughed.

“Well yeah. I’m an old fart. My jokes aren’t funny anymore.”

“Old fart? What about me? I am much older than you. I am over a thousand years old!”

Darius laughed again. “That’s right, that’s right. Forgive me, Your Majesty.”

“So rude!” Pierre started to sound. “He’s the vampire king! You should be polite! Ahh!!”

Nick pulled Pierre’s ear. “He’s an old man, should you act like that?!”

“But I’m more—rough it hurts!”

Nick pulled harder.

“Forgive him Darius, he’s still a kid.”

“I didn’t—arrgg!! Stop it!”

“It’s okay, your majesty. It’s my fault too.” Darius smiled.

“Then we’ll go and we’ll be back here soon. Or you can call me. I’ve bought a cell phone.” Nick took his cell phone from his pocket and held it up in front of Darius.

“That’s very nice, your majesty.” Darius praised.

“Keyra chose it for me.”

“So childish.” A grumble was heard from Odys who was already sitting on the wood and folding his arms in front of his chest.

“Uhmm okay. We’re leaving.”

“Wait, wait. Are we going to leave while pulling my ear?”

“Of course. You deserve it.” Nick started walking away.

“Aaakkhhh I don’t want to!!!” Pierre screamed.

“Just do it!”

Nick and Pierre immediately disappeared.

“Alpha, what’s going on? What if he cancels all this?” Ron looked worried.

“I’m worried about that too. The rules are clear. If he doesn’t want to be a supernatural guardian, he has to die. But he still has Charlie and Eira. They can replace him. Let’s just wait.”

“Okay alpha.”

***

Buggh!

Lyall's body was hit hard by another player. This was the umpteenth time. Lyall lay on the grass, trying to catch his breath. Miro walked over to him.

"I told you, this will be hard. Why not the other sports? There's still lacrosse, football, and basketball."

Lyall snorted. He tried to stand up

"Why don't you use your werewolf powers anyway?"

"Are you crazy? They're just humans."

"No need to use it that strong. Just hard enough to make you get away from them. Anyway, he. (pointing to a fairly large person laughing with another player) he's a werewolf. Why do you think he's strong? Besides, this doesn't only require strength, but this (pointing to his head)"

Lyall was silent. Now he understood why the kid was so strong. He even pushed Lyall harder than the others. That means he knows who Lyall is.

"Hey, you! New kid! Are you going to stay there?!" coach Lyall scolded. Lyall immediately went back again. To continue his tryout.

"Ready?!"

The whistle sounded again. Lyall's team got the ball. One member of the prayer launched the ball towards Lyall. Lyall caught it and ran. But not long after... Thud!!

His body was caught by someone.

"Ughh.." Lyall winced. He turned and looked at the person who hit him. He was the kid Miro had pointed at earlier.

"I told you to use your werewolf power." Miro's mind link.

"No, I'm the alpha. I don't want to hurt them."

Lyall got up again. He continued to be targeted by Mike and his friends. But he still didn't use his werewolf power.

"Argh!!!"

Lyall's screams were heard all over the field. He was knocked down again by Mike. This time harder. Lyall held his broken arm.

"What? What's going on?!" Coach Adrian shouted.

Several kids came towards him but Lyall quickly ran towards Miro and held back the pain.

"Oh my gosh, I told you to use your werewolf powers."

"Are you going to keep ranting or are you going to help me?"

"Alright, sorry. Hold on, this is going to hurt."

Lyall nodded and got ready. Krakk!

"Aarghh! Fuck!" Lyall shouted.

"Anyone! Take him to the school clinic!" Coach Adrian demanded.

"No! I'm fine." Lyall returned to the field.

"Just use it on him and his friends. They're werewolves so it's okay." Mindlink Miro. Lyall nodded without looking at Miro.

"Are you sure you're okay, new kid?" Coach Adrian asked.

"Okay, coach."

“Okay. If it hurts, don’t force it.”

“I understand, coach.”

“Good. Get ready!!”

The whistle sounded again. Lyall’s team got the ball again. Lyall ran away. No one was guarding him. Lyall caught the ball without any obstacles and ran. Yup! This time he was determined not to be Mike’s punching bag again, at least only him. Lyall managed to avoid two players. He saw Mike approaching him with two other people. He was surrounded.

Mike and his two friends tried to catch Lyall, but Lyall was able to break through them, even though they were seen being thrown roughly on the field. A groan was heard from the audience bench. Lyall avoided three other players and threw himself into the opponent’s goal area. Lyall managed to score. Everyone in the audience bench cheered. So did Miro who was screaming incoherently on the sidelines.

Miro handed Lyall a drink bottle. He had managed to make his team draw with the opposing team.

“I told you, use your werewolf power!” Miro patted Lyall’s back.

“Only if those losers get in my way. If not, I won't do it." Lyall took a sip of his drink.

"I'm sure you'll make it into the team."

"Maybe. But after I get in, I'll still be on the bench and senior class? I won't be in anything like this. No more."

"If that's what you want. When will the results be out?"

"Tomorrow. Let's go. I want to practice before going home and studying." Lyall took his bag and left, followed by Miro. But his steps were stopped by Mike and his friends who were already standing in front of him.

"Shouldn't you just give up? With a small body like that, it's more suitable to play Lacrosse like a loser. What's the point of just relying on your werewolf strength?" Mike said sarcastically, greeted by laughter from his friends. Lyall just sighed in annoyance. He wanted to pass the pack but they blocked him. Lyall was annoyed and then changed his eyeballs. The pack was silent for a moment then laughed.

"You think if you're the alpha you'll scare me? (laughing mockingly) I'm not afraid of you even if you turn into that creature. What's it called? (asking his friend) Lycan monster? Whatever it is. My advice? Go far away.”

Mike laughed and walked while bumping his body into Lyall.

“Alpha? Huh! Seriously. He doesn’t even have a pack. A discarded Alpha!” they all laughed.

Lyall growled harshly. Miro held him back.

“Don’t. You don’t want to be a big problem and change to that monster, right?” whispered Miro who saw Lyall staring at Mike.

“Look! He seems angry.. Uhhh I’m scared. Save me!! Loser!”

They laughed again. Lyall couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore. He went up to Mike and hit his face hard. Mike took a few steps back and almost fell. His friends managed to hold him back. He returned to his position and growled. He seemed to be challenging Lyall to a duel. Mike’s body was tall and muscular. For a high school student to have a body like that was extraordinary. Moreover, he was also a werewolf. One of the mainstay Omegas of the RaClaws pack.

“Hey, hey! Stop that!” Coach Adrian intervened with them. “I don’t tolerate violence between members of my team. Mike, get back to practice.” Mike still stared at Lyall then walked away.

“And you! new kid! I won’t let my team get torn apart. Now get off my court!”

Lyall left without another word. He walked out of the school and into the woods. Of course, Miro was still following him.

“What if they kick you out?” Miro started with his question.

“I don’t care.”

“Right. There’s something else. Basketball?”

“You wish.”

“Well worth trying, right?”

Lyall didn’t answer anymore. He just kept walking deeper into the woods.

“Where do you want to go?” Miro asked again. But Lyall didn’t answer. He was tired of answering all of Miro’s questions. “Lyall, where are we going?”

“Stop asking and just go back to school. What a nag.” Lyall grumbled. Of course, Miro couldn’t. He was directly ordered by Carl to be with Lyall at school. Because Miro was one of the strongest? No. Because Miro was calmer than the others, he didn’t get carried away by emotions which made him seem like he could handle Lyall. There would be no fights or arguments about trivial matters.

Suddenly Lyall stopped in his tracks. He stood still in his place, seemingly listening to something. Lyall’s eyes were fixed in front of him. Miro stared at Lyall’s face for a moment then looked at what Lyall was staring at. He seemed to understand what was happening.

“Someone is running towards us.” Lyall said. Sure enough, a girl was seen running quickly towards him. Eira!

Lyall was quite surprised by what he saw. Especially Eira who didn’t stop running. She looked frightening. Eira just ran past Lyall. Lyall saw blood on Eira’s clothes. Lyall stared at Miro for a moment then ran after Eira.

“Hey! Wait!” Lyall asked. But Eira didn't stop. "Wait!"

Eira fell. Her feet stumbled on a sticking tree root. Lyall managed to catch up with her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lyall asked but Eira screamed hysterically while hitting Lyall. "Hey... Hey, stop... It's me." Eira ignored him. She kept screaming and hitting Lyall.

"EIRA!!" this time Lyall's voice was louder than Eira's screams. Eira was silent. She looked at Lyall and Miro alternately then hugged Lyall while crying. Lyall was shocked. He froze in place. Not moving at all.

"Eira, what's going on?" Miro finally asked. But Eira didn't answer. She could only cry.

"Wait..." Lyall finally said. He sharpened his hearing and smell. Miro turned his body and growled, while Lyall stared at the direction Eira came from. From there, two young men came out, walking casually with a friendly smile. They approached Lyall and Miro.

“Huh.... It turns out to be just two little dogs.”

“Wh-who are you guys?”

“Us? (laughs) I think even without any explanation, you know who we are.” The brown-haired man replied.

“We just want the girl.” The white-haired man pointed at Eira with his chin. Lyall stood up and hid Eira behind his body.

“What do you want her for?” Lyall asked.

The white-haired man sighed. “I don’t feel like making small talk. We’re not done with her yet. Don’t worry. I know the rules. She will return safely without remembering anything.”

“She’s not going anywhere. And I suggest you guys leave.” Lyall’s voice didn’t tremble at all. He didn’t seem afraid.

“Otherwise, what do you want?”

Lyall growled and changed his eyes. The white-haired man looked a little surprised then changed his surprise into a smile.

“Ah.... So he’s that little alpha..”

This time it was Lyall who was surprised. What did he mean?