Chapter 5: Friend and Gossip

Kayah’s Point of View

“What? Did the cat get your tongue, my lady?” Seven said as he was staring at me. 

“Uhm, I think you got the wrong, girl, Sir,” I said. Trying to step back from him. 

I knew this man.

“Did I? If I did, you wouldn’t be wearing that dress which I custom-made only for you,” he said. 

Oh…This gown isn’t mine! I just found it in the middle of the forest…

I wanted to tell him but just by looking at the Rogue King, my knees felt like Jelly and I was scared of him. 

What should I do? I need to get out of here!

“Don’t you feel me?” He growls lowly, enough for me to hear. “Because I’m damn sure you are my mate.”

Sweat started to form on my forehead. 

“I…uhm c-can I go to the bathroom?”

He furrowed. 

“Let me escort you-”

“No. No I can go alone,” I said and didn’t wait for his next words as I turned around and ran away from him. I intend to leave the mating ball. I rather go back to my abusive pack rather than to be mated with a Rogue King. 

After making sure he didn’t follow me, took the clothes off and left it there before shifting and running away. 

I didn’t know how I reached my house. After making sure mom was sleeping, I slowly climbed into my room and let my exhausted body rest. 

I woke up due to my Mom’s yells for her breakfast.  Five minutes later, her breakfast was served. I made her bacon and eggs ready. I set a plate in front of her on the bar counter and quickly stepped back, putting much-needed distance between us. 

Mother looks at the plate, and her glazed eyes, which were once beautiful shades of blue now dead. 

"What have you done? You expect me to eat this?" she exclaimed, shoving greasy strands of blond hair off her face. I cower slightly as I duck my head instinctively but not timidly anyway. 

"It's e-eggs, y-your favorite," I stuttered, my voice breaking into a nervous stutter. 

"Are you talking back to me?" she shouted, and before I could comprehend, she grabbed an empty bottle of beer in front of her and threw it to me. My eyes widen, but in those infinite seconds, my instinct takes control and commands my body, making me hunker down in the last millisecond. 

That was close, I whispered. 

The glass bottle slams on the wall behind me, shattering into a million little pieces. But I'd still be second too late as a piece of glass grazes my right ear. Another small shard has scraped my temple as well. I felt a warm liquid oozing down and stinging cut. Like that, mother digs in the food, acting like there's no tomorrow. 

I escaped to my class without her notice. 

My wolf is weak due to severe malnourishment as a kid and lack of training. My werewolf abilities were also weak; that's why healing took a lot more time than the others. 

I wipe the last blood and check for any spots on my shirt. I find a small blot on my shirt sleeve and ignore it. It is way too small to be noticed anyway. 

I pushed the rim of my glasses up and hiked my backpack higher. I throw the bloodied tissue away on my way out of the house. 

Now, it's not that I can't see without glasses. My vision is better than that of normal humans. It's just not on par with other wolves. My headaches and eyes tear up when I look too hard at tiny things or read too much. 

The pack doctor kindly suggested that I wear glasses with a minuscule amount of power. He told me it would heal once I found my mate the moment we marked each other. 

Thinking about a mate, I'm afraid my future mate will be weak like me. What if he rejects me? What if he doesn't like me? I couldn’t meet him because of the Rogue King. He hindered my chance to find him. I bet he wouldn’t ever remember me once I’m back to my old self and no makeup at all.

It takes a five-minute walk to reach the university. My house was situated on the border of pack territory and the no man's land, where you can all find establishments. Next to the no man's land is the Greyhound pack, the biggest pack in Aurora. 

Thanks to Alpha Jordan's determination to talk about peace in Greyhound's Alpha, they made a treaty and established schools and universities for all wolves and humans alike. 

Once the inordinate steel gates of Sue University came into view, I grimaced unintentionally; seeing as this is my least favorite place in the whole world, I need to endure to earn myself a degree. I took a deep breath as I walked to my locker leisurely and put a small smile on my face. My smile widens further when I spot Leona Lewis, my best friend since we were kids, leaning against my locker. 

"Hey, Kayah," she greeted me enthusiastically. 

Several heads snapped at us, and she ducked her head, slapping his hand over her mouth in embarrassment and panic. We wouldn't want to add more trouble now. We have a lot on our plate with bullying as it is. 

Leona was also bullied in this university but not as much as I am. That's why avoiding necessary noise is a must for us. To avoid unwanted attention, I grabbed her elbow and led her to our first subject for today. 

"What's all the buzz about?" I questioned Leona curiously, falling into step with her as we have in the common first subject. 

"Hey, do you know who the new Professor is?" she inquires, and her eyes widen the size of moons. 

What's wrong with her?

"Umm," he gulped. "I-It's the Rogue King!" She said nervously. 

“What!?”

“You heard me right? I didn’t know why he was here and teaching. But rumor said that he has been looking for his runaway mate.”

Leona gasps in shock, and her grip on his elbow loosens, which she takes as an escape and scurries away. 

"What?" I asked, thrown off the loop by her reaction. This seems to pull her out of her reverie, and her head swivels in my direction so fast. I'm surprised she didn't get whiplash. “His mate?”

"Yeah and also I heard she’s studying here too!" she caterwauls, her eyes widening again to the size of a saucer. “Lucky girl…

“Oh my Goddess, there he is!” Leona whispered and I slowly turned around. 

It’s the Rogue King Seven! He was wearing an all-black attire matching his long black hair.

Damn it. He’s freaking hot and everyone is already gawking at him. 

Oh no… This isn’t supposed to be happening! Maybe he knew I was here? 

I immediately left Leona who was still stuck staring at the King.

This can’t be. Never in my life did I expect for a Rogue King to come down from his throne to become a professor. This is absurd. I already left the gown and all the stuff I found in that bag before I escaped. But why was he here? 

Coincidence? Maybe.