006

KYLIE AS KAYDEN

Someone pushed me to the ground. I screamed, punching them straight in the face. The boy fell back with a groan, his eyes narrowing at me.

“He’s a fighter!” One of them shouted to Desmond.

Desmond groaned and rolled in his seat, muttering. “Ugh, the worst of the worst. I just want to feed my eyes, and I’ll let you be on your way.”

That would have been a pretty good deal if I was a boy, but I wasn’t, and right now I didn’t like how boxed in a corner I was.

“No!” I yelled at him. “I’m not showing you anything. Let me go!”

“You’re in my territory, pretty boy,” he bit back at me. “You were the one who walked right into here with your own self. No one pushed you.”

“I didn’t know the rules!”

He shrugged. “None of my business.”

I scowled, still struggling against the boys trying to hold me down. There were three of them—the first two stayed at my sides, attempting to pin me in place, while the third hovered about, unsure of where to grab.

“Is this how you treat everyone you come across?!” I yelled at Desmond.

There was silence. It was obvious I had struck a nerve, putting myself in an even worse situation than before.

“Undress him,” Desmond growled.

The boys simultaneously pinned me to the ground. I hadn’t even known that they were holding back for him to give the order until that very moment.

“No, please… no…”

“Just show me what it is, pretty boy,” Desmond taunted. “Come on, show me.”

The buttons in my chest flew open. I yelped, covering my shirt with my hands and trying to push the boys away at the same time.

“Stop it… No, no…”

They weren’t listening to me. Tears gathered in my eyes, threatening to spill. This couldn’t be happening. Oh no, for God’s sake.

My shirt was off now, and the only thing separating them from my bare chest was the singlet I wore—and the binder beneath it, which they hadn’t noticed yet.

“Stop.”

It was barely more than a whisper, a breeze in the air, but the words drifted through everyone’s ears. They froze.

I gasped, scrambling to pull my shirt back over my body, forcing myself not to break down right there in front of everyone.

It’s our mate, my wolf, Akira, whispered within me. He’s here.

I turned.

Ryan was walking toward the group, hands tucked into his pockets. He wore a black hoodie and dark trousers, blending so seamlessly into the night that I almost didn’t see him—until he stepped into the light. As usual, his face was in a sour expression.

What is he doing here? I desperately tried to think. Oh goddess, I hope he’s not trying to join them.

He’s trying to save us! Akira rebuked.

I frowned and buttoned up my shirt, brushing my hair away from my face. I doubted that Ryan was really here to save me. He was the most brutal of all three.

If it weren’t for him, would I even be out here, suffering like this?

He’s here to save us, Akira whispered again.

I highly doubt that, I bit back

“Alpha Ryan,” Desmond laughed smoothly, his laughter not quite reaching his eyes. “What a surprise seeing you here. Did anything interest you in this gathering?”

Ryan turned his head to look at me. I looked down, not meeting his eyes. Embarrassment filled me. How can he see me in this situation?

“Not exactly,” Ryan said. “But something did catch my attention.” He pointedly looked at me again.

Desmond followed his eyes to me, and then laughed. “We were just having a bit of fun. Do you want to join us?”

“No.” The ‘no’ came out a bit too strongly, almost like disgust. I shrunk deeper in embarrassment. Did he hate me that much?

“I want you to let him go,” Ryan told Desmond, his expression blank.

Desmond shook his head, his smile slowly disappearing. “He walked into my territory himself. He’s mine.”

“I won’t repeat myself a second time. Let him go.”

There was silence. Akira danced triumphantly within me, but I was just as silent as everyone else. I didn’t think he was coming here to save me.

“You can’t just waltz in here and take our plaything!” a voice called out. “This snack came to us himself!”

“Yeah!” another voice chimed in. “Don’t come here and ruin our fun with your Alpha sh*t!”

“Yeah, just play with your own toys!” Another added.

Before the voices could rise into a cacophony, Ryan’s eyes glazed over in the direction of the noise. Everyone instantly went silent, cowering into themselves as his eyes scanned them.

What? I was appalled. What kind of power did he possess to command that kind of reaction?

Ryan’s eyes landed on Desmond piercingly. I could feel the tension between the both of them.

“Let him go,” Desmond told the boys holding me.

“But—”

“Let him go,” he repeated, his gaze hard.

They released me. I rushed to my luggage, scrambling to gather my things. The boys tutted their teeth and went back to their business, murmuring under their breath.

Ryan walked away without so much as a glance, not even offering a helping hand with my bags. I had no choice but to follow him, dragging my things behind me. He was the only one who could protect me now.

“Thank you,” I called out to him. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up…”

“Don’t thank me,” he answered coldly. “I just can’t stand people being bullied.’

I rolled my eyes inwardly at this. Yeah right, see who’s speaking. Ryan suddenly stopped and turned to me. I backed up, hoping that he did not just read my thoughts. Was that possible? Could he do that?

“Do you have a death wish?” Ryan asked me, and all the questions in my head came to a stop.

“What?”

His eyes were cold when he stared at me. “You must have a death wish. Otherwise, why would you come to school you know nothing about and did no research on?”

“I…” I opened my mouth and closed it, shocked.

“If you want to survive, there’s two things you must know.” He regarded me for a moment, as if debating whether or not to tell me the things. “Avoid me, and then avoid Desmond. Maybe then you would survive.”

I stared at him, forgetting for a moment that he was scary. A short laughter burst through my throat.

“Since I’ve encountered both of you and survived, I don’t think I need any more survival tips, do i?”

He turned around, ignoring me. “Try it again, then.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I ran after him. “Let me spend the night at the dorm, please. Just one night!”

He glanced briefly at me, and then at my things. “One night,” Ryan said as he walked on. “Nothing more than that.”