5. Bullied

RHEA’S POV

    Today was the last day of high school, and tonight marked a monumental occasion—Miles' coronation ceremony and his twentieth birthday. He would officially become our Alpha. Luna Lisa, in her usual graciousness, had extended a personal invitation to me. She was always kind, but ever since the whole drama with Miles and Roxy, she had gone out of her way to show compassion toward me. Not that it made the whispers any quieter.

These days, people looked at me like I was the villain in this story, the “sister who tried to steal her twin's lover.” Even my mother seemed to think this whole mess was my fault. But even if we put aside who truly owned that necklace, no one seems to remember that I didn’t make myself Miles’ mate. The moon goddess had made that arrangement.

Now, I have to deal with the snide remarks and looks of disdain thrown at me whenever I walk down the school hallway, or even at the market. In fact, that stigma follows me wherever I go, like a bad omen—all thanks to Roxy, my dear twin sister, who had somehow managed to spin this narrative around her finger. Yuri has returned to his pack, and I am all alone now, with no one to console me or come to my rescue.

As I approached the classroom, I noticed something odd—the door was shut. Strange, because it was usually left open. I shrugged and pushed it open, only to be met with an unexpected, icy blast. A wave of cold water drenched me from head to toe, dripping from my hair down to my shoes. I froze in the doorway, stunned, while the entire class erupted into laughter.

I took a slow, steady breath, forcing myself to remain calm. Ignoring the snickers, I walked to my seat, wiping my face with my hand. My clothes clung to my skin, but I refused to let them see how much it bothered me. Just as I sat down, Roxy and her friends walked in. She was crying, playing the victim as always. I am the victim here, but who cares? Once I took out my book from my backpack, something landed on my back, but I ignored it.

With a small, pitiful sniffle, Roxy looked around the room. "Please, everyone," she said, her voice delicate and tear-streaked. "Let's not be cruel to her. She's still my sister."

"You're too kind, Roxy," someone cooed from the crowd. "If it were me, I would’ve dragged her by the hair and mopped the floor with her."

Another splat landed on me—this time right on my forehead. I reached up, feeling the slimy mess of raw egg as it trickled down, dripping onto my open book. That was the last straw. This nonsense had been going on for a few days: “pranks,” as they liked to call them, designed to humiliate me, to remind me of my unwanted place in this whole thing. They taunted me with words, actions, and more cruelty than I thought high schoolers were capable of. Lunches in the cafeteria had turned into war zones, and I had given up on eating there entirely.

Yuri had warned me about all of this. He’d told me to stand up for myself, but up until now, I was too worn out, too heartbroken, to fight back. But the simmering rage had finally boiled over.

Raw eggs kept landing on me. I snapped, pushing back my chair and standing to face my classmates, glaring at the grinning faces behind me.

“Enough!” I yelled, the word coming out stronger than I expected. The entire class fell silent, and all eyes turned toward me, wide with surprise. “Enough of this stupidity! If you’re all too blind to see the truth, then that’s your problem.” I was fidgeting inside, but I made sure to keep my voice steady and my gaze sharp. "I won’t tolerate any more of your nonsense. If anyone tries to physically mess with me again, you’ll have to face the consequences.” I paused, looking them all in the eyes. “Like it or not, I am Miles’ fated mate. Take it up with the moon goddess if that bothers you.”

With that, I grabbed my backpack, threw it over my shoulder, and marched toward the door, leaving them stunned into silence. But as I reached the exit, in my rush to escape before they recovered from my outburst, I collided with a solid chest. I looked up, blinking, only to find Miles standing right in front of me.

My heart stumbled, caught somewhere between defiance and vulnerability. I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill, determined not to let him see me weak. I wanted to hate him, wanted to make him part of the reason for all of this, but I couldn’t. None of it was truly his fault. If only I had known how scheming Roxy could be, maybe I would have guarded that necklace with my life. But something still didn’t add up. That night, Roxy had left the house with her friends immediately after dinner. How did she manage to steal the necklace from my neck?

I tried to sidestep him, eager to put distance between us, but he reached out and gently grabbed my wrist, stopping me. I looked back at him, startled. His eyes were scanning my face with a mixture of confusion and concern. I didn’t want his pity, didn’t want to see that hint of sympathy in his gaze, so I tried to pull away.

“Who did this to you?” he asked, his voice low and controlled.

I shook my head, trying to keep my emotions in check. “I handled it.” I looked away from him.

The whole class was silently watching us. Miles’ touch sent an involuntary wave of tingles through me, making my heart beat faster, stirring something that I wished I could ignore. I wondered if he felt it too.

“I’m sorry for… everything,” he murmured, his voice almost a whisper as he stepped closer, letting me drink in his intoxicating mint and musk scent.

He keeps apologizing like he is the one at fault.

“Rhea, we need to talk. About us.” His tone was calm, almost pleading. “Please, let’s find somewhere private to discuss this—”

But before he could finish, high-pitched shrieks erupted from across the classroom. We both turned to see a small crowd gathering around Roxy, who had, conveniently, sprawled herself dramatically across the floor.

“Oh goddess, she fainted!” one of her friends wailed.

Miles let go of my hand immediately, his attention snapping to Roxy as he rushed to her side. I watched him go, feeling a familiar, hollow ache settle in my chest. I knew Roxy hadn’t fainted—she was playing the same game she always did, feigning vulnerability to keep him close and keep me at bay.

But one thing she didn’t know was that I would have let Miles go for her if she had allowed him to convince me today. I knew Miles wanted to plead with me to accept his rejection, and I would have, because I loved him and wanted to see him happy. But Roxy ruined that with her drama. Now, I was going to fight for what was mine. I wasn’t going to give up on Miles that easily.