CHAPTER FIVE: EVERYBODY HATES ANNA

ANNA'S POV

"Your curse will soon start manifesting, but don't worry; that's why you are here. We will help you exorcise it out. You may most likely die in the process, but... what other choice have we got? It's not like your existence is of any benefit to us."

 

"What the hell?" I struggle to my feet to stop Madison from throwing my food tray down, but I'm too late; Taylar pushes me back to the floor, and Madison pours the entire food on me; the scent of flavored onions flies to my nose as oil drops onto my white shirt and denim pants.

 

"I hope you enjoy the food, cursed of the goddess!" She kicks at my calf with her boot before walking to the last table in the hall where the predators are sitting and watching. Jace, as handsome as ever, looks at me with a bored expression.

 

This is my first meal here, and I can't even have it in peace.

 

"She is so weak, she doesn't even have a fang." One of the students jeers.

 

Every student in the academy seems to have a fang or more from battle. Jace has the most, and he wears it as a lei; Dash wears his as a bracelet; even Jessica uses it as hair decoration. Why is the whole school bullying me?

 

"You seem to really know where you belong...I like you on the floor." Jace mindlinks me.

 

"Jace, you sent your dogs at me." I struggle to my feet, but my feet slip off balance on a banana peel I can swear wasn't there before, and I fall on my back with a heavy grunt. The whole hall laughs at me, as if I'm some caricature performer.

 

A deep belly chuckle fills my head; it's so deep it goes straight to heat my inner thighs. "Oh little mate. This is going to be so much fun." There's an evil smile on his face.

 

I've been the underdog my whole life, bullied because of my deficiencies, and I can't even do anything to defend myself. That's why I never struggle or try to fight off bullies because I know they always have their way... like the Alpha. If I just ignore them and remain mute, they will tire of bullying me.

 

"But if they don't?" Nadia asks.

 

"I will have no choice but to treat them to the same fate as our darling Alpha."

 

 Jessica rushes into the dining room from the goddess knows where she has been. "It's time for the first lesson of the day. I saw your schedule, and we have telepathy together." She stops and takes in the scene. Food particles on the floor and on my clothes instead of in my belly. "What happened here?... The predators? I warned you not to cross their paths."

 

"Not to cross their path?" I stand to my feet and raise my brows at her. "I didn't offend them in any way; they ruined my meal and messed up my clothes."

 

"You spoke to Cruel yesterday." She says in defense.

 

"Really?" I scoff and walk past her to the serving section while students start filing out of the hall. I have to hurry to get food and return back to my dorm to change my stained clothes into something neat; lucky for me, the academy furnished my room with supplies of everything I will need during my stay here. The only problem is they gave me a wrong roommate. I will introduce you to her later; for now, let me get something to eat.

 

"Sorry, miss, but it's past time for breakfast. You will have to wait still lunch to get food." The server in charge informs me.

 

 I wrap my arms around my stomach as it grumbles, the worms in my belly feeding off my belly walls, but it's nothing I can't handle; this is not the first time I have been deprived of food. At this point I thought I was actually immune to hunger. Jessica wipes my clothes with tissue and puts an apple in my hands. We head over for our first class of the semester.

 

The telepathy class was a waste of time and annoyingly frustrating; everyone seemed so good at starting mind links except me. Some assholes even said shitty things about me during their mindlink, and it not only made things worse that the professor in charge, Master Damian, also hates me because I'm omega and only gave me two trial attempts, which I flopped, so I had to sit down the rest of the class and watch the other students put up a show of more than twenty rounds.

 

Why the hell am I here again? I walk out of the study rooms and descend the spiral stairs and out of the Great Hall. I move around the school with nowhere in mind. The moment I reach the center of the school, my eyes widen in awe.

 

The large courtyard in the center of the academy is surrounded by a high metal cage; large benches ring the inside of the courtyard, I guess for viewers pleasure. The courtyard is filled with students throwing one another, kicking, exchanging blows, and clashing swords... I guess they are the advanced-level war students training under the supervision of Claudia, vice principal of physical strength and war. I spot Silver Hair with a sword in hand dominating the fight.

 

"Hi." I call out to a girl who just walked past me. She is about my size. "Please, where is the...?"

 

"Don't fucking talk to me, cursed omega. Get the hell out of our lives; nobody wants you here. You are a disgusting pest." She spits out venom at me before striding off.

 

Wow! I look around as I nervously shift my weight from one foot to another in a bid to stop my piss from flowing down my thighs. My eyes land on a small stone duplex beside the courtyard; I think that should be a restroom. I stroll towards it and help myself to pee. The nauseating smell of blood and sweat drifts to my nose as I hurry past the courtyard.

 

The moment I'm done using the toilet, I step out of it into the bathroom hallway, looking down as I try to adjust my pants buttons when I bump into rock-hard abs. Still looking down, I see the bare outline of a strong, masculine calf; slowly lifting my eyes, a white towel wrapped around a narrow waist comes into view, followed by a muscled, rippled torso and arms with drops of water rolling down the heavenly body. His hair is wet, and the braids are loose, the hair falls across his face and shoulders.

 

I gulp, an unbearable ache taking over my lower waist, and my pussy starts licking. I breathe in and out heavily. A naked Jace is standing in front of, wet from the shower. He smells so delicious, I wonder if he tastes as delicious as he smells. I start waving my hands around my face to try and squelch the heat; I'm sweating on my face and breathing through my mouth. My gosh! I think I'm about to have a panic attack. 

 

"What the hell are you doing here? Trying to murder me in the shower like you did my father."

 

"I didn't murder your father, and I came in here to pee." My voice is low and trembling. I try to move past him, but he blocks me.

 

"When will you stop lying? And are you that daft coming to pee in a men's locker room? He points to the cologne on the sinks and a man's brief hanging over bathroom doors.

 

How had I not noticed all that? I guess I was so pressed.

 

He looks away from me, covering his hands on his face. "Can you zip up your pants? Nobody wants to see your transparent panties. There's nothing attractive about that, and I don't want to get blind."

 

I look down. Oh my gosh! I'm literally naked; my panties are see-through. I fumble with my zipper until I get it right and cover my nakedness. "What about you, who has only a tiny towel wrapped around your waist?"

 

He finally drops his hands from his beautiful face and looks at me. "I'm attractive; you're not. That's the difference. Now get out."

 

Jace always told me I was very pretty when we were younger; what changed? Is he just trying to hurt me? Or is my eating disorder having an effect on me?

 

My breathing is settled now. I think I have been able to avert the panic attack. "Jace, you don't scare me."

 

He stalks slowly to me. "I don't scare you?"

 

I breathe heavily. "You don't." 

 

"Run!" That's the only thing my wolf seems to be screaming in my head, and even the part of my rational brain seems to agree with her, but the problem is my legs; they seem to have a mind of their own. Unable to move, I continue looking at him, almost challenging him to do something. I know my best friend is still in there somewhere. Please, goddess. 

 

"I don't?" The slow, predatory pace at which he is walking towards me is scary. "Wow, then I think we met on the wrong terms, little mate, and I better correct that impression."

 

"You claim to despise me, yet you keep calling me mate. You wish I hadn't rejected you?"

 

Jace grits his teeth, and in a split second, he pounces on me, pressing my throat with one hand and dragging my hair roughly with the other. I wince in pain as he pushes me to the wall, his hands still holding me up in the air and squeezing the life out of me. "What do you prefer I call you then, viper? Venom?" He finally puts me down on my feet but he continues holding me against the wall.

His knees press into my pussy, and I shamelessly whimper as a tear rolls down my thighs. I'm glad I'm wearing pants. He squeezes my throat more tightly. "No, names like those will make you think too highly of yourself. I will call you rot. To show how decayed and murderous you are." He lets go of me but barely moves aside. "Rot, I swear to you, when I'm done with you. You will fucking fear me."