SKYLAR
"When I kissed you last night, your eyes dilated. I thought it was just a mere shock. Now I know it was more than that. It was recognition. You knew who I was from the get-go,"
"Yes," I wasn't sure what he was hinting at. So what if I knew him from the get-go?
"You pretended like you didn't. Skylar West."
I never knew my name could sound so cold until he said it. And I never gave him my name either.
"You also knew who I was from the get go?"
"Nah. I didn't. It wasn't until I saw you in the hallway that I realized I had to know you. You're from the league C class, right?"
I nodded.
"No wonder we never met until now. What are the chances?" He scoffed, stuffing both gloved hands into his pockets.
His condescending tone snapped at my pride. League C was a class of Omegas and commoners. And he just pointed out the fact that we were too below him, and he had no business with us. So yeah, what were the chances of us meeting until now?
He sure was a blunt guy. Cold and blunt. It still baffles me how he managed to keep his cool when those girls were literally wailing their eyes out. Made me wonder if he had a heart. Literally.
"You ran off when I noticed you in the hallway earlier. Were you planning to hide from me forever?"
Again, there was this brittle rage in his eyes and an aura that I wasn't sure why it was there.
If anyone should be mad about last night, it should be me. He stole my first kiss, so casually cruel, and wasn't a tad apologetic for it. He still wasn't. All he was doing right now was rubbing my poor background on my face and interrogating me.
"You didn't wanna see me ever again? You so badly wanted to forget the kiss? I don't think it was that horrible. You see, I've been told what a great kisser I am."
My eyes harbored tears I so badly didn't want to spill. His cocky words were tugging at my pride, making me feel like trash.
He seemed like the kind of bastard who fed off humiliating girls. Like those two girls who were losing their minds over him.
I wasn't the kind of girl who would stay silent and watch him trample my emotions. But reacting would be worse. He's, after all, Alpha Ash Gunner. The Bad boy of the school. I should just avoid him.
Needing to end this meeting, I bowed. "Please excuse me."
"For someone who's a League C," he began, stepping in front of me and making me push backward. "How the hell do you know Sage Walker?" He said his name with more spite than Sage used for him.
"What?"
"I saw you both in the hallway. He seemed to know who you are."
"He doesn't. I only met him today right there in the hallway."
"So you met me yesterday and then met Sage today. Such beautiful coincidences, huh? Is it suddenly raining guys in your life? Or do you have such wonderful first meetings regularly?"
His sarcasm was infuriating. What is his problem?! Why does he sound so irked and cocky? He still owes me a damn apology for yesterday!
Holding back my indignation was hard but I was determined to. I shouldn't lash out on an Alpha Heir. I would get burnt alive for it.
"Please excuse me,"
"Stand right there." He snapped. I halted. "What the hell were you doing at the nightclub yesterday? You looked so out of place. Anyone would tell at first glance that it wasn't your territory."
Was that why he used me? Because I looked so out of place and stupid?
"No. It wasn't. I went to get my book." I replied dryly.
"From those girls, huh?" He glanced down at the books in my hand. "It seems you need more than a one-time saving from them. They're still bothering you, ain't they?"
"It's nothing I can't handle,"
"Sure. But if you want, I can help you handle it."
"No." I retorted sharply. His eyes dilated slightly. Maybe he wasn't expecting my snappy rejection.
Well, he better expect that and much more. I wouldn't wanna hang around a guy like him. He might be a hotshot but he had a crappy attitude. And it was disgusting. To think the moon goddess gave him such good looks. What a waste!
"Sorry?" He arched his brow.
"Thanks but no, I don't need your help. I can handle my problems on my own. Excuse me."
I walked away quickly so he wouldn't stop me. I picked up all the books and headed to the office. The teacher was a bit irritated by my lateness, but I pleaded my way out of it.
The school hours finally ended and I packed up my books, ready to head back home. I got to the parking lot for the League Cs and was met with a horrific sight.
"Oh, no!" I raced to my poor scooter. Yeah, I ride a scooter. But right now, it was squashed and destroyed beyond recognition.
I dropped next to it. Unable to hold back my tears, I let them pour. It wasn't rocket science who might have done this. There were just a couple of girls who knew how to make my life hell. Giselle and her minions.
Why did they have to go this far? Wasn't the physical abuse enough? Wasn't the emotional abuse enough? Why did they have to destroy the most valuable thing I had?
Father saved for months just to get me this on my last birthday. I was asked to cherish it but now it was completely ruined. What do I tell him? How do I fix it?
"Skylar,"
I turned. There was a red car, with tinted glasses. But it was winded down a bit and I could see the one behind the wheel.
Ash Gunner.
"Get in,"
"No." Another quick rejection. I really didn't wanna be any inch close to him.
"I'll say it again, get in, right now. You wanna make an Alpha repeat his orders?"
Dirty bastard! Now he was trying to dominate me with his rights as Alpha. With no choice, I headed to his car. He opened the passenger seat and I slid inside.
We hit the road but I was still crying. It didn't feel nice to cry in front of him but I couldn't help it. Watching my scooter turn into such wreckage was just as painful as losing a pet or a loved one.
"Here," He offered me a handkerchief. It had his name inscribed on it. ASH G. I hesitated and he forced it into my hands. "Wipe your tears."
Was it really okay for me to use something as expensive as this for my tears? Would he punish me after I use it?
I glanced at him but his eyes were on the road. Slowly, I brought the handkerchief to my face, dabbing away my tears.
"Thanks," I stretched it back to him.
"Keep it," he said in his usual cold tone. "How long have you been bullied?"
"Since I transferred here,"
He scoffed. "I can't ask why they're bullying you, 'cause it's pretty obvious. You're giving all the right signals that attract them to you."
"What – what do you mean?"
He gave me a once-over and returned his eyes to the road. "You're a nerd. You don't have friends and you're a fucking smartass. Also, you don't fight back, but you don't break down either. You are asking for it, Missy."
"I'm not asking for anything. I may be a nerd and I may not have friends but that doesn't mean I should get punished for it."
"You're right. I'm not blaming you either. I just want you to listen to my offer."
"What offer?"
"The one I was gonna make in the hallway before you walked out on me." He made a bad swerve, ignoring a traffic sign.
Really jackass?
"You have crazy guts. Anyone would think you've got a death wish or something." He added the last part with a slight ring of amusement in his tone.
He was wrong. It wasn't guts. It was indignation. Stealing my first kiss had me hating him already.
"What's the offer?" I asked instead. Although, I already knew what my answer would be. A capital NO. He was too much trouble. I wouldn't wanna get involved with him.
"You're being bullied. I'm being harassed by my past flings. So why don't we help each other out?"
"How?"
He turned his gaze to me. "Be my girlfriend."
SKYLARI had once read somewhere that being a need had a negative impact on the mind. “Consequences of social awkwardness and exclusion include wild imaginations, hallucinations, and even hearing things and detachment from your true self…”I guess they weren’t that far off the mark about hearing things because there was no way that the hottest guy in school, cold-blooded thief of my first kiss, and most wanted bad boy of Finmonth was asking me to be his girlfriend.His eyes glanced at me for a while before falling back on the road with an innocence I felt was made up.“Well…” he asked.“Well what?” I shot back almost instantly.“Well, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY OFFER?”“You have got to be kidding me!” My voice went a bit over the top as my anger crept closer to the final explosion.“What could you possibly have to lose?” He spoke with that unsettling casual tone that was unnerving.“Basically, you would have the rare opportunity of dating the son of the alpha, and I would also, in turn,
Skylar's POVI woke up this morning with what felt like a bone lodged in my throat. The conversation from yesterday still lingered in my mind, like that stubborn coffee stain that everyone sees but no one can remove. Every moment of our conversation replayed in my head, amplifying my discomfort.I wished the ground would open up and swallow me, but I knew the moon goddess wouldn’t grant such a request. The morning sun felt too bright and too indifferent to my misery.Dragging myself out of bed, I hurried through my morning routine, feeling a knot of anxiety in my stomach. The bus ride to school was a blur of uncomfortable faces and unsettling stares. Wedged between an elderly lady who muttered to herself and a rebellious teen absorbed in her phone, I felt like an outsider in my own life.The relief I felt when the bus finally reached the school gate was almost overwhelming. As I stepped off, I was met with a few curious glances, which I carefully avoided. I was becoming adept at manag
Ash's POVI’ve never been the type to let anyone hold me down. I pride myself on being untouchable, impervious to anyone's influence. But this time was different. I was desperate, and I’d chosen Skylar as the perfect person to achieve what I needed.Standing in front of her, I could hear her heartbeat racing uncontrollably, like a piston in overdrive. The sound was almost rhythmic, syncing with my own anxiety. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was tousled, giving her a disheveled yet oddly captivating look. I couldn’t quite explain why her vulnerability appealed to me, but it did. It was raw and unfiltered, resonating with my own turmoil.The thoughts that began to sip into my mind were unspeakable.Normally, I’d let situations like this linger, allowing them to unfold naturally. But today, I felt like time wasn’t on my side. I needed her to agree to my demands—and fast.I leaned in close to her ear, my breath warm against her skin. “I need my answer, and I need it now.”Her eyes
Skylar POVChange had never been my ally. It’s something I’ve always preferred to keep at a distance, out of reach.But the last few months? They’ve shattered my routine, thrown me into a world I didn’t recognize.I woke up early, as usual, and went through my morning routine with practiced ease. After a quick breakfast, I stepped outside into the crisp morning air. The sun was barely over the horizon, casting a faint, golden light on the world.“He should be here any second now,” I murmured to myself, glancing at my phone for what felt like the hundredth time. I couldn’t help but wonder, with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity, how I could afford such a sleek phone if it wasn’t for my so-called relationship with Ash Gunner.The answer was glaringly obvious. Without Ash, there was no way I could have a phone like this, not with my parents’ modest jobs and my own lack of employment. My parents had raised eyebrows when they saw the new phone and the other perks that came with it. They
Skylar POV I took the bus to school today, telling Ash I didn't want to see him anymore. The fight yesterday had eventually ended in what I could call a draw, but I didn't think that's what mattered. I had to summon the courage to get in there and put an end to it myself before they both stopped fighting and went their separate ways.Lucas and the boys took Sage while I had to take Ash away from the cafeteria. I didn't like the fact that every eye in the room was fixated on me at that moment. It was like I had become the center of attention, and I hated it."Why would you be defending that blockhead anyway?" Ash had asked me when we were in the locker room. I had to treat some of his wounds and patch them up for them to heal faster. The damages that alphas inflicted on each other had a different way of healing.I ignored the question and focused on the cotton wool in my hand. I dipped it in methylated spirit and rubbed it on the surface of the wound. He grunted; it stung him as I tou
Cassie's POV“You literally had only one job to do, and you still couldn't do that right?”Giselle was on the ground with one knee bent and her face down, alongside her brainless twerps. My fury was reaching a boiling point. I should have known better than to rely on a group of hormone-driven, brainless Barbie dolls for something this critical.I bit hard on my finger and punched the wall in frustration. The hard churning in my stomach was a reminder of the battle I was losing—not just for the person I longed for, but against a League C nerd.“I’m sorry, Cassie…” Gina started with a pathetic squeal and a slight clearing of her throat. Her attempt to placate me only heightened my irritation.“You see… we…we did try to offset their relationship, but we faced issues with Sage and later with Ash himself.”I didn’t want to hear their excuses, but I had to admit there was some truth to their words. Why did Sage have to meddle? I hated his guts and the fact that he just wouldn’t stay in his
Skylar’s POVI couldn't quite grasp what Cassie was trying to achieve back there in the cafeteria. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was joking, but there was a look in her eyes, one I recognized from when I looked at Ash—desire and something darker.It was clear she was hung up on him, but there was something else that bothered me. The way she looked at me had a hidden hostility that made me uncomfortable, even though I tried to ignore it.I had to leave the cafeteria to give them space, but I couldn't stop wondering what they were discussing. I suspected Cassie was going to ask Ash to the Moon Ball, but I didn't know what his answer would be.Ash and Cassie had always been friends since the beginning. I had no idea if he harbored any feelings for her. I felt like this was a chess game with no pieces to play with. My fate was entirely dependent on Ash’s decision.As I walked down the hallway, I saw a familiar figure leaning against a row of lockers. It was Sage.“Well, hello, bu
Skylar POVPrincipal Douglas ended the meeting by punishing Ash and Sage.Then, ask them to call their parents the next day, We all went outside, and I said goodbye to Sage. Who was a bit reluctant to leave me with Ash.Ash then offers to drive me back home. I agreed.We were in his car and on the way to my home.“Do you like Sage?” He asked me. He was shocking me with his bluntness.I swallowed. Knowing my answers could either annoy him or appease him, and I knew I only had answers that I had that would annoy him.“You are taking too long to reply.”“I don’t know what to say. I’m just trying to get back home.”“So you do like him.” The hurt in his voice couldn’t go unnoticed. He fisted his hands tightly over the steering wheel of the car.“It doesn’t matter anyway. You are mine, my girlfriend.” He said. However, I felt it was intended for me to hear.“Fake girlfriend.““Not for long.”I cocked my head In confusion. But he didn’t seem to care about it.“You are coming with me to the
Ash's POVI wasn't exactly sure what to say, so I glanced at my friends, but from the looks in Luke's eyes, I knew that he was completely baffled by the situation. His eyes were hard, contrary to Sage, who looked soft and ready to give in at any moment."I can't believe we are even doing this," he said, his voice expressive as he stepped forward, his eyes flashing. "We shouldn't be bargaining with you; you are in no position to say anything at all.""Am I now?" he asked, his knife pressed a little more to her neck. I could tell that he was about to make a rash decision that would definitely cost him his life, but I was afraid of it costing Cassie's life also."Please," I said to Luke, putting my hand on him. I knew how much he loved his sister and didn't want her to die, so why was he actually acting like this? Luke glanced at Cassie, his eyes rigid as if trying to tell her something. His eyes were fixed on her, but he didn't see anything else, staying in his position with hardly any
Ash POVWe all stayed rooted to the spot, except maybe for Sage behind me, who had taken a subconscious step back. Maybe it was a good idea for us to back away after all—maybe back away out of the room entirely so that I could give Sage a good pep talk and make him gather himself and understand what was actually at stake here.Weakness was the one thing that would actually cost Cassie her life, nothing more. If we played this right, from the position of strength that we actually were in, then we could get her back, though it wasn't certain if we could get Richard and bring him to book along with that; that would actually be asking for too much. One small mistake and our victory had turned into a break-even, or maybe a possible loss if we didn't play our cards right and made another small mistake to add to the former one.I looked at our opponent, the one that we had nearly defeated, for a couple of seconds and finally decided to at least talk with him. If he killed Cassie, then the en
Luke's POVEverything was closing in on me, and I knew that it was too late for me to run away by now. My chance was gone. Looking at my opponent, who was now getting into the attack once more and covering all spaces for me to run into, I knew that he wouldn't let me go. He knew just what I could be thinking at this time, and he also knew that most likely I would try to run away. He was doing everything to prevent that, not wanting his prey to go.I knew that when he won this, he was going to put me along with Cassie and torment us for a very long period of time before killing us eventually. Yes, he had given me my chance to join him, not that I would ever do that, but I hadn't agreed to him, and now he was going to make me pay the price. I was pretty sure of it.I felt a certain feeling of discomfort, knowing how things were about to end, but still staying here anyway. I should be doing my best to run away and break free from his grasp, but I didn't do that for some reason. I just st
Luke's POVIt was honestly very troubling how I was still struggling with Richard after such a long time, and how someone would have thought that by now I would be done with defeating him, especially after I had come to the brink of beating him so many times now. But for some reason, he was always bouncing back and staying up above water, to the point that I was actually pressured by him at times, and even now, I was still pressured. Honestly, I was starting to wonder whether there was something wrong with me, or whether we were just evenly matched. Every time I came to the brink, ready to defeat him, there was one small mistake, or one small thing that happened to make him come back again. And then we started the sequence all over again.It dawned on me now that I would not be able to defeat him, not today, not now. I wasn't strong enough. In fact, I would even be considered lucky to not be defeated by him myself. Remembering clearly how easily he had taken me on previously, I knew
Sage's povThe first thought that came to my mind after he said that was that this was simply too good to be true. I couldn't believe it even now. However, that was a fact. But if he was actually the one keeping Sage from coming here, then he was a true hero. He was the one doing much more work than us and our soldiers who brought the army to the gate and the fight from the outside, because he is definitely the one that brings the fight from the inside, which is the real fight.I looked at Ash, wanting to see how convinced he was. And from the looks of it, he seemed completely convinced by it. When I thought about it, I didn't see any other reason why this could be happening. For one thing, I hadn't heard from Luke at all, indicating that there was a good chance that he was busy. And the fact that, at the same time, Richard was nowhere to be found, made it a little too much to be a coincidence. Most likely, the two of them couldn't be here because they were busy with each other, fight
Sage's POVI didn't really know whether I was safe when I started easily winning the entire fight. It was not much of a battle anymore. If anything, it was starting to become something of a slaughter. I didn't see any reason why I would have it so easy fighting against the man that I was up against—the man who had been rumored to be far stronger than a lot of people and would be a very formidable enemy.I had heard that he was planning some tricks for me, and I also knew that he was skewed and poisoned because that's what I heard from the assassin the time we asked him about Richard. That was enough information to be wary of him, knowing that he could actually be planning something else entirely while we were busy here. But as it happened, maybe he was just all talk after all, and there was nothing to actually be fearful of. He seemed pretty tame to me right now, not at all a threat, no matter how I looked at it.In my planning, I decided to draw back a little and let my men do some o
Ash's POV I join in and things get easy The progress was slow but steady. I knew that it wouldn't be long before we finally reached my territory. Then, I would have the opportunity to take back what was rightfully mine.I could almost see it happening already. As my soldiers marched forward, each with a certain determination in their eyes, I was sure we stood a huge chance of winning this. The moment I got to Richard, I would make sure to rip his eyes out and kill him for everything he had done, especially for killing my father. Until then, I had to make do with what I had and bide my time until everything was set.I had the patience to wait because I had been waiting for this moment all my life. So, even if it was just a couple more hours, I could wait again. It would end in my victory.Setting my eyes on the bigger prize, I kept moving, knowing it would be worth it. I was starting to get tired after marching for what seemed like forever. The soldiers, for their part, seemed much s
Sage's POVMy men started marching forward after I gave the order, each of them moving valiantly. These were pretty much all my forces because the ones I left to defend my home weren't too many anymore and wouldn't really account for much. In other words, if an attack actually started on my home while I was gone, then it would be pretty much defenseless against this attacker, and they would be able to do some large amount of damage to it.It was very precarious, but I knew that if I didn't take as many people as I could with me, then it was highly unlikely that we would win. I had no idea how many people Richard had with him, but I knew that he definitely had a lot of people with him, and that if I took only half of my army, it might not be enough, even when added to what Ash was bringing.I didn't want to take any chances on this because it was pretty much my only chance. If I was going to help, then I was going to help him completely and make sure that we won this. If we didn't win,
Sage's P.O.V.I went home driving in my car at full speed because I wanted to get there as soon possible. Who could have thought that I would be so excited and so fired up about fighting another man's war? It was a big pleasure for me to involve myself to such a large extent like this. But actually, I didn't see myself doing anything else in this particular situation.Cassie had been taken, and this could surely well be the only way I could free her since I couldn't really depend on Luke to do the job for me. Everything seemed to have gone south in this situation and personally, I was feeling affected. I felt incomplete, especially because of the lack of Cassie around, and I also felt a little guilty even though I hadn't exactly done anything.Something told me that the person who had actually caused all this personally didn't even feel guilty himself, and that person was Luke. So, I tried to make myself a little happier knowing that since he wasn't killing himself for what he actuall