Chapter Five

Athena 

I jumped straight into action, rushing towards Caleb and wondering what he'd done to deserve such bullying. We were just new students for fucks sake. 

Caleb wasn't as strong as his attackers, even though one of them looked thin. He was the first one I faced. "What did he do to you?" I yelled at the top of my lungs, hoping my magic wouldn't flare up. 

As much as I wanted to use it to show them what I was made of, I couldn't - I'd only get in trouble. I didn't want to become the school clown or an exhibit everyone, especially Cameron would gawk at. 

The thin boy mocked me, and my anger hit the boiling point. I underestimated him, thinking I could take him down just because he was skinny. His grip was surprisingly strong, and I had to wriggle my hand free.

 "Why does your brother look like a girl? Didn't your dad train him? Didn't he go through the induction process? And he's supposed to be alpha, right?"

How did they know so much about us? "Mind your fucking business and leave him alone!”

"Ouuu, feisty,” the boy teased, though I saw a glimmer in his eyes like he was just joking. But no one joked about my family and got away with it, especially my helpless brother“What will you do if I refuse to leave him?” 

"Athena, I'll be fine," Caleb pleaded with me. He hated it when I intervened, especially in front of boys, and it always annoyed me when he said he could handle himself while I was trying to defend him. Sometimes he'd even get outrightly pissed off.

"No, Caleb, let me defend you. They're bullying you for no reason."

"What are you going to do, beat us?" Another boy sneered, smirking like an overfed cat.

"I will if you don't take your dirty hands off him. Do you guys think just because he looks like a target, you can mess with him without me intervening? Try me and see if I don't break your limbs into pieces."

They looked at me like I was some toy, with so much amusement that it irritated the hell out of me. Behind them, I saw Cameron smiling sarcastically, and I knew without a doubt that he was the one behind this.

"Why are you doing this?" I fired off, drawing more attention to myself since apparently, no one shouts at the golden boy. "If you have a problem with me, face me and leave my brother alone."

"I don't have a problem with you," he smirked, eyeing me from head to toe. "Why would I have a problem with you?"

He moved in so close that I could feel the mating bond. It drew me like a magnet, and I used the last bit of my willpower to resist him. He wasn't doing well, despite his proud and bragging demeanor. He looked at me like I was the last candy in the store.

"Leave my brother alone," I said, poking him in the chest. That slight action made him tremble, and I felt a strong urge to run into his arms. 

Focus, Athena. Don't let him distract you.

Unfortunately, my cousin, Alex wasn't in my class. I wondered why Cameron was allowing his friends to bully my brother, especially since he claimed he wanted me as his mate. How ironic. This was going to make me harder than ever.

"This is just the beginning," he said, circling me with a smirk. Then he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "You know what I want? Until you give it to me, I won't stop making you scream."

He saw that I didn't flinch, and I didn't take my gaze off him. It felt like we were in a staring contest until his friend nudged him. "I heard the principal coming," his friend said.

Cameron dismissed them and broke into a killer smile, revealing two deep dimples. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. 

To think that I had been wanting dimples all my life and even used to pinch my cheeks inside. Whereas someone who didn't even need them had them. I wondered if he had any physical flaw other than his stinking arrogance and thinking he could get me through bullying my brother.

I avoided him like the plague all day, even though in AP Calculus class, he didn't know I was watching him from behind until he almost caught me. 

As he turned back, I quickly averted my gaze, wondering how weird it would have felt if he caught me. 

I needed to show him I felt nothing for him even though my wolf wasn't helping.

 That evening, I went to the lobby of Caleb's dormitory to check on him. Like my dormitory, which was painted in different shades of yellow, Caleb's was green and less jarring.

He wasn't in his room, and when I called his phone, it was off. I called Alex, who confirmed Caleb told him he wanted to join the soccer team. I headed back to my room but felt the need to ensure my brother was okay. 

I still didn't get why he was so hell-bent on playing soccer. He was a fantastic goalkeeper but I believed he needed to meet his wolf first and get that extra strength.

 I headed to the soccer pitch at the sports center. It was a sprawling field with clusters of sweat-drenched boys. To one side, a group of players formed a circle, laughing and having a blast. I looked around for Caleb but didn't find him.

 My fear spiked again when I saw Cameron, who had already seen me. He was standing away from the circle and holding a drink. He pulled his hair back like a model, and I had a feeling that Caleb was in that circle since Cameron had taken it upon himself to always bully him.

Just like before in class, I rushed to where he must be, pushing through some boys and using a bit of my extra strength, which threw them off balance. I yanked Caleb off the floor. 

"What's wrong with everyone?" I screamed, staring them down. Mom always said I had a scary look which I inherited from Dad, and if she wasn't my mom, she'd be afraid of me.

"Caleb, why are you letting them bully you?" I cried out. 

"Stay away from this," Caleb shot back, his voice trembling.

"What do you mean? Are you going to let them keep walking all over you like this?"

"You're making things worse. I'll handle it," he said, his eyes welling up.

My brother was close to tears, and I didn't like it. Although he'd faced some bullying in our old school, it was nothing compared to this. 

Nobody ever dared mess with him because they knew they'd face my wrath. Bullying Caleb was like bullying me, and I'd fight for him till the end. No matter what it takes, even if the person responsible was supposed to be my fated mate, whom I was stupidly becoming attracted to.

"What now?" I snapped at Cameron, my anger rising. "Aren't you tired already?”

"I didn't do anything," Cameron denied. "It's not my fault you have a spineless brother.”

My heart was fuming, with Caleb whispering to me to leave Cameron alone because he was the best player, and offending him would ruin his chances of being on the team. 

While Cameron was taking his water, I levitated the air, causing an invisible hand to choke the water bottle in his mouth. His eyes widened in shock, and I wore a sinister smile. He tried to get the bottle out, but it remained there, stuck like a magnet with its content going into his mouth. 

He started to cough loudly and hyperventilate, with people shocked and wondering what was happening to him. 

Caleb gave me a very painful pinch, and I stopped, freeing Cameron. All the while, Cameron's eyes were on me. When the water bottle fell off, he began to vomit water and sneeze and cough. The coach ran to him while Caleb gripped my arm.

"What are you doing?" he snapped at me."See, now you have ruined my chances.”

While Caleb was speaking, Cameron's eyes widened in shock.

I tried to warn Caleb to shut up because Cameron was still listening to us despite coughing, but it was too late.