Chapter 23

Draven’s POV

Why do I have to sit here and be lectured when all I did was step in to help protect Katie?

I didn't throw the first punch, or showed any of my strength that could have caused problems for us.

“Katie doesn't even know anything about her own abilities,” I said sarcastically, “how could she possibly protect herself and overcome things when up till a few days ago she didn't even know about any of this otherworld stuff even existed until recently.

She's definitely glaring at me, her eyes are practically burning holes through me. If she had an ability that could make that happen, I'd be happening.

I can't seem to stop myself though. Everytime I see her it seems that I just keep saying the wrong thing.

Even though I never accepted her, or marked her as my mate, she still is. So an overwhelming part of me and Landon want to protect her.

Because despite everything I say and do, and how much I fight it, my wolf already claimed her as our family…our mate.

“Maybe that’s because you spent so much time telling yourself to keep your distance that now you just fall back into the same old stuff,” Landon reprimands me.

His words are deep and cutting as they are right on the money. This whole time regardless of everything, regardless that Katie was supposed to be my mate, two things were so crystal clear and eclipsed every thought of ever taking her as my mate.

The first being that she was human. The second being that she didn’t know anything about shifters.

I don’t understand what my father is thinking but I really don’t see how a human and a shifter can be mates. So I kept my distance the only way I knew how, I settled my wolf by dating her, and after three months I ended it all.

But now both of those reasons I stayed away, that I didn’t embrace the fact that she’s my mate are gone. Now she’s here right in front of me, she knows what I am and she herself isn’t even human.

In the span of a couple of days everything flipped on me. No matter what, I'm still struggling so much to see her as anything but a fragile, weak human.

So of course I think that her being moved into A Class is a giant mistake. This incident right now is just further proof that she has no business being around shifters, around me.

She could have been seriously hurt and her joining A Class will just put her in more situations like this one, with even stronger people, and next time I might not be around to save her.

She's Katie…Weak, human Katie.

“She has no business being in A Class,” I said ignoring her eyes drilling a hole into the side of my head, “she never should have been put in A Class in the first place.”

I glance over at Katie, her face now more pinched and closed off than before.

“You’re really an idiot, you know that,” Landon’s snarky growl began to frustrate me more.

My words may have sounded harsh but she just doesn't get it. She doesn't understand how dangerous the world really is.

I must protect her, especially with how dangerous I really am.

Katie's POV

This freaking jerk! Here I was feeling bad about him getting into trouble because he was just trying to protect me.

Now he's spouting off this bullshit. Like he really doesn't believe in me at all. What have I ever done for him to think so little of me like this?

I mean it's one thing for him to be cold and everything trying to keep his distance due to no one knowing our new sibling status yet but this…

Lucius knows everything, or well almost everything about my relationship with Draven.

So, why can’t he just say he's worried and be done with it. No, instead he has to say I'm weak, that I can't protect myself.

Like excuse me, it’s not like I’ve not been living my life struggling with my mom to make sure everything at home was going to be okay.

Why does he always have to make me feel so judged? Am I that weak and pathetic in his eyes?

I bust my ass off day after day studying and hell even working different part time jobs over the years to help out mom, or to help pay for school before I got the scholarship.

While he has his daddies money and never had the weight of responsibility that I had to struggle with.

He doesn’t have any idea just how much strength I actually have. It’s not all about muscles and how much you can bench press.

Mental strength is something that's a lot harder to come by then just getting jacked at the gym. A small part of me thought that he never really looked down on me, that it was an act for others.

But his words just now, they felt different. They felt real and that hurt…alot. My hurt stung and my anger swirled through me before my anger won out the inner battle between them.

“Just to remind you, my affairs and my business have nothing to do with you.”

Draven turns to me, his cold face set in heavy frustration as he gears up for a fight.

“Oh but it actually does have to do with me,” Draven said glaring at me, “remember that father told me to look out for you, which is what I’m doing.”

“No you're not, you're just trying to get involved because you hate the idea of me being in A Class.”

Frustrated tears prick the corners of my eyes.

“So sorry to be such a disappointment to you, Draven,” I bite out, my anger simmering just below the surface, “I’d rather suffer through A Class then have to deal with the alternative now that I know about you guys.”

Something passes through his eyes at the mention of just how close it came to me being killed just to keep their secret. But it's there and gone in an instant.

Sometimes I really can’t stand him, I even find it hard to believe we were ever dating. If I had seen this side of him back then, I know for a fact I never would have given him another look, no matter how attractive he is.

Thankfully Lucius cuts in because I really didn't want to deal with Draven anymore right now.

“There is a simple solution here that I feel would work best for Katie.”

“Oh really?” Draven asked in his frosty voice not holding an ounce of respect that he normally shows the headmaster.

“Draven, seriously, why are you being so combative today?” I asked, his behavior is so unlike what I’ve seen since I’ve known him.

Also I’ve never heard him talk to anyone so disrespectfully before , especially not the headmaster.

To be honest his attitude changes and everything has been so all over the place that I feel like I’m going to get whiplash if I’m around him for longer periods of time.

Draven just ignores me, instead focusing on Lucius, who throughout all of this hasn’t seemed even a little annoyed, which was kind of surprising.

“What’s the solution?”