Chapter 66

The rest of Basics was fairly uneventful. I could feel Maximus’s mood worsening throughout the session. I also was incredibly aware of how Kairos was watching us. His sneer was permeating through the room. It didn’t help that I had shifting that afternoon, where none other than Kairos was the teaching assistant.

All during class, he was watching me like a hawk. I really was hoping I could force a shift out and snap my jaws to get him to back off, but Mona was not working with me.

You weren’t working with me, she protested as I walked to lunch.

I rolled my eyes. I’m working as best I can, I threw back. You’re the wolf. You’re the one who’s supposed to come out when I let you.

You’re still not letting me, Mona protested as she cleaned her paws. The movement was more cat-like than wolfish. You have to fully give up control to allow me in.

I grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria line. I still hadn’t grown customed to the fancy food they served. Even for breakfast, I usually ate a banana and a granola bar. I sighed heavily as I turned to try and find Loren in the crowded room.

I am, I replied to Mona.

You’re not, she fought back. Once you accept that you and I are one, then you will give up.

I couldn’t dignify that with a reply, so I ignored her once I found an empty table and started towards it. It looked like Loren was caught up in her own class, rendering me to eat my meal on my own. I set my tray down at the empty table and shimmied into the seat.

However, I should’ve known I’d never get any peace at that school. As soon as my ass hit the seat, a body slid in next to me. I jerked and turned my head to see Thorne Blythwitch sitting next to me.

“Hi,” he offered with a smirk. Then he frowned when he noticed my meal. “That’s not going to be enough.”

“It’s been enough,” I grumbled before taking a hulking bite of my sandwich. I jerked my chin towards him. “Can I help you?”

“Just checking in,” Thorne said plainly before diving into his meal. “I am your Knight.”

“I’m aware,” I dead panned. “Maximus is doing a perfectly good job at training me, by the way.”

Thorne’s lip twitched. “Is he?”

“Yup,” I popped my “p” before taking another bite of my food. Thorne sat his fork down and turned his entire body in his seat to look at me.

“People have seen you two on the field after hours,” he said, slowly. I raised an eyebrow as if asking if that was a problem. Thorne cleared his throat then lifted his head to look me in the eye.

“They’ve also seen you leaving his room,” he whispered. I froze. I slowly chewed then set my sandwich down. Thorne’s eyes were locked on mine.

“That’s not any of your business,” I grit out.

“It is,” Thorne said. “Because as I’ve stated, I am your Knight. I am supposed to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting,” I snapped. “Especially from you.”

“You don’t get it,” Thorne threw back, anger licking his tone. “The Wolfhams are High Alphas. They wouldn’t bother with low Alphas unless they had something to gain.”

“Are you implying I’m being used?” I sneered.

Thorne narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m implying you be careful,” he snapped. “His intentions may be impure.”

“And yours are?” I threw back.

Thorne didn’t reply to that. He glared down his nose at me. I took the opportunity to stand up, my appetite gone as anger lit up inside of me. I grabbed my tray and glared down at Thorne before speaking.

“I know you’re supposed to protect me,” I snapped. “But I don’t need you to protect me from anyone’s ‘impure intentions’ but your own.”

With that, I turned and stormed off to the trash. I discarded the rest of my sandwich before glancing back across the hall. Thorne was still sitting in his seat, hands curled into fists. His eyes were cast down. I lifted my own head to scan the rest of the cafeteria and was met with the piercing gold gaze of Kairos.

Our eyes locked and his narrowed immediately. His lip curled into a snarl and I threw a sickly sweet smile his way. Then, I turned on my heel and marched out of the cafeteria with my head held high.

The next day, I had shifting class again. I was psyching myself up on the walk to class when I was pinned to the trees lining the entrance to the clearing where shifting was held. I “oof”ed as my back hit the tree and the force reverberated up my spine.

I immediately held my hands up in a defensive stance. I felt a set of hands gripping at my shirt, holding me hostage against the tree. When I finally refocused, a set of dark gold eyes were glaring at me with reckless abandon.

Kairos.

“The fuck do you want?” I snapped.

“Me?” Kairos threw back. “The fuck do you want?”

“What are you talking about?”

Kairos’s eyes narrowed even further. “You’re spending an awful lot of time with my mates,” he hissed. “Are you trying to get a leg up on me?”

“A leg up?” I scoffed. “Are you losing it? I’m not spending any time with your ‘mates.’”

“Thorne?” Kairos pressed me further into the tree. “Maximus? He hasn’t sat with us in weeks.”

I clawed at his hands on my shoulders. “Then take that up with them, you psycho!”

Kairos growled, low in his chest before peeling my back off the tree then slamming me back against it. Panic and pain flooded my senses. I felt Mona’s panic surge inside me as well.

Fight back! She was rushing through my mind.

I dug my nails into Kairos’s hand as I regained focus. He seemed unphased, angry glare still boring into me. His nostrils twitched slightly then he broke into an even more tenacious growl.

“I know what you did,” he hissed. “I can smell him on you. You’re trying to seduce him, aren’t you?”

“I’m not trying to seduce anyone!” I snapped.

“Liar!” Kairos roared before throwing me to the ground as if I was nothing.

I skittered across the forest floor. Before I could get to my feet, Kairos was on top of me again. His knees pinned my hips to the ground. I fought as much as I could, but Kairos was strong. Finally, I reared back and spit in his face.

Kairos froze. I watched my spit dribble down the side of his cheek and land on my own shirt. Then, his lips twisted into a smirk so sadistic, I felt like the Antichrist was looming over me.

He reared back before slamming me into the floor again. Darkness threatened to consume my mind until I heard Mona’s voice echoing through the emptiness of my skull.

Let me in! She cried. Let me IN!

My body ached but I tried as best as I could. I let every muscle in my body, every bone and fiber of my being, become open. Instantly, warmth flooded me and then there was only fire.