Chapter 4 THE ALPHA'S SHADOW

When I woke up in the morning, that message was still sitting on my phone: "I know what you are looking for."

This sentence was like an invisible noose around my neck.

While Ria slept soundly in her bed, I got ready for school with a knot in my stomach. I drank my potion, but this time even the taste couldn't calm me down. I wasn't just a cursed wolf anymore; I was a blackmailed criminal. And my partner in crime was the school's golden boy, Asher.

When I arrived at school, the corridors rang with the usual "who ate whom" gossip. As I walked to my locker, I saw Asher. He was laughing with his friends from the Lacrosse team, but the moment he saw me, his smile froze. We locked eyes. In that split-second look, there were a thousand words: "Don't forget the message. Protect our secret."

I quickly looked away and headed for the locker room. I had P.E. class, and I didn't want to be late for Mrs. Vane's wrath.

The locker room was empty. Everyone had already gone down to the gym. I was hurriedly trying to take off my t-shirt and put on my sports bra when I heard that sound.

Click.

The door locked.

My heart nearly stopped.

I slowly turned around.

Standing in front of the door, leaning his back against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest, was Kael Draven.

He was wearing a black training tank top and he was sweaty. He had obviously just come from morning practice. His muscles looked tense. But what was truly terrifying was the storm in his eyes.

"I didn't sleep all night," he said. His voice was low but resonant. "Do you know why, Elara?"

I stepped backward, pressing my t-shirt to my chest. "This is the girls' locker room, Kael. Get out."

Kael laughed. It was a mocking laugh. He began to approach me with slow, predatory steps.

"Rules..." he said, shaking his head. "Rules are only for the weak. I am the rule of this school."

My back hit the metal lockers. I had nowhere left to run.

Kael stopped in front of me. He was so close that the intense wave of heat radiating from his body was intoxicating me.

He placed his hands on either side of my head, against the lockers. He caged me in.

"Last night," he whispered. "There was a strangeness on campus. The wind... smelled of betrayal."

He leaned toward me. He brought his nose to my neck, into my hair.

I shivered. Whether from fear or the forbidden thrill this proximity created, I didn't know.

Kael took a deep breath.

And suddenly his body went rigid.

He pulled back and looked into my eyes. His blues had darkened. His pupils were dilated.

"Asher," he whispered.

This wasn't a question. He spoke like an accusation.

"You have his scent on you," he said, jealousy in his voice. "And it's fresh. Last night... Were you with him?"

"No," I lied. "We just ran into each other in the hall this morning."

"Don't lie!"

Kael punched the locker hard. The metal dented. I screamed.

"His scent has soaked into your skin, Elara! This isn't just an encounter. This is contact. Prolonged contact."

He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me to him. Our bodies stuck together. His chest pressed against my chest over my sports bra.

"Despite that 'rotten' smell of yours..." he said, his face millimeters from mine. "How could Asher touch you? Didn't he get sick? Or..."

His gaze slid to my lips. His voice softened but took on a more dangerous edge.

"...or did he discover that sweet poison beneath the rot too?"

I didn't understand what he meant. "Let me go," I said, trying to push him. But he was no different than a mountain.

"Look at me," he commanded. He grabbed my chin and tilted my face up.

"Something is going on at this school. Asher, that stupid Beta, is hiding something. And you... you are right in the middle of this game."

He placed his thumb on the corner of my lip.

"Don't trust him," he said. "He wears the good boy mask, but in the end, he'll sell you out. But me..."

He leaned toward me. His lips touched my ear.

"I am what I am, Elara. I am your nightmare. And if there is something between you and Asher..."

He grazed his teeth against my neck, right over my jugular. He didn't bite, but I felt the threat down to my marrow.

"...I will sever that bond. I will tear both of you apart if I have to."

My phone in my pocket vibrated.

In that moment, we both stopped.

Kael pulled back. His eyes slid to the pocket of my shorts.

"Who is that?" he asked. "Asher?"

"My mom," I said immediately. "Just my mom."

Kael narrowed his eyes. It couldn't be said that he believed me, but the momentary spell was broken.

He stepped back. He removed his hands.

"This conversation isn't over," he said, walking toward the door. "Come to evening practice. I will train you personally. Let's see if Asher's scent stays on you when you sweat too."

He opened the door and left.

My knees gave way and I collapsed right there, to the bottom of the locker.

I reached into my pocket and took out the phone with trembling hands.

The message on the screen wasn't from my mother.

It was from HIM again. UNKNOWN NUMBER.

There was a single sentence and a photo in the message.

The photo was of the door to the Headmaster's office.

Underneath, it read:

"Tonight at 00:00. Enter the Headmaster's room. Take the red file from the safe. Or else I send Kael that little video explaining what you and Asher were doing in the library last night."

I put my head between my hands.

Kael on one side, the blackmailer on the other.

And I was about to burn between these two fires.