Chapter 28 A Warning In The Night
Calix Pov
I heard the rumors before lunch. Everyone was talking. Whispering. Spreading lies about her. About Maddie. Saying she was sleeping with teachers. Saying she was trading sex for grades. Saying she was desperate. Pathetic. A slut.
The rage built slowly. Started as a simmer. Then grew hotter. Hotter. Until I could barely see straight. Could barely think. Could barely control myself.
I knew who started it. Knew exactly who would do something this cruel. This calculated. This evil.
Simone.
By the time night fell I was ready. Ready to confront her. Ready to end this. Ready to make her stop once and for all.
I walked across campus to the girls' dorms. Didn't care that I wasn't supposed to be there. Didn't care about the rules. Didn't care about anything except making Simone pay.
Her room was on the third floor. I took the stairs two at a time. Found her door. Didn't bother knocking. Just kicked it open. Hard. The door slammed against the wall. The sound echoed down the hallway.
Simone screamed. She was at her desk. Doing homework or pretending to. Her roommate was on her bed. They both jumped at the sound.
"What the hell Calix?" Simone said. Standing up. Hand on her chest. "You scared me."
"Get out," I said to the roommate. My voice was cold. Flat. "Now."
The roommate grabbed her phone. Practically ran out of the room. Smart. She knew to leave before things got bad.
I slammed the door shut. Locked it. Turned to face Simone. She was trying to look angry. Trying to look offended. But I could see the fear in her eyes. Could smell it on her.
"You need to stop spreading lies about her," I said. Each word came out slow. Controlled. Barely holding back the rage. "Right now."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Simone said. Crossing her arms. "What lies?"
"Don't play dumb," I growled. "The rumors. About Maddie sleeping with teachers. I know you started them. I know it was you."
"Maybe someone else started them," Simone said. "Maybe people just noticed things. Made their own conclusions."
"Bullshit," I said. Stepped closer. "This has your fingerprints all over it. Cruel. Calculated. Designed to destroy her."
"So what if it does?" Simone asked. Her mask dropped. Showed the real her. The mean her. The one who didn't pretend to be nice. "She deserves it. She's trying to take what's mine."
"She's not taking anything," I said. "There's nothing between us Simone. There never was."
"We're engaged," Simone said. "Or did you forget? Six months until the wedding. Your father made it very clear."
"I don't care what my father said," I said. "I'm not marrying you. Not now. Not ever."
Simone's face twisted. "You will marry me. Because if you don't your little wolfless girlfriend will suffer. Your father promised me that. Promised me he'd make her disappear if you didn't cooperate."
My hands clenched into fists. "You told my father about her?"
"Of course I did," Simone said. Smiled this cruel smile. "I told him everything. About how you're obsessed with her. About how you watch her. About how you defended her. He was very interested."
The rage exploded. Hot. Blinding. All consuming. My wolf surged forward. Eyes flashing gold. Muscles tensing. Ready to shift. Ready to kill.
Simone lunged at me. Fast. Desperate. She wrapped her arms around my neck. Tried to kiss me. Pressed her lips against mine. Forced. Unwanted. Disgusting.
I shoved her. Hard. Put all my strength into it. She flew back. Hit the bed. Fell onto it with a gasp. Her eyes went wide. Shocked. Scared.
I leaned over her. Got right in her face. Let her see the gold in my eyes. Let her see the wolf. Let her see what I could do to her.
"Listen to me very carefully," I said. My voice was deadly. Low. Dangerous. "Say Maddie's name one more time. Spread one more rumor. Touch one hair on her head. And I will destroy everything you love."
"You wouldn't," Simone whispered. But she didn't sound sure.
"Try me," I said. "I'll start with your reputation. Everyone will know what you really are. What you've done. The wolfsbane. The rumors. All of it. Then I'll go after your father. His position. His power. I'll make sure he loses everything."
"My father is the beta," Simone said. "You can't touch him."
"My father is the Alpha," I said. "I can do whatever I want. And right now what I want is for you to leave Maddie alone. Permanently."
Simone stared at me. Fear clear on her face. Real fear. The kind that came from knowing someone was serious. Knowing someone would follow through.
"Fine," she said finally. "I'll stop. I'll leave her alone."
"Good," I said. I stepped back. Let her breathe. "And if I find out you're lying. If I find out you're still targeting her. What I just threatened will seem kind compared to what I'll actually do."
I turned. Walked to the door. Unlocked it. Opened it.
"Calix," Simone called. I stopped. Didn't turn around. "You're making a mistake. She's not worth it. She's nothing. Nobody."
"She's worth more than you'll ever be," I said. "Stay away from her."
I left. Slammed the door behind me. Walked down the hallway. Down the stairs. Outside. The cold air hit my face. Helped clear my head. Helped calm the rage.
My wolf was still snarling. Still wanting blood. Still wanting to go back and finish what we started.
"We can't," I told him. "We made our point. She'll back off now."
"Will she?" my wolf asked. "Or will she just be more careful? More sneaky?"
I didn't know. Didn't trust Simone. Didn't believe she'd actually stop. But at least now she knew I was serious. Knew I would protect Maddie. Knew there would be consequences.
My phone buzzed. Text from my father.
"Heard you were in the girls' dorms. Making threats. Come to the pack house. Now."
Great. Simone must have called him. Must have told him what happened. Must have run crying to daddy.
I didn't care. Let him be angry. Let him threaten me. Let him do whatever he wanted. I wasn't backing down. Wasn't apologizing. Wasn't letting anyone hurt Maddie anymore.