12

Zia’s POV 

“Do you think I'm a slut?” I fidgeted iwth the edge of my shirt, turning the button between my fingers. 

“No.” He sharply replied, without taking his eyes off the road. From the rearview mirror, I could see the crease of a frown on his forehead. 

Usually, he would have tried to start a conversation but the silence lingered for a while. Could he smell his brotherson me?

He could punish me any other way, but I couldn’t bear the silent treatment from the only person whose opinion mattered to me. 

“Then why aren't you talking to me?” I turned to face him, but his gaze remained straight ahead. 

“How are they related?” he scoffed. Terri scoffed at me. 

My throat tightened, making it difficult for me to breath because of my already stuffy nose. I  opened my mouth and gasped for some air, trying to maintain my composure.

“I thought you could smell your brothers on me, so…” I paused to look ot the window, lwiping the tears from my eyes as soon as they fell. 

Terri didn’t like to see me cry. 

“Wait…” he pulled me in by my shoulder. My body jerked to the side so I was facing him.

I sniffled and looked into his eyes, but for some reason I didn’t see what was usully there. 

“Usually, he would look at me with tenderness whenever he saw me crying. But this time…

I could barely tell.

“You fucked Cain and Tyler?” His eyes were wide, his thin lips slightly patted. Terri’s soft features only looked at me with such meanness as he cussed, “Those bastards!” 

I gulped because of how ntense he was. “They are…” I wanted to explain that tehy were my mates too, marked or not when he swerved the car to the side. 

“Ouch,” I whimpered as the I bumped my head on his palm which saved me from the head board. 

His kindness. I looked up at himw ith a shy smile, but nothing prepared me for what he said next.

“You fucked my brothers, now spread your legs for me.” Kind? I wanted to scoff. My surprise wouldn’t let me. 

“in the car?” cars were driving past us. We weren’t on a highway, so we would definitely be interrupted. 

Terri had never tried to lay claim on me in the past. If anything, e always reminded me why we needed to keep our friendshipa  secret.

So I wouldn’t be bullied by Joyce for being seen with him. And when I argued that he wcould always just protect me, he said, “I an’t always be wth you, this is the best thing.”

I never brught it up again, and suddenly he wants to have sex with me in the middle of the road?

‘Reject him!’ I heard a voice in my head that startled me for a minute before I remembered that even though I was a weak werewolf who had the least qualities of one, I was stilla  werewolf. 

My wolf was inside me and that was her voice, “Gina?” I called ut silently in my mind, but tehre was only silence once again.

And I would have thought I was hallucinating if my fangs weren’t piercing my lower lips

Aside from being weak, I also had some malfunctions. My tail, fangs and sometimes claws would suddenly show. 

However, I never told Terri about this. The fear of him abandoning me wouldn’t let me.

“Why not?!” His voice broke through my thoughst, reminding me of his now overbearing presence. “You did it in school with them.” 

The color of his eyes were flicering from the usual black to orange and i knew what that meant. 

I backed away into my seat and felt a strong fear grip my throat.

“Terri,” I called his name trying to reason with but the moment I looked up, I lowered my head again. 

“I'm sorry,” an apology was the only thing I could thnk of.

He was scary, my wolf wanted me to reject him, But he was the only one I had. Luckily this wasn’t my first time seeing him angry.

He snapped at me in the past but always apologized after calming down.. I just needed to do my best to remain calm. 

“Then spread your legs.” Oh no!

His hands gripped my thigh and his nails started to dg into my flesh, painfully. 

“People will start recording if we do it in The middle of the road,” I tried to patronise him. 

“Arw you scared of people recording? Or scared of doing it here” his tone suddenly calms down and i let out air I didn’t kno I was holding through a shaky exhale. 

“I…” i was just glad his eyes were black again. 

“Let's go to a hotel in that case.” he said and I nodded. The car ride continued in more silence and thicker tension. This time, I knew better than to ask him why. 

As soon as I get out of the car,I start to walk behind him despite the distance between us . thinking I would catch up when he walked to the receptionist.

To my surprise, he didn’t pause therebut continued up the stairs instead.

He had been here before… With who?

The thought that Terri has a girlfrined occured to me, but was immediately dispelled. If he had a girlfriend, then I would have found out. Afterall, we were bestfriends ad he knew about my feelings for him. 

“Hurry up,” he called out from the top of the stairs . I jogged to catch up with him.

“Did you know this was going to happen? You booked the hotel in advance.” I asked with a smile as soon as he swiped the card on the door, while I tried to catch my breath. 

“Dont ask useless questions…he pushed the door in and said, “get on your knees.” He started to unbucle his trouser as soon as he’d locked the door on teh inside. 

“I cant.” I said defiantly before sitting on the bed edge of the bed with my arms folded.

“You sucked on Cain's dick without a gag reflex.” he said but I couldn’t tell fi it was a ompliment or an insult. It was my first tiem at the mating ceremony, but it had gone a lot smoother than I would have expected, asides from teh part where are passed out. 

“I can't give you a blowjob,” I expplained.

“Oh?” He started to stroke himself, “enlighten me what yu mean by that,” his voice came out more crispy than it’d ever sounded. Terri looked so handsome and well beult.

He looked like a sculpture with his dick in his hand. 

“My.mouth belongs to Cain, so…” As much as I wanted to take it iin my mouth, when I remembered teh way he had called me beautiful and used sweet nicknames I never kew existed, I still felt excited. 

“What bullshit. you Expect me to fuck your asshole everytime?” He had called it flower garden that night!

“But we agreed,” I wante dto be angry, I swear I did, but I only managed a squak.His cock that initially looked like a pleasure tool ow looked like a weapon. 

My fangs had retracted and I could no longer sense Gina.  In my bid to avoid his fiery gaze, I looked verywhere but him. That’s when I noticed the flashlight of his phoen, which would have bee just that if itw asn’t blinking.

“Why are you recording?” I suddenly felt weary. 

“you arw my mate! Spread your legs whenever I ask.” He moved closer, towering over me with a commanding tone. 

“Mark Me!”I shouted back, fidning my voice, only for it to break agai. 

“If you want to fuck me elsewhere, mark me. Yoru brothers already staked claim on my two holes but if you…” 

“Arw you being serious right now?” he gripped my jaw and pressed his stiff dick over my lips.

I knew without a doubt that my lips would bruise if this continued. Withs all my strenght, I pushed hs waist but he barelys taggered. 

“Terri, yourw scaring me…” I hated my tears because they were bluring my vision again, not to talk of the headache they aleways came with. 

“Fuck!” eh cussed. His eyes were a very brught shade of orange. And y heart felt like itw as being gripped in his palm. 

I doubled over and clenched my chest in pain. The things on teh table top were rattling, with some even crashing on the floor.

“Get out!” He shouted as he yanked my hair and threw my at the door. 

“My body hit the wooden door with a painful bang. 

“Terri!”  

“Out now.” He unlucked the door above my head, “if you know what’s best for you, you woudl run away.” He said as he pulled at my shirt to drag me across the floor.

U wanted to apologize, to bedg him, “please don’t throw me out,” but I couldn’t do what he said even if  stayed. 

“I love you.”  I pleaded as I tried to hold unto his leg. What I got as a result was a kick in my stomach and I ended up outside teh door. 

Before I could recover from the pain, the door was slammed into my face. 

Oh it hurt,’ I helt my stomach and for the first tie in a while, I was grateful fo rthe excess fat. It saved me from having broken ribs. 

That kick was ruthless. Terri never hit me. So why…

“Terri, I’m sorry, please,” I started to beg as I hit the door while I remained on my knees when I heard my name again. 

“Zia, what’s wrong” This tiem, itw as masculine and  lot clearer, so I knewit was’t my wolf.

I turned my head to come face to face with my teacher.

Perfect. I needed a whole to swallow me up, but I doubted it woud be big enough for me. 

“Zia, what arw you doing here?” His face is laced with concern and I feel stupid and reckless. 

I just want to disappear, but instead I force myself to my feet and try to walk away only to realise I’m wearing just one show in my left leg and I could fall if I risked taking the stairs in thsi state. 

“I.. I want to go home,” I gave up on pretending and said to him. 

He was the youngest teacher in our schoola nd also the guidiance and counselor teacher, but everyoen in school knew he ddn’t have a mate at teh ripe age of 26and itw as a sort of stigma.

“Do you need a ride?” I nodded, “my car is parked outside.” he continued softly,a nd I couldn’t hel but begratefula t how kindly and softly he was coming a me.

That was the onlys olution I had given that my shoe and bag was locked in with teeri. I was too scared to face him again, and too embarassed to tell Mr John how I got to this situation. 

“Thankyou very much,” I said as we continued to walk down the stairs when he studnly stopped.

Because f my size, I had to walk behind hima nd I naturally 

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I peered from behind him.

“Tyler,” What was he doing here? And why was he frowning so deeply.

As soon as his eyes met mine,m a bluh crept up my hceeks as I remembered what we did at the back of the school. 

“She’s coming with me.”

Despite the fact that he was one staircase below Mr John, his height still towered oer him  

“Zia,” he called my name and gripped my wrist. I didn’t have the chance to resist bfore I was dragged down the stairs.

Mr John tried to create some space but I still got sandqwiched when Tyler dragged em dn the stairs. 

The tightness of his grip reminded me of the tightness of my scalp when Terri pulled at it. 

“Did Terri send you here?” I asked after getting a proper balance on both my feet.  Let go!”I struggled to peel hsi fingers off my wrist.

I’d bent over, ready to bite his fingers if hat’s what it took, when Mr john came down the stairs.

“What’s going on?” He asked, but Tyler immediately put a defensive stance up. With just a little strenght, he pulled me to his back. I frowned as I could barely see Mr John’s figure. 

“I should be asking that!” Tyler barked, his tone was sharp and without a space for compromise,”what is a mateless teacher doing with my mate?!” he asked and this tiem, I bit his fingers. 

“Zia,” he turned arounf but Id already puta distance between us. 

“He just offered me a ride, what gives you the rights to say that?!” I knew what bullying was like because I’d been fored to experience it on a daily, so havingsoeone on te recieving side becaus of me didn’r sit well with me. 

“What she's saying is true.” Mr John remained cool and collected I culdn’t help but admire him. 

Tyler’s expression alternated between anger and the need to alsh out, but I wasn’ta bout to let it go just because of that.

He was the talles of us three and him being the alpha meant he had the authority to saya nd do anything. When I saw the bite mark I left on his fingers, my braveness increased. 

“You should apologize to him.” I scolded him as I stood besde Mr John

“What?” Tyler chuckled and bit the nner of his cheek like he had just heard the most ridiculous thing. Even Mr John gave me a surprised look. 

“Are ou being thsi stubborn because you are my mate? Do you think you can ust do anything you want with other people because I didn’t mark you?” I was shocked to silence when he admitted te mate bond inf ront of a thrid party. 

Terri woud never do that. But I didn’t want to drawl onit too much.

“You harrassed him when he was only trying to help. This has nothign to do with our mate bond.” I continued, wishing eh had said those words under a different circumstajce. 

Unlike his brothers, Tyler’s reputation was born from the fat that he never let anyone clsoe and those who trie dto get close for alterior motuves always regretted it. 

He was basially  a loner, a ruthless one, but t was also te reasonw hy so many girls wanted to get close to him. 

“Help you? A teacher helpig a student by coming together to the hotel? Tell that to someone else and hear what you’llbe called.”

At this point, I couldn’t tell wat eh was trying to do. Defend em or scold me?!

I stepped forweard about to defendmyself, but Mr John beat me to it. 

“Alpha Tyler is right. Since you're her mate, Ill leave her in your hands.” he said and walked ahead before truning back briefl and saying “Take care, Zia.

Seeing that eh didn’tw ant to be involved in our drama, I thanked him briefly then turned back to Tyler.

He was staring down at me and eeverything that was going through y mind was violence.

Why did he have to appear nowhere when he was the last person I needed tos ee me in this situation. 

I suddenly felt the cold of the tiles and tried to stand on my right foot withot appearing too awkward.

Now eh would ask why I was here.

“You know mates can read eachother’s mind rigth?” 

“Only when they've accepted eachother.” I rememebred, ‘you didn't mark Me. Don't think you can fool me,”  I said nd a teasing smile played onhis lips. 

“What did terri do to you?” He asked as he walked towards me. I staggered backwards, holiding unto the railing for support. 

“Whos aid he did something to me?” UI glarwed back as he continue dto take short sow steps towards em. 

It was just us on the hallway. There was no one to call for help. 

“I see you won’t talk. Wear this, I’ll take you away from here first,” he said and pointed to his shoe. 

He had taken them off and was standing barefooted on the cold tiles. 

Even with my socks, I still felt the chills.

“The floor is cold, wgat are ayou doing?” I bent and tried to put it on for him, but the moment I held his ankle, i believed the words he said next.

“I’m an alpha. What does thsi little cold have o me. You need the shoes better than I do,” he said and I looked up to him. My emotioned were mixed, but my gratif=tude was clear.

Hiowever, when I looked backa t the masculine shoes, I shook my head. 

“There’s no need. I’ll justtake a cab and…”

“Your secodn option is for me to carry you donw to my car.” He said and spread his arm, then bent and placed them under my knee and back respectively.

“No no. I weigh a lot.” I jolted and hopped to the side.

“You think your luttle weight means anything to me? You must reallly underestimate me,” he snorted as he held the shoes in his hand. “Pick.”

Left with no hoice, I took the pair from hsi hand and chaged into it before holding my right shoe in hand. 

“Thank you,” I said as I felt my feet start to get warm in his shoes. 

“Will you get into my car now?”he asked as he held out the dor for me. I looked around but Mr JOHN was nowhere in sight, so I got in witha pout.

‘Like I have a choice,” he closed the door and came in through the other side.

I crossed my arms across my chest and tried to make a defensive stance, because really, what would I do if he started to ask qestions. 

Howevr, I goy distracted by how luxurious the interiors were. Terri’s car needed a key to start, but all he did was push a button. 

The seat was super comfortable as well. 

As he drove out of the hotel, it occured to me that I was probably teh first person to ever seat in his car. The only plausible explainationw was Terri, so I turned to himand asked. 

“Did Terri send you?”I asked withput turning to look at him. 

I knew I woud crumble if he held me under those majestice blue eyes of his.  

“How much do you look down on me to think that one could ever raise a voice to command me?” he asked 

“Oh…” I sank into the seat, but shot back up after pondering for a bit, “Then ow did you know that I was here” 

“Why were you alone? Where are your things?” he asked starting to look upset as he kept alternating his glance between myself andthe road. 

“It’s nothing, just keep driving,’ I said tryin to put u a strong front. 

“What did he do to you?!” He voice cam eout sostubborn that I overlooked the concern in them. 

“I asked, Zia, what did that bastard do to you?”Asides from his hand on the steering wheel, it looked like we were drivng on autopilot. “Look, I don’t cae if he is your mate too. The moment he harrasses you…”

“No he didn't… he didn't do anything.” I thew my hands up and started to explain, “He wanted to record but I didn't want that, so he sent me home earlier. That’s all” 

“Zia?” he cocked hsi head to the side, “don’t liee to me.”

“I swear to the moon goddess,” I lied iwthout blushing. 

“You should be careful around him.” He looked into my eyes as if to read my soul, but right be fore he started to probe, I waved my hands. 

“Eyes on the road, we could get in an acident.” I said just in tiem for us to barely avoid swerving into a huge truck.

“What do you mean?” I asked, after mking sure there were ‘nt any cares on the road.

“You're not stupid. break the bond with him.” this tiime his eyes reained on the road, like he was saying the most logical thing.   

“The mate bond.”

“What? “ I exclaimed.

“That's too much. Why would I do that to someone who loves Me.” I said, trying to prove a point evenI was startung to doubt. 

“Love? Terri loves you?” Tyler chuckled so darkly I shivered and started to feel weary of him, “you're as gullible as you look.” 

“What do you mean?”  I squeezed my eyebrows in a frown.

Just what I said!” 

“Stop the car.” HE tried to make me stay,  but it was one thing to appear out of nowhere and kidnap me. 

It was another to calll me stupid while on the trip. 

First he asked me to break the bond and now calls me stupid for believing in love?

I’m done.

“If ypu don’t stop the car right now, I’ll get us both into an accident and I don’t care if anyone dies,” I said iwth a seriousness before he finally brouht the car to a stop 

I got out and slammed the door behind me, but he did the same.

“Don’t follow me.” I shoutedin the middle of the road I wasn’t too familiar with.

“Okay, but you should take this,’ he handed me an umbrella, it’s about to rain.” he said and sure enough,the clouds darkened after. 

Oh how perfect.