Chapter 1 1
RANDOM FACT: Riven’s full name is Riven Draven.
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“You look terrible,”
My best friend, Claire signs this to me the second she sees my face. I really want to stuff her head into a locker, or push her down into the toilet bowl or something, but I don’t. And it’s not because I don’t want to, but it’s because I’m too fucking sick too.
Which means she’s right and I hate it.
I wrap my arm around her neck, sniffing now as I try to ignore the fact that I’m cold as fuck, wearing two wool sweaters, and sweating a whole ass bucket as I say with a voice that doesn’t even sound like mine, “Move your fingers to say something else that goes against the perfection that is my face, and I swear I will break them,”
Claire is not an Omega like me. She’s a beta. Which means she can kick my ass, but she’s not going to. Why? Because I’m the only one who loves her, and I honestly have so much love to give, and it’s not because I spent many years alone before her eating ice cream and hoping one day someone will love me. It is most definitely not that.
When we get to our lockers, I let go of her and move to open my locker. This becomes harder than it should be since my nose is blocked, my vision is blurry and I can’t see well enough to input the lock. Claire opens it eventually, her eyes staring up at me with worry as she moves away while she signs, “You have never been sick before. This is new. Should I call the doctor?”
I scoff as I take out a book and pen then slam the door again. “As if anyone would want to touch the dirty little omega called Riven, be fucking for real,” Her face scrunches up because she doesn’t like me using those words to describe myself but honestly, what else could be said about me? I mean, I’m always alienated and I’ve never been sick. It’s not like they’ll help and be kind to me all of a sudden in my moment of weakness.
“Baby,”
I feel a warm flow of pure hatred stream through my chest as Aaron slams into me— pushing my body into the locker. I close my eyes first and count to five, ignoring how my blood is boiling before I say gritting my teeth, “You cannot bump into me like that. How many times do I have to tell you that I’m fucking fragile and should be treated as delicate as a diamond would be?!”
Aaron, my darling boyfriend, is chuckling. He looks good. Blond hair. Tall. Blue eyes. Yada yada. I like his dick, that’s honestly all if you can’t tell. But he’s like a bloody dog. No respect for personal space and wanting to jump and be hyper all the time. It’s why even now, he hasn’t apologized about almost sending me into space by hitting me, but is instead leaning down to smell all over my face before moving away and saying softly, “You smell… differently,”
I would patronize him on a good day. I really would. But today is not a good day. My irritation for him is worse, and I really just want to die. “Yeah, whatever,” I turn away from him and look at Claire, “Baby, should we—”
All of a sudden, I’m being slammed against the locker again. This time, it feels like my ribs are about to flare out and burst as pain racks through every nerve in my body. The sound was loud enough to garner all the attention I didn’t want from the other idiots in the hall, which in their defense is reasonable as my so-called boyfriend has my arms pinned above my head with his head buried into my neck.
He knows how I feel about PDA. He knows how I feel about the staring bastards knowing nothing about my private life— but that all goes through the window as I hear him growling into my ear, “When did you start having your scent and why is it everywhere right now?”
Immediately, my middle starts throbbing and I can smell him. I’ve never been able to smell his pheromones before, or any one else’s, but now he’s all I can fathom. All I can think of. He smells like the summer rain, each drop of his scent digging its way into my skin as he keeps dragging his nose around my neck. I want to move but he still has both my hands pinned above my head and I’m not sure I want to go anywhere either.
It’s as if all the previous pain I was feeling, and all I could think about was taking his clothes so his pheromones could find its way deeper into my skin, or him inside me. I don’t fucking know. Something has to go inside me and at this point, I don’t care anymore.
Before I can even try anything else, he’s being pulled off me— and it’s only then I notice what’s happening. Three Betas are holding him down while he screams at them to let him go so he can come back to me, growling and snapping at them with a wild look in his eyes like he’s just been shot with a load of wolfsbane and the delirium is beginning to hit.
Fortunately, that’s all it takes to snap me out of whatever was happening to me as I realize that everyone is staring at me. And not with the usual look of irritation or disgust. But fear. Pure, raw fear.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I feel Claire’s hand wrap around mine, and before I can even ask her any questions, she starts pulling me away, running now. My legs are barely able to keep up, especially as I start feeling sick again. Claire on the other hand is far too busy trying to find a room I can stay in and I know trying to get her attention is pointless since she wouldn’t be able to hear me.
Fuck. The world is spinning.
I suddenly yank my hand away from hers as I run into the boys bathroom. She doesn’t follow me— I know she’s too much of a clean freak to come in. Which is good. I don’t want her to see me this way.
I run into a toilet and lock the stall door as my stomach lurches, pouring out everything in my belly into the toilet, which includes the pathetic breakfast I’d tried to shove up my mouth, and even when I’m done, it doesn’t feel any better. My body no longer feels as cold as it did. It’s burning now, and all I can think about is taking off my clothes and curling up into a ball until Aaron comes back.
If his pheromones could move into my body again, if he could hold me and take care of me.
No. No. I don’t like people doing those kinds of things for me. I’m independent. What is this? What is all of this happening to me?
All of this feels too sudden. Like there’s something important I’m missing out, but I can barely think as another heat spikes through my body and I almost scream out in pain but I don’t want to. I don’t want Claire to hear me screaming and worry—
Wait, why is she screaming?
My instincts instantly press through my brain, demanding that I rush outside and go find her but before I can, the door to the bathroom opens and from the sound of the people walking in, me coming outside would only be dangerous.
“That fucking dumb bitch tried to stop us from going in, must mean that other piece of shit is here, don’t you think? The little freak?” One of them sneers. I hear two other voices cursing, one even spits to the floor. I don’t waste time climbing on top of the toilet seat, trying to keep my whimpers of pain as quiet as possible.
Until I hear them bursting each stall open. “Pretty boy, now why are you hiding from us? We just wanna ask a few questions, don’t we, boys?”
“Yeah. Like what you did to Aaron,”
I don’t know what I did! I don’t know anything! I want to scream at them but I know it’s hopeless. They saw me do something to him and they’ve always wanted an excuse to hurt me. And this? This was just them trying to find a way to break every bone in my body.
“We’re gonna count, freak. 3,”
They’re getting closer.
“2,”
They’re right next to me.
I see their feet right at the door now. And I could scream. I really could. Maybe it’ll alert a teacher, maybe someone will come save me. Maybe Aaron.
Maybe no one, you sick fuck. Your friend is probably hurt because of you abc your boyfriend is acting delusional. And your grandfather left you. You’re a piece of shit and you’re going to die alone.
… fuck. I’m really screwed, aren’t I?
“1.”