Chapter 3

Olivia Martins

Bridget is Caspian’s mate.

The words echoed in my mind, mocking me. Caspian’s mate. He is her mate. She’s his. Not me.

My world crumbled as the implications of her words hit me. A wave of despair washed over me; my eyes stung, and I fought back tears threatening to fall. The pain was suffocating, making it hard to breathe, hard to think.

All I could do was stand there, fighting back my tears, as my heart broke into a million pieces.

Caspian spoke up, disrupting the storm raging in me. “I told you, Bridget. We’re not mates.” He sighed frustratedly.

There were not mates.

Just as fast, the storm cleared, and I perked up. He wasn’t hers.

“But…but you’re my mate.” She cried out.

Now I was confused. Are they mates or not?

“It’s a two-way thing, Bridget.” He said. “I’d feel it if you were my mate.”

“You need to stop claiming me as your mate,” Caspian added. “We’re not.”

With that, he grasped my arm and pulled me along, the crowd parting to let us through.

The joy I felt at his words was unmeasurable. They weren’t mates. I couldn’t hide my smile as he walked me to my class, my steps feeling light.

Stopping at the front of my English class, he bent to drop a quick peck on my lips. “I’ll be gone for the rest of the day.” He said, reminding me of his Thursday training. “I’ll pick you up after school.” He added, turning to leave.

I entered my class, ignoring the stares as I made my way to the seat. By now, I should have gotten used to the looks, but they still made me feel uncomfortable. I slid into my seat, trying to focus on the lesson, and pulled out my notebook to distract myself.

After class, I debated whether to go to the cafeteria. Whenever Caspian was absent, I tried to make myself scarce. But today, I’d skipped breakfast and had no money to buy lunch. My stomach’s loud growl made the decision for me. I headed to the cafeteria, planning to grab something quick and leave. “Just slip in and slip out,” I thought, already dreading it.

Luckily, no one noticed me as I entered, or so I thought. I grabbed a tray and joined the line, anxiously waiting as my legs tapped the ground impatiently. I wanted to be out of here as soon as possible, but the long line made that seem impossible.

I’d been so focused on the line that by the time I realized the entire cafeteria had gone suspiciously silent, it had been too late.

Suddenly, cold iced tea poured down my head and face. Gasping at the shock, I dropped my tray and spun to face the culprit.

Bridget stood there with a wicked smile on her face, holding a now empty cup. “That’s what you get for kissing my mate.”

The entire cafeteria burst into laughter, mocking me. I felt my cheeks redden as I looked around and saw everyone laughing at me. Like I was in the wrong here. No one tried to defend me or stick up for me. I had done nothing wrong. Caspian wasn’t hers to claim.

“He isn’t your mate.” I gritted it out, my teeth clenched.

“Shut up, bitch.” She hissed out, taking a step closer to me. Purple flashed in her eyes, a sign that her wolf was close. But I knew she’d control herself. There were humans present, and there are strict rules about revealing our true nature to humans. I stood my ground, knowing she couldn’t hurt me in wolf form, at least not here.

“Caspian is mine. He is my mate.” She said. “And I don’t want your filthy omega paws anywhere near him.”

I wasn’t sure what gave me the courage; perhaps it was Caspian’s rejection of her as his mate, but I couldn’t help the smile spreading across my face as I replied,

“He doesn’t seem to mind my filthy omega paws on him.”

That set her off.

She let out a crazy shriek as she launched herself at me, grabbing my hair with a vicious yank.

I winced, my scalp burning, as I grasped her wrists to stop her from pulling me down. Her nails dug into my scalp as her grip on my hair tightened. I held firm, digging my fingers into her skin as she tugged hard on my hair, the pain excruciating.

The cafeteria erupted into chaos as students screamed and cheered, watching the fight in fascination, but no one intervened.

She wrenched my hair to the side, my face upwards, and I caught a glimpse of her eyes, crazed with hatred, her wolf flashing. Fear gripped me, my body freezing in terror as my instincts screamed at me to run, but she held me firmly in place.

She bent her head, her hot breath against my ear as she whispered. “I’m going to kill you.”

I cried out as she threw me to the ground, my hair tangled across my face. I trembled in fear as she stood over me, her eyes fully changed, flashing with rage.

“Don’t you dare touch my Caspian, you whore.” She screamed, claws extended, as she threw herself at me.

I scrambled back in fear, hands raised in defense, but someone caught her before she unleashed her hatred on me. Mr. Clarke, the school’s biology teacher, held her as she screamed and struggled against him to get to me.

“Miss Reyes, you need to calm down now.” He commanded. But she wasn’t listening; she continued to struggle with him, screaming obscenities at me. “I’ll kill you. I’ll fucking kill you.” She shrieked.

Mr. Thomas, the school’s security guard, grasped my arm, helping me up. Wincing at the throbbing pain in my head, I touched my scalp, feeling puncture wounds from her fake nails digging into my skin.

She continued to fight with Mr. Clarke, who struggled to hold her, and for a moment she broke free, launching at me. I stepped behind Mr. Thomas, clinging to him in fear, but Mr. Clarke caught her before she got to me, dragging her away as Mr. Thomas and I quietly followed.

Now, we sat in the principal’s office, Bridget and I on opposite sides of a long meeting table, the principal at the head. The room was silent, the only sound that of the wall clock ticking. My fingers twisted anxiously in my laps. My eyes never left Bridget, afraid she might finish what she started.

The distance between us was not far enough. I wanted to get as far away from her as physically possible, preferably into Caspian’s arms.

He would never have allowed this to happen. He probably wouldn’t have imagined that Bridget would hurt me physically. She usually just stuck with words, cutting me deeply. But I guess I did goad her. No one wanted to hear that the person they wanted was sleeping with their enemy.

The principal had summoned our parents as the situation was beyond the school’s ability to handle.

I knew my father wouldn’t show up, and even if he did, it would only make things worse. The principal was our kind, so he really couldn’t punish Bridget. As the daughter of the beta, her position is much higher than his.

But he could punish me. I was just a lowly omega, the lowest position of the pack. I already knew I would bear the worst of it and Bridget would walk away scot-free as usual. It wasn’t fair.

Bridget’s parents arrived, and just as expected, everyone blamed me. I wished Caspian was here, but I wasn’t going to be selfish and call him just because I couldn’t handle myself in a fight.

“Oh, Bridget.” Bridget’s mother exclaimed, pulling her in for a hug, and Bridget immediately burst into tears. I averted my gaze at the display, jealousy eating at me. I didn’t have that. She examined Bridget’s injuries, which were nothing compared to mine, and glared at me. “What did you do to my daughter?”

I didn’t have to answer.

“Mrs. Reyes.” The principal started calmly. “Miss Reyes and Miss Martins got into a fight at school.”

“Cut the crap, Magnus.” Mr. Reyes, Bridget’s father, interjected. “That bitch hurt my daughter; I demand she be punished.”

The principal tried to reason with him. “Mr. Reyes, both parties were injured during the fight.”

Mr. Reyes laughed mockingly. “No one cares about a lowly omega.”