CHAPTER 53: A PROTECTIVE MATE?

Angela stepped back slowly, her eyes fixed on the bloody message. Her whole body felt cold. She wanted to scream, but doing that would only make things worse. Students would rush over. Someone would record it. They’d upload it to the school’s gossip page, and by the end of the day, she’d be the laughingstock of the entire Academy—again.

She slammed the locker shut and leaned against it, trying to steady her breath. This felt like a nightmare. A sick, twisted dream she couldn’t wake up from. Someone was threatening her. Someone hiding in the shadows. And they had given her a deadline—the next full moon. Her heart sank. When the hell was that? Who would do this to her? What had she done this time?

"Hello, beauty."

She flinched. The voice startled her, and she turned to find Stales approaching with Alex beside him.

Angela forced herself to breathe. Her mind was racing, but she kept her voice steady. "Where were you two? I looked for you in the cafeteria."

"We were asked to take breakfast to Alpha Hiro," Alex replied. His eyes scanned her face, and his tone shifted. "Are you okay? You don’t look like it."

Angela hesitated, but then stepped aside. "Maybe you should check this out yourself."

She glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention, then slowly opened her locker wide enough for them to see inside.

Stales gasped. "Mother goddess..."

The smell hit him immediately. The blood was still fresh. His face twisted in horror as he read the message.

Alex, on the other hand, didn’t flinch. His calm reaction bothered Angela. It was like he wasn’t shocked at all. She watched him closely, suspicion flickering in her chest.

"Won’t you say something?" she asked, not hiding her frustration.

Alex finally looked at her. "Someone’s playing a game with you. A dangerous one. Whoever it is, they want to push you. Scare you. Make you act without thinking."

"Or rush you into making the wrong decision," Stales added. He was trying to stay calm too, but he couldn’t ignore the way some students were now watching them from a distance. Their eyes lingered on Angela’s locker. Did they see it? Had someone already spread the news?

Then Stales pulled out his phone. A new notification had popped up. His face dropped as he read it. "Guys... something’s going on."

Angela and Alex moved beside him. He opened the post and played the video.

It was a short clip. Just forty seconds. But it was enough to ruin everything.

Angela’s voice echoed from the phone, clear and bold: "Fuck Alpha Renn. He can’t handle me till now."

Angela’s heart sank. Her brows pulled together. "I never said that," she whispered, eyes wide with confusion. The boys stared at her.

She could feel it again. That helpless anger. That sick feeling when someone twists your words, or worse, fakes your voice. Whoever was doing this wasn’t just after her position. They wanted to destroy her. Piece by piece.

"We know," Alex said softly. "But what did I say about not panicking?"

Angela blinked away the sting in her eyes.

"We were supposed to have a beautiful day," he added, almost like a sigh. "But whoever’s behind this knew just how to ruin it."

"Yes. We planned to go train together at the gym this evening, but I don’t think we’ll be able to do that now. Not when your mind is this unsettled," Stales told her, watching her carefully.

"No. We’ll still go for training later," Angela said, her voice firm. "I need to work harder and I will. But first, we have to find this bastard. He made that first video of me during combat class. I don’t know how he did it, but he twisted my words, made it sound like I was insulting Renn. That video caused half of my problems. It was one of the reasons why Kaito kicked me out that night."

She let out a shaky breath. "Now there’s this bloody message in my locker and a second video going viral... It all points to the same thing. Either this person wants the Alphas to hate me or they want me to leave. Or maybe they want me dead."

"You’re right," Alex said as he crossed his arms. His face was calm, but his eyes were sharp. "The first video was from combat class. This new one shows you in the obstacle hall. Then the blood message. All three happened within the same group. This person is close. If he’s not in our class, then he’s from—"

"Mine," Stales finished for him, his tone heavy with realization. "So what do we do? Tell the Alphas?"

"No. We’ll handle it ourselves," Alex said quickly, and Angela nodded in agreement.

"I know someone," Alex added. "He can trace the account that posted the video. I’ll message him now. For now, just go to class, Stales. Keep your eyes open. If you notice anything strange, let us know immediately."

"Fine. See you later," Stales said. He turned to Angela, his expression softening. "Don’t be scared. It’s going to be fine."

"I’m not really scared," she said, her voice lower now. "I just don’t understand... why me of all people?"

Stales patted her back gently before walking off.

There were only a few minutes left before class started. Angela and Alex entered the room, and she went straight to her seat. She unlocked her phone and checked the timetable again just to be sure. Politics was their first class, then combat training. Her stomach twisted.

Renn.

She had to face him again. She swallowed hard. After everything—the videos, the stupid dream—she knew he had more than enough reasons to come at her now.

But what would he say about the dream? What would his reaction be if he remembered it?

Angela closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She didn’t want to think about it. But deep down, she already knew—he would be angry. Very angry.

She was still lost in thought when a loud bang jolted her. She opened her eyes, startled, and looked up.

It was the auburn-haired guy from the obstacle test yesterday. His face was twisted in anger, his eyes burning into hers as he glared down at her.

"When are you going to leave my seat? Or do you need me to kick you out?" Xavier growled, towering over her.

"Xavier, you better behave yourself," Alex said sharply as he stood up, his glare locked on him.

Xavier? The name sounded familiar. Angela looked beside the desk and saw it clearly now—his name. So it really was his seat. She had been using it all this time. But from what she knew, the guy had been sick and left for home weeks ago.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Xavier said, clearly annoyed at the resistance. "What’s the big deal?"

"It’s not like the seat ever belonged to you properly," Alex fired back. "You bullied the last person out of it, remember? And I don’t want you as a seatmate anymore."

Before Xavier could respond, the politics teacher walked into the class. She saw what was going on and immediately sent Xavier to another seat. Angela didn’t miss the glare he gave her as he walked past. She felt it on her skin like heat. She might have given the seat up if he had acted like a normal person. But the way he came at her? No fucking way.

After politics class ended, she made her way to the changing room. She slipped into her combat training outfit without saying much. Alex left to get drinks. Stales had already gone ahead to the gym with the form three students. The place was almost empty now.

Angela stood there, staring at her reflection. Part of her wanted to fake an illness and run back to the dorms. She didn’t want to see Renn. She wasn’t ready for whatever was going to come out of his mouth. That dream still lingered in her mind, and she had no idea what his reaction would be. Would he ignore her? Yell at her? Or ask questions she couldn’t answer?

She stepped out and started walking toward the gym. Her thoughts clouded her so much that she didn’t notice the presence behind her—until fingers gripped her arm hard. Pain shot through her as claws dug into her skin.

"Now there’s no Alex to protect you," Xavier snarled. "I’m going to deal with you myself."

Angela’s whole body tensed. She balled her fists and turned. She wasn’t scared of him. She was ready to teach him a fucking lesson. She wasn’t weak. If he thought she was, then he picked the wrong target.

But before she could swing her fist, another one came flying out of nowhere.

It smashed into Xavier’s cheek with a heavy crack. His mouth flew open, and spit went everywhere as his head whipped to the side. He flew off his feet and crashed against the wall with a loud thud.

Angela froze. Her hand still clenched, but she couldn’t move. She didn’t have to turn to know who it was. That scent—rich, dark, and sharp—told her everything.

Renn.

He brushed past her like she wasn’t even there and walked straight to where Xavier had landed. The hallway buzzed. Students rushed out of the gym, gathering quickly to see what was going on.

Renn didn’t care. His voice echoed through the hall, deep and furious.

"How dare you?"

The sound of it sent chills down every spine in that hallway. Angela felt it in her bones.