CHAPTER 59: AND WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!

Meanwhile, back inside the school building, Rose, Blonde, Dickson, Jamaila, and Joe sat around a circular table, each with a glass of chilled fruit drink placed in front of them.

"Do you think she’ll be okay though?" Blonde finally asked, breaking the heavy silence with a frustrated sigh. Her fingers toyed nervously with the rim of her glass. "I mean, sure, we’re all now students under each of the heirs, but only she is under Alpha Darius. I really can’t begin to imagine how hard that must be. And judging from the way the other two heirs left us the moment we got into the class, only telling us our lessons would begin tomorrow... well, it says a lot."

She paused, glancing at the others before continuing, "Tomorrow’s supposed to be the first general lesson to be held all four heirs, in which all students. Yet she’s the only one who was taken outside the school building... with Alpha Darius. I just can’t shake off the feeling that life’s about to get really serious for her."

"I know, right?" Dickson muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a heavy sigh. "But then again, she kind of caused this herself. Maybe if she had stood by her brother, Alpha Damien, she wouldn’t have been handed over to Alpha Darius in the first place. But then I understand her too."

Jamaila lowered her gaze, visibly uncomfortable, as Dickson went on. "Well... what’s done is done. All we can do now is pray she comes back to school safely without running into harm."

"We all know why she didn’t side with her brother," Joe cut in, his voice weighed with quiet frustration. "She chose to save her family. Can you blame her? Who in their right mind would go against the Alphas? Sure, her family is rich, but they’re not that influential. Wealth doesn’t mean immunity here. Honestly, I just hope she’s safe..."

"Hey, you!"

A sharp, masculine voice sliced through the air, abruptly interrupting their conversation. All five friends instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.

Standing a few feet away was Jackson...Blonde’s young master.

He sauntered over with an unmistakable smirk plastered on his face and dropped himself onto the chair beside Blonde with the ease of someone who believed the world belonged to him. "Go get me some ice cream and pizza," he commanded, pointing lazily in the direction of the cafeteria counter. "You’ve got five minutes. Don’t keep me waiting."

"And who the fuck are you?" Rose snapped, narrowing her eyes as she rose halfway from her seat, her tone laced with venom. "How dare you show up here and start barking orders like a rabid dog?"

Jackson barely spared her a glance. He scratched his ear lazily, as though her voice were nothing more than an annoying buzz. "Just shut the hell up, bitch," he said with a casual roll of his eyes. Then he turned back to Blonde. "Tell your dog to quiet down before you end up taking the punishment meant for her."

"You....!" Rose began furiously, fists clenched, ready to leap across the table.

"It’s enough, Rose," Blonde interjected quickly, standing from her chair. Her voice trembled slightly, but she kept it firm. "Please... it’s enough."

Her words sent a wave of shock rippling through Rose, Joe, Dickson, and Jamaila. All of them stared at Blonde, stunned into silence.

Blonde turned back to Jackson, her expression blank. "I’ll be right back," she said quietly before walking away toward the counter.

A few minutes later, she returned carrying a tray with a box of pizza and a large cup of ice cream. She placed it on the table in front of Jackson with a strained smile.

"Here. Your ice cream and pizza," she said steadily. "Now can you leave? Or would you rather we all leave this spot for you?"

Jackson rose from his seat slowly, eyeing the group with obvious disdain. "Of course I’ll leave," he scoffed, taking the tray with him. "Can’t sit around with poverty-stinking people anyway."

Rose inhaled sharply, but before she could speak again, Blonde gave her a warning look....subtle but firm. She clenched her jaw and scoffed in disbelief, biting back the insults that burned on her tongue.

Jackson glanced at Blonde again, his lips curling into another smirk. "Ten minutes," he said smugly. "Be in my class. You’re carrying my bag home today."

"I will," Blonde replied quietly.

Without another word, Jackson reached out and patted her head mockingly, then walked off with his tray, leaving behind an air thick with tension and unspoken rage.

"Now what the actual heck is wrong with you, girl?!" Rose suddenly exploded, slamming her hand against the table as she stood to her feet. "Who the fuck was that bastard, and why the hell did you stand up like a fool....which, honestly, I didn’t even know you were until now to carry out his damn orders?!"

Her voice rang out loud and fierce, her neck veins bulging with fury. But she didn’t care. Her voice was so loud that nearly every other student in the cafeteria turned their heads toward them. Yet, not a single one said a word. The cafeteria wasn’t filled with the usual crowd of elite students. Instead, it was mostly scholarship students. The rich brats were all in their exclusive classrooms, attending that so-called special course reserved for the upper crust.

"You actually ditched that class...skipped it, just to come sit with us, only to get me ridiculed like that?" Rose continued, her voice still shaking with outrage. "That nuisance actually had the audacity to call me a bitch in front of everyone!"

She ran a hand furiously through her hair, her fingers shaking with pent-up rage. "I swear, I feel like strangling you right now, girl!"

"He’s my brother," Blonde finally said, her voice quiet but steady. She swallowed hard, her fingers trembling slightly as she gripped the edge of her seat. "Well... my stepbrother, actually. My father is dead. His mistress...Jackson’s mother....inherited all of my dad’s property with her son. It’s a miracle I’m still part of the family at all. I think the only reason I haven’t been completely thrown out is because I still bear my father’s last name."

Her voice held a solemn weight, every word measured and calculated. She had rehearsed this story in her head ever since her master had announced that Jackson would be attending Lycan Academy. The truth was partially woven into her words...Jackson’s mother had indeed inherited the estate after her second husband death, and Jackson was originally a stepson. But Blonde had twisted the story to present herself as the stepdaughter to avoid exposing her real connection. Since their family wasn’t well-known or influential within the pack, there was little chance anyone would uncover the lie.

"Are you for real right now?" Rose barked, her face contorting into a look of stunned disbelief. "You mean that fool is out there living large off your father’s money, and they’re treating you like trash?"

Blonde nodded, then looked down, letting her shoulders sag just enough to appear broken. "The reason I invited you all to the house for that party... it was because they weren’t around. I would never dare bring friends home if they were there. Not in a million years."

Tears began to roll slowly down her cheeks now, adding a sorrowful softness to her carefully constructed expression. "Remember the day after the party? When you saw me walking like I was in pain?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. "I didn’t hurt myself cleaning the pool, like I told you. I was actually beaten by my stepbrother and his mother. They got angry because they found me cleaning when everywhere should have been clean."

"Oh my goodness," Rose whispered, her fury turning to compassion in an instant. Without hesitation, she pulled Blonde into a tight hug, gently patting her back. "Those motherfuckers deserve to rot in hell."

"I’m so sorry you’re going through all that, Blonde," Jamaila added, her own eyes brimming with tears. "You’re such a kind and reasonable person. No one deserves what you’re enduring. I understand how it feels... I’m going through something similar too."

As her voice faltered, a few tears slipped down her cheeks, and she brushed them away quickly with the back of her hand.

"Damn," Dickson muttered, letting out a bitter scoff as he folded his arms across his chest. "I guess today’s the day we all start revealing just how messed up our families really are."

"Well, since we’re all here and we don’t have any class at the moment, we might as well talk," Joe chimed in, exhaling heavily. "No point pretending everything’s fine when it’s clearly not. I’ll go first."

He straightened in his seat, and instantly, all eyes turned toward him....curious, attentive, and perhaps, just a little bit braced for what he was about to say.