Jay

Mat leaned beside Sydney as they walked down the hallway.

I was trying to keep my distance while staying close enough to hear their entire conversation.

At Mat's question, if Sydney's brother had lifted a hand to her, my wolf reared his head and my nails grew into claws. Thankfully they were hidden in my deep jean pockets.

Someone's hurting my mate!? My wolf's voice came out in an animalistic roar in my mind.

He was completely on edge, making me shifty. The combination of Sydney's rejection, Mat's interference, and now this external threat, I was holding it together by a string. I was afraid that one bad step and I would lose control of him.

Thankfully, she denied these notions and I continued to listen from my spot against the lockers with my phone in hand as an excuse to stay there.

When Mat's arms wrapped her, my grip on my phone cracked the screen.

We need to find out what happened to her dad.

Agreed. Then we could be there for her when she needs to cry. Not Matthew. I thought the omega's name bitterly.

I was grateful for the arrival of Sydney's friend Emily.

"What the fuck was that?" Terrence demanded.

It felt safe enough to turn my attention away from Sydney with her female friend there.

A growled bubbled from my throat at him. "Watch your tone."

Terrence bowed his head in respect. "What happened in there?" He repeated less demanding.

"Nothing, just the omega trying to tell me what to do." A vibrating growl hummed through me just thinking about Mathew and his protectiveness of Sydney.

I looked at my broken phone screen. "Damn."

We turned and walked into the crowded hallway of students now swarming from their third-period classes to either their fourth or their lunch period.

"Ah. I heard you got three detentions now." Terrence said trying to draw more answers from me. "Coach isn't going to like that."

My wolf pranced at the thought though. Never in my life had I seen my wolf happy about getting a detention.

Well, this one's with our mate! We can get to know her! He yipped excitedly clearly not concerned with our earlier rejection nor the fact Sydney could have the later lunch period if we continued on with this seemingly bad luck we had been struck with.

The hallways were now much more thinned out, and with fewer students in them, it made our conversation more addible.

I answered him, "The teacher started yelling at me and you know that triggers the alpha gene in me."

Terrence smiled cockish shooting me that knowing look. "Unless they're screaming out your na-"

I collided with somebody, falling on top of their small frame.

Get up! Get up! You're crushing her! My wolf yelled frantically.

Huh? Well, I'm fine thank you very much. I told him pushing off the ground beside the person.

I looked down to find Sydney and her green eyes staring up at me.

☽✣☾

Sydney

"Good luck with your lunch detention Syd!" Mat joked walking towards the hall towards his next class since he had the second lunch block.

He had returned from the bathroom frazzled, but not so much so to not see me off to detention seeing as he was already late for his class.

"I hope a bus hits you, Matty," I said in a sing-song voice from my locker.

He did his signature move, placing his hand over his heart as if wounded. "You're words me hurt," He wiped away a 'tear' and walked backwards down the empty hallway.

"Yeah, Yeah. Get to class before I strangle you." I joked.

He saluted me saying, "See ya later!"

I chuckled into my locker pulling out my homemade lunch. I searched for my phone before remembering I dropped it at some point during last night's events.

Damn.

I made a mental note to search for it after school.

Slamming my locker shut I walked down the hall towards English class for lunch detention.

"Ah. I heard you got three detentions now." A male voice around the corner said.

Another, more familiar voice replied. "The teacher started yelling at me and you know that triggers the alpha gene in me."

Alpha gene? The hell is that? Cocky much.

The other guy chuckled and said. "Unless they're screaming out your na-"

Next thing I knew, I was sprawled out on the floor barely able to breathe with the weight on my chest. The breath was knocked out of me. The person above me pushed themself up enough to look down on me.

I was met with those sea-foam eyes that were slowly becoming a staple in my day. My eyes fluttered down to his soft-looking lips, then traced over his dark cheeks, poised on attractive cheekbones.

Damn, he is handsome.

"Hey Jay, are you, alright man?" Jaycen's friend's voice brought me back down to earth.

Jaycen's friend peeled the stunned Jaycen off of me.

I suddenly found a newborn pain in my elbow and the back of my head.

Great my body is going to be in shambles by the end of the week.

I looked to Jaycen's friend to find it was one of my best friends, Ashton Smalls', twin brother and notably Jaycen's best friend Terrence Smalls.

Terrence stood back taking in the scene before him.

"Are you alright?" Jaycen asked me, crouching back down.

I pushed myself up to sit and rubbed the back of my head.

"Yeah, I think I'm alright. Are you ok?" I inquired back at him.

His face was tight as he said, "I'm a hundred and eighty-three pounds of mostly muscle. I just crushed you, and you're asking if I'm alright?"

Suddenly overcome with anger, I came to the re-realization that not only was he not grateful for my caring reciprocation after our fall, which was mostly his fault, but that it was his also his doing that landed me with detention.

I pushed myself up to stand without accepting his hand. "If you wanna be a jackass about it then I guess not."

I brushed off my clothes and picked up my lunch back up.

"I'll walk you to class." He offered, but it was an offer that didn't give me another choice.

"Uhh, I'll talk to you later Jay," Terrence disappeared down the hall.

"You mean detention; which I'm in because of you." I reminded Jaycen snobbliy.

"Yeah sorry about that..." He said scratching his head sheepishly.

"Whatever," I grumbled.

Wordless, Jaycen came and walked beside me and together we headed to lunch detention.

"Ahh! Mr. Ward and Ms. Watkins. How lovely is it to see you here?" The teacher in charge of lunch detention sarcastically greeted.

"Yeah great," I muttered under my breath.

"Come again Ms. Watkins?" The male teacher challenged.

"Nothing Sir. Just disappointed in myself, for receiving two detentions. I've never had a detention before in my life."

Jaycen chuckled into his fist, but after I gave him a sideways scowl. He stopped.

"Yes, well maybe if you did your work and didn't talk back to the teacher you wouldn't be in this situation." The teacher said.

I shut my mouth and bit my tongue to hold back my snarky comment about never getting detention before Jaycen came along.

I've always been one of the teacher's favorite student, but he comes along and gets me in trouble by talking about my favorite animal!

I snorted at the thought taking my seat, hoping Jaycen would stay away from me, but no. He took the seat right behind me.

The phone at the desk chimed and the teacher walked and answered it.

"So, Star do you have a boyfriend?" Jaycen asked from behind me.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I answered with a non-answer.

Unrolling my paper bag I pulled out my little bag of Lay's Classic chips and CapriSun.

Jaycen's warm breath was now hitting the side of my neck. I refused to turn and look at him, but I couldn't stop my palms from sweating and my pulse from racing.

What the hell is going on with me?

"Yes, I would, otherwise I wouldn't have asked," Jaycen whispered into my ear. "Oh, Nutter Butters!" He started to reach over my shoulder to grab my Nutter Butters.

I lifted my arm and slapped him away faster than a butterfly drinks nectar. "If you don't have a death wish you'd best remove your hand from the two-foot radius of my Nutter Butters."

Jaycen laughed but didn't move.

"Feisty girls are such a turn on for me," He teased huskily.

Just as I was about to break his hand for threatening my Nutter Butters and that jackass remark of his, the teacher said, "Mr. Ward stop harassing Ms. Watkins."

Jaycen sat back down and crossed his arms over his firm looking chest. I then saw him scowl the teacher out of the corner of my eye.

I smiled smugly.

The next five or ten minutes was silent as I had finished my lunch and tapped my foot rhythmically counting down the minutes till detention was finished.

The teacher, whose name I found to be Mr. Rows, excused himself to collect some papers from the printer. He then said, "If I find anything, and I mean anything a centimeter off when I come back, you will be scrapping the gum off these desks with your own toothbrush."

Okay, crazy old man.

I nodded wide-eyed at the man who seemed a little off his rocker.

Or he had a great hate for students my age and couldn't get a job elsewhere.

I was going with the latter. Nevertheless, with Mr. Rows gone from the room, it made me feel better not having to be under a microscope even if it was for a few minutes.

Then I was reminded that Jaycen was still in the room.

"So, Star, you never answered my question. Do you have a boyfriend?" He urged.

"No, I don't," I told him truthfully, trying to come off nonchalantly.

I wasn't sure if my eyes or mind were playing tricks on me, but Jaycen's tense body seemed to relax ever so slightly.

"But I do have my eye on someone," I joked.

Jaycen's shoulders tightened and his jaw locked so much that I could see the muscles and tendons in his neck.

"Who is he?" Jaycen asked his voice now rough.

Befuddled by his sudden changes, I semi answered his question, "Someone that you wouldn't know. He doesn't go to this school."

He leaned in closer, "You don't know that. What's his name?"

"You wouldn't know him. He doesn't run in your crowd."

Jaycen's eyes seemed to darken as he spoke. "Sydney tell me righ-"

"No talking." Mr. Row said coming into the classroom.

"Mr. Row, may I go to the restroom?" I asked. He looked me over as if deciphering whether or not I was just trying to get out of detention or if I genuinely needed to go.

With the thought in my head, I realized I really did need to go to the bathroom, despite me mainly wanting to just get away from Jaycen, and the now eerily powerful feeling permeating from him.

"Go on. You have two minutes." Mr. Row told me.

I nodded and shoot out of the classroom, not sparing a glance at Jaycen.

☽✣☾

Unknown

From around the corner, I watched the blonde honey-haired girl take her time as she headed towards the girls' restroom.

That's her. That's Jaycen's mate. My wolf told me. His scent is on her.

She's human? I asked him.

Fate's made it that way, I don't know. But from word around this school, this girl has disturbed the waters surrounding Jay.

You're very helpful. I told him sarcastically.

Hush. We are doing this together. Jaycen has to pay for what his family did to our mate and our brothers'. My wolf ended the sentence with a growl.

I too growled at the memory burning in the back of my head.

We will make Jaycen pay for all the deaths his family has caused.

☽✣☾

EDITED JUNE 18 2020