Chapter 5 Shadows of Defiance

"You shameless whore!" She screeched before slapping me right in the face. "Tess! Not in public," Her friends hurried to pull her away from me, swinging their heads left and right to catch who may be looking. Tears pooled in my eyes as my anger brewed. I clenched my fists staring at her as she continued to rage on and her friends held her back.

"Let go of me! I'm just getting started with the little bitch." Not in public? That was all they had to say for me? Since when had my life become so sad that the only defense I deserved was an attempt to save her reputation? "I'm so sick of this," I muttered to myself. "It's not enough he rejected you, you're still going on to throw yourself at him. How shameless can you get, Who do you think you-" She didn't finish because a slap had cut off her sentence. My eyes widened in shock as the scene unfolded. Khalid stood right in front of her, shielding me. I hadn't noticed when he moved. I watched as his hand rose once again before falling to strike her in the face once more. Tess let out a whimper before falling right on the floor, holding her right cheek in shock. What just happened? Did Khalid just slap Tess? Twice? I pulled him as I caught him raising his hand again. He was still wearing that cold demeanor of his. Suddenly the lovely blue-eyed boy ranting about not making friends was gone, replaced by a cold storm that wanted to drown Tess. For me? I wondered. "What are you doing?" The question came out abruptly. "You can't hit her," I panicked. Looking around, I caught the crowd growing. This could not possibly end well for either of us. He just slapped an Alpha's girlfriend to defend a mere Omega. Holding his hand, I tugged him to follow me. "Come on, let's leave," I urged desperately. There was no way I would let him get in trouble for me. I'm sure if I pleaded with Ethan before the news reached Higan, he would take measures to protect him. Khalid blinked at me, seemingly in contemplation before finally quietly following me. We ran past the crowd and Tess's shocked face until I made sure we were out of sight. My chest heaved in breaths as my nerves shook. Things were bad, really bad and they happened in front of humans too. Higan would be livid. We all know he's a womanizer but he's sensitive about Tess. "It's her isn't it, the one who hits you?" Khalid asked casually like we hadn't just run that much. "No! It doesn't matter. What are we going to do? Hig-" I paused, "Alpha Sinclair would be so mad. That's his girlfriend." I pointed out. "So?" he blinked, tilting his head as if trying to comprehend what was so bad about just that. "We're so dead," I held my head clenching my hair like a rogue on the bridge of its sanity. Pacing back and forth, I tried to come up with a solution. Anything that could make things as less complicated as possible. I thought to reach Ethan as soon as I could but it only just crossed my mind that I had no idea how without asking Khalid. And with his peculiar behavior, I doubt he would want to rat himself out just yet. "Hello?" Khalid's voice pulled me out of my rushed thoughts. I paused and watched him as he nodded with the phone resting against his ear. Did he realize that whoever was on the other end could not see him nodding? I could only stare at him, bewildered by his calm demeanor after all that had just happened. Who was he calling? Khalid's voice lowered into a smooth hum. "Yeah, it's me. Things got a little heated. I'll need you to keep her busy for a while." Her? Who was he talking about? I had so many questions. He tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as if the person on the other end had said something amusing. "No, it wasn't planned. She didn't deserve it, though. You know how I feel about bullies." He kicked a stone. I blinked, trying to piece the conversation together. Was he talking about Tess? Khalid gave another hum of agreement before he glanced at me and said, "Right. I'll handle it from here." He ended the call, slipping his phone into his pocket before turning back to me. "What was that about?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. I can't seem to figure him out at all. "Just ensuring someone handles this Tess thing," he said casually, as though he hadn't just slapped the Alpha's girlfriend in public and gotten us both into a colossal mess. "You seem to be worried about it." "Who are you?" I blurted out. Could he be a beta himself? It wouldn't be crazy to think Ethan's betas were with him. But why would they all move here? He smiled faintly, the warmth of earlier seeming to creep back into his expression. "Your partner in crime given the situation." "That doesn't answer my question," I pressed, growing increasingly frustrated. "Why did you even step in? Do you realize what you've done? Higan-" I caught myself, correcting, "Alpha Sinclair-isn't going to let this slide!" His gaze hardened for a moment, but his voice stayed calm. "I know exactly what I've done. And you shouldn't have to deal with people like her." I flinched at the intensity in his tone. He made it sound so simple, but this wasn't just about Tess. This was about my entire miserable place in the pack's hierarchy after my public rejection. "I'm not going to school anymore," I muttered, more to myself than to him. The thought of walking into that building and facing Higan, Tess, or anyone else after this was unbearable. I could defend myself but for how long? "Good. You shouldn't," Khalid agreed, as if it were the most obvious choice. I looked up at him, startled by his immediate support. "I actually don't want to go home. My mom's already stressed enough without me showing up in tears again. And if Higan finds me before I figure something out-" "Come with me," he interrupted, his voice steady. "What?" I blinked in surprise at the sudden idea. "Come with me," he repeated. "I'll take you somewhere safe for the day. You don't have to deal with any of this right now." I hesitated, eyeing him warily. "Why should I trust you?" "Because," he said, his tone softening again, "I just stood up for you, didn't I? And if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble." That wasn't exactly reassuring, but he had a point. Still, the idea of going anywhere with him felt reckless. I still didn't know him that well. "Where would we even go?" "My place," he said simply with a growing grin. I froze. "Your place?" "Sort of," he admitted. "It's not far. A quiet spot out of the way. Nobody will bother you there. Well nobody you wouldn't want to bother you would be there, I think." I bit my lip, torn between skepticism and the undeniable fact that I had no better options. Higan and Tess were both unpredictable, and my mom didn't need more reasons to worry about me. "Fine," I relented after a moment, sighing. "But if this is some kind of trap-" "You'll bite me again?" he teased with a grin. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the faint smile tugging at my lips. After all, I could be dead this time tomorrow, I should appreciate the little funny things in life even if it's a bipolar boy with the face of an angel. Khalid hailed a cab and we both quickly jumped into the backseats. I took the time to text Becca about my inevitable absence from school. She sent a thumbs up as a reply. I told myself she cared in her way. The drive was quiet, the tension in the air lingering despite Khalid's attempts at casual conversation. He would occasionally give the driver directions and I hoped the bored-looking man would remember enough in the case I go missing. He pulled up to a secluded mansion tucked away behind tall trees and a clean-onyx gate. "This is your 'quiet spot?" I asked, gaping at the sprawling estate in disbelief. "Like I said, it's out of the way," he replied with a shrug before stepping out of the cab. I followed suit. The front door swung open before we even reached it, and I immediately recognized the girl standing in the doorway. It was hard not to miss the smooth pale skin, the silky black hair, and those pair of dark eyes that seemed to unnerve me. "Abigail," I muttered under my breath, dread pooling in my stomach. Her piercing gaze landed on me, and she tilted her head with an unreadable expression. "Harlyn," she said coolly, before turning to Khalid. "So, this is who you're playing hero for today?" "So this is the one," she murmured to herself, looking me over with an almost predatory curiosity. I swallowed, feeling my guard go up. "The one?" I echoed, not quite sure what she meant. Abigail only smiled vaguely, not offering any further explanation. That distinct feeling of her hiding something-something about me crept in again. It's not my place to reveal anything. Sometimes, rejection isn't about weakness or strength, nor is it about hierarchy. Sometimes, it's about what hasn't been realized yet. What hasn't come to the surface? I could still hear her strange words from yesterday. Khalid, seeming clueless to my discomfort, gently steered me further into the house. "I'll leave you two to get settled. I'll be right back," he said, before disappearing down the hall. I was left standing there with Abigail, who still hadn't stopped studying me. Her silence felt like an interrogation and After a couple of painful minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. "Um, where is the bathroom?" I blurted out, wanting to escape her probing eyes. She smiled, gesturing toward a hallway. "It's down that way. Third door on the right." I nodded quickly, eager to leave. As I walked down the hall, my thoughts raced. Why did she stare so much? What did she know about my rejection? And Why am I so bothered? Whatever it was, I had to get away, if only for a few minutes. It seemed like everyone I'd met in the last twenty-four hours had only succeeded in making me curious beyond my years. I was growing tired of asking questions with no answers finding their way to me. Lost in my thoughts, I barely paid attention to where I was going. It wasn't until I reached the door at the end of the hall that I noticed something felt off. The air in the room shifted, thick with a presence I hadn't expected. A warm chill swept over me and I froze. Then, I turned. There, standing in a sunkissed room, was Ethan. He was shirtless, his body broad and muscular, and the soft smile on his lips sent an unexpected flutter through my chest. "You found me," he said quietly, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "Daughter of Gaiyetre."