ENTANGLED WITH MY STRANGE MATE

|Annabel|

"AXL has uploaded a new chapter of their story! Catch up!", the notification dropped on my phone a few minutes to the end of the fifth period.

My legs began to shake with tension of what my favorite author could have uploaded. She had left us all hanging the past week, and I almost went crazy trying to figure out what would happen next.

Yes! I am a sucker for werewolf stories.

They revolve around my entire life. I would rather not read anything if it's not about werewolves. I have been called a crazy person, an obsessed hopeless girl by several people but do I care?

Not a tiny bit!

Whatever Mr. Andy was saying in front of the class, was not my cup of tea at that moment. I needed to check the newly updated chapter, but I just had to wait for the break time's siren because if he took away my cell phone, I would collapse from anxiety.

"Ding dong", the break time bell rang through the entire building, and I jumped to my feet.

I couldn't wait for him to step out of the class before I flew out and rushed to the library. I needed to get myself into the new chapter and enjoy my journey through the land of the unknown.

"Will he choose her as his Luna today?", I mumbled to myself, fiddling with my fingerprint to open my phone.

The silent library was helping my concentration. It was what I wanted, and that was the reason I have chosen the spot.

Other students would have made their way to the cafeteria for lunch but I didn't care much about that. Our house help already packed my lunch, and I just have to take a stroll to my car whenever I feel like eating.

I am the only daughter of the almighty Harvey Group. My father controls all the business in the South East Region of America with his popular nickname "The Business Tiger".

I grew up to know him as someone who would choose his business over any other thing unapologetically, and the past seventeen years of my life have given me little or no relationship with him.

He was never interested in whatever I do. As long as I don't soil his name or bring a shitty result home, then I can have all I wanted.

Yes, call me spoiled but I am the only daughter they spend whatever they earn on and I don't care about the rules of being a good person, I mean I was raised by terrible people.

The head maid at home would hit the junior maids for their mistakes, my mother would have any maid that trespassed or angered her walk through fire, and my father simply doesn't care about how the home is run as long as his food is ready before he sets his feet in the house.

On my sixteenth birthday, I got betrothed to Bernard, the only son of Apex Constructions. My father claimed that our marriage would be an avenue to strengthen the bond between the two families but that was a total trash because I knew the only reason I was being sold in a deal disguised as marriage was because my father was dreaming of building a multi-billion royal apartment project and he needed Apex Construction to be in charge. The adults might be shitty but they are aces in their games. Only my father was capable of such a project and only Apex Construction is efficient enough to make it a reality.

"Arrrggghhhh", I can't believe I waited for nothing!

She didn't show us if he accepted her as his Luna, I had to wait another twenty-four hours for the second upload of the week.

"What a way to get my mood shitty", I cursed, and threw my phone on the library's table in annoyance before one of the students rushed in.

"Bernard is at it again", he panted, looking at me like I was some savior.

"Talk about the devil", I rolled my eyes in disgust, and pushed the table for easier passage.

"I wonder who is getting assaulted today", I whistled as I walked through the long hallway made of shiny marbles.

The creaking noise of the students' shoes as they ran to the dining hall disturbed my hearing to the point where I had to pick up the pace to escape the torture.

I entered the cafeteria to see a boy being slammed into the wall, the crashing noise of spoons and trays filling everywhere.

The unfortunate victim of the day was a small boy with an average height, blonde hair with a buzz cut and a transparent eyeglass sitting on his face.

His small body whimpered in pain as he tried to pack himself up, but Bernard wouldn't give him that luxury. Before he could hold onto the rails along the wall, he got kicked hard in his stomach, and that sent him sprawling on the floor once more, blood dripping from his mouth.

Yuck!

"What is it this time around?", I asked someone close to me

"He rejected the extra serving that he was offered by Bernard", the girl beside me answered and I scoffed in disbelief.

It was Bernard's turn to dish out food to the students, and he decided to bring down hell on earth just because someone wouldn't take his extra serving?

Talk about a dramatic psychopath! The fact that I was to be married to such a bully irked the life out of me. Well, I never said I would, I just didn't have the strength to argue with my father for now.

He was about to kick him again when I stepped in, "How about you channel your anger elsewhere, Mr. Bully?"

My voice stopped his raised leg in the air and he turned to look at me before rolling his eyes.

"You poke your nose in everything ", he mumbled, loud enough for me to hear but I didn't care

I was tired of his childish tantrums.

"Do you think I listen to you because..."

Ding dong!

The bell for the next lesson rang and I shrugged.

"Get your ass back to the class", I hissed, and turned to take my leave.

*****

We all settled for the next period that I was already not interested in when the homeroom teacher walked in with a stranger trailing behind.

"Hello Class, welcome your new colleague", he announced and gave the floor to the new puppy looking student

"Hello everyone, I am Oliver Scott", he introduced as his shiny eyes scanned everywhere till it got to me and he locked eyes with me.

Nothing about him was my cup of tea but I could swear that his eyes kept drawing me in. I couldn't take my eyes off him.

"Who is this mysterious stranger?", I thought to myself as I folded my hands across my chest.

|Oliver|

"You are transferring schools. Get ready to resume at Sherlock High School next Monday", my father's deep voice announced to me as I stepped into the house.

I was just coming from the training ground where I spend the first two hours of my morning for intense training every day.

My eyes grew saucers at his words, I never expected neither wanted it, "Nothing is wrong with my school. Why are you throwing me out to such a place? Do you even know what it means? I will be schooling with pure humans! How am I supposed to cope?", I protested

His nose flinched at my words as he stopped to look at me, "Do I look like I am seeking permission from you? Either transfer schools or forget about being my son!" His voice thundered.

As expected of Alpha Damon. He would rather threaten your existence than listen to whatever you have to say. Nothing stands except his words and wishes.

"Just say you are throwing me out, it's still the same thing", I refused to back down and walked away.

"Olivvvvvveeeerrrr!!!!" a thunderous voice called out, making my whole existence shake. His Alpha voice had taken over.

"Such an impatient grumpy old man", I rolled my eyes to see him trying hard to keep himself in control

"As you wish", I surrendered and left for my room.

Being the second son of the Alpha had never been rosy. I was constantly tossed back and forth within the decisions of what is best for me, even though I have never seen the best till now.

Heinous trainings, strict diets, forced to learn cultures and ethics, etiquettes, and every other bullshit just to fit into royalty was taking a hard toll on me. I was convinced that I would never have a life of my own because whatever I do or say revolves around my parents. I have been wired that way.

"Get me a new belt, I think I have lost too much weight, and this doesn't look good anymore", I instructed one of the men serving me and threw the one I removed on the floor before slamming the door of my room shut.

I laid on the bed quietly for several minutes, thinking about what my father had just said.

"What exactly is the thing about this school that he's sending me there?" I rolled off the bed and opened my laptop to search for everything about Sherlock High.

The school is for only the top 1% Elites of the society. Located in Virginia, it's known as "the place of making". It's a known belief that connections are established from here and the future heirs and heiresses are determined right in this school.

"A school is supposed to be a school. Why is it so complicated?" I slammed my laptop shut. I was getting tired from the whole hype about an ordinary building.

****

My car drove into the compound of the school on Monday and it was more than I had expected. The pictures on the internet didn't do it justice, it was way more magnificent, elegant and beautiful.

I stepped down from the car in my neatly ironed black trouser, white shirt and firmly knotted blue checkered tie. My mother had knotted it herself this morning with the rant of making sure that I looked admirable on my first day.

"Let's have you registered sir", one of the teachers that had been waiting to receive me motioned to me with his whole set of teeth outside.

His currying was too obvious. He wanted to be in my good book at all costs and it wasn't like I cared.

"Just a year! I need to put up with this for just a year", I sighed, and tossed my black bag to him, which he struggled to catch while I walked away.

***

The registration was completed in the Principal's office within a few minutes. The old woman wearing a curly light ginger wig to hide her receding hairline welcomed me with so much laughter and giggles as she ushered me to the sofa where my tea was served immediately.

"Your father already sent a notification and we will make sure to treat you right. Just let me know if anything is making you uncomfortable and I'll adjust it right away", her fingers matching her words as she talked.

"You can go to your class", she finally dismissed me after making a few calls and a teacher showed up to escort me.

A bell I figured was for putting an end to the break time sounded as we walked through the hallway and the students hurried to their class. After a three minutes' walk, the teacher branched into the class with the label "honeycomb" and announced my presence.

"Hello everyone, I am Oliver Scott", I introduced myself, and they just stared at me silently.

As expected from arrogant heirs and heiresses, I mean I never clapped for a new student too so I didn't feel bad.

"You can have your seat beside Andrew and let me know if you need anything", the teacher said with an awkward smile, breaking the silence that followed my introduction.

Just like I wasn't interested in any of them, the energy was reciprocated. Classes went by smoothly and I would give it to them that their teachers were up to the standard. Everything was clear, concise and interesting.

"That will be all for today", the teacher for the last period announced and they all cheered happily.

Since I didn't have anything to hold me back, I threw my bag on my left shoulder and proceeded to walk out of the class, only to be blocked by three boys.

"Hey newbie, don't you think you owe us an introduction?" One of them cackled and the others joined in the weird laugh

"I already did that earlier", I responded and continued my walk but something unexpected happened, my bag was pulled from the back, making me stagger.

"Excuse me, do you have a death wish?" I snapped. The scenario was already getting annoying.

Another series of laughter filled the air as they parted to show the person standing behind them. His gaze was cold and chilly. His brows were raised in intimidation as he moved closer to me but I wasn't fazed.

My time that was being wasted was what was riling me up badly.

"And what if we have death wishes? Will you grant it?" he mocked and a tired sigh escaped my lips.

I was about to respond "gladly" when someone popped up right beside me.

"Leave him alone before I press the dial button", she howled at him, raising her phone in the air to show him a contact I wasn't interested in.

His smirk disappeared and the look on his face got stronger. Whatever was shown to him got him big time because he painfully stepped aside for me to have my way.

I turned to look at her and realized that she was the one I was in a staring contest with a few hours ago during my introduction.

"You owe me one" she winked and I couldn't suppress my scoff

I never told her to rescue me, I can take care of myself.

I just stared at her for a few seconds and found my way out of the class. Something was weird about the school, I was getting the feeling but I couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was.

I was descending the stairs when a loud thud sounded between the flowers and screams filled the whole compound. I turned to see someone hanging down the flowers and bleeding profusely.

"What the...", my eyes bulged in horror as I turned to look at where he fell from.

The boy that stopped me a few minutes ago was standing right in front of the shattered window with a smirk on his face.

As soon as our eyes got connected, he gave a creepy smile before making a signal of two fingers pointing to his eyes first and then pointing to me.

"Watch your back", I read from his lips before he walked away from the window

What the hell!

Everywhere scattered as the students ran helter-skelter. I was shaken to my bones as I saw the student hanging down the flowers, blood slowly filling the ground under him.

I kept singing "what the hell?" as I threw my bag away and rushed to rescue the dying student.

His belly had been pierced by the sharp branch and his eyeglasses were shattered and stuck in his face making it a gory sight.

"Someone is dying here", I fished out my phone to call the emergency toll as I tried to help him down the flower holding onto his body.

He was slightly bigger than me, leaving me no choice but to use my wolf strength to help him down as we get surrounded by other students.

"Everybody stay alert! Don't panic too much" the alarm kept blaring but we were all too tensed to listen

"He'll die at this rate", the same girl shouted and rushed forward to where I was beside him with bloodied hands

"When will the ambulance get here?" I questioned and she pointed to the front, it was there already.

He was transported and we both joined the transit to the hospital where he was rushed to the theater for his surgery. I had texted my driver my location so he could join me and pick me up after getting the update about the injured student.

I couldn't get the scene of the boy that pushed him down the window off my head. How could he do that? What if he had died just like that? What exactly gave him the gut to push his fellow student down?

"I have to find out", I muttered to myself before my phone rang.

It was the Alpha

"Have you forgotten that you have royal lessons? Why are you not at home yet?" his voice howled behind the call

Oopsss! I had totally forgotten that I had a royal lesson for the day but what happened was more important than the lesson.

"Can I just skip it for today? Something came up", I answered and his voice got stronger than the first time

"Then don't bother to step into my house anymore", he threatened and disconnected the call before I could even say a word

He was always threatening me with not stepping into his house anymore or not being his son whenever he wanted me to do anything. I didn't have a choice at that point since I still wanted to be my father' son so I went to check if there was any update again before I take my leave.

I stepped into the ward where he was transferred to and saw the girl we came together shaking with her hands in the air.

It was like I had caught her doing something bad.

"What are you doing?" I asked, staring at her hand that was very close to his neck

"By chance are you trying to kill...?" my eyes bulged in horror and my legs staggered back in fear

What is wrong with everybody in this school? Someone almost died and we managed to save him but she was trying to kill him again? Why? To erase the evidence?

"It's not like that", she responded but I shook my head

"It's exactly like that. You all are demons", I screamed and ran out of the room

Immediately, I told my driver to head home with no plan of coming back to the school the second day. The first day was too much for me already.

****

|Annabel|

Ever since I started attending Sherlock High School, such incident have never happened. I cowered in fear as I saw the unconscious body of the boy that was bullied earlier in the afternoon lying on the flower branches.

I offered to ride with him to the hospital with the new boy and was watching over him in the ward he was transferred to after surgery when I felt my hands lit up. It was strange.

A strange neon halo-like light surrounded my hands as I stood near him. My hands started to move on its own and drew me nearer to his neck that was aided by a bandage. I felt a push on my hand as it slowly headed for his neck and just then, the new boy appeared.

"Were you about to kill him? To erase the evidence?" he questioned in horror and all I was trying to tell him never got to him.

The position he met my hands were weird and it was hard to tell him that I wasn't in control of them. Even I was confused about what was happening to me.

Just as he ran out of the room, I also fled from the scene. I couldn't believe that I was about to kill someone.

"Why? Because I don't want it to be pinned on Bernard? What was that light? I could swear that I felt a strange push on my hands", I thought to myself as my driver took me home.

My mind was clouded and heavy. I know that Bernard is my card to my enthronement as the heiress but why would I go as far as killing someone just to erase the evidence that he had something to do with him?

The light and push I felt on my hand wasn't making sense either. Who would believe such nonsense? Even I couldn't believe my eyes.

Throughout the night, I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning as I thought about the new boy.

"I wonder what he will think about me. I didn't try to kill him but he saw my hands around his neck. How can I explain for him to understand and believe me?",

I was going crazy at the thought of the misunderstanding till sleep finally took over me.

****

For days, he didn't come to school and I got worried about him. What he saw must have gotten to him so much that he thought our school was a hellish place, which was not entirely wrong. I couldn't stop worrying about him so I decided to get his number from the principal.

I dialed his phone which rang for a while before someone picked it up.

"Hello, I want to speak with ehmmm", it was then I realized that I didn't care about his name.

The Principal luckily was beside me and she helped out quickly by whispering "Oliver"

"I want to speak with Oliver", I tried hard not to stutter and the rough voice asked who I was

"His classmate", I responded and a short silence followed

"He's currently sick but he will resume school next week. Thank you for calling. I will make sure to relay your message", the voice reported and the line went dead before I could say anything else

A sigh of relief dropped from my lips as I turned to relay what I was told to the principal who nodded in appreciation. She claimed that she had been trying to call him for days but nobody was picking up.

"It's up to him now. I did my best", I convinced myself and shook off every negative feeling I had been harboring for days.

Annabel Harvey is not someone who has the luxury of worrying about others. I would never invest my time and emotions in things that won't contribute to my ascension.