The Alpha's Abused Mate

Chapter 10

The next day, I walked into school with sadness in my chest. My heart sunk with every step.

When I entered the building, I had a feeling that something was wrong. I could feel it, a strange tension that prickled along my skin. As soon as I entered the hallway, the usual sounds of chatter and laughter was different. It was quieter, more subdued, as if everyone was holding back, waiting for something to happen.

People's eyes were on me and that scared me. Their eyes weren't only on me. They looked at me and whispered. Normally, I was invisible here but today, I could feel everyone staring at me, like a thousand pairs of eyes boring into me. It was as if everyone knew something I didn't, and they were all too eager to see what would happen.

My heart raced as I moved deeper into the hallway. As I passed, the whispers got louder. I could see groups of students huddled together, their heads bent in conversation, but their eyes flicking up to me. Some of them even giggled. Something was definitely wrong.

As I rounded a corner, I saw a large group of students gathered around something in the middle of the hallway. Whatever had captured their attention was clearly the reason for the odd behavior I was experiencing. I forced myself to move closer and pushed my way through the crowd of students. After a few minutes of struggling, finally reached the front of the group.

The sight that met my eyes made me gasp in horror. My breath caught in my throat, and my hands trembled as they clutched the straps of my backpack. There, plastered on the wall for everyone to see, was a huge poster of me. It was a vivid shot, taken without my knowledge—me, wrapped in a towel, bending down to pick up my clothes. The towel had slipped just enough to expose a part of my breasts.

It was taken that day after PE class, the day I couldn’t find my clothes. I had been so confused, so focused on getting my clothes, that I hadn’t noticed someone lurking with a camera. I didn't see anyone that day. The hallway was empty.

“I don’t know what you guys are looking at,” a boy said in a teasing tone “There’s really nothing to see here.”

Everyone around me laughed. It echoed in my ears. Tears filled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. I couldn’t stay there, couldn’t bear to see their faces as they laughed at my humiliation. Without thinking, I turned and ran away, pushing my way through the crowd and running to my locker as fast as I could.

But my torment wasn’t over. As I reached my locker, I saw another poster taped to it. My breath hitched as I read the words printed in bold at the top: Rose Brooklyn: America’s Next p**n Star.

My hands shook as I ripped the poster down, tearing it into shreds. It wasn’t enough to destroy it. I wanted to destroy everything, to disappear from this nightmare.

I opened my locker, needing something, anything, to distract myself from the humiliation crashing over me. I grabbed my books, placing them in my backpack.

That’s when I heard them.

The R Train—Raquelle and her minions, Rachel and Raven walked over to me, all wearing smirks on their faces. Today, they were dressed in matching pink outfits.

“Look, girls,” Raquelle said, pointing at the torn pieces of the poster in my hand. “Who is this?”

“I don’t know,” Rachel said "She looks familiar, though.”

Raven took the poster from Raquelle, examining it closely before turning her gaze to me. Her eyes widened in mock surprise. “I know who it is. It’s Rose. Your sister.”

Raquelle gasped, snatching the poster back. She stared at it with exaggerated shock, then turned to me with a wicked grin.

“Rose, sister,” she said. “It really is you.”

They all laughed. I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They spilled over, hot and bitter.

“Aww,” Raquelle cooed. “Is the little baby crying?”

“Why would you do this to me, Raquelle?” I asked.

I tried to act composed. But deep down, all I wanted was to crawl into a corner and cry until there was nothing left.

Raquelle’s eyes hardened.“I told you that you’d pay. You thought you were so high and mighty just because you’re the Alpha’s mate now. Guess what? You’ll always be the pathetic little b***h you’ve always been. Nothing can change that.”

My heart sank. The pain of what she did to me was almost too much to bear. I couldn’t believe this was happening, that my own sister could do something so cruel.

She held the poster up to my face “This is just the beginning, sister. There’s more where that came from.”

With a flip of her hair, she turned to her minions. “Let’s go, girls.”

They strutted away laughing as I stood there, shattered and alone. I glanced at myself in the small mirror inside my locker. The girl staring back at me lookrd6pathetic, broken, defeated.

I wasn’t going to class. I couldn’t face anyone. The only place I could think to go was the lonely staircase at the back of the school, the one nobody ever used. It was the only place I could find some piece.

I made my way there. The staircase was as deserted as I had hoped, and I sank down onto the bottom step, leaning against the railing.

I don’t know how long I sat there, lost in my thoughts when I heard footsteps approaching. I cursed inwardly. I couldn’t even be alone for more than a few minutes. But I didn’t have the energy to move or even lift my head to see who it was. I just wanted to disappear.

The footsteps stopped beside me, and a familiar presence settled onto the step. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. I could feel it. .

“Rose,” Brandon’s voice was soft “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. His brown eyes were filled with empathy, the kind that only made my heart ache more.

“How did you find me?”

“I looked everywhere,” he said, offering a small, sad smile. “I knew you’d want to be alone, so I came to the back of the school to check it out.”

Of course, he’d heard about what happened. Gossip like this spread like wildfire. He probably even saw the photos. The thought made my stomach twist with embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry you’re going through this,” he said gently. His voice was so sincere it made the tears start up again.

“You know the funny thing?” I whispered“My sister did this to me.”

“I heard that too,”

He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, and the simple gesture nearly broke me.

“You should know something,” he continued “Some people hurt others because they’re hurting too.”

I let out a bitter chuckle. “Not in this case. Raquelle isn’t hurting. She’s had the perfect life. She gets everything she wants.”

“You’d be surprised,” he said softly. “People might act like they’re perfect, but they might be dying on the inside.”

He put his arm around my shoulders, drawing me closer. I hesitated for a moment, but then I let myself lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder. It was the closest I’d ever been to anyone, and for a brief moment, the pain seemed a little less unbearable.

“I get it. It still hurts, though,” I murmured.

“I understand. I can’t imagine how you must feel. But you’re not alone in this. If it makes things better, I took down all the posters and tore them to shreds.”

I lifted my head, looking at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. “Really?”

“Really,”

A stray tear slid down my cheek. I had only met Brandon yesterday, yet he had already done so much for me.

“You don’t even know me,” I whispered.

“But I want to. Besides, I don’t need to know you before I know you haven't been treated fairly for a long rime"

"Thank you"

As I leaned against Brandon, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time - peace. .