POSSESSION OF THE ALPHA BROTHERS

YOU SHALL ALWAYS BELONG TO ME

The officious gazes of the by-standing students did not make it any easier, being dragged away like a delinquent. Also, the puzzled faces of the teachers alike did an immaculate job at expressing their astonishment at what they were witnessing, which further nettled me up. Just as clueless about the class rep’s motives behind hauling me away from the rooftop instead of his brother to presumably a teacher to discipline me, I dared not protest.

Even when my fear conjured all the worst possible scenarios in my head, I ended up in the student council room instead of the staff room, a circumstance which necessitated me to heave a sigh of relief, something that didn’t escape the class rep, who crossed his arms and rested them on his chest before asking me, “What were you doing at the rooftop, Ms. Swan? Didn’t you know students are not permitted to enter that space?”

My face coloured, as the images of Tobias kissing me began flashing right before my eyes, because that was exactly what I was doing there, a memory that proved to be an impediment in working up a quick response. The delay further frustrated the guy before me, who I knew I shouldn’t be messing with. His patience, as expected, grew thinner, and he relented to sardonically shooting another question at me.

“Just because you will be graduating now, doesn’t mean you can’t get in trouble for your misconduct. Did you realise that when you went up there?” spat the irate Kai, who happened to be my boyfriend’s older brother.

Since I had been dating Kai’s brother, aka his nemesis for the position of the Alpha, I was able to somehow justify his unpleasantness towards me, and hence I didn’t take offence to it. Wishing to resolve the issue with him as quickly as his arrogance would allow it, I issued an apology with the hope of being pardoned and granted leave.

Things, however, took an ugly turn when the class rep abruptly grabbed my shoulders and squeezed them tightly as he questioned me, “Were you trying to f**k my brother on the rooftop, Dimitra? Digging your fangs into his skin wouldn’t do you much good, for his devotion to you would last as long as another charming woman doesn’t walk in his direction.”

The unexpected straying from the formal nature of our parley and the grotesque manner in which he’d addressed me caused both befuddlement and repugnance, which was why I pushed him away, scowling, “Don’t you think you have the foulest tongue in the entire campus, Mister Knight? In case you’re forgetting, you have no right to comment on my personal affairs, and hence I would expect you not to poke your nose into matters it doesn’t belong.”

“It seems you do not understand the gravity of your own actions, which is why I must ensure that you get rightfully punished, so that you can finally indulge in some self-reflection,” declared the class rep, as bilious as the rumours had described him to be.

Before I could get the opportunity to return the vitriol directed at me through his unkind remarks, he walked away from me, crossed and muttering something unintelligible, and thus forcing me to contemplate the possibility of him actually despising me, which wasn’t surprising, for I was nothing but an insignificant, pitiful member of his pack who couldn't even shift. It must also be the reason why he appeared upset to see me romantically pursuing his brother, who he obviously deemed worthy of much more than I could ever offer.

“He’s always uncomfortably sedate and cruel with his tongue, which is why I sometimes find myself questioning if he is actually Tobias’s brother, who is anything but bonhomous and agreeable,” I muttered before I took my leave.

Wondering if the day could get any worse, I tiresomely walked back to my class to get my backpack, only to run into Tobias, who happened to be anxiously awaiting me. Since it was half an hour late to the time of the dispersal, the classroom didn’t contain anybody but the two of us, which allowed me to rush to him and seek comfort in his arms.

Resting my head on his strong and hard shoulder, I asked him, “Are you certain that the devious class rep is your brother?”

Caressing my head gently, he asked me if my disinclination to believe Kai to be his brother had been a consequence of something inappropriate said or done by him. Fairly aware of the animosity that persisted between the two brothers, I chose to avoid making any mention of the indignities showered by the older brother.

Lifting my head instead and etching a smile on my face, I said, “He’s just hard-eyed and spiteful, everything that you’re not capable of.”

“He has always been like that. He has despised everyone since the day he was born,” responded Tobias with a chuckle. “It is as if he isn’t capable of harbouring any other emotion.”

“Can we not talk about him anymore?” I asked, snaking my arms around my boyfriend's neck and pulling him closer.

Before we’d indulged in what we couldn’t do on the rooftop, Tobias suddenly pulled away from me and began digging for something inside his pockets. Bemused with the withdrawal, I asked him what he was looking for. My eyes widened as his right hand emerged out of his pocket with a jewellery box, which piqued my curiosity enough to make me want to question him about it.

“What is that?”

Dropping to his knees, he pulled out a ring from the box and then demanded my hand. Too addlepated to move even a limb, I simply stared while barely managing to describe what I saw, “A promise ring. For me?”

Nodding, he explained his intentions, which he’d attached to the object that rested in his hand, “By accepting this ring, you will belong to me.”

Hesitating a little, I asked, “What if the warmth of our emotions faded with time? When nothing is meant to last, what makes love an exception?”

“Devotion,” responded Tobias, urging me to accept his ring. “Ours will only end if you desire it. I have no intention of ever separating from you.”

My face turned crimson, and I ended up offering him my hand while averting my face in the other direction, a natural consequence of my diffidence. Once he’d slid the ring up my ring finger, he got back to his feet and gave me the most tenderest and rewarding kiss. Melting with the sweetness of his tongue, I put my hand on his waist, hoping we’d do more than a kiss today, not at school though.

Once he pulled away, he looked at me with eyes containing the same desire which I’d inhibited for the sake of the propriety demanded by our surroundings, and hence I already knew what words were to ensue. Unwilling to waste away even a second of ours, I said, “Let’s go to your place and make love, Tobias.”

He agreed. Fingers intertwined with heightened breaths, we made our way to the main hall, from where we planned to head to the parking lot in Tobias’s car. As soon as we’d stepped out of the school building, I spotted the very person I’d killed to avoid, my aunt. An ungovernable fear surfaced on my face me as she began to whittle the distance between us.

Unusually amicable in her address to me, she said while admiring Tobias’s face, “I am here to collect my niece. We need to leave for somewhere immediately.”

Tobias, possessing an affectionate disposition, smiled and pushed me to her side, announcing, “We’ll carry on with our plans later. You mustn’t leave your aunt waiting, Ms. Swan.”

Feeling betrayed, I failed to conceal the disappointment which was misunderstood as impudence by my aunt, who grabbed my wrist and began pulling me away from Tobias, insisting that she had only agreed to pick me up from school because it was urged by my father, who needed me to return home at that very instant.

Though my heart protested against going anywhere with that woman alone, the circumstances made it imperative, and therefore I walked away while sneaking a glance at my darling for one last time, whose perplexed eyes failed to grasp the reason behind the fear that lingered on my face, for I had never charted anything about my aunt’s mistreatment of me either to him or to anyone else.

Just when we’d reached an appropriate distance from Tobias, my aunt stopped me in the middle of the street and began questioning me about the nature of my association with Tobias, which I did not feel comfortable sharing, and so I earned a harsh slap for it, which I was certain nobody saw or heard. Believing I could bear the shame that arose from abuse, I didn’t retaliate, and this was why my disgruntled aunt pushed me, annoyed about my inability to be truthful with her.

Falling harshly on the ground, I froze when I took notice of a truck advancing towards me. Before the vehicle could hit me, two huge arms grabbed me from behind and pulled me away. The dreadful experience and my forebodings about what could’ve happened urged me to beg for some form of consolation, which was provided in the form of an embrace and an affectionate whisper, “You’re safe now.”

“I thought I’d die,” I let out a huge sob.

Caressing my head, the kind stranger asked me, “Does your aunt always mistreat you, or did it happen for the first time today?”

The question that cannot be answered without considering the repercussions of sharing such sensitive information, released me from the spell that the horror of being crushed to death had casted on me, and allowed me to take a look at this benignant stranger. One glimpse was enough to leave me with my mouth agape and thoughts higgledy-piggledy.

“What are you doing here, class rep?”

“Don’t talk. You’re injured. Let me drop you home, since your aunt took off on her own.”

Before I could offer him a boisterous refusal, I recognised how I had exhausted all of my energy from the fall, and consequently passed out in the middle of the road.