FATED TO THE LYCAN PRINCE

5: Trust No One

XENIA

Everywhere was pitch black, exactly how I imagined the insides of a psycho’s head.

I squinted, trying to make out the faces of the shadows surrounding me, but failing to make out a single feature. My heart rate that skyrocketed the moment I was pulled in was only just subsiding, but it picked up again when I realized that I was trapped and helpless.

Alarmed, I screamed out the only question on my lips, “Who the hell dragged me in here?! Show yourself!”

My demand was immediately met with a sucker punch to my face that sent me dropping to my knees from the staggering intensity. I could feel blood trickling from my nose while I grunted in pain and laughter scattered around me as though my suffering was comic relief to the bastards holding me captive.

Shortly after the laughter died down, a clicking sound turned on and a lighter’s flame gave me a glimpse of my assailant’s gender, but not the face.

“I’m your worst nightmare,” a girl with a terrifying voice introduced herself, stepping forward and flicking the lighter on again to indicate that she was the leader of the attack.

The blood on her knuckles when the flame highlighted it was proof that she’d been the one who punched my face to shut me up and I was enraged at how easily werewolves threw fists to prove their superiority. I squinted angrily as she continued to flick the lighter on and off like it was a lousy toy.

Deep down, I hoped that was all it was. A toy and not a wielded weapon for torture.

“As a mere human, you should understand your place at the bottom of the food chain and learn not to mess with the people who can hunt you as prey, especially our alpha Prince,” she spat foolishly.

An anger I couldn’t possible explain rushed through me as I realized that Matteo must’ve put them up to this just because of our harmless argument after chemistry class.

“Oh, so Matteo sent you? And for what? To show that he can’t handle competition?” I hissed in a challenging tone.

Another punch to the same sore spot on my face made me grunt harshly, my head dizzy from the maddening impact.

“You f*****g dumb b***h! You’re no match for him and you’ll never be worthy enough to be seen as competition!” the leader yelled in a frustrated tone, “but since words can’t drive that into your hollow brain, a well taught lesson will do.”

I hadn’t even wrapped my head around what she meant before she spoke again.

“Hold her in place, if she slips away, you’re all f*****g dead,” she barked orders at her accomplices.

Before I knew it, two persons gathered at both of my sides and pulled me to my feet before restricting my arms and planting me to a spot. I huffed angrily and tried to slip away, but what were the chances of me ever overpowering four werewolves in their prime?

None.

And their leader who knew that and made a pleased sound at the distress I was obviously encountering when my struggles and protests yielded nothing.

“You lousy, ballsy pauper, it’s about time I burnt your horns off, don’t you think?” she snarled, clicking the lighter and bringing the flame dangerously close to my face while I struggled to show no emotion despite being scared shitless.

“I’ll f*****g scream and everyone will come and see what a horrible monster you’re being!” I threatened, breathing heavily as the flame caused sweat beads to gather on my forehead.

I made out a shadow of the leader throwing her head back and almost tumbling with glee as deep mocking laughter erupted from her throat. Her minions who held me down were equally chuckling in a deeply unsettling tone that shot arrows of trepidation down my spine.

“The entire school detests your kind and the disgrace your presence in Hailsmith attracts,” she snickered, “So go ahead and scream, you'll just invite an audience to film your embarrassment while they cheer me on,” she added in a boastful tone.

I shrunk with shame as I realized the truth behind her heartless utterance, no matter how loudly I called for help or how much pain I was in, I’d only be a laughing stock to the brain damaged students of Hailsmith.

I hadn't even gotten over that harsh realization when she flicked the lighter on and pressed it my cheekbone, burning the flesh at a torturous pace while I gritted my teeth in pain.

With all my might, I tried to struggle and move away from the flame but I was no match for the people holding me down. When the torture continued and I started to scream in pain, the leader pulled the lighter away from my face just so she and her minions could laugh loudly at my misery.

Heartlessly, my assailant repeated the process of burning my face in small bits while giving me seconds of breathing space until I was drenched in sweat and groaning bitterly from the pain.

“Are you ready to get down on your knees and apologize to Matteo for all your shortcomings? You've been nothing but a nuisance to our Alpha prince and we won’t sit by idly and watch you ridicule a person whose feet you should be kissing every waking moment,” she spat the words hatefully.

I was trying to catch my breath while having a hard time wrapping my head around her insane request, but she saw that as a waste of time so she stepped closer and grabbed a fistful of my hair forcefully.

I whimpered at the scalp pulling impact.

“You have really nice hair for a gutter rat,” she sneered before turning on the lighter and burning the end of it, laughing with glee while my chest tightened at the horrid sight.

I’d spent a s**t ton of products and years on perfecting and maintaining my long and healthy hair so the act cut deeper than a two edged sword, making tears well in my eyes.

“For the last bloody time, are you ready to get down on your filthy knees and apologize to Matteo for being a bratty b***h?” she demanded, yanking my hair roughly and making me yelp.

Weak and resigned to my hellish fate, I nodded in agreement.

As much as I didn't see any need to apologize to that stuck up asshole, I was eager to agree to any terms that would put an end to my torture.

“Y—yes,” I stuttered shakily, further voicing my agreement.

With feigned affection, the heartless b***h patted my hair, “Good girl, make sure you get to it soon, I’ll be on the lookout.”

Just as she lifted her hand out of my hair, the door was flung open and despite my curiosity I was too weak to look up.

“What the hell is going on here!?” the intruder demanded to know, turning on a bright light to illuminate the room that nearly blinded me.

Almost immediately, the people surrounding me scattered and ran out through a back door instead of responding. Just before I dropped to the floor weakly, I caught a glance of his side profile that made me realize it was my eternally brooding seat partner.

Right after, my head hit the floor and everything went blank.

***

I woke up to fingers softly massaging my face and nearly jumped out of my skin when I spotted Hades at my side.

“Relax, I won’t hurt you,” he reassured, holding up an ointment, “On the contrary, I’m trying to help you heal.”

“What’s that?” I asked, wearily regarding him.

“It’s a healing ointment that’ll quicken your healing process, I’m sure it’ll work great on you since it heals werewolves in under a minute despite their regenerative abilities,” he explained, letting a droplet fall to my forehead before massaging it into my skin.

.

“I’m not a wolf so I won't heal that fast, I’m pretty sure their regenerative abilities play a part in how fast it works,” I argued.

He hasn't even gotten a chance to respond when I started to feel a cooling effect over my burns and I could literally feel my wounds healing like magic. Awed, I rubbed my hands all over my face to confirm and I was stunned at how perfectly smooth my skin was.

A barely noticeable smile touched Hades’ lips and then disappeared the next moment.

“Well, apparently it works just as quickly on humans,” he pointed out.

That very moment, it dawned on me that his voice was awfully familiar. I didn't have to rack my brain too much to realize that the first time I’d heard it was when an unknown person stopped Matteo from bullying me any further on my first day.

I turned to him with several questions itching my tongue, but I decided to only ask the most relevant one.

“How did you know that something was going on in that room? The one where you found me,” I peered up at him curiously.

“Oh,” he shrugged, “I have impeccable hearing and I picked up your screams from the fields and started to check all the class rooms and offices for where it came from,” he said like it wasn't the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.

Despite that, I still had more pressing questions.

“How could you have possibly known that they were my screams? It could've been anyone else’s,” I pointed out.

He nodded at that before responding, “While that's right, I was conscious of the fact that it was most likely you since you're the newest student in school and everyone seems to be out for your blood from the moment you pissed off Matteo.”

I didn't quite buy that, he had to have known somehow that it was me in particular and not just a possibility from a wild guess.

“I’d be lying if I said I believed that, you couldn't have gone through the hassle of checking all the classrooms in a school that is seven stories tall because of a wild guess. So tell me, how did you really know it was me?” I probed.

He smirked subtly, probably intrigued or worn out by my questioning.

“Well, if you must know, I could tell that it was you because werewolves have an ability that allows us to decipher individual voices even after only hearing it once,” he finally confessed.

“That’s interesting….” I said, finally satisfied with his response.

Still, I wasn't done shaking him down for answers. It was the first time he was having a real conversation with me and I wanted to get all the answers I needed before he returned to his mute and brooding self again.

“By the way, you've never spoken to me since we became assigned as seat partners, but somehow you've saved me twice, what’s that about?” I sat up, holding his unreadable eyes as I waited for his response.

“I didn't save you, I don't know you enough to put my neck on the line for you,” he refuted my claim with a flooring conviction.

I raised a brow in confusion, “What then do you call what you've been doing?”

“Saving, of course” he frowned slightly, “Just not you.”

“Who then are you saving?” I mirrored his frown.

“Matteo.”

He continued before I could voice my confusion, “I know that if things should escalate past this, Matteo will have to bear the brunt of his actions, and I wouldn't stand by a watch someone who’s like a brother to me suffer because of his rash attitude,” he explained.

“So essentially, you're saving him from himself?” I hated that I even understood his point, because I hated Matteo with every bone in my body.

“Yeah,” Hades answered under his breath as he got to his feet and started towards the door.

Matteo didn't deserve a friend like him, no one as ruthless and egoistic as that bastard deserved anyone to be mindful of them. But if there's anything spoilt brats had in excess it was an unfair advantage in every sphere of life despite being undeserving of it.

“For you sake,” Hades started as he pulled the clinic door open and turned to face me, “Be weary of trusting anyone easily, especially within the four walls of Hailsmith.”

With that he walked out, leaving me even more confused than before.