The Cold Alpha Is Cruel To Everyone But Me

"Pass it to Kael!" a voice shouted from the sidelines.

I sat on the highest tier of the bleachers, my knees pulled tightly to my chest. Down on the green turf, Kael caught the football. He dodged a defender and sprinted past the fifty-yard line.

"He's so fast," Chloe, a junior sitting two rows below me, squealed.

"Obviously," Sarah replied, aggressively reapplying her lip gloss. "He's an Alpha. The absolute best in our year."

Kael spiked the ball in the end zone. The small crowd in the stands erupted into cheers.

I smiled, my fingers tapping the cold metal bench.

Then, Seren walked onto the field.

"Need some water, Kael?" Seren asked. She tossed him a plastic bottle.

"Thanks, Seren," Kael said. He jogged over to her, wiping sweat from his forehead. He flashed that signature smile. The exact smile I wrote about every single night.

"They look so perfect together," Chloe sighed, resting her chin in her hands.

"The future Alpha and Luna," Sarah agreed. "I heard they're going to the Autumn Dance together. He already bought the tickets."

My stomach twisted into a tight knot. I dug my fingernails into my palms.

"Hey, Kael!" Seren laughed. She playfully shoved his shoulder. "You almost knocked me over on that last play!"

"I'd never let you fall," Kael teased back, catching her hand for a brief second.

I stood up. The metal bleacher groaned loudly under my sneakers.

"Watch it, defect," Sarah snapped. She glared over her shoulder. "You're blocking my view."

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Why are you even out here?" Chloe asked, wrinkling her nose. "You don't even have a wolf to appreciate the game."

"I just like fresh air," I lied.

"Go get some somewhere else," Sarah ordered. "You're ruining the aesthetic."

I grabbed my backpack and hurried down the steps. I couldn't watch them anymore. My chest ached, a dull, heavy throb that reminded me exactly of where I stood in the pack hierarchy. Nowhere.

I reached the safety of the main hallway. The corridors were mostly empty during fifth period athletics.

I stopped in front of my locker and spun the dial. *32-14-9.*

The metal door popped open. I pulled my worn leather diary from the bottom of my bag.

"Writing another love letter you'll never send?"

I jumped, nearly dropping the book. Maya leaned against the lockers next to mine.

"What do you want, Maya?" I asked. I shielded the pages with my arm.

"Just checking on the pack's biggest disappointment," Maya said. "Skipping athletics again?"

"Coach said I could use the study hall."

"Because you're too weak to run a single mile." Maya smirked, stepping closer. "What's in the book, Maeve? Still obsessing over Kael?"

"Leave me alone."

"He was just talking to Seren," Maya pointed out. Her voice was thick with fake pity. "Everyone saw them on the field."

"I saw," I said, keeping my gaze fixed on the metal shelf.

"Seren is a purebred Alpha female. You don't even have a wolf. Do the math, Maeve."

"I'm just writing," I said. My voice hardened. "It's none of your business."

Maya reached for the notebook. "Let me read it."

I shoved her hand away. "Don't touch it."

"Feisty for a human," Maya laughed, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Keep dreaming, Omega. But don't expect a fairy tale ending."

She strutted away down the hall, her laughter echoing off the tile walls.

I grabbed my pen. My hand shook as I scribbled on the blank page.

*He smiled at her. But he defended me this morning. Maybe he just pities me. No. He told me to keep my chin up. He sees me. I know he does.*

I closed the leather cover and ran my thumb over the binding. This book was my only safe space. The only place I wasn't a broken, unshifted failure. In these pages, I was normal. In these pages, Kael and I actually had a chance.

I shoved the diary to the very back of the top shelf, hiding it behind my thick biology textbook. I slammed the metal door shut. I spun the dial three times, making absolutely sure the lock clicked into place.

The bell rang, shattering the quiet. Doors flew open down the corridor. Students flooded the hallway, their voices overlapping in a chaotic buzz.

I kept my head down, navigating the sea of bodies.

"Did you hear about Marcus?" a guy named Toby asked, shoving past me to talk to his friend.

"Yeah," the other boy replied. "Three broken ribs. The medics had to carry him out of the woods on a stretcher."

"Who did it?"

"Thorn Mercer. Marcus bumped into him at the border line last night."

"Just bumped into him?" Toby asked, his eyes wide.

"Thorn doesn't need a reason. The guy is a total psycho."

The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop ten degrees.

The loud chatter died out instantly. The crowd parted ahead of me, pressing themselves against the lockers.

Thorn Mercer stalked down the center of the aisle.

He wore the same battered leather jacket from this morning. His dark eyes stared straight ahead, cold and unyielding. The shadows in the corridor seemed to cling to his broad shoulders.

"Move," a senior hissed. He yanked his girlfriend out of Thorn's path.

I froze. My feet glued themselves to the linoleum floor.

Thorn took another step. His gaze flicked to the side and locked onto mine.

My heart slammed against my ribs. The sheer force of his aura pushed against my chest, demanding immediate submission. My knees trembled.

"Out of the way," Thorn said. His voice was a low rumble that vibrated through the floorboards.

"I..." I swallowed hard, stepping backward rapidly.

My shoulder hit the cold brick wall.

Thorn didn't stop. He walked right past me. The scent of pine and impending storm washed over my senses, wrapping around me like a heavy blanket.

"Keep your head down, little Omega," Thorn murmured as he passed. The words were meant only for my ears.

I squeezed my eyes shut. My pulse raced uncontrollably. I waited until his heavy footsteps faded completely into the distance.

"He is terrifying," Chloe whispered. She suddenly appeared next to me, clutching her binder.

"I told you," Sarah said, adjusting the straps of her backpack. "Stay away from him. My dad says the Mercer bloodline is completely cursed."

"I don't plan on getting anywhere near him," I said. My voice was barely a squeak.

"Good," Sarah sneered. "Because he'd probably snap a weakling like you in half just for looking at him wrong."

I didn't argue. I hurried in the opposite direction, desperate to put as much distance between me and the Black King as possible. I just wanted to survive the day.

I turned the corner, heading back toward my locker to grab my history textbook for next period.

But as I approached my row, my steps faltered.

Jackson stood directly in front of my locker. He held a thick metal crowbar in his right hand.

"Hey, Jackson," Maya called out from down the hall. "Did you get it open yet?"

"Almost," Jackson laughed. He wedged the metal bar into the seam of my locker door and yanked hard.

The metal screeched.

"Stop!" I yelled, sprinting forward.