Chapter 20.
"It's not what you think…" Angela started to explain, but Alex didn't even look at her.
"I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything either. Alright?" he said flatly, walking into the classroom like nothing happened.
Her mouth stayed open for a moment, caught off guard by how cold he sounded. She kept wondering if he would tell Kaito? Would he tell anyone at all? But even if he did… what did it matter? After what happened on her first day, everyone already thought the worst of her. No one took her side. They all backed the Alphas.
"What are you doing here?" she asked suddenly, realizing a second too late how dumb that question sounded. After what happened with Hiro, her brain wasn't working right. She felt stuck, embarrassed, angry.
Stupid Hiro. He put her in this mess and just walked away, leaving her to do the clean up.
"This is my class too. Form Two. I guess you got transferred," Alex replied as he sat down beside her.
Angela looked down at the seat he took. It had his name scratched into the side. The one she was sitting on? It said "Xavier." Great. Someone else's seat. Like she didn't already feel out of place enough.
"I was in Form Three in my former school, but they gave me Form Two when I got in," she said quietly.
"You'd have ended up in Form One if Kaito hadn't stepped in," Alex muttered, adjusting his chair like it didn't mean anything.
She blinked. "Why?"
"He wanted us to be in the same class. Said it'd be easier for me to help you out," he said, looking ahead.
Angela let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. She already hated that her admission was thanks to Kaito. Now she owed him even more? What was she supposed to do with that kind of debt?
"Do you know why he got me in at all?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck, her voice lower now. The question had been eating at her. Same way it was clearly eating at Hiro too.
Alex shook his head. "No. Maybe it was just luck."
"You think so?"
"You don't?"
Angela looked away, her voice barely a whisper. "No. I think this was planned."
"How?" he asked, clearly curious now.
Angela hesitated. Should she really be saying this to Kaito's beta? It felt stupid to open up, but the words were already pushing at her chest, needing to come out.
"I think the Alphas planned all of this. Kaito brought me here for a reason. Maybe to frustrate me… maybe worse."
Alex let out a soft scoff as he dropped his backpack onto his lap and started pulling out books, placing them one by one into his locker like her words meant nothing.
"You think the Alphas don't have better things to do?" he said without looking at her. "What happened to you was bad, yeah, but it's not unusual around here. You're just different because you won't back down. You keep fighting back. That's what's making you a target."
Angela stared at him, stunned. "So you want me to just sit still and let them do whatever they want with me?"
He finally looked up. "I'm saying… what gets them going is the way you react. They enjoy watching you fight back. They want to break you, Angel. And they will, if you keep pushing. You'll burn yourself out. Just stay out of their way."
Before she could respond, the noise of returning students filled the room. They came in laughing, chatting, and a few stopped by to greet Alex, like he was some kind of celebrity. Not a single one looked her way. It was like she didn't exist.
Of course they loved him. He was charming and cool. Angela wasn't. She knew she'd never understand these boys. Their world was too twisted, too strange.
The boy whose seat she took was not in school, so she had no choice but to remain beside Alex.
History was the first class. The teacher seemed nice, asking the new students to introduce themselves. That part went okay, but then came the questions—stuff about the war between werewolves and humans, the origin of werewolves.
Angela sat there, blank. The other new students gave decent answers. Some even got praised.
But her?
She didn't even understand the question. Nothing made sense. She could feel her stomach sink, her cheeks warm with embarrassment.
Alex didn't say anything, but she could feel it. The disappointment. The kind that says, I knew you'd mess this up, but I didn't think it would be this bad.
And that hurt more than anything else.
Angela felt her cheeks burn with shame. The weight of all those eyes on her during class, the silent judgment, the whispers she couldn't hear but felt anyway…it was crushing. She knew the mocking wouldn't stop. They'd keep laughing at her, waiting for her next mistake. And if anyone dared to say it to her face, she was ready to fight back. She had to. It was the only way she knew how to survive in this place.
When the bell finally rang, signaling break time, she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Her stomach growled so loud it hurt. She hadn't eaten all day. She needed food…real food, something to fill the emptiness inside her.
She was still thinking about how she'd find something to eat when Alex nudged her with his elbow.
"Look up. You've got a visitor," he said without looking away from his book.
Angela glanced toward the door. And there he was.
Taros.
He stood just outside the class, wearing a soft smile that made something flutter deep in her stomach. She didn't know why. She barely knew him but seeing him there made her heart beat faster.
"Bye," she said to Alex as she stood, brushing off her skirt.
"Be back on time, Angel," Alex said with a faint smile.
She nodded. He didn't have to say it, but she knew what he meant. The next class was important, and if she didn't show up, the teacher and of course, Alpha Kaito will be mad.
"Hi Angel," Taros greeted, his voice light and warm. He looked good in the school uniform, but his red tie stood out. It made him look different, powerful even. Maybe that's what being an Alpha did, set you apart in everything.
"Hi Taros," she said, her voice soft. She tried not to stare, but it was hard. He had this way of making her forget how miserable everything else felt.
"I heard you missed breakfast," he said. "So I thought I'd take you to the mini mart. Unless you're busy?"
"Yes. Please. I'm starving," she said, a little too quickly, her stomach agreeing with a loud growl.
They started walking, taking the path that passed by the Form Three classrooms. As they moved, she felt the heat of a hundred eyes on her. The stares were sharp, almost painful. If looks could kill, she'd already be on the ground. The way the other students glared, it was like she had broken some rule just by being near him.
She knew what they were thinking. Why Angel? Why is Taros with the disgraced boy?
They wanted her gone. They wanted her punished.
For a moment, Angela wondered if he would treat her the same if he finds out that she was not Angel-a boy.
Just then, Angela spotted Stales from a distance. Her heart jumped a little, wanting to go to him, to talk, to ask the things that had been spinning in her head for days. But her stomach had other plans. It was empty, painfully so, and right now, food had to come first. Maybe later…after classes, she could find him. She had so many questions and Stales was the only one she believed would give her the truth. Alex only made things more confusing with every word he said.
They stopped in front of a building with the word "Mini Mart" written at the top. It looked decent, cleaner than she expected, but she still wished it was tucked away like the cafeteria. This place was too open. Anyone walking by could see her. The Academic Block wasn't far either and she could see the building clearly from where she stood.
"Here we are," Taros said, pulling out a chair for her.
Angela paused for a second. No one had done that for her in a long time. It made her feel seen, like she actually mattered. She sat down slowly and looked at him. He didn't just look good…he looked kind. And for a moment, she let herself breathe.
"Order whatever you want to eat," he said.
"Thank you," she replied with a small smile, picking French fries and a few others on the menu. Nothing fancy, just enough to fill the aching hole in her belly.
Taros leaned back, watching her with a curious look. "So tell me, why did you choose Alpha Academy? It's kind of obvious you hate it here."
Angela let out a tired sigh. He wasn't wrong. If life had been normal, she wouldn't have come within a mile of this place.
"This school… I thought it would be the best place to hide," she said quietly. "I was running from something, and I thought coming here would give me peace. But I had no idea what was waiting for me on the other side of that gate."
"You had a problem?" Taros asked, leaning forward, his eyes filled with curiosity and something softer—concern.
Angela hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Yeah. It's… a family thing. I thought running away would fix it, or at least give me some peace."
She didn't usually talk about her personal life, especially not with boys, but Taros felt different. He had been kind, patient. He wasn't pushing, just quietly listening. He deserved to know something, even if it was just a little.
"I'd really like to help if you'd let me," he said gently. "Or… is it something that's still happening?"
Angela met his eyes. There was no judgment there. Just genuine care. He really meant it.
Before she could answer, the waiter returned with their order. Taros had only asked for Wolfscan. She wasn't surprised. It seemed like something he'd like. They started eating, the conversation lightening as they talked about school, the chaos of dorm life, even bits of the outside world.
For a while, Angela forgot where she was. She smiled. She laughed. She felt normal again. Sitting there, sharing food and easy conversation, it almost felt like none of the pain mattered.
But peace never lasted long.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone approaching from the direction of the Academy block. Her heart stilled. It was Hiro.
Just like that, everything inside her twisted. He was supposed to be looking into her connection with Kaito. He had said he would find out the truth, and now here he was, walking back with that calm, unreadable face.
Panic rose inside her. Did he go to the principal? What did he find out?
Then it happened.
A voice, clear and cold, echoed in her mind.
You're right. I went to see the principal.
Her breath caught. That voice didn't belong to her. She looked up and saw Hiro, and he was smiling. But it wasn't a kind smile, it was the same knowing look he wore yesterday.
He was in her head again.
Angela's hands began to shake under the table. She could still feel the memory of what he did to her, the way he invaded her thoughts like they were his to claim.
And now… it was starting again.
The happiness she'd just found cracked and slipped away, like it had never been there at all.