The Three Alphas and Her Christmas Wish

CHAPTER 4

In that silence, I settled myself at my usual seat near the back of the classroom, this time accompanied by my book to provide cover behind and conceal who I was because its crinkly yellowing pages created the world that heroines here triumphed over their phobias and found something that seemed impossible for a girl like me: kind love. Here, on the pages of my own story, I could forget about MoonStone and its heavy reality of being myself.

My peace was, however, very brief.

The room became silent, and I saw Blaise Zeyren standing before my desk. His dark piercing eyes seemed fixed on me with a wicked grin twisted across his face. My heart sank; he was definitely up for some bad thing.

What's this? he bellowed, his voice echoing through the room. He snatched the book off my desk and held it aloft over his head, above my reach.

"Hey!" I protested, reaching out for it, but he stepped back, his long fingers riffing through the pages with infuriating ease.

Oh, relax, little wolf, he drawled, his smirk growing wider. Just curious about what's occupied your attention.

"Give it back," I shouted, my voice shaking with rage.

But Blaise ignored me. He cleared his throat dramatically and began to read aloud. "'He was a man of unparalleled beauty, with dark, piercing eyes that saw into her very soul. His golden hair shone like sunlight, and his every step seemed to exude power and grace.'"

The class broke out with a laugh and my face began to burn.

"Wow," Blaise said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You like handsome guys, huh? Dark eyes, golden hair… Sounds familiar to anyone?" His gaze swept over the room and his smirk dared someone to be the first to make that connection.

It became more laughable until I felt humiliation crawling up my neck. My chest contracted and my fists curled on the sides.

"Her heart was racing as he leaned closer, his scent intoxicating, his voice a low murmur that sent shivers down her spine." Blaise's voice was smooth, his smirk widening as his eyes locked onto mine. "Are you sure this isn't about me, Aria?"

Everyone in the class cracked up. My stomach flips over to embarrassment. I wanted to melt into the floor and never come back again.

Enough is enough! I got up and thumped my chair on the floor. The room went silent.

Blaise raised an eyebrow at me, clearly amused by my outburst. "What's wrong, little wolf?

"Give. It. Back," I commanded my voice tight and declarative despite the quiver in my hands.

For a moment, Blaise did not even stir, his dark eyes regarding me as if I were some puzzle he could not quite decipher. Then, with slow, languid deliberateness, he extended the book toward me. "As you wish."

I pulled it out of his hand, holding it tight to my chest. I sat down and ignored the giggling and murmurs that continued after the laughter faded away. Blaise sat back in his chair with a satisfied grin firmly fixed on his face.

The bell rang, and it was time to leave class. I moved my belongings quicker than before because I was hoping to leave that place before Blaise could start his other turn of torture on me. When I reached out into the hallway, I bumped into Angelica.

Her blue eyes, so like our mother's, narrowed suspiciously as she glanced between me and the retreating figure of Blaise. "What was that?" she demanded, her voice low but icy. "What were you doing?”

"Nothing," I said, quickly closing my book. "He-he was just being a pest."

How disgusting! Angelica repeated, curling her lip into a sneer. It looked like she was throwing herself at him.

My jaw dropped. "What? No! That is not—”

“Listen to me, Aria,” she cut in, stepping closer. Her tone was low, but the warning in her voice was unmistakable. “Stay away from Blaise. Stay away from all of them. You’re already embarrassed enough without dragging the Zeyrens into it.”

I wasn't—

"I don't care," she snapped, her face setting. "This is your only warning. Don't get in my way, and don't go near them again. Okay?"

Her words stung more than I was willing to admit. I nodded, swallowing hard against the lump forming in my throat as I struggled to meet her gaze without flinching.

Angelica snorted, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Good. Don't forget it." And with that, she turned and stalked off, her heels clicking against the polished floor.

I stood there for a long time, my heart thumping in my chest. The shame that still weighed on me from class seemed fresh with what Angelica had said. Why did she have to assume the worst in me all the time? Why was it always my fault?

Holding my book tightly, I took a nervous breath and started down the hallway. Blaise's smirk and Angelica's warning echoed in my mind, their voices mingling into a storm I couldn't escape.

I had turned the corner, hoping to get a little alone time before my next class when the whispers chased after me like shadows.

Did you see her face when Blaise began reading? Priceless.

She is so weird. What could Blaise ever see in her?

"That's Angelica Belmont's sister? No way. How is that even possible?"

Their words were low hum, but every word slammed into me like a slap. I hunched down, my hand gripping the book so tight my knuckles bleached white. My cheeks ached, and I wrestled to maintain my nonchalant appearance. Appearing weak was going to make things so much worse.

I sat down on an empty bench at the edge of the quad. My legs began to shudder as I tried to steady my breathing. The bitter wind stung my cheeks; the campus sounds were all a jumbled hum, laughter and footsteps, vague conversations; nothing else made sense, though, since I had been completely engulfed in the whirlpool of thoughts that surrounded me.

Why would Blaise hate me? Why couldn't Angelica have given me a break, just this time? And why couldn't I have done something to prevent any of it?

I opened my book and tried to sink back into its pages. The words scrambled now, and my mind repeated over and over, "Her heart raced as he leaned closer…", teasing me. I slammed the book shut and let my anger boil.

Aria?

I looked up and Sienna was coming towards me, her wild braid swinging with the rhythm of her footsteps as she closed the distance between us. Her emerald eyes raked my face, changing to concern. "Hey, what's going on? You look like you've been through a war.".

I leaned back on the bench, sighed, and said, "You could say that.

Sienna settles down beside me, hands on her knees as she looks at me. "Let me guess—Zeyren trouble?

I nodded, my throat tightening at the thoughts of the morning's events. "And Angelica," I added, bitter.

Her brow furrowed. "Sister? What does she have to do with it?

She just saw me with Blaise after class, I explained, barely above a whisper. She thinks I was trying to. .. I don't know, seduce him or something.

Sienna opened her mouth and then closed it. "Wait, what? You? Seduce Blaise? That's insane.".

"Tell her that," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "She threatened me almost to stay away from him."

Sienna shook her head, pushing her lips out in a thin line. "Wow. Your sister sounds… intense.".

That's very optimistic, I said, my voice heavy with exhaustion. She's been like that forever, anxious about just about everything I seem to do.

"Well, for what it's worth," Sienna said, moving back against the bench. "You don't have to listen to her. Nor Blaise, for that matter. They're both full of it."

I forced a small smile though the knot in my chest wouldn't let loose. "Thanks, Sienna."