Claimed By The Alpha's Enemy

Chapter 2

Sally's POV

“Bryan?” I whispered under my breath.

Bryan's eyes were dark, unreadable, like storm clouds before the rain finally breaks. My whole body went stiff in his arms. I waited for him to drop me, to laugh, to say something cruel like everyone else always did.

He didn't.

"Are you okay?"

His voice was low, calm, nothing like the sharp tone I expected from an alpha. The cafeteria had gone completely silent. Someone dropped a fork and the clatter sounded like thunder in the quiet.

I couldn't find my voice. I just stared up at him, stunned.

Bryan set me carefully back on my feet, his hands steady until he was sure I could stand. Then he stepped back and looked at Tasha, his expression cold.

"You should watch your strength," he said simply.

Tasha's mouth opened, then closed. "Bryan, I didn't mean—"

"I don't care what you meant." His tone didn't rise. It didn't need to. "Pick your chair up."

Tasha bent down and grabbed the fallen chair without another word. I blinked. I had never once, in three years, seen Tasha back down from anything.

The bell rang before anyone could say more. Students scrambled to grab their bags, whispering behind their hands, throwing glances between me and Bryan like they were watching a fight about to start. I can't wait to find out. I grabbed my bag and hurried toward the door, my cheeks burning, my mind racing.

"Sally."

Tasha's voice hit me before I reached the hallway. I turned. Her eyes had gone gold again, her claws sliding out slowly, glinting under the cafeteria lights. She pointed one sharp tip toward my face.

"After class," she whispered, low enough that only I could hear. "I'm going to rip that pale skin right off your bones. Nobody makes me look weak."

My stomach dropped. I said nothing. There was nothing to say that wouldn't make it worse. She brushed her shoulders hard against mine, forcing me to stagger backwards. Her friends did the same, and I almost lost balance.

“Filthy trash,” they mocked as they moved ahead.

I turned and walked fast, weaving through the crowd until I reached my next class and slid into my seat, breathing hard.

One class. Just get through one class.

I barely had time to steady myself before the classroom door opened again.

"Settle down," Mr. Reyes called from the front. "We have a new student joining us today."

The room quieted. I looked up along with everyone else, and my stomach turned to ice.

Bryan walked in.

He moved like he owned the room, shoulders back, expression unreadable, the same calm coldness from the cafeteria still clinging to him. Whispers broke out immediately.

"That's him. That's Bryan."

"Wait, THE Bryan? Alpha Damon's son?"

"I heard he got transferred here because of something I don’t know back at his pack."

"He's Jeremy's cousin, right? I heard he visits all the time."

"He looks even scarier in person."

“He bullies betas and omegas, he also bullies the elites. Our school is doomed if he transfers here.”

The more I heard people whisper about Bryan, the more terrified I got. I knew I was in big trouble.

Mr. Reyes cleared his throat. "This is Bryan. He'll be joining us for the rest of the year. I expect everyone to make him feel welcome."

Nobody moved. Nobody breathed too loud. I kept my eyes down, praying, praying, that he wouldn't sit anywhere near me.

"You can take the seat in the back," Mr. Reyes said, pointing.

Of course. The seat directly behind me.

Bryan walked down the row without hurrying, and every single student flinched slightly as he passed, like his presence alone carried weight. When he reached his seat, he glanced down at me for half a second. I quickly looked away, heart hammering.

Behind me, someone whispered, "He's going to make her life hell. First Jeremy, now this?"

"I heard he's worse than Jeremy. His own pack members are scared of him."

"Didn't he save her earlier though?"

"He probably just wanted to scare Tasha himself. Alphas do that. Territory stuff."

"Still. I've never seen Tasha back down like that."

“And sometimes, bullies save you first as a threat. It’s nothing serious, that was a warning, but she may be too dumb to notice.”

My ears burned. I kept my gaze locked on my desk, willing myself to disappear. I didn't understand any of it, not Bryan catching me, not Bryan's cold voice defending me, not the fact that a boy known for being merciless hadn't hurt me when he had every opportunity to.

Maybe the girls were right. It was a threat.

That thought made more sense. Bryan wasn't kind. Nobody with his reputation was kind. His father, Alpha Damon, ruled over all twenty-four packs in the territory with an iron fist, feared even by other alphas. Everyone knew the stories. Packs that defied him disappeared from council meetings. Rivals who challenged him never challenged him twice. And next month, when Bryan turned eighteen, he would take his father's place as the most powerful alpha in the region.

‘A boy like that doesn't help people like me because he's nice. There has to be a reason.'

I just didn't know what it was yet.

The lesson dragged on, but I couldn't focus on a single word, Mr. Reyes said. I was too aware of Bryan sitting behind me, too aware of Tasha two rows over, sharpening her glare like a blade. Every few minutes, I felt eyes on the back of my neck and didn't know whose gaze it was. Bryan's, Tasha's, or the whole class waiting to see which one of them would destroy me first.

The worst mistake I made yet was turning towards Tasha. She gave me a threatening stare, while growing her claws for me to see. My eyes moved to the clock. It was just 10 minutes to the closing bell.

My stomach sank deep into my stomach.