Claimed By The Alpha's Enemy

Chapter 3

Sally's POV

"Miss Sally, the principal wants to see you before the last bell."

I looked up from my locker, confused. "Me? Why?"

The office aide just shrugged. "Didn't say. Just told me to find you."

My stomach twisted the whole walk to the office. Being called in never meant anything good, not for a scholarship student. But at least, I escaped Tasha’s threat for now.

I knocked on the door and stepped inside when I heard the muffled, "Come in."

Principal Whitmore sat behind his desk, glasses perched low on his nose. "Ah, Sally. Sit down."

I sat, hands folded tightly in my lap. "Is something wrong, sir?"

"Not at all." He smiled, folding his hands over a stack of papers. "Actually, I have good news.”

“Good news?” I asked, my eyes widening in excitement as I thought about a thousand possibilities.

“We need a tutor for one of our students, and your grades put you at the top of the list. Straight A's in every subject, according to your file."

I blinked. "A tutor? For who?"

"Doesn't matter right now. What matters is you'll be paid weekly for your time. A driver will pick you up after school and take you to the student's house, then take you home afterward. Simple as that."

Money. Real money, every week. I thought of my mother's tired eyes, of the medicine my father needed, of the meals we'd been skipping to make ends meet.

"I'll do it," I said quickly. "Thank you, sir. When do I start?"

"Today, actually. The driver will be waiting by the front gate after the final bell."

I nodded, relief washing over me for the first time all day. Finally, something good.

I had no idea how wrong I was.

The car was black and sleek, far too expensive for anyone I knew. I slid into the back seat, gripping my bag on my lap as the driver pulled away from the school without a word. The ride felt long, winding past the school district and into a part of town I'd never been to, where houses turned into mansions.

When the car finally stopped, I stepped out and stared up at the massive gates in front of me.

“This can't be right.”

The gates opened slowly, and the driver led me up a long path toward the front doors. My palms were sweating by the time I stepped inside. The house was enormous, marble floors and high ceilings, everything perfectly polished and terrifyingly quiet.

"Right this way," the driver said, guiding me toward a room down the hall.

I followed, my heart pounding for reasons I couldn't explain. The driver knocked once, then opened the door and stepped aside.

I walked in and froze.

Bryan sat behind a large desk, a book open in front of him, looking up like he had been expecting me the whole time.

"You," I said, before I could stop myself.

"Me," Bryan replied, closing his book calmly.

"There must be a mistake." I took a step back toward the door. "I'm supposed to tutor a student from school. Not—" I gestured at him, "—not you."

"There's no mistake."

"I don't want to tutor you." The words came out sharper than I meant, but I didn't take them back. "Find someone else. I'm sure plenty of people would love the job."

"I don't want plenty of people." Bryan stood, walking around the desk slowly. "I want you."

My chest tightened at the way he said it, too calm, too certain. "Why me?"

"Because you're the best in our year. Because you don't fear failing, which means you won't tolerate mine." He stopped a few feet from me. "And because I have already decided."

"Well, I decided too." I lifted my chin, refusing to back down even though every instinct told me to run. "And I decide I don't want this job. I'll tell the principal to find someone else."

Something flickered across Bryan's face, gone as fast as it came. "You could do that."

"I will."

"Then I suppose the school board will also hear that your scholarship needs a second review." His voice stayed even, almost gentle, which somehow made it worse. "Financial aid students are reviewed constantly, Sally. All it takes is one recommendation from the right person to have yours pulled."

My blood ran cold. "You wouldn't."

"I would." He held my gaze without blinking. "I don't make threats, I don't intend to keep."

"That's blackmail."

"Call it whatever you want," Bryan shrugged, unaffected. "You need this scholarship. I need a tutor. It works out well for both of us."

My hands curled into fists at my sides. I hated how helpless I felt, hated that he was right, hated that I had no real choice at all. "Fine," I snapped. "I'll tutor you. But I won't pretend to like it."

"I never asked you to like it."

Bryan walked even closer to me.

I turned toward the door, ready to storm out and get some air before I said something I'd regret. Bryan placed his leg intentionally in front of mine, my foot caught his leg, and I stumbled forward with a small gasp.

Bryan moved fast, faster than I expected, catching me by the waist before I hit the ground. My hands landed against his chest, my heart slamming as I looked up at him, our faces suddenly far too close.

Neither of us moved.

My breath caught in my throat. His eyes weren't cold up close, not really. There was something else buried underneath, something I couldn't name. For a moment, the whole room seemed to hold still, waiting.

Then Bryan straightened and let go, stepping back like nothing had happened at all.

"Careful," he said quietly.

I cleared my throat, cheeks warm. "I'm fine. By the way, you did that intentionally.”

"I know." He studied me for a long moment.

“You are all the same after all.”

"Sally, I have a proposal,” he changed the topic immediately, like he hadn’t just tripped me.

"Another one?" I crossed my arms. "What now?"

"Tutor me. In return, I'll make sure no one at school touches you again. Not Tasha, not her friends, not anyone." His voice dropped lower. "And I'll help you take Jeremy and Tasha down. Completely."

I stared at him, caught off guard. "Take them down? What does that mean?"

"It means whatever needs to happen to make them regret what they did to you today." Bryan's expression didn't change, but something dangerous simmered beneath his calm tone. "Humiliation. Reputation. Whatever it takes."

"Why would you do that?" I studied his face, searching for the trick, the catch, the reason none of this made sense. "You barely know me. And Jeremy's your cousin."

"That doesn't matter."

"It should matter." I stepped closer, frustration bubbling over. "Why do you even care what happens to me? You're an alpha. Future leader of twenty-four packs. I'm nobody. I'm wolfless. Why would you go against your own cousin for someone like me?"

Bryan was quiet for a long moment, his jaw tightening like he was holding back words he wasn't ready to say.

"I can't tell you that," he finally said.

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I can give you right now."

I shook my head, more confused than ever. None of this made sense to me… not the tutoring, not the threats, not the way he'd caught me so gently only moments ago after tripping me off, not this sudden offer to destroy the two people who had humiliated me.

"This doesn't add up, Bryan."

"Maybe not." He held my gaze steadily, unwavering. "But I'm asking you anyway."

He took a slow step closer, his voice quiet but firm.

"Tutor me, Sally. Let me protect you. Let me help you get your revenge." His eyes didn't leave mine. "Will you do it?"