Chapter 12
830 Words
~Jasmine~
When the taxi pulled up to the Ivory Spire campus, I felt a tiny bit of relief. This was my territory. The minimalist buildings and the bustling students felt safe compared to that penthouse with three hot dudes.
Freya paid the driver and we climbed out, our shoulders slumped with exhaustion.
"Let's just get upstairs, order the greasiest pizza we can find, and pretend today didn't happen," Freya suggested, trying to sound exciting.
"Sounds like a plan."
We started walking toward the entrance of our dorm building, but as we rounded the corner near the parking lot, A black car was parked near the curb, and two girls were busy hauling their luggage out of the trunk.
Even from a distance, I recognized the way they moved,the entitled tilt of their heads, the way they looked at the campus like they were doing it a favor by being there.
Cecily and Diana. My step-sisters.
I tried to duck my head, tucking my golden curls into the collar of the leather jacket,Caspian’s jacket by the way, i was hoping they would be too busy with their vanity to notice me.
"Jas? Jasmine? Is that you?"
Cecily’s voice was like a shrill bell, cutting through the morning air. I closed my eyes for a second, a silent prayer for the ground to open up and swallow me. lucky indeed.
"Oh my god, Diana, look! It is her!"
They abandoned their suitcases and marched toward us, I could see their faces twisted into masks of mock surprise.
Cecily looked me up and down, her lip curled as she took in my messy hair and the oversized male jacket.
"What on earth are you doing at the Ivory Spire? We know you ran away from home. honestly, Diana and I thought you’d finally done the world a favor and committed suicide since you lost your sense of smell. I mean, what’s a wolf without a nose, right?"
"Lol, right?" Diana added, her laugh sounding so fake to my ears. "Who would have believed you actually had the guts to show up here? Running away to stay with Freya in a college dorm? How pathetic can you get?"
I felt the old familiar sting of their words, the way they always knew exactly where to twist the knife. I stood my ground, though my hands were shaking in the pockets of the jacket.
"I didn't run away. I have a scholarship. I'm a student here, just like you."
"A scholarship? To this school?" Cecily scoffed, crossing her arms. "Is that even acceptable? Allowing a defective, smell-blind late-shifter to occupy a seat that could have gone to a real werewolf? We should probably report this to the school authorities. For the safety of the campus, of course."
I looked at them,really looked at them. They hadn't changed at all. Since the day I’d left the Crested Mountains, they hadn't sent a single text. They hadn't called. They hadn't even bothered to check if I was alive. And now, seeing me here, their first instinct wasn't relief. It was to get me expelled!
"You didn't even look for me," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "Not once. You didn't care if I was dead or alive."
"Why would we?" Diana shrugged, checking her manicure. "You were a disgrace to the family name back home. You’re lucky we didn't throw a party when you disappeared. But don't think you're going to embarrass us here, Jasmine. This is our school now. You’re just a mistake that hasn't been corrected yet."
They turned back to their luggage, laughing together as if I were nothing more than a piece of trash on the sidewalk.
I stood there, the weight of the morning finally crashing down on me. Triplets who claimed I was their mate. Step-sisters who wished I was dead. And my wolf who wouldn't speak to me.
"Come on, Jas," Freya said softly, her eyes burning with rage as she glared at my sisters' backs. "Don't listen to them. They're just bitter because they'll never be half as interesting as you."
I let her lead me inside, but as the dorm doors clicked shut behind us, I felt a strange, cold resolve settling in my chest.
Malakai had rejected me. My sisters hated me. And now, three Alphas were claiming me.
"Freya?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm done being scared."
I looked down at the leather jacket I was wearing. It didn't smell like anything to me, but it felt warm.
"If fate wants to throw the triplets and step-sisters at me, fine. But I'm not running anymore. I'm going to live my life here without letting anyone or anything hold me back, I will build a better future for myself, I deserve it.
I didn't know how I was going to handle Caspian, Lucien, and Kalean. I didn't know how I was going to survive a semester with Cecily and Diana. But one way or the other i will.
- Writer
