The Hidden Lycan Prince

CHAPTER 6.1

“Is it true, Ayame?” Sierra said in a breathless voice sounded as she ran over to catch up with me. “Please tell me that you are not really dropping out.” She grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop. Looking at me with a desperate expression, she continued, “You have worked so hard for three years to get into this school, Ayame. You can’t just give up like this.”

A long, drawn sigh left my lips, and I flashed her a weak smile, “It’s okay, Sierra. There are so many people who become good doctors despite not being from elite schools.” I snorted and shook my head in disdain. “What is so good about Alberton High, anyway?”

“Ayame! You can’t give up so easily.” She tugged at my arm. “Come with me. I will talk to Mr. Benjamin… I… We will ask him to investigate this case.” She ran her fingers through her hair, shifting from one foot to another anxiously. “We can ask him to match your handwriting with the one on the sheaf of papers found under your table.” Her eyes lit up. “We can do that, Ayame. This might really work.”

I placed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed her shoulder gently. “Breathe, Sierra. This is not the end of the world.”

“You destroyed your prospects of a bright future for a stranger, Ayame. Someone you might not even see again.” She threw up her hands in frustration. “If that is not the end of the world, I don’t know what is.”

“She ruined her future for whom?” A familiar voice sounded tugging at the strings of my heart. With a startled gasp, I spun around ton find Tristan standing a few feet away from me.

My lips curved into a smile and tears brimmed in my eyes. He hadn’t dropped out after all.

Tristan walked over to me; his eyes ablaze with concern, “What was your friend saying, Ayame?

“Umm… It’s nothing, Tristan….” Turning towards Sierra, I gave her a warning glare, urging her to keep quiet as well.

“Don’t give me that look, Ayame. I am not going to keep quiet like you. He should know how much you had to suffer….”

“Sierra… please don’t. Nothing is going to change even if you tell him everything.”

“What is the matter, Sierra? Did I do anything wrong?” Tristan’s voice turned slightly hoarse as his gaze drifted from me to her.

“Her….” I covered Sierra’s mouth before she could say anything. Plastering a smile on my face, I turned to Tristan. “It is nothing you need to worry about… I… I am going to get my stuff.” With these words, I dragged Sierra away.

“Ayame, why are you like this? Your entire life got ruined because you wanted to save Tristan. Shouldn’t you at least tell him about it? Shouldn’t he know how much you have sacrificed for him?” Sierra’s voice grew louder with every word she spoke. “The Royal brothers started targeting you because you stood up for that prick; you were bullied and accused wrongly of cheating in exams. You lost your scholarship and now you have to leave this school! Don’t you think….”

Clank! The sound something metallic drew my attention. My eyes snapped to the doorway but there was nobody. Walking over, I found a keychain lying on the floor.

The keychain consisted single metallic plate with the words ‘Tristan’ engraved on it. My heart skipped a beat and my fingers clenched around the keychain. Had Tristan heard everything?

Hopefully not…. There was no need to burden him with unnecessary guilt. With an agonised sigh, I rushed to look for him.

After a long search, I spotted him standing under a tree in the playground. His expression was somber and he was talking to someone on the phone; correction, he was chewing out words, enunciating each one of them as if butchering them.

His gaze looked so intense that it made my stomach drop with a strange sensation. My heartbeat accelerated as I drew closer to him.

“If you don’t want to lose you position, make sure those pricks own up everything within ten minutes.”

His jaws clenched and his eyes narrowed, “I don’t care what pact you have with my father but if those scumbags don’t own up everything within ten minutes, I will personally make sure that your family has nowhere to hide.”

Whoah! I didn’t know Tristan was capable of making such threats. He was usually so refined.

“Tristan….” My voice shook slightly as I called out his name. His expression froze and he disconnected the call. The frown on his forehead deepened as he turned to face me. “What are you doing here?”

“I…umm… Did you overhear my conversation with Sierra?”

His jaws clenched tighter and he gulped making his adam’s apple bob slightly. With a slight tilt of his head, he nodded ever so slightly.

Drawing in a deep breath, I forced myself to smile, “I just wanted to tell you that Sierra was just spouting nonsense. My dropping out of this school has nothing to do with you. It is more a matter of principle than anything.”

Tristan didn’t say anything. He continued to look at me with this intense expression that was making my heart go crazy. Resisting my urge to kiss away those worry lines scarring his forehead, I continued, “Status, power, wealth; I have nothing Tristan. If I lose my principles too, I will be as good as dead. So, I want to hold on to the principles till the last.”

Tristan took a step towards me and raised his eyebrows in impatience. I bit my lower lip before continuing, “The Royal brothers wanted me to accuse you for those nude pics they had posted but I can’t do that… I can’t blame you for doing something….”

His expression took on a sinister edge. He grabbed my arms and he pulled me closer, his piercing gaze boring through mine, “What did you say?”

“A few days ago, Eric photoshopped my images and posted them using an anonymous profile. When I was caught cheating in the exam, they offered me a deal. They told me that they would get me out of this mess, if I accused you of posting those pictures…. They probably wanted to use that as an excuse to kick you out this school....”

His expression darkened taking on such a fierce undertone that it made me shudder. “Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”

“Umm…. Because you were absent….” An exhausted sigh left my lips. “Anyway, all I wanted to say that none of this is your fault.” I shrugged off his hand and was about to walk away but he grabbed my wrist and tugged causing me to bump into his muscular body.

His grip on my wrist increased as he called a number, “Repeat what you said.”

“Sorry?”

“Just repeat the offer made by those pricks, Ayame!” He roared, putting the phone on speaker. The furious vibes he gave off made me cower.

My heart stopped beating and my breath hitched. The kind of fear that I felt in that moment is beyond words. It was more like an instinct that you feel when you see a wild beast like a lion.

Tristan’s grip on my wrist increased further making me wince, “I. Said. Repeat.”

With a pained gasp, I stuttered how Edmund and Eric had photoshopped my images into nude images and posted in a social media group. They wanted me to accuse Tristan for doing that so that they could get him rusticated

Tears rolled down my cheeks as the memory of those lewd glances boring into me resurfaced. I had stayed strong during that time but right now, recounting that incident, I couldn’t stop myself from breaking down.

“You know what to do.” Tristan spoke into the phone in an icy voice before disconnecting the call. His grip on my wrist eased causing blood to rush back into my hands.

“Ah…” I groaned in pain as I pulled my hand and tried to flex it. Another wave of pain shot all the way to my shoulders as I raised my hand to look at it. My eyebrows furrowed looking at the bluish bruises marring my skin, “What are your hands made of, iron?”

His eyes flashed with regret as his gaze landed on my wrist. His eyes narrowed and his lips parted. I though he was going to apologise but for some reason; he seemed angry.

Tristan’s eyes narrowed and the veins on his neck bulged. “You always bring out the worst in me, Ayame. It is better if you stayed away.” His icy voice chipped through me as he spun around and walked away.