Four Iced Alphas, One Fate.

Chapter [4]

Chapter 4

Raven's Pov

My breath caught in my throat, a strangled gasp escaping before I could stop it. The notebook slipped from my numb fingers, clattering to the floor as every instinct screamed at me to run but I was trapped, surrounded by the four hockey players who are yet to understand my nightmare.

Alaric's gaze swept across the lecture hall, and when those amber eyes found mine, his lips curved into a smile that promised death. Xavier stood beside him, identical in every way except for the scar that ran along his left temple, it's a stark reminder of the night they had tried to execute me.

"Alaric and Xavier Kingsley," Professor Chen announced, oblivious to the tension crackling through the air. "They're transferring from the main campus and Alphas from Silver Pine Forest, please find seats wherever you can."He gestured at them with respect and the class was wowed by the beauty, they wouldn't stop talking and admiring their presence.

The twins moved with fluid grace, their eyes never leaving mine. Some students shifted uncomfortably as they passed, some instinctively recognizing the danger these two represented. They were beautiful in the way apex predators were beautiful….all sharp angles and lethal elegance.

"Well….if it's not our sister" Alaric said, his voice carrying across the suddenly silent classroom. "What an interesting coincidence."

Xavier's amber eyes glittered with malicious satisfaction. "Indeed….It seems our dear Luna has been... busy since we last saw her."

The four hockey players tensed around me, they realised how scared and uncomfortable I was and they stared deadly at the twins. I was a mouse caught between two packs of wolves, each with their own agenda.

"Gentlemen," Professor Chen said sharply, sensing the undercurrent of violence in the room. "Please take your seats so we can begin."

But the twins made no move to sit, Instead, they approached my row with deliberate slowness, savoring every second of my terror.

"Luna," Xavier said softly, his voice a caress that felt like ice against my skin. "You look... different. Healthier than when we last met."

"Almost like you've been thriving," Alaric added, tilting his head with mock curiosity. "How remarkable, considering you were supposed to be dead."

The classroom erupted in confused murmurs. Damon shifted behind me, his hand coming to rest on the back of my chair in what might have looked like a protective gesture to outside observers. But I could feel the tension in his grip, the way his fingers tightened against the metal.

"Is there a problem newbie?" he asked Alaric, his silver eyes flashing with challenge.

At that moment, I didn't want to scream anymore. I didn't want to defend myself. I just wanted the ground to open and swallow me whole.

I turned pale….so pale that it seemed like the blood had completely drained from my body, pooling somewhere deep in my chest where terror lived. My hands trembled under the desk, fingers gripping the edge so tightly my knuckles went white. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, drowning out the professor's continued introduction. It had been so long since I'd felt this level of fear. So long since I'd seen them with those twisted faces from my past.

And now, all at once, it was crashing down like a nightmareI couldn't outrun.

The Hockey Alphas had already found out I'd once been a stripper. That humiliation was already crawling over my skin like poison, seeping into every pore, making me feel dirty and exposed. But now... now my adopted step-brothers….the twin alphas were here in the same school and standing at the front of my Advanced Anatomy class as Professor Chen introduced them with oblivious politeness.

Alaric ignored Damon words as if he didn't exist, nothing around them seemed to exist…they always display power and dominance anywhere they entered.

"How the f**k are you alive?" he snarled, his amber eyes blazing with fury and something darker. "And why are you looking at me like that? You should be dead…we f*****g made sure of it."

I whimpered, the sound escaping my throat before I could stop it. My voice barely worked, coming out as a broken whisper as I begged, "Please... I didn't kill them. I swear I didn't kill our mother..."

The words tumbled out in a rush of panic and desperation. I was confused, terrified….completely overwhelmed by the flood of memories crashing over me. My whole body shook with the force of my panic, tremors running through me like earthquakes…we're still in class, why was he giving me this attention right now?

"She was never your mother!" Alaric yelled, his grip tightening in my hair until tears sprang to my eyes. "You were nothing but a charity case, a burden we should have gotten rid of years ago!"

That's when it happened like a flash, Zane moved faster than lightning, his massive hand slapping Alaric's grip away from me so hard the sound echoed through the classroom like a gunshot. The force of it sent Alaric stumbling backward to meet Kai who gripped his short blonde hair to sit down and he smacked his head on the desk, shock replacing the cruel satisfaction on his face.

"Don't you ever touch her like that again," Zane growled, his midnight-blue eyes flashing with his Alpha fury. His voice carried the weight of absolute authority, making several students flinch. "You don't get to crawl out of hell and lay a hand on our girl."

The class was a whisper of murmurings as gasps, the professor seemed to have left us alone in this drama. The air crackled with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Xavier let out a short, bitter laugh and spat, "Your girl? This little b***h is a murderer. She killed our mother in cold blood."

Phones were suddenly out everywhere and students were recording, their devices capturing every second of the confrontation. I could see the notifications already as this would be all over social media within minutes. My secret life, my past, everything I'd tried to hide would be broadcast to the entire school.

Kai stepped forward with deadly grace, his storm-gray eyes cold as winter. He grabbed Xavier by the collar exactly how Alaric had grabbed me and lifted him slightly off his feet. The display of strength was casual, effortless, and absolutely terrifying.

"Next time you try that, your neck's the first thing we'll break," Kai said quietly, his voice carrying more menace than any shout. "We don't care what the hell she did to you. In this school, you learn to stay away from her. Got it?"

Without waiting for a reply, Damon and River flanked me, their bodies forming a protective barrier as they guided me toward the door. Zane and Kai followed, keeping themselves between me and the twins who looked ready to commit murder right there in the classroom.

"This isn't over," Alaric called after us, his voice promising retribution. "You can't protect her forever."

But the Alphas didn't respond, They simply escorted me out of the classroom, leaving chaos and whispered rumours in our wake.

The hallway felt like a sanctuary after the suffocating tension of the classroom. My legs gave out the moment we were alone, and I collapsed against the lockers, sliding down until I was sitting on the cold linoleum floor.

I didn't know what to feel. Relief? Gratitude? Fear? All of it crashed over me in waves, leaving me gasping and shaking. The adrenaline that had kept me upright was fading, replaced by bone-deep exhaustion.

I was shaking all over, my entire body wracked with tremors I couldn't control.

I didn't even realize I was crying until Damon knelt beside me, his thumb gently brushing a tear off my cheek. His silver eyes were softer than I'd ever seen them, filled with something that might have been concern.

"What the hell is going on with you?" he asked gently, his voice stripped of its usual arrogance.

River crouched on my other side, his emerald eyes serious for once. "It's going to be okay," he said quietly. "We won't let them hurt you."

I looked up at them in disbelief, my vision blurry with tears. These were the same men who had cornered me at the club, who had threatened to expose my secrets, who had humiliated me in front of the entire class just hours ago. My voice cracked when I spoke.

"Why are you helping me? You all wanted to humiliate me too..."

Kai exchanged a glance with the others before shrugging, his expression almost sheepish. "We weren't humiliating you. We just wanted you to dance."

That made me flinch, the memory of last night crashing over me like a physical blow. The way they'd touched me, the way I'd responded, the complete loss of control. I shook my head violently, trying to dislodge the images.

"Just leave me alone," I whispered, scrambling to my feet on unsteady legs.

And then I ran.