Call of the Wild

Chapter Four

It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. It just wasn't possible. I had to be dreaming. There just wasn't any other plausible explanation to what had just happened right now. But as the more stares and murmurs reached my ears, my greatest fears were confirmed. What exactly was going on?

This had to be a prank. It just had to be. This was only my third day here and now this? Who would have thought the odds would be against me like this?

"Her?" A voice resonated all around, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was the Dean, and even though he wasn't necessarily using the mic, I could hear him loud and clear from down here. " She's your mate?"

I looked at the guy that had just gotten me into trouble. Steely gray eyes peered into mine as silence settled again. He said nothing as he continued to stare at me, his eyes holding an unreadable amount of emotion in them.

He kept on staring at me, obviously not ready to answer the question he had been asked.

Please say no, please say no. I whispered underneath my breath.

I locked eyes with him as I silently prayed that he wouldn't answer the question and In that moment, it made me realize how gray his eyes actually were. Asides the strange color, there was something else in his gaze that had my body tingling. With each second that passed between us, my palms felt clammy as my heart picked up its pace. His eyes bore holes into my body as he took me in, his hypnotic gaze keeping me in a spot. I sunk deeper into my skin as his eyes took in every feature of my face, before trailing down my body, and I found myself shivering.

"Yes." His voice was low, so low it could almost be mistaken as a whisper but I heard it. Everyone did. "She's my mate. The girl with the red hair."

A curse slid past my lips. I knew it would get me into trouble. It was just a matter of time. But what I didn't realize was that my cup of trouble would arrive sooner, rather than later.

I'd always hated the color of my hair; red. It was fiery and always called attention to me wherever I went. I'd tried to dye it a million times, but no matter how much of the stuff I dumped on the hair, it's red colour would always come back, just like it was now.

When I'd gone to bed two nights ago, I was a full brunette, only for me to wake up to red streaks slowly snaking around my hair from the tips.

I had thought since I was coming to a new school, I would at least see someone with a different shade of hair color, but I couldn't be more wrong. My hair color was red and even everyone here found it weird.

"Come." I froze at the sound of the voice. It wasn't the insanely hot gray eyed guy, it was the Dean, and I couldn't help but gulping. " Come."

It sounded more like a trap than anything else, but what could I do? I doubted I had any other choice at this point.

I exhaled slowly as I took a deep breath. With each step I took towards the stage, I felt a million pair of eyes follow my every step but none of them stood out like his. It was funny how I knew, but I could feel him staring at me.

Pin drop silence reigned the moment I climbed the stage. I gasped silently at how high I was, and how I was the centre of attention now..it was so surreal I wanted none of this.

"Sir, it's a mistake i…"

"Any problems, Dean?" I jerked up at the sound coming from my side. I had no idea why, but there was definitely something else lying underneath that dean.

"No." It was curt and cold. " I'll have to relate the news to your father and let him know that…"

"No." He cut in again. " You are going to give me that acceptance because I deserve it. The throne and the kingdom is mine!"

I watched the two stare each other down and it wasn't hard to miss the tension between both of them.

"Yes. " A third voice broke through. It was the other guy, the one who was supposed to accept whatever title the dean was supposed to give him. " It's his. He deserves it."

"Trevor!" So that was his name. " You can't be serious…."

"But I am." Trevor insisted. " He should get it."

"Fine." It was totally not fine from the look on the dean's face. " Do you, Ryder, accept to be the next Alpha? And also…"

" I do."

**************

I didn't which was weird, whatever went down an hour ago at the open auditorium, or the states that had been following me since I got down that stage. I was a fool to think it would stop, but I wanted to know one thing; why were they staring at me so much?

I sunk my head deeper into my hoodie as I slipped through the hallway, eager to get to my next class. A thought occured to me, but I shook it off immediately. No, it wouldn't work.

"I need to…Ow!" An intense jolt of pain shot through my head. I didn't have a lot of time think about that as I reeled backwards, until firm hands wrapped itself around me.

I forced my eyes open immediately and my eyes bulged at the person in front of me. Never in my life did I want to see him again. In fact, right now, I would pick falling to the ground over him saving me.

I stayed in his grip for a while as his palm burned through my lower back. My skin tingled as I found it hard to tear my eyes away from him. Until, he spoke, that is.

"We need to talk." His voice was curt and devoid of any emotions. " Now."

I slipped out of his grip immediately, before steadying myself on the ground. If I was being honest, he looked even handsome up front.

"Let's go." I watched his hand latch onto my wrist. His grip was firm as his eyes bore into my skin. I said nothing, my mind reeling with a million and one things all at once. It wasn't until he tugged at my arm, did I understood what he meant.

"No." I let out, my voice shaky. I watched his eyebrows crease, like he was daring me to repeat what I'd just said, so I did it again. "No."

"That was not a request." He seethed. " Come with me. Now."

"No! I'm not…." The rest of my words hung in my throat as he tugged at my wrist , pulling me in the opposite direction. " Let me go!"

But it fell on deaf ears. The more I struggled to get out of his grip, the more his handsl tightened around my wrist.

"Let me go!" I winced, digging my fingers deep into his skin, but it was useless. It seemed the more I clawed at his skin, the more his resolve to take me to wherever it was strengthened. " Help!"

No one did. Instead, they all stared and pointed at me as the man dragged me away.

"What do you want from me?" I asked breathless the moment we finally stopped. We were currently in something that looked like a Janitor's closet.

"Apparently, you're my mate now." He drawled, a certain edge to his tone. " Isn't that right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. " I spat. "Now, let me go."

"You're not going anywhere." I took a step back as he stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the exit. " Not yet. You're my mate now, so you belong to me, and only I, get to tell you what to do."

"No, you don't." I snapped, suddenly feeling irritaated by all of this. " I don't know what the hell happened back there but I'm tired of this sick prank. So I'm leaving."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He let out in a singsong voice, his eyes glinting with mischief. " You know…"

"Good-bye!" I huffed. I was almost out the door when something caught my eye. Or more accurately, pricked my skin. I hissed at the pain that throbbed on my skin. " What did you just…."

I spun around and regretted immediately.

" If you take one more step." My gaze flicked from his hand to his face, over and over again. " I'll make sure you regret it. And trust me, it's not a threat."

"What do you want from me?" Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, this freak show of a school had to prove me wrong. " What are you?"

"The Alpha of this pack!" Werewolves didn't exist, it just wasn't possible. But with the claws that stuck out of his skin, I was beginning to think otherwise. " And you will do exactly as I say."

"No, no. " I stuttered, my feet taking more steps back. " You can't .."

"Listen up." He rushed me and in the twinkle of an eye, I was pressed to the door,the knob pressing deep into my back. " You're my mate now and it'd be best if you cooperated. Or else."

"Or else what?" I knew I shouldn't have asked. Seeing how complicated things had become in the twinkle of an eye, I shouldn't have said that. But I let my tongue loose anyway. "What will you do?"

With a pointy claw grazing my cheek and drawing a little trickle of blood, he whispered. Only, it wasn't a whisper, because the cold shiver that ran down my spine definitely wasn't made up.

"If you don't, I'll kill your brother."