His Breeder, Not His Mate

4

ANASTACIA

My entire body felt unbearably heavy when I woke up. It wasn’t even half past five in the morning, but it felt as though the night was still clinging to me, swallowing me whole.

I didn’t want to go to school. Not after everything that had happened.

I was certain my brother was even angrier now.

I’d tried to talk to him yesterday, but—as always—he distanced himself.

Each time he did, the wall between us only grew higher.

I drew my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms tightly around them, pressing my face into the hollow.

I didn’t know what to do anymore. If things kept going this way, I was terrified I’d never get back the brother I once knew.

“Did you talk to your brother?” Mom asked when I found her at the dining table.

“Yes, mom.” I forced a smile.

I knew she would only worry if I told her the truth, that things between me and brother had worsened.

Better to keep it to myself for now, at least until this rift between us healed.

“That’s good. Be patient with him, he’s only worried about you. You know how much he loves you, don’t you?”

My forced smile faded as I looked away.

“Yes, I know,” I answered quietly.

But does he really love me?

As usual, I went to school alone.

Maybe it was time to stop clinging to the fantasy that someday we’d walk to school together again.

Perhaps it was better this way, less chance of any further complications.

“Anastacia?”

My head snapped up at the sound of my name. A beautiful girl, about my age, stood a few steps away.

She approached me with a warm smile.

“By the way, I’m Cithadel,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Ah, o-okay.” I blinked, surprised, and took her hand.

She looked like an angel who had stepped down to earth—porcelain skin, elegant clothes, graceful movements like a beauty queen.

But it was strange.

What was she doing here in our department? She couldn’t be lost; she’d been around the university for years.

A thought flickered in my mind.

Could she also like my brother? Did she come here for him?

“I’m your brother’s classmate, and also his friend. It’s good you decided to visit him,” she said as she gently withdrew her hand.

“H-Huh?” My eyes widened at her words, and I glanced around nervously.

Only then did I realize I was standing in the Supernatural Politics and Diplomacy Department.

Of all places, why had my feet brought me here?

“Do you want me to call him?” she asked, tucking a strand of shining hair behind her ear as she checked her watch.

“I’m sure their meeting’s over by now,” she said sweetly, turning her warm smile back to me.

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath.

My brother would be furious if he knew I was here. He hated being disturbed.

“No, it’s not necessary,” I replied quickly.

“Deimien! Great, you’re done! Your sister’s here!”

I saw her waving happily.

“s**t. I’m dead.” I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes shut when I heard her call him.

“Anastacia—”

His voice was low and heavy.

I swallowed hard and turned slowly.

There he was, walking toward me with the other members of the student council, all laughing and chatting.

“What are you doing here?” he asked coldly when he stopped in front of me.

I instinctively stepped back as our eyes met. The way he looked at me—like he didn’t know me. Like I didn’t belong in his world at all.

“Please… don’t look at me like that, big brother…”

I wanted to run, but I bowed my head instead as I felt tears rising.

If I ran, what would he and his companions think of me? But if I stayed, I felt like I might simply disappear.

“I-I’m sorry…” The tears were about to fall when suddenly a hand closed around mine.

“Of course she wanted to see me. Isn’t that right, princess?”

The world suddenly stopped spinning. Even my heart seemed to stop beating.

“Princess?” I slowly looked up.

A pair of eyes, steady and certain, locked on mine. And in an instant, the chaos of my world calmed, because of the man standing beside me.

***

“So you’re Kyros Gravemont, the one who’s always in the news around the entire academy,” I said with a bite of sarcasm as I studied the man before me.

“The Legendary Playboy”.

“The Domineering Next-in-Line Alpha.”

Every corner of Gravemont Academy echoed those words from the mouths of female students.

I never expected this was the man they were all swooning over—not just here, but even in other academies.

I couldn’t even blame them. He really was gorgeous, except that he was a notorious womanizer, domineering, and so arrogant it made my teeth grind.

“Hmm…” he hummed, his head and broad back resting lazily against the trunk of a huge tree.

His shoulder-length hair gleamed as it swayed with the cold breeze. Those thick lashes framed his hazel eyes as bright as sunlight.

“What about it? Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who’s head over heels for me, Tash?” he asked with that infuriating smile.

I smirked and looked away.

Truthfully, I hadn’t expected to see him again after what happened yesterday. And to think he was the one who saved me from humiliation in front of my brother and his friends.

I owed him a lot. And yet here I was, debating whether I should even thank him.

Every time I remembered what he did, irritation simmered inside me.

He had only made things between me and my brother worse.

“You’re unbelievable. Tell me, why would I fall for someone like you? You don’t even know what I like in a guy. So please, stop assuming,” I snapped, but he only smirked at me as if mocking me.

“Assuming isn’t in my blood. It’s obvious you like me too.” His voice dripped with confidence.

“And how are you so sure?”

“I have the entire world, including you. That’s why.”

My mind went blank.

Any thought of thanking him vanished instantly.

Was he really Alpha Caspian’s son?

If it weren’t for the Gravemont name, I would’ve thought he came from the lower district.

“If all you’re going to do is brag, I’m leaving. I refuse to waste my time on someone like you, whose every hole seems to release nothing but empty words.” I said sharply, standing up and turning away—just as he burst into laughter.

“And which hole are you talking about? The top or the bottom?” he asked teasingly.

I shut my eyes tightly, tilting my head back as I clenched my fists, then slowly turned back to him with a devilish smile.

“The bottom—where your entire bloodline came from, Kyros Gravemont.” I emphasized every letter of his name, my eyes blazing.

God! If I stayed here any longer, who knows what I’d do to this guy.

“Hmm…” He slowly walked toward me, a dark look forming on his face.

My instincts screamed trouble. I quickly looked away and tried to leave, but he grabbed the collar of my uniform from behind, stopping me.

“Where do you think you’re going, princess? We’re not done talking yet.” He leaned close to my ear and blew softly.

My whole body froze.

I swallowed hard as he moved in front of me, his eyes tracing a slow path down to my lips, teasing yet predatory.

God.

What do I do?

My body was stiff and cold as ice. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t under his gaze, as if he was ready to devour me.

I shut my eyes, holding my breath as breakfast flashed in my mind.

Damn it, I forgot to brush my teeth!

“Don’t worry, I don’t kiss women without their permission—so stop holding your breath, my dear princess. You might suffocate.”

My eyes flew open at his words. I stared at him in disbelief as I saw the corner of his lips curl, clearly amused at my reaction.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore and exhaled all the air I’d been holding.

“Can you not call me like you own me without my consent?”

“Then why don’t we make it official?”

He smirked again, but this time I could almost see a dark aura coiling around him.

“Don’t tell me you want a taste of me, you demon!” I snapped.

Of course, my entire body was all what he wanted! It was written all over his face—overflowing desire.

“Hold on. As far as I know, I didn’t force you to help me, so back off! I’d rather die than let you have a taste of me!”

“You think I’d lust after an A-cup? Tell me if those are even worth being touched by my blessed hands.” He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

I froze, swallowing hard.

How did he know my size?

I glanced at my chest.

I bit my lip at the bitter reality that it was that obvious. But still, why did he have to announce it to the world?

This only proved how many women had passed through his hands.

Tsss...

For a man with such an angelic face, his personality was the complete opposite. If I’d known he was such a devil in disguise, I would’ve rather humiliated myself in front of my brother than be toyed with by him.

“What’s it to you if I’m an A-cup? At least I have n*****s, you jerk!” I shouted, shoving at his chest, but he caught my hand.

I swallowed nervously as our eyes met. The teasing from earlier vanished, replaced by a serious look, as if he had a message to deliver.

“Let’s get to the real deal, princess,” he said, pulling me by the waist.

“Deal?” I asked, confused.

What was this guy even talking about?

Didn’t I make myself clear already?

“I want you to be my mate. In return, I’ll grant everything you wish for.”

I gaped in shock at his words.

“Everything?”