The Sovereign Biker’s Forbidden Mate

Chapter Six - The Strange Note

Etta’s POV

"Do I know you?" he asked, and I blinked, my heart hammering against my ribs as I looked at him closer.

Up close, I realized that there was something different about him. His eyes were blue, yes, but they were a light shade… nothing like the vivid azure eyes of the Sovereign that had been burned into my memory.

But why did my body react like that? Why did my skin buzz the second he touched me?

"I... I'm sorry," I stammered, quickly stepping back and putting distance between us. "I thought you were someone else."

"Who are you?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes lingering on my face with curiosity.

"Etta," I murmured, taking another small step backward into the crowd of students pushing past us into the dining hall. "My name is Etta. What about you?”

"I’m Alfie," he replied and on hearing his name, any lingering doubt vanished. He definitely wasn't the Sovereign. Relief mixed with a strange disappointment settled inside my chest.

"I should go," I said, turning away to slip into the busy hall.

Before I could take a single step, Alfie's hand shot out and clamped firmly around my wrist. The sudden touch sent another strange spark through my veins, making my breath hitch.

"Wait," Alfie said, his eyes searching mine. ""Why do I feel like this when I touch you?”

My heart slammed against my ribs. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," he insisted, stepping closer. "I felt something pull inside my chest. And from the way you gasped, I know you felt it too."

My lungs seized. I couldn't breathe. My mind was already drowning with questions about the strange marks on my neck, and now this.

I couldn't handle another unexplained complication.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered out, backing away from him. "I’m sure we both reacted to shock or something. Why would we have a pull towards each other?”

Alfie held up his hands in a defensive gesture, taking a step back to give me space. "Hey, hey... okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out."

"Alfie! Hey, man, over here!" a loud voice called out from down the hallway. A group of students waved him over from one of the dining tables.

He hesitated, looking back at his friends and then down at me. Slowly, he released my wrist, though his icy blue eyes never left mine.

"I'll let it go for today," he said, his voice lowering. "But whatever happened between us back there... it's not something either of us can simply pretend didn't happen. We're not done figuring this out."

He turned and walked away, joining his group. I stood in the middle of the crowded doorway, feeling completely lost. I had no idea where I was supposed to sit or where someone like me belonged.

"Etta! Over here!"

I turned around and saw a friendly face waving at me. It was Emily, the girl who had helped save me after the car accident.

“You look a little lost,” she rambled as she led me towards the counter where the food was being served. “Come on, I’ll tell you what food to get.”

She helped me fill up the tray and even found a smaller table in the corner of the hall where we could sit and eat. She kept talking about the dining hall rules and memories she made here.

I watched her for a moment, bewildered. My family had treated me like a burden, and Will had treated me like trash. I wasn't used to anyone looking out for me without a price attached.

"Emily?" I asked, staring down at the table. "Why are you helping me? You barely know me."

Emily smiled. "Because you needed a friend, and this is just who I am. Out here, we have to stick together."

I didn't fully understand it, but a knot of tension in my chest loosened. For the first time all day, I smiled.

Suddenly, the noisy chatter in the hall died down to a sudden silence as a group of five students walked in. At the head of the pack was Grey. He wore his black leather jacket over his uniform and moved with a lazy confidence.

He walked straight toward a table near the center of the room where a male student was eating alone. Without a word of warning, Grey delivered a brutal kick to the side of the boy's chair.

The wooden chair splintered, and the boy crashed hard onto the floor, his tray and food flying everywhere. The bikers behind Grey burst into laughter.

The rest of the hall remained silent. Not a single student stood up. Even the faculty members standing near the wall turned their eyes away, pretending not to see.

Grey crouched down beside the trembling boy, reaching out to grab him by his hair and yanking his head back. Then he leaned in, whispering something into the boy's ear.

Whatever he said broke the student. He began stammering apologies while trembling.

He released him and casually walked toward the back of the hall as if nothing had happened.

"You see those guys," Emily whispered, leaning across the table toward me. "They're bad news, Etta. Nobody messes with them, not even the teachers, so avoid them, okay?”

I looked at Grey as he walked towards a table, only his gang members occupied that space, and I realized that they truly had the kind of power that made people back down without a fight.

I wanted that power… no, I needed it if I was going to survive.

A moment later, the front doors opened again, and everyone suddenly went quiet again. Amelia walked in, dressed in a sparkling designer dress that clung to her perfectly.

She looked radiant, practically glowing under the chandelier lights while she smiled sweetly at everyone, soaking in the attention like a queen.

I glanced down at my lap, my hands clenching into tight fists under the table. A bitter pain twisted in my gut. While I was banished to a damp basement room with finger marks on my neck, she was being treated like royalty.

Dinner passed in a blur and I barely touched my food, too consumed by my own thoughts to eat. The second the hall began to clear out, I excused myself, thanked Emily, and headed straight to my room.

The dimly lit corridor was dark and creepy, the sound of my footsteps echoing eerily. I reached my room and put my hand on the metal doorknob when something rustled near my feet.

I stopped and looked down. There was a folded piece of paper slipped halfway under my locked door.

Frowning, I knelt down and picked it up, unfolding the paper carefully; written across the center of the paper in red ink were six words.

‘DO NOT GO TO THE ASSESSMENT TOMORROW.’

I stared at the paper, my brows furrowing together. “What assessment?”