Bound To My Tormentor

Chapter 4: The Girlfriend

RHEA

The heavy scent of sweat mixed with different expensive perfumes and creams made my stomach churn. It was suffocating. I stood by the railing, my fingers digging into the cold aluminum. Instead of joining the practice, the sports teacher had me run errands, the tax for being an omega.

“Move it, omega. You’re blocking the view,” a girl sneered, shoving past me with her designer gym bag. The girls that followed snickered. I didn’t snap but did as she requested. I just stepped further into the shade, almost trying to make myself invisible.

Then, I sensed the dark pull of his presence.

Kyros walked through, but he wasn’t alone. A beautiful girl draped over his arm, her manicured fingers digging into the sleeves of his shirt. She was striking, with black hair that shone in the sun and the effortless confidence of someone who had never known rejection.

Students scrambled to clear a path, their heads bowed down in instinctive submission to the power Kyros radiated.

And Kyros looked different. His usually stone-cold face was smoothed into something resembling affection. He leaned down and whispered into her ear until she giggled. He was attentive, adjusting the pink bag on her shoulder with a gentleness I didn’t know he possessed.

I turned away, unable to stop staring. Kyros treated her like she mattered. It was a contrast to how he treated me.

“Look at them,” a group of cheerleaders whispered nearby. “Kyros and Thalia are the perfect match. They are so dreamy!”

“Can you believe I saw that white-haired omega trash staring at them with jealousy?” Another whispered, casting a pointed look at me. My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Really? What the… Does she think she’s in the same league with Kyros? Please, someone should remind the i***t that she’s here to run errands, not to fantasize.”

As the crowd parted to let the school elites through, Kyros led Thalia towards the seating area. I watched as he pulled out her chair.

My gaze must have been too intense as Thalia’s eyes found mine.

I froze, unable to look away. She didn’t look angry, instead, she looked amused. She flashed a predatory smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Startled, I dropped a water bottle. It hit the floor and spilled.

I bent forward to pick it but a designer sneaker pinned it to the floor. It cracked under Amelia’s sneaker, a classmate of mine who derives joy in making sure she humiliated me at every opportunity.

“You dropped something, omega,” she said loudly. “Or are you so busy daydreaming about Kyros that you’ve forgotten how to use your hands?”

“I’m just doing my job,” I whispered as my fingers grazed the cold plastic under her shoe.

Amelia leaned forward, her voice dropping to a jagged hiss. “Your job is to be invisible, omega,” she sneered.

She walked away after kicking the bottle. I forced my hands to steady the bottle and darted to the storage room. I calmed myself and waited until the cheers for the athletes running began before I walked out, but I stopped in my tracks.

Kyros stood at the edge of the railing, Thalia was talking to a group of girls. Kyros wasn’t looking at what was going on, instead he stared at me.

His expression returned to its usual mask, eyes pinning me so I couldn’t look away. As my hoodie slipped from my shoulder and his eyes followed the motion, I suddenly remembered the dream I had which made me shiver under his stare.

I didn’t know if it was an assumption, but I saw his eyes turned gold. My eyes widened and looked closely, and it was back to grey. I shrugged it off. We stood there, both of us not moving and Kyros still stared intently at me, perhaps wondering what to do to me.

“Kyros, baby?”

Thalia’s voice cut through whatever was between us. She strode to his side, her hand reclaiming his arm. She noticed him staring at me and turned, her perfectly shaped brows knotted together as she spotted me.

She didn’t hide her disdain. She spoke loudly, drawing the attention of everyone. “Is that omega staring at you again, babe?” She asked, her tone filled with mock pity. “She’s been gawking at you since we walked in. It’s a bit creepy, isn't it?”

Everywhere went silent. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. I looked at Kyros and for a second, hoped he would acknowledge me or even defend me.

He didn’t turn his head to look at me this time. He kept his eyes on Thalia and brushed her cheek. Then he spoke, his voice flat.

“She doesn’t matter.”