THE PROTECTED ALPHA

Chapter 11- ACE'S P.O.V

ACE’S P.O.V

Class had finally ended, students spilling out of the room in noisy groups. I packed up my books, ready to head out, when something to my left froze me in place.

Emily.

She was slumped over her desk, sound asleep. For a second, I almost left—almost. But I couldn’t. Not her. Not when she was Logan’s mate.

So I lingered, pretending to scroll through my phone. That’s when I heard it. A sharp, muffled sound from her lips. My head jerked up.

Her face was twisted in pain, eyelids pinched shut, breath hissing between her teeth.

“Emily,” I said quickly, leaning toward her. Her eyes cracked open, dazed and unfocused, but she didn’t answer.

Then her shirt shifted—and I froze.

A purplish mark had bloomed on her stomach.

“s**t,” I cursed, heart dropping. That mark only appeared when your mate was… with someone else.

I clenched my jaw. What the hell are you doing, Logan?

I crouched beside her. “Emily, can you walk?”

“I… I’ll try,” she whispered. She pushed herself up but immediately sagged back down.

I didn’t even think. My arms went around her, lifting her carefully against me.

“What… what are you doing?” she murmured weakly.

“Helping you,” I muttered, though even I wasn’t sure why.

Her head lolled on my chest. “I feel… so sleepy.”

“Stay awake,” I urged, my voice low but firm.

“I’m trying… but I can’t.” Her eyes fluttered shut, and then she went completely limp.

“s**t. s**t. s**t!” Panic clawed at me. I fumbled for my phone and called Diane.

She picked up just in time. “Ace, I’m in class. What is it?”

“Meet me at the girls’ washroom. Right now. It’s urgent.” I hung up before she could protest.

By the time I reached the washroom, Diane was already waiting—Teresa right beside her. She pushed the door open, eyes wide when she saw Emily in my arms.

“What did you do to her?” Diane demanded, panicked.

“I didn’t do anything!” I snapped, setting Emily gently down on the counter.

“Then why did she faint?” Teresa asked sharply.

I pulled Emily’s shirt up just enough for them to see the mark.

Both girls gasped.

“Isn’t that—”

“Yes,” I cut in, my voice grim. “It is.”

Diane’s hands trembled as she stared at the mark. “Why would Logan still be messing around when he already has a mate?” she whispered, anger and disbelief mixing in her tone.

“That’s the same thing I’d like to know,” I muttered, my jaw tightening. My fists clenched at my sides, the urge to punch something burning in my chest.

Teresa’s eyes darted between us, wide with panic. “This… this can’t be real. Maybe it’s something else. Maybe—”

“It’s not something else,” I cut her off sharply. “I know what I saw. That mark doesn’t lie.”

Diane pressed her lips together, her face pale. She glanced down at Emily, unconscious and fragile against the counter. “Then why has she fainted?”

I raised Emily’s top a little higher, showing them the faint purple glow. “Because she’s feeling everything. Logan’s choices… they’re tearing through the bond and hitting her like a blade.”

Diane’s face hardened. “If she wakes up and finds out what this means…” She didn’t finish, but the worry in her voice said it all.

“She can’t know. Not yet.” The words came out harsher than I meant, but the thought of Emily waking to heartbreak because of Logan’s stupidity made my chest ache.

Teresa swallowed, her voice soft. “Then what do we do?”

I looked down at Emily, brushing a strand of hair from her face without thinking. “We protect her. Until Logan decides to act like a real mate, we make sure she doesn’t break apart because of him.”

I exhaled heavily, dragging a hand down my face. “Besides… she’s human. I don’t think she’d be able to handle the truth if we tell her that supernatural exist.”

The bathroom fell silent, the weight of the truth pressing down on all of us. Diane’s fists tightened at her sides, Teresa looked like she was about to cry, and me?

For the first time, I felt something dangerous stirring inside me. A protective instinct to shield Emily… even from Logan.

That's when the bathroom door opened and all our eyes looked to that direction.

Before any of us could say another word, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Voices followed.

“I don’t think they’re here,” one said.

“But this is where their scent ends,” another replied.

We all froze, holding our breath.

Then Diane groaned, shaking her head. “Zach, Dylan, we are here!” she called out.

The door swung open, and both boys stepped in, relief flashing across their faces.

We all exhaled the breath we didn’t realize we’d been holding.

“I told you,” Zack said as they walked up to us.

“Isn’t this Emily? What did you guys do to her?” Dylan asked, rushing to Emily’s side. His hands hovered like he wanted to shake her awake.

“We didn’t do anything to her,” Teresa shot back quickly, worry flickering in her eyes.

“Then why is she lying on the counter like a dead body?” Zack demanded, his gaze snapping from Emily to me.

“First of all, she isn’t dead, so take that back,” Diane snapped. “She fainted.”

“Why?” Dylan pressed, his voice sharp, almost panicked.

I clenched my jaw, every muscle in my body taut. “Logan is messing around,” I finally ground out.

The room went still.

Zack’s expression twisted in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” I said, my voice low and dangerous.

Dylan’s face darkened, his nostrils flaring as his hands balled into fists. “Unbelievable,” he spat. “He has a mate. His mate. And he’s still out there fooling around while she’s suffering like this?” His voice rose, sharp enough to cut glass.

“Dylan—” Diane tried to calm him, but he shook his head violently.

“No!” he barked, his eyes blazing with fury. “I don’t care who he is—Alpha or not, this is wrong. If he thinks he can treat her like some… some afterthought, he’s got another thing coming.”

“Dylan, keep your voice down,” Zack warned, but even his tone wavered.

Dylan glared at Emily’s limp form, his jaw tight. “I swear, if he doesn’t fix this—if he doesn’t stop hurting her—I’ll go straight to him myself. Alpha or not, I’ll put him on his ass.”

My chest tightened at his words. For once, I couldn’t even argue. Because deep down, I wanted the same damn thing.

Before we could say anything, Emily stirred awake.