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11. Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MICAI'S POV

I make my way down the corridor, heading toward the cafeteria after helping Mrs. Fleur rearrange her papers in her classroom and listening to her rant about how the lesson plan would be disrupted for the rest of the year.

Morgan insisted we have breakfast together. She told me to meet her, Grey, and Ash when I was done with Mrs. Fleur.

I make my way out of the main building and toward the Cafeteria, my thoughts falling to Ezra and Annex as I glance down toward the academy gates.

They had said they needed to check things in town and would be back before nightfall. But what exactly were they checking?

Were they checking on the slaughterhouse, or their ‘home' as they call it? Or was it something related to the fight nights they have there?

I don't know much about the boys' business. Creed is always very hush-hush about things, and Mallyn is not much of a talker.

I'm sure Annex and Ezra would tell me if I asked.

From the bits I've overheard from them, it seemed bloody but well-organised.

I don't think it's just ‘fight nights' that they've dipped their fingers into. Ezra mentioned having ‘contacts' and his connections being able to easily look into things. And Annex mentioned ‘business' and ‘playing' previously…and his idea of a fun time was an outright homicide.

Creed would obviously be the organiser of their little group; he seemed to enjoy taking control and didn't like any outer interference in their operations. Whatever ‘operations' they had.

But what position did Mallyn take? Did his beast play a part?

What could they possibly be doing?

What kind of operation were they running?

Evidently, their business wasn't just kept to town. The people that showed up at the fight night proved that.

So, how far did the boys' hands reach? What exactly were they doing? And for what purpose?

But how could I ask them to share their secrets when I haven't fully shown them mine?

I turn the corner to the cafeteria and bump straight into a broad chest. I stumble slightly before two large hands steady me, and I'm met with two deep green eyes.

A small frown tilts Gadriel's lips as he helps me, a look of worry overtaking his features.

"Are you okay, Micai?" His brows pinch together, his eyes scanning me up and down quickly before removing his hands.

"A small bump like that won't do me much harm." I smile, and his expression softens a little.

"I saw you at the assembly…" his features darken, his gaze glancing toward the forest. "Your attire was…" His brows pinch together, and I remember how torn and messy my dress and I had become. "I was worried something may have happened." He meets my gaze, a tender look forming in his green eyes as he continues. "Although I know you're more than capable of handling any beast that may try to…I couldn't help but worry if you had been hurt."

He scans me one more time, a small sigh escaping his lips.

"Thankfully, you seem to be okay."

Seeing his genuine concern for me makes me smile a little. "I'm fine."

It had been a horrible night, one where I thought I had lost someone I'd only just realised my feelings for. And one I never wanted to experience again. But those weren't things Gadriel needed to hear.

I can see the tired look in his eyes. He had probably been on patrol last night with the faculty and hadn't gotten much rest since the attack.

His blonde brow pinches downward with my words, his deep green eyes glimmering with a slightly hesitant look as he opens his mouth.

"At the assembly, you had… friends around you?"

He was worried again for me. And then I'm reminded once again of the little kidnapping incident and Gadriel finding me in the forest.

Something slides across my chest with the anxiousness working its way into his features for me.

Gadriel, at every turn, had extended his hand out to me, even taking time to teach me privately and arm me with a precious blade to protect myself. I didn't trust many in this academy, but he would definitely be one of the people I know I can trust.

"I was with them during the attack…"

A small look of relief enters his gaze as I continue, "We stayed in the old training building until everything had calmed down."

He nods contemplatively. "As long as you were safe."

And then I remember the elven blade he had given me the night of the dance, my brows pinching together. It had been left in the forest when Annex was attacked. I hadn't even given it a second thought. Guilt floods me, seeping into me as Gadriel takes a step closer.

His deep green eyes skim along my face. "Are you truly okay, Micai?" His voice falls to a whisper as he bends down toward me. "Has anyone bothered you? The ones you were with at the assembly…they haven't caused you any problems or pressured you—" His fist clenches by his side, his green eyes darkening as the words leave his lips.

"No! They would never—" The words freeze in my throat, my gaze meeting his as he stands mere inches from my face.

My eyes flit toward his lips as they open before quickly closing once again.

The chattering of passing students has him snapping out of whatever daze we've both fallen under as he takes a step back, brushing a hand down the back of his neck.

"Once you were safe." He glances toward the cafeteria, the space filling up with students as he turns back toward me. "Have you informed your family of the delays to the Winter break?"

It was a harmless question, probably pulled from a genuine place of consideration and care for me. But it's a question I instantly dread.

Gadriel didn't know about my relationship with my family or lack thereof. He might have sensed something with the other students, but I don't think he's ever seen me interact with Seria.

Let alone know about the bad blood between us.

I haven't told him anything; everyone thinks she's an Angel.

So why would he think I have a terrible relationship with my family?

"Did you have to reschedule any of your family plans?" His brows begin to furrow with the brief silence between his questions. And my mind starts running. He didn't need to worry about my family situation.

"No," I shake my head. "No plans needed changing."

There weren't any to change, and I wasn't planning on returning there anyway. The word ‘Home' and that place didn't fit together.

I give him a small smile, one he doesn't seem to be falling for. So, I quickly change the subject.

"Did you have to change your family plans?" I internally smack myself for just repeating his words back to him. Great question.

His brow creases out as he opens his mouth.

"We have the Winter Solstice, which is held from the night of the 24 th right through until New Year's night. We welcome in the New Year, and the ending of the old. It's an Elven tradition. We spend the entire time with our loved ones, lay gifts down for the old Gods, and give thanks for the blessings we've been given over the year."

It sounds…nice, almost like a warm family celebrating their traditions together.

I wonder what Gadriel's family were like.

Were they all as statuesque as him? Did they all fight and move like him? Did they all share the same light golden-blonde hair and forest-green eyes?

"Maybe you can see for yourself sometime…" His voice is almost a whisper, a strange look glinting in his eyes as he lets his words trail off.

I open my mouth, but laughter from around us stops me from speaking. A group of students pass us, entering the cafeteria and halting the question wanting to leave my lips.

What did those words mean? And that look?

Gadriel clears his throat and gazes toward the group entering the cafeteria building. "We can talk another time. You should get something to eat."

He gives me a small smile before being called by another teacher in the distance, Mr. Hampton, the other defence instructor and bear shifter.

I watch as he leaves, heading toward the direction of the forest. Another faculty member joins them, and they head in, disappearing from sight.

I head into the cafeteria, grabbing a bottle of orange juice, a small bowl of porridge and fruit and a pain au chocolat that smelled extra delicious.

The cafeteria was busier than ever. Everyone was probably enjoying the freedom from the dorm rooms and wanting something to eat.

I'm looking around the crowded room for Morgan, Ash, and Grey before noticing them at our usual table. But before I can make my way over, someone shoves straight into me.

The hit catches me off guard, and I stumble slightly but manage to steady the food tray I'm holding.

A heavy scoff rings out in front of me as I see Ivy, annoyance clouding her features. The feeling was mutual.

"Why, of all the rats scurrying around here, did I have to bump into the lowest of them? Why the hell is it always you, Micai?" Her freckled nose scrunches up further. "Shouldn't you have gotten the message by now…" She bends toward me, her voice no lower than before. "Nobody wants you around. Not one person would have noticed or cared if you had disappeared during the attack." She shrugs, a smirk lacing her lips. "That's just how pathetic your life is."

I grip my tray, a small crack forming as the red-headed rodent continues.

"And why is it that Dale and Kayden get injured, but someone like you doesn't have so much as a scratch on them?" She flicks her gaze roughly down me before gesturing toward the two boys standing behind her.

A dark-haired boy wearing a bandage on his wrist and hand raises a rigid brow as our eyes meet, a sneer pulling at his lips as a familiar ginger-haired boy brandishing a small bandage on his forehead throws a dark glare my way.

Ivy's eyes glint, her face twisting and features dripping with disdain as her lips part again.

"Ah, using the Infernal Four as your own personal shield and protection, Micai?" A dark humourless chuckle leaves her lips. "Of course you were. How would you be here otherwise? You could only hide behind someone with your level of strength…" She shakes her head as Kayden chuckles behind her.

"If not for them, you would have been thrown as crumbs to the beasts so others could have gotten away easier." A dark sneer twists his lips as he leans closer to Ivy. "That's all you would be good for. You're useless otherwise."

Ivy titters as his arm wraps around her shoulder.

"Are you done?" I flick my gaze between them, the crack growing more prominent in my tray as they open their lips again.

"You—"

"Great." I cut them off, my eyes narrowing as I give them a small grin.

"While we're on the topic of ‘useless things' …how's your head?" I meet Kayden's eyes as he grits his teeth. Hopefully, remembering our last encounter. "Or your dickhead friends? They didn't get eaten, did they?"

I would have loved it if Jeremey or Jake had met their demise at the claws or fangs of some magical beast. Just the thought of them rolling around some beast's stomach has me grinning wider.

Ivy's eyes narrow before flickering to the space around us. Her face quickly morphs into a distressed expression, a frown pulling at her lips.

"Do you think the attack was some kind of joke, Micai?" Ivy barks. "That it's okay to mock the people that were injured and hurt?" She raises her voice, drawing attention to us and the scene she's causing. And trying her best to get sympathy from the students in the cafeteria.

Only the joke was on her, because I wanted them— as much as I did her —to understand that I wasn't the one to fuck with anymore.

"The only joke here is you." I take a step closer, my tray hitting her waist as I make myself clear to her and everyone around us. "I don't care about your opinion, or anyone else's, for that fact."

I gaze around the room, meeting each stare and glare with my own. "I'm sick of you dumb fucks telling me how you feel about me and all your stupid assumptions." The tray creaks under my grip, "If you mess with me again, I'll show you how wrong those assumptions are."

Ivy's lips curve into a grin before she, Kayden, and Dale begin laughing.

"Is that all you've got?" Chuckles Ivy, wiping a tear from her eyes.

"Your kicks, hits, and little tricks won't work with us again, Micai." Kayden glances around the cafeteria, "And your backup isn't here, so maybe you should be a bit more careful of your words."

"Little tricks? You mean when I beat you, Jeremey, and Jake up? Or are we talking about Adam and his little bitch?"

Whispers and murmurs of surprise resound throughout the room as I continue.

"You'll have to be more specific, Kayden. Dickheads like you seem to swarm around me like flies these days, just begging to be struck down." I smile at him, hoping they can feel me channelling a little of Creed's patronising grin. "I can't keep track of you all."

"You just don't learn, do you?" Ivy scowls. "I've given you so many chances to crawl back into that hole you call a room and stay in the dark where you belong." She grits her teeth, her eyes forming into a glare that pulls harshly at her little red brows. "But you keep testing my damn patience, Micai."

She flicks her wrist, and I narrow my eyes at the movement.

She was casting, her fingers forming some kind of magic as they twist and flick about. But what kind?

I feel the movement before I see it, my senses on alert as she moves.

The porridge bowl on my tray begins to lightly shake, a slight indicator of what she was intending. But not today.

I twist my tray vertically just as the food on it lifts up toward me. Instead of landing on top of me, it hits the cracked tray and the bowl and food slide to the floor with a loud clang as porridge splatters across the ground.

Ivy squeals as the soft porridge sprays her black pumps, jumping back toward Dale and hitting into Kayden.

The smirk gone from Ivy's face, makes my own grin widen. Her eyes narrow, red blotching her cheeks as her nostrils flare. She tries to flick her wrist again, but before she casts her magic, I whip forward, grabbing her hand and holding it within my grasp.

Did she think I would just take whatever she threw at me?

Hadn't she learnt anything over the past few weeks?

I wasn't the same Micai as before, and now, with the attack and Annex's death…I wasn't playing their games anymore.

I grip her hand, her pale skin quickly turning red as her eyes widen before wincing in pain at the strength of my grasp on her wrist. I yank her forward, her face a breath away from mine as I meet her eyes.

"This shit you're doing? This same old routine of saying and doing whatever the hell you want to me…" I tighten my grip on her wrist as her face scrunches up, "It stops now ."

A scoff leaves her lips as she tries to yank her hand from my grip, her eyes narrowing at my tight hold. "What the—"

"From now on…I won't be holding back." I grip her harder, a small whimper leaving her lips before I feel the bone below my fingers bend, then crack.

A loud howl leaves her lips, her eyes widening as she struggles against my grasp.

Kayden reaches for me, but I twirl Ivy around before shoving her into him. They both stumble backward and into Dale.

Ivy instantly wraps her other hand around her wrist, a pained look taking over her features as tears flood her narrowed eyes.

She and Kayden steady themselves straight before Kayden takes a step forward.

Dale reaches a hand out, stopping him. He looks back at Ivy, "Let's not draw any more attention to ourselves. We don't need the Dean on our back or the Representatives looking for us." He flits his gaze between Kayden and Ivy, turning to me as his lip curls up in disgust. "She's not worth it."

"But Dale—" Ivy protests, turning toward him, as a small whimper instantly leaves her lips with the slight movement of her hand.

"There's always time after the break," he murmurs, placing a short kiss to her head, placating her as he wraps an arm over her shoulder.

A dark chuckle peels from my lips with his words.

Did he think it would be that easy? Let's see who would win their little game.

The area falls silent.

"After break? Why wait…" The grin pulling at my lips has Ivy and Dale flinching, "I'll happily bleed you both dry now."

"The hell you will—" Barks Kayden, reaching for me before he's flung backwards. He tumbles across the cafeteria floor and bumps into a group of students sitting at a nearby table. They grab their trays and scatter to other tables around the room.

"What the hell—" Calls Ivy before her eyes narrow behind me.

"Are you okay, Micai?" Grey glares toward Ivy and Dale, not even glancing Kayden's way as the shifter groans trying to pick himself up.

"We'll deal with this another time." Dale tugs Ivy with him, turning to head for the door.

"I have no issue dealing with it now," Grey calls, stepping forward as his eyes flash, his polar bear rolling beneath him waiting to be let loose. A slight air of dominance rolls off him.

It wasn't as strong as Creed or the guys, but you could see it had an effect on Dale and Ivy and had a few of the nearer groups around her flicking their gazes to the floor in submission. I guess Grey was what they called an ‘Alpha shifter'.

"Why are you defending her, Grey?" Dale sets his glare on me, too weak to look Grey in the eye. "She hurt Ivy for no reason—"

"No reason?" Grey scoffs, cutting him off, "She's always messing with Micai. She deserves more than a broken wrist. If it was Morgan…I would have ripped her arm clean off." His tone is cold and cutting, his glare darkening as he glances toward the red-head in question.

Ivy's eyes twitch with Grey's words as she glances around the room, searching for someone to help. But no one responds, only a few murmurs and whispers before they look away.

Dale scoffs before turning away. "Let's get that healed in the infirmary." He gestures to Ivy's wrist that she's still clutching.

They turn away, heading toward the cafeteria door before calling for Kayden to follow them.

"Don't forget my words, Ivy," I state as she reaches the door. She freezes, her shoulders stiffening.

She turns back, her brows pinched and her nose scrunched in mock bravado, but the tremor in her hands gives her away. Her fear seeps out of her in other ways as her eyes meet mine, realising the weight of my words.

Dale calls her name and they head out, the cafeteria's heavy atmosphere leaving with them.

I turn around, heading back toward the queue for food. Not even a room full of enemies or morons would stop me from getting something to eat and spending time with Morgan.

She waves over from my usual spot, an amused grin lacing her lips as Grey takes his seat beside her.

It was time to show everyone that they couldn't touch me. That I wasn't the same old Micai.

I had a power of my own, and I wasn't afraid to use it to protect the people I loved.

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