23. Adrianna

23

ADRIANNA

" I s this a joke?" It has to be.

Glancing around the hall, I look for a sign that this bullshit is just for shits and giggles, but I come up empty-handed. The scrape of a chair along the floor has my gaze whipping back to the table to find Cassian rising from his seat.

"Unfortunately not," he grunts, resignation in his tone, and I shake my head in disbelief.

What in the actual fuck?

"You're not going to fight her," I blurt, watching as the bitch steps back with a wide grin. She's far too pleased with herself, leaving me desperate to wipe the damn look off her face.

"I will when she calls it," he states, cracking his neck from side to side as I continue to shake my head. Surely it's going to fall from my shoulders any time, but I can't seem to stop.

"I refuse," I declare, standing with him, and he offers me what can only be described as a softening look. For him, at least. The corners of his eyes relax, the tension slipping from his features as the tips of his lips curl up.

What the hell is going on right now?

"It doesn't quite work like that, Alpha. You've done a few of these now to know," he muses, unclipping his cloak from around his neck. Brody takes it from his hands without a word while Cassian casts a look of disdain toward the bitch interrupting our lunch. "Let's take it outside."

"Let's take it nowhere," I retort, scrambling for a way to make this stop, but he starts toward the door without a backward glance.

Half of the hall rises to do the same, confirming we have a bigger audience than I realized, and I sigh.

"What are you panicking for? He's got this," Raiden states as Kryll slips his arm around my shoulders.

"That's not my concern," I grumble as we hurry to catch up with everyone.

"Then what is?" Kryll asks, intrigue flashing in his eyes as he peers down at me, and I gape at him, unable to find an answer.

"I don't know," I finally admit as we step outside, and Brody suddenly appears in front of me.

"Oh, you don't want your wolf to get injured?" he fake pouts, stroking my arm with fake concern, and I snatch my arm back out of his reach.

"Not my wolf," I mutter, the words heavy on my tongue as Brody snickers.

"If you say so."

Glaring at him, I feel my blood simmer with annoyance. "Your charm doesn't shine through when you're being an ass."

His head falls back with a full laugh before he settles his gaze on mine. "It doesn't need to. You like me either way," he states, turning toward the focal point of everyone's attention as the wolf, whose name I don't even know, starts to circle Cassian. The latter stands still, bored and inconvenienced, as he glances at the time.

"Call it out, Crystal. Let's get this over with," he grumbles, but Crystal stands tall, making sure she's got everyone's attention as she makes her announcement.

"I challenge Cassian Kenner to a duel for him."

It doesn't even sound right, I think, as Flora appears at my left side, nudging my arm with hers.

"She's actually going to try and take down the man she wants to win over. How the fuck is that real?"

I scoff, unable to calm the nerves running rampant inside of me. "I don't even know anymore," I admit, inching a little closer so I can have a full view.

"These wolves are weird," Kryll mutters under his breath, offering me a little relief. At least a shifter sees it too.

"I know," I mutter, and apparently, it runs in my veins.

He must sense the unspoken words as he draws me in closer. "You're not weird."

I bite back a smile, despite the circumstances, as I turn away from him to focus on Cassian. "If you say so."

"You've got this, Crystal," someone hollers from the crowd, igniting a fire inside me that's ready to build into an unstoppable inferno.

"What's going on here?"

The entire gathering falls silent at the professor's voice, and I peer through the crowd to see Professor Whitlock standing tall among the students. His eyebrow is cocked as he folds his arms over his chest, waiting for an answer. A sense of relief washes over me, ready to bring this whole mess to a stop.

"Crystal has challenged me to a duel, Whitlock. We may be a few minutes late to our next class," Cassian states, and instead of shaking his head and calling it all off, the professor nods.

"As you were."

He saunters off without a single look back at the mess he's leaving behind, and I gape at him in disbelief.

This entire thing is fucking madness.

"Somebody call it," Raiden hollers, clapping his hands to move the duel along, and I know, despite my preference, it's going to happen whether I like it or not.

"Let the duel commence," a wolf shouts from the crowd, and Crystal takes off, charging toward Cassian with a devilish glint in her eyes.

My heart pounds wildly in my chest as panic creeps up my spine, but the moment she comes within arm's length of him, he knocks her away. She stumbles to the side, slowing to spin around. She manages to find me in the crowd, her smile splitting her face in two before she takes off for him again.

Bitch.

"He's being gentle," Kryll murmurs as we watch him redirect her again, and I scoff.

"Cassian? Not possible," I grumble, hands balling into fists with agitation, and he must hear my words because his dangerous dark eyes find mine.

I can't look away, I can't blink, I can't do anything but lose myself to him until a claw rips through the air and cuts his cheek. I gasp, moving to take a step toward him, but Kryll holds me back.

Blood drips down Cassian's cheek from the three slits that now mark his face.

That bitch. I'm going to destroy her.

"Focus, Cass," Raiden grinds out in annoyance as I try to swallow past the lump in my throat, but it's impossible.

Cassian rolls his eyes as he swipes a hand over the blood before turning to face Crystal. She charges at him again, an extra leap to her movements as she edges closer to him, but just as she goes to reach for him again, his fist rises, smashing her in the face.

I shy away from the sight. Duel or not, and under these conditions or not, a man hitting a woman is not a visual I'm open to. I peer through my fingers in time to watch her limp body fall to the floor with a collective gasp echoing around us.

Holy fuck.

She's completely passed out on the ground.

Brody sighs as another wolf calls the duel to a close. The tension seeps from my body as Cassian turns to look at me.

"Well, that was a little anticlimactic after the big game she just talked," Brody mutters, disappointment thick in his tone as I gape at him.

Flora snickers, but I shake my head in disbelief at the whole thing.

"He went easy on her, Princess. Remember that," Kryll whispers against my ear, and I nod. I know that. I do.

"Is she dead?" someone asks, and Cassian shakes his head, leaning down to lay his challenger in the recovery position before sauntering toward me with a prowl that leaves me rooted to the spot.

"No, but I'm going to take her silence as surrender," Cassian states.

"What now?" Kryll asks, somehow making Cassian's eyes narrow on me even further as blood continues to trickle down his cheek.

"Now I need cleaning up. Alpha, help me."