Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Ryker

Mate! Lyca roared in my head.

The hell is this situation? My mate is a wolfless mute?

I let out a hollow laugh, still staring at her.

Hah… What other bullshit should I expect tonight?

My father nearly bled my ears out minutes ago, demanding I quit hockey and start preparing to become the next Alpha. I came down here looking for a little peace of mind, and somehow the Moon Goddess thought this would be funny.

Fuck me!

There's no way in hell I would accept that. But before I could say the word, her hands started flying. She signed something aggressively and, for fuck's sake, I didn't understand a thing. Whatever it was, I was pretty sure she had just cursed my life.

But hold on, she's not reacting at all. Could it be she can't tell because she has no wolf to feel Lyca’s bond?

She signed something with enough force to tell me she definitely wasn't thanking me.

"For fuck's sake..." I muttered. "I don't understand a single thing you're saying."

She only frowned harder.

That is crazy! I almost let out another laugh but she skates off the ice, giving me one last murderous glare.

What? You can't just let our mate go like that, idiot. Lyca barked.

"Our mate?" I scoffed. "She's not my mate.”

You don't have a choice.

“Hell I do, I'm going to reject this whole damn situation.” I shoved myself off the ice and chased after her.

"Hey!"

She didn't stop, of course she couldn't.

By the time I reached the doors, they were already sliding shut behind her. I caught one last glimpse of her disappearing toward the women's dorms.

"...Damn it."

I barely slept, every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was that tiny, stubborn girl glaring at me like I'd personally ruined her life.

Because you sniffed her like a creep.

“Fuck, I know that.”

She definitely thinks you're a creep.

I threw my pillow across the room. Lyca laughed so hard I wished wolves came with an off switch.

Morning couldn't come fast enough. The first thing I did was go looking for her. Even though she didn't know about the mate bond, I just needed to tell her and reject it. There was no way in hell I was going to accept it.

I made it to her class after asking around. Before I even reached the classroom, I heard voices spilling into the hallway.

"...Serves her right."

"...Should've stayed with the misfits."

"...Disgusting."

I frowned. What the hell...

Students crowded around the classroom door. I pushed through them until I could see inside. My steps halted at the sight of books, exercise sheets…everything on one desk had been dumped across the floor. Red sauce dripped down the pages, staining them beyond saving. Someone had even overturned a drink over the rest.

The classroom buzzed with laughter.

In the middle of it Amber stood with burning rage. Her fists were clenched so tightly the knuckles had turned white.

Something twisted uncomfortably in my chest. Who did this?

She bent down without saying a word and picked up one soaked notebook after another. Then... she looked up and our eyes met.

Oh... shit. She saw me.

Her expression hardened instantly. She snatched up her phone, typed furiously, then marched straight toward me. Students immediately stepped aside.

She stopped right in front of me and shoved the phone toward my face.

Was this your idea?

I blinked. "What?"

She typed again, her thumbs slamming the screen.

Your teammates. You wanted revenge.

What the hell was she talking about? My teammates were assholes, but trashing a girl's books? They weren't that pathetic...?

Instead of saying that, I just crossed my arms. A slow, cocky smirk spread across my face.

"Nice look for you," I said, leaning against the doorframe. "Red suits you."

Amber’s jaw tightened. Okay... maybe I should've kept my mouth shut.

She raised her hands, throwing a string of sharp, violent signs right in my face. I had no clue what she was actually saying, but she finished it by flipping me off with a gesture that didn't need any translation at all.

She turned on her heel and slammed the classroom door right in my face.

"Hey! Jackson! Wilder!"

A loud voice cut through the hallway. I turned around to see the Dean's primary assistant walking toward us with a stern look on his face.

"Both of you. Right now. The Dean's office."

Ten minutes later, I was sitting in a leather chair inside the main office. The room smelled like old paper and expensive wood. Amber sat in the chair right next to me, staring straight ahead, completely ignoring my existence. Her hands were folded tightly in her lap, her fingers twitching with annoyance.

Dean Sterling sat behind his desk, looking back and forth between us with an exhausted sigh.

"I've had it," the Dean said, slamming a folder down. "The toxic rivalry between the Elites and the Mavericks is completely out of hand. It's destroying this academy's reputation. The board is breathing down my neck."

I leaned back, resting my ankle over my knee. "They started it, sir. Tell the misfits to stay off our ice."

Amber snapped her head toward me, her eyes shooting daggers. She opened her mouth, but only a sharp, silent breath came out. She quickly pulled out her phone and started typing furiously.

Damn…do you smell that? Lyca whispered, completely fixated on the vanilla scent coming off her skin. She smells so good.

Shut up I snapped back.

"I don't care who started it," Dean Sterling said, his voice rising. "But I know how it's going to end. Both of you are going to co-captain a high-profile multi-sport exhibition for the Academy's sports profile. You will work together to make this school look good."

Amber’s phone screen flashed. She aggressively shoved the phone right in front of the Dean's face.

The phone translates it to an audio, I am not working with this arrogant jerk. Put my team on a different schedule.

"No," the Dean said, not even looking at the screen. "You don't get a choice, Jackson. And neither do you, Wilder."

I didn't argue and just looked over at Amber, another smirk pulling at my lips. Working together meant she would be forced to stay near me. It meant I could figure out a way to handle this ridiculous bond.

Amber looked at my smirk and rolled her eyes so hard I thought they’d get stuck. She grabbed her phone back and typed another furious message, showing it to the Dean again.

He is doing this on purpose. I refuse.

"Let me make this perfectly clear to both of you," Dean Sterling said, leaning forward and locking his eyes on us. "This is not a request. You will co-captain this project and strengthen the school's profile together. If either of you refuses, or if I hear about one more fight between your teams..."

The Dean paused, letting the silence hang in the air.

"I will personally strip the funding from both the hockey programs. The Elites and the Mavericks will be completely dissolved before the month ends. Do I make myself clear?"

My smirk faded for a moment, but I quickly brought it back. I looked at Amber.

She was staring at the Dean in absolute horror. Her knuckles were white against her phone. For a girl who lived for the ice, losing her team was a death sentence.

"Crystal clear, sir," I said, not bothering to pay attention to the sudden thud in my chest. "I don't mind working with the captain. It should be fun."

Amber turned her head toward me, her teeth literally grinding together. If looks could kill, I’d be buried six feet under the ground right now.