Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Lyric POV

“Hey so I was thinking” Winter says on the drive to school.

“what if we didn’t apply for the Royal Warrior Program?” She says low.

My head snaps in her direction.

“what are you even saying right now, because they notice me now? I should just forget about it?” I snap.

“no I’m just saying you could find your mate when you turn 18 and may not want to leave him” she says.

“if my mate is in this pack then I'm as good as dead once Summer becomes the Luna” I say.

I learned a long time ago that Summer doesn't always come after me directly. Sometimes she goes after people who are easier to hurt. People nobody pays attention to. People she knows I'll blame myself for.

“maybe my mate will leave with me” I add.

“when I get home I will be submitting my application, I hope that you do too, but if not I will be going alone” I say before putting my headphones in and tuning her out.

We pull up to the school at the same time as Mason and the guys.

When I step out of the car I can feel his eyes on me.

“I mean you have to admit, he is nice to look at, and you did have a crush on him at point” Nova says teasingly.

“yeah when I was younger and he actually saw me” I say.

“oh he sees you alright” she says giggling.

I block her out and head for the school trying to ignore his eyes on me.

Winter and I split up to go to our lockers and just my luck this year my locker is right next to Mason’s and Hunter’s.

I approach my locker trying not to look at none of them.

“oh hey half pint, we’re neighbors this year” Hunter says.

“yeah now we can carpool” Lucas adds.

“not sure about that” I say grabbing my books.

Mason glances at the book in my hand.

“advanced combat, and advanced academic classes, impressive” he says.

“thanks I’m hoping to graduate with you guys this year” I say closing my locker.

“really why?” Mason asks leaning against his locker so close that I can smell his cedar and mint body wash.

“um I’m just ahead of my peers and already taking senior classes, so if my parents approve I can graduate a year early, and then I can be free to do what I want before I turn 18” I say trying to ignore my racing heart being this close to him.

“are you trying to leave the pack?” he asks stepping closer to me.

I take a step back and to the left and I lock eyes with Summer down the hall.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, but I have to go” I say turning and moving around Hunter towards my first class.

Trying to erase the look on Summer’s face as we locked eyes and she mouthed Strike one.

I try to push it from my mind as I head into class.

Before I know it I'm meeting Winter for lunch.

“hey sugar, you okay?” she asks.

“she knows us well” Nova says.

“too well” I murmur.

“Summer saw me and Mason in the hall, he was standing pretty close to me, I just have a bad feeling” I say.

“don’t worry about it, she won’t do anything in school” she says.

We grab our food and find seats far away from the guys even though I can feel Mason’s eyes on me across the room.

Two pack warriors named Josh and Chase sit next to Winter and I.

“hey girls, mind if we join you” Josh says as they sit.

“sure” Winter says.

“Lyric you were awesome at training today” Chase says.

“thanks” I say.

“you look very pretty today too” he adds making me blush.

“thank you Chase” I say shyly.

“maybe I can take you out sometime” he asks and the loudest growl I ever heard in my life echoes across the room.

Mason walks up to us, his eyes the color of his wolf.

He looks at Chase and Josh.

“don’t talk to her ever again” he growls the command washing over them.

They both bow their head in submission.

“yes alpha” they say in unison before running off.

I completely lose it.

“what the fuck was that Mason?, who the fuck do you think you are ?” I snap.

“I’m your alpha” he growls at me.

“no you are not MY alpha, you are alpha to be, you don’t get to tell people they can’t talk to me” I snap.

“he was flirting with you” he snaps.

“and the why the fuck is that your problem?” I say.

And nothing.

Silence.

“exactly, just stay away from me Mason, you and all your alpha bullshit” I say walking towards the exit.

I can feel Summer’s glare on my back as my hairs stand on the back of my neck dread washing over me.

Strike 2 I think to myself.

As I’m walking towards the parking lot after last period my head is smashed into a locker and I'm pulled into a closet by two sets of hands.

I can’t see anything but I hear,

“I told you to stay away from my mate, why the hell is he telling guys to stay away from you” she spits.

“I don’t know” I shout.

She slaps me across the face for that.

“do it” she says.

Before I can process what she means, searing pain shoots through my side as I feel a silver blade sink into my flesh.

The scream tears from my throat before I can stop it.

“This is just a warning sister, stay the fuck away from Mason or you will be the reason for another Omega’s unfortunate accident” she snarls in my face.

The threat hits harder than the knife. Because Summer never makes empty threats. Every time someone has tried to help me, stand up for me, or tell the truth, something bad always seems to happen afterward.

The last time I fought back, an Omega family paid the price. Their youngest daughter ended up in the hospital with a broken arm after a "training accident." Before that, an older Omega lost his position in the packhouse after he tried to tell my father what Summer was doing. Nobody could ever prove it was her, but everyone knew. Summer never needed to hurt me to win. She just needed to hurt someone I cared about.

She kicks me to the floor and her and whoever stabbed me walks out of the closet.

I sit there holding my side trying not to cry.

Soon I will be gone.

Just one more year. One more year and I'll be in the Royal Warrior Program. One more year and Summer won't be my problem anymore.

“Where are you bitch, I’m at the car” Winter links me.

“I need you to meet me at the supply closet, main hall please don’t let any of the guys see you” i link weakly.

“on my way” she says cutting the link.

When she opens the door she screams immediately.

“omg Lyric who did this to you?” She asks.

I just give her a deadpan look.

“Summer?” she says surprise written all over her face.

“she’s never gone this far, what was she thinking?” she says panicking.

That was what scared me. Not that Summer hurt me. She'd done that before. But silver was different. Silver left evidence. Silver could kill.

“Win please calm down, just help me stand and get me to the pack hospital without any of the guys seeing us, especially your brother” I say through breaths as she helps me stand.

Because if Mason found out about this, everything would get worse. Summer wouldn't stop. She'd just find a bigger target. And after what happened to Olivia, I wasn't willing to risk that again.