Untamed Alpha

se concern. His hand came to rest on Adolph's shoulder, making him shudder. "It doesn't reflect well on us. Or on me, your Alpha," he added, the words dripping with mock authority. Higan's gaze shifted to me, and my inner wolf stirred, reacting to the proximity of her so-called mate. But I refused to let him see how deeply he affected me. I remained on the ground, staring defiantly up at him, the rage I'd been trying to suppress bubbling to the surface. My mind drifted back to the Mating Ritual night. "I'd rather die than be mated with Harlyn Sage." These were the exact words he said with no hesitation. The horrors of the night after he made the declaration, burned into my soul like a branding iron. He was indeed a wolf in sheep's clothing. Before that night, his cruelty had been mild, hardly more than a few cutting remarks or a cold shoulder. But after he publicly rejected me, it turned into a full-blown campaign of torment. He'd let his minions do as they pleased with me, all the while pretending to be the concerned Alpha, but I knew better. The mere sight of me disgusted him. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes again, but I blinked them away. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. "Are you okay, Harlyn?" Higan's voice was a poisonous hiss, dripping with false concern. It made my skin crawl, how barely concealed the scorn was. I wanted to scream, to tear him apart with my bare hands, but I stayed still, stuck in my own silence. "I'm fine," I finally managed to choke out. He nodded, a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and turned away, signaling his minions to follow. As they walked past, Tess shot me a look I've known too well, before pulling Higan down for a possessive, claiming kiss. He returned it with equal fervor, and then they turned and left, their laughter echoing down the hallway. My chest began hurting considerably more like it did before. It was like being stabbed repeatedly with a blunt knife, a constant reminder of my disgraceful bond with him. I watched them disappear around the corner, their laughter still jeering in my ears. Why do I have to endure this torment every time something happens between them? I never asked to be his mate. I never wanted this cursed bond. I was still coming to terms with being an Omega in a strange pack, and now I was being tormented by the deranged Alpha who thought he was too good for me. Technically, he was. But it still hurt. The fifth bell rang, snapping me out of my agonizing thoughts. I let out an irritated sigh as I gathered the rest of my belongings and shoved them into my backpack with a little too much force. I hurried down the corridor, wanting nothing more than to get away from the place of my newfound embarrassment. I kept my eyes fixed on the ground while trying to blend into the crowd as I made my way to the back of the classroom where I had found a spot. The familiar faces of my classmates blurred in together, their whispers and snickers fading into the background as I was too drained to care. All of a sudden, the room fell silent. I glanced up to see our AP English teacher, Mr. Donald marching into the room with a thick stack of papers in his hand. "Settle down, everyone," Mr. Donald called out, his deep voice cutting through the remaining whispers. "I have your essays from last week. Some of you clearly didn't put in the effort, and it shows. While some of you didn't bother submitting at all." His eyes landed on me, on the last statement which made my stomach twisted into knots. I sat up, my mind flashing back to when my essay had been crumpled under Adolph's shoe. That son of a gun. If only he hadn't gotten in my way, I wouldn't be in such a mess right now. I tried my best to throw Mr. Donald the most sympathetic look, but I wasn't sure he caught it. I pulled out my squeezed essay paper from my backpack and straightened it out as best as I could. I would have to come up with a lie to tell him. "We have a new student joining us today," Mr. Donald continued, gesturing for someone to come in. "I expect you all to make him feel welcome." A loud chatter erupted in the class, and it was justified. Transfer students were pretty rare in Springville. Everyone in school knew each other from middle school, some even from elementary school. And to add to it, it was unusual to have a transfer student in the middle of the school session. The idea of having a ne