ChapterFourteen
Alex
A group of popular girls flocks around me as I grab my calculus book from my locker. I’m suspicious by their excited smiles and curious gazes, trading my history book for a small paperback novel about Shakespeare.
I shut my locker loudly. “Uh…can I help you?”
“We just wanted to congratulate you on your catch,” Missy Jackson says. “Soren said he proposed.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh?”
“A post-graduation wedding would be perfect at Thasos,” Brittany McLaughlin adds. “You’ll invite us, right? All the families should be there for that.”
Though I’m irritated by Soren letting plans slip that I haven’t even agreed to, I’m admittedly swept away by the attention. Sure, these girls are just being nice because they want in on the season’s hottest wedding, especially with a hot guy like Soren on display, but it’s strange.
I catch sight of Lev walking at the other end of the hallway. His back is to me, shoulders so tense that it looks like he might rip his shirt from how hard he’s flexing.
Without looking at the girls, I say, “Well, nothing is certain yet.”
“But you’ll tell us, right?”
I walk briskly away, calling over my shoulder, “Sorry, got to meet Demetra.”
Darting away gives me time to think about what just happened. Having them around gives me a better position socially, I consider as I race toward student parking. But it comes with a heavy price.
Near the parking deck, a whistle accosts me, drawing my gaze to the cement wall on the far right. A boy that looks a lot like Lev steps out into the sun wearing a cocksure smile, a silk button-down shirt, and dark jeans.
“Mikhail,” I let slip. “What do you want?”
He smirks while his eyes drop to my shorts. I struggle to cover my thighs with my books as his gaze eats me alive. “Depends on what you’ve got.”
“I have nothing for you.”
“Too bad,” he sighs while casually approaching me. He tucks his hands into his pockets while circling me like a hawk. “Because I like what I see. I could do with a chick like you in my bed every night.”
My upper lip curls in disgust. “You’re a pig.”
He snatches me by my waist, sending my books tumbling to the ground. My backpack drops next and shadows crowd my vision, the backward motion so jarring that I instinctively scream. The sound echoes through the first floor of the parking deck, reverberating through the empty area.
Once we’re off the main path, he slams his crotch into my bottom, clutching my hips so hard that I can feel bruises forming. “You know what, Alex? It doesn’t make sense.” I struggle against his grip, twisting as hard as I can while trying to lodge my elbows into his ribs. “I see the alphas getting a piece of you, so why can’t I?”
“You’re so fucking sick. Your whole family is sick.”
“If Lev is doing you, then I’m definitely entitled. I’ve proved my worth as a man.” His hand snakes up my chest and grabs my throat, a shocked croak the only sound I can manage to release. I claw at his hand to no avail, gasping desperately for air. Hot breath pierces my ear as he states, “After all, aren’t I an alpha, Alex? Don’t I get the same respect?”
Dropping my jaw open doesn’t draw the air I need. My lungs burn when his fingers tighten around my trachea, his free hand dropping to the apex of my thighs. I wince when I feel him stroke the front of my zipper. He relaxes his grip long enough for me to suck air into my lungs, my blurry vision clearing momentarily.
After sighing, he says, “Besides, my father wants someone to claim the Moretti slut, and my brother is dragging his goddamn feet again.” A chuckle breaks through his husky tone, lips grazing my earlobe while his hand shifts toward my chin. “Guess I have to step up to the plate. Again. I’m always taking up my brother’s duties. So, if I’m handling his responsibilities, then I should be able to play with his toys.”
It’s no use fighting. Mikhail might be slim, but he’s as strong as his brother—and seemingly just as ruthless. I feel the button pop off my shorts and then feel the brief vibration of the zipper against my slit, the fabric loosening while my body resolves itself to its fate. This is my life—I should be used to it by now.
Lev appears on the other side of the parking deck. He walks quickly toward us, face set in stone like he’s been posing for far too long in the art department as a live model. Dark brown eyes glisten with jealousy as he clenches his fists at his sides.
“Oh, dear brother,” Mikhail teases. “You’re just in time.”
Lev doesn’t say anything. He just stands there, dark eyes roving my body the moment his brother digs his claws into me. I lower my head, feeling his heated gaze grow increasingly more critical, and wait for the abuse to begin.
Lev