Cynthia Dion: I tried to ignore Enzo and focused on Jack. "Jack," I called his name once more, struggling to evade the stares fixed upon me. I was aware that, after this encounter with him, I would be subjected to even more intense bullying. "Can we please go talk in private?" I asked, and Jack finally nodded, a hint of mischief in his eyes. He seemed quite pleased with the idea that now everyone would be talking about the Alpha's mate seeking the attention of a rogue warrior. I walked him to the spandrel by the entrance and let out a sigh before addressing him. "We could go to the forbidden block," he suggested with a shrug. Obviously, he knew I had been frightened the previous day. The O-block had been shut down years ago because some students had transformed into their wolf forms and caused chaos. The bloodshed that had occurred that day was the reason for the implementation of new rules. According to these rules, nobody was allowed to transform into their wolf forms except for the day of the full moon competition. No one, not even an alpha, was permitted to shift into their full forms on the school grounds. "This works too," he then smirked innocently. "I want that money back," I asked him, even though deep down, I knew he wouldn't consider my request. It was disheartening that I had to plead for something that was rightfully mine. "Please say it again!" he smiled like a bas***, "I don't have that money on me," he stated casually and slipped his hands into his pockets, shuffling the money within. "I know you love torturing me, but I really need that money. It was meant to cover my sister’s school fees," I almost begged. The sense of pride he exhibited while watching me crumble before him disgusted my soul. "So? It’s not like your sisters will achieve anything by studying. Women should stay at home and serve their mates obediently," his ideology towards women was shaped by the rules the rogues had imposed on the she-wolves of their kind. They discouraged she-wolves from venturing beyond the boundaries of their homes and finding jobs. Instead, they preferred to bring men home and earn money by selling the she-wolves for a night. "Jack! Please give me that money," I persisted. "I told you, I don’t have it on me." He knew I had caught him in a lie; the smirk on his face revealed as much. "G--i--v---e m---e m---y m---o---n---e--y b---a---c--k," I enunciated each word loudly and clearly, closing my eyes as I spoke. The rise and fall of my chest became visible, and I brought my hands together in a pleading gesture. "No!" His sudden, loud shout forced me to open my eyes and glare at him. I had been foolish to give him the money when he hadn’t even deleted the video. "I can give you that money back, but there's a catch," he joked, snapping his fingers. "Accept me, and I will look after your sister like she's my own little sister." He appeared serious this time, but I couldn't hold back. Instead of answering him verbally, I raised my hand toward him. Wrong move! I lunged at him and grabbed his pocket to retrieve my money. It happened so swiftly that he was initially caught off guard. I scratched his stomach as I lifted his loose shirt to gain a clear view of his pocket. He was so surprised that a loud shriek escaped his lips. Now that he had also reacted, he seized my wrists and forcibly pulled me against his chest. "Look at you, thinking you can fight a warrior," he hissed, licking the back of my hand while staring at my neck. I pushed him away, but he didn’t retreat. I kept trying to reach his pants’ pockets, and he made sure to prevent me from sliding my hand inside. For a moment, we both forgot that we were on the school campus. He aggressively grabbed my arms and pushed me against the wall, pressing his body against mine in order to address me. But before he could say anything, we were met with an unexpected surprise. "What the fuck is going on here?" A loud, commanding voice stole our attention. I gasped and hurriedly moved to the side, adjusting my clothing to rectify our compromised state. It wasn't just the fear of getting caught in that situation that frightened me; my current concern was who had caught us. "Huh?" Atticus grunted, glaring at me. "Couldn’t you two hold back your urges?" He was shouting at the top of his lungs. Even Jack remained silent. I knew he would now have an even lower opinion of me. "This is not your neighborhood where you can freely engage in any sort of lewd behavior without consequences," Atticus said, directing that statement particularly at me. I remembered all the other secret accusations he had made about my character. "We weren’t doing--" I started to protest, but he cut me off. "Follow me to the principal’s office, right now!" He closed his eyes as he uttered those words. We were instructed to follow him as he led us to the principal’s office. I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes, not because I felt guilty, but because I knew I was seen as guilty in his eyes. Atticus stepped aside after we arrived at the office, allowing us to enter. Jack went ahead, while I hesitated for a moment, glancing at Atticus. "I didn’t do anything," I muttered in frustration before walking into the room, bracing myself for further consequences. "Now the whole school knows we were---," Jack snickered, leaning in to whisper in my ear, ensuring the principal hadn’t overheard. I was utterly doomed now, and the way Atticus had glared at me when he found us was a clear indication that he would take out his anger on me for this.