6. Lost within your arms

Kiara’s POV

Despite no longer being my mate, deep down, I couldn’t help but believe that if anyone would stand up for me, it would be him. Even though my mind had come to terms with my destiny, my heart stubbornly resisted. A tiny fragment of it still clung to the hope that he would reconsider and pick me instead of her. Yet, his hesitance to act spoke volumes, providing my sought answer.

Moving my head away from him, I tried to focus on the problem at hand. I knew for a fact that I could not train with Leslie. Even though it was meant to be a practice session, Leslie wouldn’t miss any opportunity to harm me. Despite being aware of this, I couldn’t afford to back down.

“Let’s start, shall we?” Leslie said and brought a fist toward my face. Instinctively, I ducked down and took a step back.

I once again looked at Asher, pleading with him with my eyes to do something. In response, he only looked away from me. In my distracted state, I failed to notice that Leslie was coming at me again. Before I knew it, Leslie had flung me over her shoulder and dropped me to the ground. I groaned in pain at the impact and closed my eyes.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Leslie said as she kicked my shoulder with her shoe.

Slowly, I tried to stand up again. My back still hurt from the impact, but Leslie spared me no mercy. She began to go for my face this time, but thankfully, I saw it coming. I ducked my face and saw her go for my leg instead. Scooping one leg over her arm, she smacked to the ground on my side. 

She was not playing by the rules. And our teacher allowed that. 

By this point, a crowd started to accumulate around us, but none of them said anything.

“Oh, get on to your feet, you incompetent idiot,” she said.

I clutched my nose, felt something dribble inside, and found a red liquid on my fingers. I instantly realized that she would completely shatter me if I continued to let her do this. She was stronger than I was and wouldn’t hesitate to break a bone in my body if she could.

I shook my head and said, “No, I’m done.”

She chuckled, “You’re done? “You can’t leave so soon, you fool. We just started.”

With great difficulty, I stood up and said, “Find someone to train with, Leslie.”

With that said, I slowly started walking away from class. I heard people boo me from behind, and my teacher threatened to give me a huge D for my score, but I did not spare a glance back.

I had no reason to look back, as I knew for a fact that he was not going to come after me.

****

As I started walking away from class, I didn’t stop until I reached a safe, isolated space in the parking lot. I sat down behind a tree, away from anyone’s field of vision, before I let my tears lose.

I was exhausted from everything life was throwing at me. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, Leslie had to add physical pain to the mix. As I inspected my hand, I discovered it had already started to bruise. Judging by the excruciating throbbing in my left cheekbone, I was certain bruises were also adorning my face.

Asher was a heartless beast to let that happen to me. I knew he rejected me but would soon be the pack’s leader. Is that how he would let someone treat one of his pack members? Nobody in the room cared enough to stop Leslie from doing what she did. It made me question why I was still in this city.

The people here will never forgive, and I was done asking for their mercy. As soon as school ended, I would apply for a college the farthest from here and escape. Getting accepted into another pack would be difficult, but I was sure it would be simpler to live anywhere but here.

“Miss, are you okay?” I heard a soft yet manly voice coming from my side.

Like a child caught in an embarrassing act, I tried to hide his face from him before saying, “I’m fine, thank you.”

I could still sense his eyes on me as he stood firm without budging. From the corner of my vision, I saw his shoes drawing nearer.

“That’s not a convincing tone,” he said, kneeling beside me.

“I’d like to be alone,” I said, raising my arm to shield my face.

Suddenly, I felt him grip my arm. His fingers were rough over my skin, but his touch was warm. He gently rubbed over my bruise, which slightly elicited some pain.

“You’re injured,” He said, “We need to get you to the hospital.”

Jerking my hand away from his grasp, I turned to look at him in anger, “I said I’m fine.”

Through my angry eyes, I finally captured his concerned ones. His dark brown eyes were the first thing that came to my notice. There was a sense of coldness within them, as did the rest of his face. His thick eyebrows pulled to a frown, disapproving of how I reacted. Below his sharp nose rested a pair of delectable lips that now thinned to form a brooding line.

As soon as I laid eyes on him, an unfamiliar sensation slowly enveloped my stomach, leaving me bewildered. I struggled to comprehend the source of this peculiar feeling. It could have been his captivating aura or the closeness of his face to mine, causing a subtle instinct to make me cringe. I felt intimidated by his presence and needed to apologize to him.

“I-I’m sorry,” I said. “I- I didn’t mean to snap at you. I was just…”

He cut me off as he slowly brought his hand toward my cheek. With a delicate touch, he caressed my left cheek with his thumb. Our eyes met, creating a brief pause that felt like time had stopped. In his gaze, I saw a blend of concern and curiosity. Slowly, he approached me, careful not to frighten or push me away.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly, his voice filled with genuine concern.

His words reached deep within my heart, causing a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness. He was the first person to ask me that in ages.

I wiped away my tears and managed a weak smile. “I’ll be fine,” I replied, my voice trembling.

He did not look impressed. Suddenly, I felt something switch in his eyes, as though he was angry, “Who did this?”

At the sight of him, fresh tears rolled down my cheeks. As my mind wavered back to the combat class, I couldn’t help but recollect everything that had just happened. Seeing that his words only made me cry harder, he refrained from asking further questions. Instead, he spread his arm out for me.

“Come here,” he spoke.

Much to my surprise, I found myself accepting his embrace. As he wrapped his arm around me, I put my head on his chest, letting myself melt within him. For the first time in my entire life, I felt safe. I felt protected. In those precious moments, my mind could finally find peace. I surrendered myself to the embrace, allowing tears to flow freely. Time seemed to stand still as I wept in his arms. When I finally lifted my head, I noticed his wet chest mirroring my tears.

I widened my eyes as realization slowly dawned on me. What has gotten into me? I was astounded by my behavior. Why was I trying to find comfort in a stranger’s arms?

As soon as I regained my senses, I recoiled from him. “I-I’m sorry,” I said, afraid to meet his eyes. “I should go.”

With that said, I sprang up and started walking away quickly. I looked over my shoulder to see if he was following me, but thankfully he was not. His expression conveyed a sense of bewilderment, as if he were adrift, grappling with the unfolding of events and attempting to make sense of it all.

I was with him on the emotion. What the hell just happened?