Lilith’s POV

“You were suspended?” Serenity yelled over the phone.

“Yeah.” I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me.

Apparently, Lexy’s parents were influential wolves and she could get away with anything.

After leaving the Dean’s office, she was the first person I called.

“And what about her? What did she get in return?”

Smacking my lips, I let out a low sigh. “She was taken to the sick bay after the Dean apologized on my behalf.”

“That bitch went scot-free!” she yelled from the other end of the line.

“You know what? Don’t apologize, even if they ask you to.”

“Of course I wasn’t going to do that. My only regret is that I was lenient with her. I should have broken a bone or two so she wouldn’t be able to attend classes like me.”

Serenity’s infectious laughter made my lips curve into a smile.

Fortunately for me, she wasn’t in the room when I got to the dorm, so I quickly stuffed my duffel bag with my things.

We might have spoken on the phone, but that wouldn’t be enough. I knew she was going to make me repeat the entire tale from the beginning.

I was still packing when my phone began buzzing on my bed.

It was Kayden.

“Bad news spreads quickly,” I muttered, turning off my phone.

Taking one last look around my little space, I was satisfied with the way it looked. Only then did I sling my bag across my shoulder.

Being suspended meant I had no access to the dorm throughout the period, so I was going to spend it with Kayden since I had nowhere else to go.

When I got to Kayden’s apartment, the door was slightly open.

“He doesn’t listen,” I shook my head, walking in tiptoe so I wouldn’t alert him. I wanted to sneak up on him and give him the shock of his life.

The clanging sound of pans and pots made me tiptoe toward the kitchen. I was about to jump on him when he suddenly turned around.

My frustration at not being able to do what I intended was replaced with shock when a pair of brown eyes fell on me.

It wasn’t Kayden. It was Reed.

My steps came to a halt as we both stared at each other, neither of us saying a word.

“Hey,” he finally broke the silence.

I blinked and cleared my throat. “Where is my brother?” I asked, moving toward the door to keep an ample distance between us.

“Why didn’t you pick up your phone when he called? He lost his head when you turned it off.”

Biting my lower lip, I pulled my phone from my pocket to call him, but Reed stopped me.

“He’s heading back home,” he said, staring at his screen.

I was going to ask how he knew, but then I remembered they were both connected with an app that gave real-time locations.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I turned to leave, but his next words stopped me in my tracks.

“I heard what happened at school,” he started. “Are you okay?”

“Do you care?” I fired back, and he sighed.

“Mind telling me what happened so I’ll know exactly what to say to Kayden when he comes around?”

“No, thanks,” I replied with a defiant tone, though deep down I wanted to tell him everything that had gone down at the cafeteria.

If he spoke to Kayden on my behalf, I would be free from the hassle of explaining myself.

Since we lost our parents, Kayden had acted as both father and mother to me. Though he was protective and caring, he was going to scold me for getting into a fight.

“About last night…”

“A worst nightmare,” I cut him off. “We should get rid of it.”

At that moment, the door unlocked. “Reed, I can’t find my sister, can you reach…”

He trailed off when he saw me in the kitchen.

“The door… you left it open,” I gulped, avoiding his piercing gaze.

Those green eyes of his had a way of making it seem like he was staring straight into my soul.

“Is that what you should be talking about right now?” He snarled, his brows arched.

I flinched, trying to get away from him, but he stormed toward me and held me by my shoulders.

“That bitch is Gavin’s new girlfriend, right?” he asked, eliciting a nod from me.

He stared at me for a while before releasing a short sigh. “You’re a model student, you shouldn’t be getting into fights.”

“Why don’t you ask her what happened?” Reed said from behind me.

“Why should I ask her when I already know that bitch started it? If only I was in Lilith’s place, I would have dislocated her bones.”

“Look at you,” Reed mocked. “Not long ago you scolded her for getting into a fight, but now you’re giving her ideas.”

“I was just making an instance,” Kayden defended himself.

With their attention now shifted from me to their bickering, I made my way to the living room.

My thoughts drifted to Lexy and the mean words she had said about me and my parents, and my eyes watered. I couldn’t believe she could say that to me.

I had trusted her, but I ended up getting hurt in the end.

Wiping my face with the back of my palm, I sniffed back my tears.

“Are you crying?” Reed’s voice made me wipe my face immediately.

Then I wore a frown so he would leave, but instead, he leaned closer, his eyes falling on the line of tears slipping down my cheek.

“You did the right thing. A week’s suspension isn’t the end of the world.”

I didn’t want to be fooled by his nice words anymore. I didn’t want to be fooled by the way his eyes were filled with concern for me. The last time I did, he ended up hurting me.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” I said and made to walk away.

He caught my hand and turned me to him. Due to the force he used, I fell straight into his arms, my hands landing on his chest, and his arms wrapping around my waist.

Our gazes locked and neither of us could move. My eyes fell on his lips and I swallowed hard. I was beginning to lose focus again.

“I’m sorry,” Reed suddenly blurted out, and my attention went back to his face.

“I shouldn’t have said those words to you.”

The way his eyes were filled with regret, I didn’t know if those words were true or not.

Him being close to me was enough to make me lose my senses.

I blinked, tearing my gaze away. I shouldn’t be acting this way.

Reed’s hand went to my chin, raising my gaze to meet his. “Look at me, Lilith,” he whispered softly.

My heart skipped a beat.

I opened my mouth to say something when Kayden’s voice filled the air.

“What is going on here?”