Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 59

Lily's

POV

It was safe to say that if I could go to classes like this, then I would be very happy and would gain a whole lot more than I usually did when I was alone.

The entire morning had been so pleasant, mostly because when I was not in class with Rhea and Chelsea, I was in class with one of them at least and I was able to confirm that they had somehow intentionally changed their schedules to fit with mine. I haven't had any more classes with Ren but it was safe to say that he was in on this. Probably the mastermind if it all.

I didn't have a problem with it though. Infact, I was more than grateful that they had done it because it had made learning in class so much easier than when I used to attend it on my own.

I wish this feeling of peace and security could last forever.

Whenever I had to be at school before today, it was hell because even when no one was actively bullying me, I was always terrified of even making one wrong move like breathing wrong in class or sneezing or even coughing and making people remember that I existed.

Half of the time I didn't attend classes and I spent the day hiding out in the library or the bathroom in fear. A dark feeling creeped up my chest as I thought of those first weeks in school that were actually full on physical assault and attempts to kill me. I swallowed a deep breath, refusing to think of these. I had met Ren, Rhea and Chelsea and heck, even Chase was starting to look like a good friend. I had learned so much in just a couple of hours that I was pretty certain that if I had one week like this, I would be very well ahead of the class like the rest of my peers were.

I had one more class after lunch break and I'll be home free. I had learnt so much today and I could not wait for school to close for the day so that I could go to the library and do some extra reading to make sure that what was taught stuck in my head. It also helped that Rhea was absolutely brilliant because she had spent most of the class helping me to keep up and she was so patient when she explained stuff that it was easy to understand.

Thanks to her, I was able to understand some of the things that I would have never been able to since the academy was operating on an advanced syllabus and I was still that newbie from Gold crest trying to fit in.

As we walked out of the classroom into the hallway, I saw Chase glance at Rhea and almost raise his hand in a wave but stop himself. Quickly searching for Rhea's reaction, I saw that she was staring at him too, her gaze heated in a way that I didn't understand whether she was angry with him or something else.

Huh.

Once more, I wondered what Chase must have done to get such stilted reactions from her. It was a no brainer that I'd always pick Rhea's side even if this turns out to be something bigger that I was expecting.

I decided that perhaps it was not good to pry, especially when Rhea had been nothing but a sweetheart to me. If she wanted me to know, I was going to find out either way. That was what Bia always said to me anyways.

"So, how was today? And be honest, okay?" Rhea asked as she looked away from Chase to me and Chelsea coughed.

"You sound like a mom. Way to be subtle, mom."

Rhea rolled her eyes and I laughed, linking my arms through theirs.

"Today was wonderful, actually. Thanks to you guys. Rhea, thank you so much for putting me through all of those things. You're such an excellent tutor. In fact, you're the best in the academy!"

"Aww, you're welcome." Rhea answered just as Chelsea cleared her throat.

"I think the word you are looking for is third best. She's not the best tutor in the academy. She's top three though."

Rhea growled at her and I looked at Chelsea confused and surprised. Was she saying that there were people more brilliant at tutoring than Rhea?

How am I even supposed to compete with that and earn my keep here? I needed to do outstandingly well so that I don't lose the scholarship when I just got started.

"Why is that?" I asked Chelsea. "Who are the top two?"

"You happen to know the two of them. The second best is Ren." Chelsea answered and just the mention of his name caused butterflies to erupt in my belly.

Of course he had to be there. How could someone be so perfect?

"And who is number one?" I asked and Chelsea's face immediately hardened.

When I looked at Rhea, she was also frowning but she was the one that answered and the name she mentioned caused me to freeze on the spot and stop walking. "Aiden."

How was that even possible? How could someone so vile be the best tutor in the entire academy? And where did he find the time to even read and be brilliant, when I was sure that he spent most of his days engaging in mindless s e x with every girl that crossed his path and bullying poor students?

Without even meaning to, my mind went back to what had happened in the studio and I could not help the sudden shame that filled me again when I remembered how he had held the back of my head and showed me what he liked as he f****d my mouth and how I, despite feeling repulsed by his entire being had somehow not hated that feeling.

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard Rhea ask, her voice pulling me out of my destructive thoughts and I nodded, about to answer her verbally when we turned a corner and I saw that a small crowd had formed around a locker. My locker.

Ren was standing outside the crowd, his shoulders slumped, looking at the locker in speechless horror.

My heart skipped a beat and started racing erratically.

Everyone there was laughing as they looked at whatever was written on there and some were even taking pictures and throwing rubbish at it.

I must have let out a pitiful sound because Ren turned around and when our eyes collided, I saw the sadness and disappointment on his face and I knew that whatever was on that locker was terrible.

Anxiety gripped me immediately like a fist holding my heart in a tight grip. The noose around my neck only tightened as Ren started walking up to me.

"You don't need to see that. Come on, let's go." He whispered, holding my arms and stopping me from advancing forward.

"What's going on?" I whispered but all he did was pull me into his arms and rubbed my back soothingly.

"Nothing you need to see right now," he whispered into my hair, "come. It's time for lunch," he said as he tried to steer me away from my locker but I wouldn't budge.

"What's going on?" Chelsea asked and when Ren just shook his head and shared a look with Rhea, I used the opportunity to release myself from his grip, pushing myself through the crowd till I got to the front and finally saw it.

My mouth fell open in horror to see my locker drenched in blood, the words 'blood w***e' carved into the metal door in a big bold zig zag handwriting. As if that was not bad enough, there were pictures plastered all over the locker. Pictures of Zac feeding from me that night at the club.

Of course, whoever did this selected shots with Zac's back turned so that you could not tell who it was that fed on me but you could certainly see my own face on full display.

I couldn't breathe, I realized as I tried to take one step forward to bring down the pictures and I crouched to the ground, my hand against my heart, hitting my chest over and over again as I tried to make the pain stop.

I could hear people laughing around me and my vision turned blurry, fading in and out of reality, nausea hitting me hard as I fought back tears. Sitting on the floor, I vaguely heard Rhea and Ren trying to disperse the crowd.

Although I could feel the crowd around me dispersing, it still felt like I was breathing through a tiny straw

Oxygen... Where did all the oxygen go?

Chelsea knelt in front of me and pulled me in for a hug, whispering something about counting backwards to help me breathe but it felt like all of the oxygen in the hallway had disappeared into nothing.

Just then my phone beeped with a text and with shaking hands and teary eyes, I whipped it out of my pocket, but when I looked at the screen, my heart stopped.