"Admit it," Vanessa spat.

A heavy sneaker slammed into my ribs. I curled inward, choking on a scream.

"You threw yourself at them," Vanessa continued.

"Say it, Lena. Tell everyone you’re a desperate, scheming whore."

"I didn't," I choked out. Blood coated my teeth, tasting like copper.

"Hit her again," Vanessa ordered.

One of the massive Beta girls stepped forward. I raised my arms to shield my face.

"You think Asher wants you?" Vanessa mocked.

"You think the new Alpha wants a broken toy? You are nothing."

"I don't want either of them," I said.

"Liar."

Vanessa slapped me across the cheek. The sting radiated through my jaw.

"Stay away from Asher," she demanded. "He belongs to me. If you ever look at him again, I will tear your throat out."

"I never looked at him," I whispered.

"You're pathetic," Vanessa sneered. She let go of my hair and stood up. "Break her arm. Let's see how she flirts in a cast."

The two Betas lunged.

A strange heat ignited in my chest. It wasn't the familiar, empty ache of a missing wolf. It felt like a live wire snapping. Energy surged through my veins, hot and violent, burning away the pain in my knee and my ribs.

Vanessa reached for my collar.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed.

I shoved both hands against her chest.

I expected a weak push. Instead, a shockwave of raw force exploded from my palms. Vanessa flew backward. She sailed through the air and crashed into a row of lockers with a deafening crunch. The metal caved in around her.

The two Betas froze. Their jaws dropped as they stared at me.

I looked at my trembling hands. My fingertips hummed with an invisible, electric current.

The double doors flew open, slamming against the concrete walls.

Asher stormed in, golden eyes blazing. Ronan followed right behind him, his ice-blue gaze sweeping the chaotic room.

"Asher!" Vanessa wailed. She slumped against the dented lockers, clutching her shoulder. Tears streamed down her face in an instant. "She attacked me!"

Asher rushed to Vanessa’s side. He knelt and inspected her arm. "What happened?"

"We just wanted to talk," Vanessa sobbed. Her voice trembled perfectly. "We asked her to leave you alone. She went crazy. She threw me across the room!"

"You cornered me!" I yelled. I tried to stand, but my injured knee buckled. I slumped against the cold tiled wall. "They dragged me in here and beat me!"

Asher glared at me. "I am looking at Vanessa bruised against a locker, Lena. You expect me to believe you’re the victim again?"

"She’s lying!" I cried.

Ronan stepped closer to me. He ignored Vanessa entirely. His eyes locked onto my hands.

"You don't have a wolf," Ronan stated. His voice dropped into a dangerous rumble. "So how did you throw a Beta ten feet through the air?"

"I don't know," I whispered.

"Explain it," Ronan demanded. He stepped into my space, casting a tall shadow over me.

"I can't!"

"Liar," Ronan snapped. "You hid your strength. You played the pathetic, wolfless Omega to get close to Thorne, and now you’re playing games with me."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "You think I wanted to be beaten half to death just to play a game?"

Asher stood up, supporting Vanessa’s weight against his side. "You are a danger to this pack, Lena. Assaulting a student is grounds for immediate expulsion. The council will hear about this."

"Neither of you care that they beat me?" I asked. I looked at Asher, the mate who ignored me for a year, and Ronan, the mate who called me garbage.

"You brought this on yourself," Asher replied coldly. "You provoked them."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Save your excuses for the disciplinary board," Asher commanded.

The room spun. The strange energy that had flooded my veins vanished entirely, leaving a hollow, agonizing void behind. The edges of my vision darkened.

I pitched forward into the empty air.

"Lena!" Ronan shouted.

He lunged forward, his arms reaching out to catch me.

He didn't make it.

A blur of motion swept past him. Strong arms wrapped around my waist and under my knees, scooping me up before I hit the unforgiving tiles.

The scent of cedar and woodsmoke enveloped me. It was grounding. Powerful.

I blinked up through the haze. A sharp jawline, piercing gray eyes, and an Alpha aura so suffocatingly dominant it made the air in the room crackle.

Cassian Russo.

The senior exchange student from the Northern Ridge pack.

"Back off," Cassian warned. His voice rumbled deep in his chest, echoing off the walls.

Ronan stopped dead in his tracks. He bared his teeth, his canines lengthening. "Put her down. She’s my pack’s problem."

"She’s bleeding out on the floor," Cassian shot back. He adjusted his grip, holding me securely against his broad chest. "And neither of you did a damn thing about it."

"Put the Omega down, Russo," Asher commanded. He stepped forward, letting go of Vanessa. "This is academy business."

"Your business is pathetic," Cassian sneered. He looked between the two Alphas with absolute disgust. "If you don't believe her, and you won't protect her, you forfeit the right to touch her."

Ronan’s eyes flashed to his wolf’s icy blue. "I said, give her to me."

"Make me," Cassian challenged.

Neither Alpha moved. The tension in the room thickened, heavy and volatile. For the first time, I saw something besides anger in Ronan and Asher’s eyes.

Panic.

They hated me. They rejected me. But seeing another Alpha hold me sent their wolves into an absolute frenzy. Asher’s hands curled into tight fists. Ronan’s chest heaved with rapid, uneven breaths.

Cassian didn't wait for a response. He turned his back on them and carried me toward the exit.

"You walk out that door with her, Russo, and it’s a declaration of war," Asher threatened.

Cassian paused at the threshold. He glanced over his shoulder, his gray eyes cold and unyielding.

"Then consider it declared," Cassian said.

He pushed through the double doors, carrying me out into the sunlight, leaving my two mates standing in the shadows, choking on their own regrets.