Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen - Hatred

It's five in the evening and I, along with many other students, are doing our schoolwork in the pack's study room. I have completed my work for tomorrow and I'm nearly done with my English and History essays that are due just before Christmas break. Everything was perfect. Until Scarlett walked in with the biggest smirk on her face.

Elias, Leon, Emilia and I exchange confused glances as she walks up to my desk and stands before me. I choose to ignore her and continue with completing the problems for my math homework. What I didn't expect was for her to laugh before grabbing my books and chucking them behind her.

I release a deep breath before mind linking Atticus to get down here if he's free. He did say to tell him if Scarlett bothers me again. I don't get a reply from him but regardless, I look up at Scarlett expectantly. Everyone in the study room is watching and I can hear other pack members outside wanting to see what's happening.

"What do you want, Scarlett?" I mutter as I stand and pick up my books.

"How about you tell everyone how pathetic you were that your own Alpha mate rejected you?" She replies way too loudly but her words have me freezing in shock. The conversation with my parents took place in Atticus' home so how does she know? "He cheated on you! Probably because you couldn't satisfy him. I mean look at you!"

"You should stay out of matters that don't concern you and that you know nothing about, Scarlett." I seethe as I try and maintain my composure.

She fully ignores what I said and continues. "What's even more pathetic is how you're now trying to nab another Alpha. Give up, Olivia. Nobody wants leftovers, especially not Atticus."

Everybody starts to whisper and question each other. I swallow harshly at the unwanted attention, hating how the past I tried so hard to leave behind is now being thrown in my face.

"Maybe you should look in the mirror?" Elias snickers which immediately catches her attention. "You're fantasizing about being with my brother when he's already dating Olivia. You're the one who wants to nab an Alpha."

"What?!" She shrieks and her eyes fade to black as her wolf comes to the surface.

In an instant, I'm slammed against a wall but I retaliate quickly by kicking her off me. She growls as the other pack members scream and escape the room. Elias, Leon and Emilia join in and get her off me when she throws me to the ground and tries strangling me. I rip her hand off my neck just as she's pulled back but I'm too late to stop Elias from getting punched repeatedly and thrown into the rows of desks.

Growling in anger I grab her by her hair and knee her stomach. She breaks free and is about to punch me but Leon smacks the side of her head with the desk. However, she doesn't stay down for long and within seconds she has me pinned down again before hitting my body anywhere she can find.

I snarl and try to shove her off me but she barely moves. It's only when Emilia grabs her hair and smacks her head hard on the floor that I'm able to get up. I can see that Scarlett is dazed but it only lasts mere seconds before she ends up shifting into her wolf. Startled, I push my friends and Elias out of the way as she charges for me but she's stopped before her jaws sink into my flesh.

I look up to find Atticus holding her by the neck with a furious expression. His eyes meet mine before they roam over my body and take in the several wounds. Throwing Scarlett to the other side of the room he orders for her to shift. It's completely silent as she quickly changes into a new pair of clothes that a pack member holds out from the doorway.

"What the fuck are you doing attacking another pack member?!" He asks angrily and I see her flinch over how harsh his tone is.

"She attacked me first, Atticus!" Scarlett lies while Leon and I help Elias up and check if he's okay.

"Well?" Atticus turns to the group of people that have formed outside the study room again.

"Olivia wasn't being violent despite Scarlett bullying her. It was Scarlett who attacked Olivia first, Alpha." A young boy around the age of sixteen answers.

"Thank you, Roy." Atticus nods before turning to Scarlett again.

"H-He's lying!" She yells hysterically but snarls when Emilia chuckles in amusement.

"Roy is right, Alpha. Scarlett has been bullying a lot of younger pack members too." Another boy around my age speaks up.

That causes a lot of pack members to tell Atticus what Scarlett has done to them, both in school and on the territory. I feel my heart ache in sadness when I hear how far she went with some people. How could someone be this crazy and evil? I wonder to myself.

"Atticus please! I'm doing this for us –" She whimpers as she tries to touch him.

"There was and will never be an us!" He yells in frustration and people around us gasp in surprise at his outburst. "I barely talk to you never mind pursuing a relationship with you! Yet you continued to lie to people about us being together or hooking up!"

"Why not?!" She screams in both frustration and rage. "Why her?! What does she have that I don't?! Her own mate rejected her, Atticus! Why would you ever want someone like her?!"

"It's disgusting to see your hatred for mates who have been rejected! Did you also forget that your Alpha is technically rejected too?! How dare you abuse another pack member for what the Moon Goddess intended!" He snarls as he takes an intimidating step towards her. She cowers instantly because of the power and fury he's emitting. "You rejected your own mate just because he was an ordinary pack member and you were greedy for the Luna title! Did you really think I wanted anything to do with you after that?!"

My jaw drops at his words and I'm sure everyone else is just as shocked as I am. Again, the whispering starts back up as people stare at her in disgust. How could she reject her own mate just because of status? I think to myself in horror.

"And how dare you harm my siblings and lock Arcadia up just so she wouldn't be here!" Atticus continues as Scarlett stares at him with a heartbroken look and tears streaming down her cheeks.

My eyes widen further and I look at Elias to see him mirroring my shocked expression. Arcadia had finished her homework early and gone back to the house twenty minutes before this happened. I'm assuming Scarlett must have gotten to her as she was making her way out of the pack house.

"For harming pack members and the Alpha's family I am sentencing you to two months in the pack prison." He snarls as he gestures to the guards to take her away.

"This all your fault, you bitch!" She shrieks before kicking me in the ribs right before the guards grab her.

Atticus grabs me before I lose my balance and I release a pained breath as my ribs ache sharply from the hit. But I feel Jade helping me to heal and I thank her as she eases my pain significantly. I whisper to him that I'm fine and he turns to Scarlett again but this time it looks like he's seconds away from shifting. His entire body is trembling in anger and if I was facing him I'm sure I would see onyx replacing his honey colored irises.

"Scarlett Brown, I banish you from the Bauer Pack!" Atticus roars and everyone's jaws drop yet again, including mine. "You have one hour to pack your shit up and get the fuck off my territory!"

This time the guards don't hesitate in dragging her away. Her screams and cries echo behind her before it's completely silent. Atticus orders everyone who was hurt to get to the infirmary before walking with Elias and I to the infirmary. But just as we're being tended to Arcadia bursts into the room with Tobias and Vasilia in tow. Both look extremely worried but Arcadia just looks enraged.

"I can't fucking believe I missed out on beating her ass!" She growls which earns her a smack to the head by her mother. "Mom!"

"Cuss again and watch what happens!" She warns and Acadia only huffs in reply as she simmers down.

"What happened?" Tobias frowns in confusion as he glances at Atticus who looks like he's about to lose it.

Atticus gestures for his parents to follow him before he steps outside with one last glance at me. I smile reassuringly at him as Arcadia takes his seat. As soon as they leave she asks what happened and Elias explains it to her while the nurse is cleaning up his bloody nose. By the end of it she gets up and walks off no matter how many times we all tell her not to go after Scarlett.

"Well...she's not leaving without more injuries to worry about." Leon chuckles before wincing when he moves his arm.

"I wish we could just heal in seconds. This is taking too long!" Emilia huffs before we all fix her with a knowing look.

"You just want to go watch Arcadia beat her up!" Leon exclaims and shakes his head when she only smiles sheepishly in response.

I don't know why but after all she's done to me I still feel bad for her. She rejected her true mate just because of status and it clearly turned her into a horrible person with an ugly personality to match. If she had just accepted him she would have been so much happier.

I stand after we're all bandaged and cleaned up. Elias and I make our way back to the Bauer house after bidding Leon and Emilia goodbye. Tobias meets us halfway and mumbles something about grounding Arcadia until she's twenty before storming onward. We laugh before making our way inside and I head upstairs after Vasilia checks us to see if we've been properly cared for.

I follow Atticus' scent to his room and enter hesitantly. He was so angry earlier that I'm a little unsure as to whether he's calmed down or not. As I step in I see him on his bed with his head in his hands. He looks up at the sound of me closing the door before silently holding out his arms.

I walk over to him and he immediately pulls me onto his lap. He nestles his nose into the crook of my neck and inhales my scent deeply. I feel his tensed muscles relax slightly as he hugs me and I run my fingers through his soft hair. He's quiet for a long time and I don't push him to speak either until he finally wants to.

"I wish I could've gotten to you sooner." He eventually whispers and I sense his frustration and anger at himself.

"It's okay. You got there just in time and that's what matters." I smile as I try and reassure him.

He nods albeit halfheartedly as he caresses my bruised skin. "Are you in pain? How are your ribs?"

"I'm fine." I reply softly as I grasp his chin so that his eyes meet mine. "Werewolf remember?"

Thankfully, he smiles before his expression turns serious once more. "Emilia and Leon told me what she said to you. The news has probably reached every pack member now. I'm so sorry Olivia, I don't know how Scarlett found out but I won't rest until I have them found and punished."

I only nod in reply because I can see that his wolf is too close to the surface. Both Atticus and Xander want blood but I can't let that happen. I focus on calming him down by directing his attention elsewhere and keeping him occupied. And because my touch soothes him I hold him close.

"Did she really reject her mate because he wasn't an Alpha?" I ask and sigh in relief when the chaotic black in his eyes lightens to honey.

"Yes." He shakes his head in disgust. "Believe it or not, Scarlett used to be a nice person. When I returned without my mate and told my pack what happened she was there for me. But I didn't view her as more than a friend."

"But she did." I come to the realization and he confirms it with a nod.

"Her mate was visiting packs in search of her and I was so happy for her when I found out. But she rejected him immediately when she realized he wasn't a high-ranking wolf." He sighs heavily as he lays down on the bed and pulls me along with him. "Ever since then she's been after me just because I'm the Alpha. I've shot her down at every opportunity but she wouldn't get it. I didn't want to reveal what she had done like this but she hurt you."

He sounds so guilty at the end and I cup his cheek. "Atticus don't feel bad about what you did. She hurt and disrespected so many people. It was time that somebody gave her a taste of her own medicine."

"I know but...I just wish people wouldn't ruin themselves over status and popularity. How someone could reject a perfectly good person – a blessing – I will never know." He shakes his head before cuddling up to me.

We lay there lost in our thoughts as I run my fingers through his hair. Whenever I would think he's drifted off to sleep he would prove me wrong by kissing my neck or temple and pulling me closer. I'm quite surprised by his clingy behavior but I guess seeing me harmed just set off his protective nature. I'm not complaining though. I don't mind him seeking comfort from me just like I do with him.

But when Vasilia mind links me that dinner is ready I look down at him. He has his eyes closed but I know well that he's awake. I lean down and pepper kisses to his face which elicits a smile from him. He opens his eyes but I'm unable to decipher the myriad of emotions that flit through them in mere seconds.

"Why don't we go get some food?" I ask as I move to get up.

"No." He immediately refuses with a shake of his head as he holds me tighter. "Just stay here with me. Don't go anywhere."

I melt at his words before laying back down with a nod. "I'm right here."

"I can't lose you, Livi." He whispers as he hovers above me with desperation swimming in his eyes.

"You won't. I'll always find my way back to you, just like it was intended." I smile before sealing my promise with a kiss.

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