Chapter 108: Cocky faces
Andria’s POV
"Aria, you are pardoned. Don’t disturb my class again," she stated and then left.
Not like I was the one who disturbed your class; the Alpha successors did, and I just can’t tolerate their attitude.
They put me into this mess and then act like knights in shining armor.
Alpha Aven, Damon and Tristan walked casually into the room like they had won a battle, with cocky faces, and I felt like wiping the arrogance off their face.
"Your knights in shining armor have saved you from my hands today. I wouldn’t let you go so easily the next time you walk into my trap," Sir Kaelric blurted.
"And we will save her the next time," Damon retorted, and Sir Kaelric only laughed out, waving his hands as a gesture for them to leave.
The smug smirks plastered across their faces nearly made me roll my eyes. Alpha successors or not, I couldn’t stand the way they carried themselves, as if the world owed them recognition, as if every step they took was a blessing to anyone fortunate enough to witness it.
Damon even had the audacity to wink in my direction, as though I should be grateful for his interference.
Grateful? My foot, while they were the ones who landed me in this place in the first place. The word ’grateful’ alone burned like acid.
I clutched my books tightly against my chest, holding myself still until Sir Kaelric finally swept out of the room, his robes dragging across the floor like the tail of a beast.
Only when his footsteps disappeared into the distance did the tension in the room loosen, though not for me.
I could still feel the weight of the gaze from the Alpha successors as if they were expecting me to offer some grateful words.
Aven spoke first, his tone deliberately calm, carrying that quiet authority that made people listen, even when he said nothing of importance. "You should be more careful, Aria."
Careful? My jaw nearly dropped. "Careful?" I repeated, my voice low but sharp, like a blade sliding from its sheath.
"Careful about what? Careful about you three disturbing me when classes are going on, Careful about being spotted by the teacher when I finally decided to address your bullshit,
Or be careful about being sent to the detention room just to find out that Sir Kaelric replaced the detention teacher? So tell me, which of these things should I be careful about?" I yelled at them.
Tristan chuckled under his breath, shaking his head as though I were amusing him. That condescending laugh crawled under my skin more than Kaelric’s threats ever did.
"You’re feisty," Tristan said, his lips twisting into that same infuriating grin. "And I always like it when you get this way."
I shot him a glare that could have melted steel. "I don’t need your approval, an apology can do, but since I already asked for it, I don’t need it anymore."
For a moment, the arrogance slipped from Tristan’s expression, replaced by something sharper, an acknowledgement, maybe even respect.
But then Damon clapped him on the shoulder, dragging the mood back into their usual brand of insufferable.
"Relax, Tristan. Our little rebel here just doesn’t realize yet that we’re on the same side." Damon leaned against the desk beside me, his proximity suffocating. He had that dangerous kind of charm, the kind that could lure anyone in before they realized he was a storm in disguise.
I stepped back, refusing to be boxed in by him. "We are not on the same side. Don’t flatter yourself."
His grin widened, the challenge lighting up his eyes like fire dancing across oil. "Not yet, but you are almost getting roped in."
I shuddered at the realization that what he said was true, but I immediately masked my expression before they could find out.
Aven sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as though weary of the banter. "Enough." His voice cut clean through the air, pulling Damon back from pressing further.
"The longer we stand here, the more attention we draw. We shouldn’t be in the detention room this long; the staff in charge of cleaning the room will soon be here." His gaze met mine, steady and unreadable. "You should go."
The command in his voice grated against every nerve in my body. He didn’t know me if he thought I was the type to obey just because he said so, although his words sent tingly sensations through my body; I didn’t want to have to take orders from him.
I straightened my shoulders, lifting my chin. "I don’t take orders from you."
"Then we will leave. You can remain here as long as you want, little rebel," Tristan scoffed.
"Well then, leave. I didn’t bring you here in the first place, nor did I ask for this, so just leave me alone," I fired back.
"Good," Aven said simply, and then turned to leave, his cloak brushing past me without so much as a second glance.
Damon and Tristan exchanged looks, unreadable but laced with something like amusement, before trailing after him.
Damon, of course, couldn’t resist tossing one last remark over his shoulder. "Try not to miss us too much, sweetheart."
I exhaled through gritted teeth, every muscle in my body screaming to lunge at him and wipe that grin off his face with my fists. Instead, I remained rooted.
I wouldn’t give him the reaction he was clamoring for.
When the door finally closed behind them, the silence they left behind was deafening. I had to pack up my items, head to the locker room and then to the cafeteria to join my friends.
"Oh, here you are, Aria, we missed you," Becca squealed in excitement as she saw me walk into the cafeteria.
"Why were you so lost in class today? That was unlike you," Liara remarked.
"You can blame that on the Alpha successors; they were a pain in her ass," Arlo defended.
"We have something exciting to tell you concerning the campaign. Our numbers have increased so much, they are literally chanting ’Vote Aria in almost every corner of the academy now," Becca announced.
"You should see the look on Tricia and Alexa’s faces," Michaela chuckled.
I couldn’t help smirking when I looked across the room and locked eyes with them. They looked like lost souls.
Oh my goodness, I had forgotten to meet up on a promise.