She Made Her Choice

ZANE'S POV

"Claire?" I heard a sound, causing me to pause, my ears perking up.

I thought she left for shifting class. 

I tilted my head, inhaling deeply to be sure and her scent immediately filled my nose.

Peach. Jasmine. Blood.

Blood? 

My body went rigid. She was hurt. Again.

I pushed to my feet before I could stop myself, crossing the room in seconds. But when I opened the door, I froze.

Caius stood there, with Claire in his arms, her blood soaking into his shirt as he fumbled with her room key.

A sharp growl ripped through my throat as I walked to him quickly. "What did you do to her?"

He turned to me at that moment and I saw his jaw was clenched so tightly and veins lined his neck. His dark eyes burned with barely restrained control as he held onto her. 

"I saved her," he bit out, his fangs scraping his bottom lip.

I barely heard him. My focus was on Clair and the blood seeping out, the scent making my wolf restless. 

"Give her to me." I stepped forward, hands stretching out to take her. "You're about to hurt her."

Caius let out a dry chuckle, but there was no amusement in it. "Hurt her more than you already have?" He asked with a raised brow. "Do you even care who did this to her?"

"I don't care." I told him, glaring into his dark eyes. "She's losing blood. And you're about to snap. Get away from her."

He shoved the key into the lock and kicked the door open, ignoring me. Carrying her inside, he turned back to me, and my feet followed instinctively.

"Your girlfriend did this to her," He said, not even looking at me. I stopped in my tracks, my body going rigid. 

"From everything that has happened, you're the real danger here," he added. "All you've done is put her in harm's way. So you need to get out." 

"Skylar," I breathed to myself, my fists tightening as rage surged through me. After all my warnings, she still did this?

I stepped closer as Caius carried Claire to her bed, carefully brushing strands of hair away from her face. Her body looked so small. So helpless.

I swallowed back the lump in my throat.

"Your job is done," I said to Caius, staring at his back. "I'll take it from here."

Instead of a response, Caius peeled off his blood-soaked shirt and tossed it to the floor. 

My annoyance flared.

"I've just started," He said before I could say anything. "I suggest you go back to your room."

He brushed past me, looking directly into my eyes like he wanted to emphasize his point before disappearing into the bathroom, leaving me alone with Claire. 

I exhaled sharply and moved closer, leaning over her as I cupped her face. Her skin was cold, and I could only imagine what Skylar had done to her.

Lifting her shirt slightly, I saw blood seeping from a shallow claw mark on her stomach. It wasn't deep, but the bruises littering her body told me she'd been beaten badly.

And all I felt in that moment was rage.

Was this Skylar's twisted way of trying to fix our broken relationship? Did she really think getting Claire out of the way would make things right between us? Because it couldn't. 

From the moment I saw Claire, everything changed.

I couldn't look at Skylar the same way. Kissing her felt like a chore not pleasure and her scent irritated me too. 

Claire had completely invaded my senses from the moment she stepped into this school and my wolf claimed her as my fated mate. 

I saw her in my dreams most nights, whispered her name as I slept and smelled her scent everywhere.

And now, she was here, lying in front of me, broken because of me.

I knew I should hate her.

She was the daughter of my father's murderer. Her face was a reminder of his greatest pain, and her name was tied to my family's suffering. Accepting her would be a betrayal, a mockery of my father's death.

But the more I fought to hate her, the deeper she dug into me. And my wolf refused to let her go, going crazy by the need for her. 

So this? This was my breaking point with Skylar.

No one had the right to hurt Claire. No one but me.

"Move." Caius's voice cut through my thoughts. He crouched beside her as he nudged me, a bowl of water in his hands. "I need to stop the bleeding."

I hadn't even noticed him return from the bathroom, but I wasn't about to let him care for her while I was here.

"I'll handle it." I reached for the bowl, but he pulled it back before I could touch it, glaring at me. 

"No. I saved her," he said through clenched teeth, setting the bowl down. "The more time you waste trying to stop me, the more blood she loses because I won't stop."

I straightened, returning his glare. "Have you even looked at yourself in the mirror? Your fangs are out and you're barely holding it together. You'll hurt her."

He flexed his neck, digging a small cloth into the bowel "But I won't," he said. "Because unlike you, I protect Claire. I keep her safe."

A growl tore from my throat as I grabbed him by the arm, slamming his back against the wall, and pinning him there. "You don't get to talk to me like that. I'll say this once again, leave."

"You don't scare me, Zane Ravenscroft," he uttered, baring his teeth and hissing. "You scare everyone else, but not me. I see the way you walk around, head high, making everyone bow just because you're the only Alpha in Carnemore. But all that means nothing to me. You're just an empty vessel, filled with so much hatred and I won't let you pour it all on Claire." His eyes darkened. "I'll protect her from you." 

I shoved him harder against the wall. "Why?" I asked in a cold voice, searching his face. "We're both seniors so I've known you long enough to know you've never been interested in any girl. And we both know your little act with Stacie was just to shut down the gay rumors." I tilted my head, looking into his eyes. "So why Claire? What is it about her?" 

His answer was immediate. No hesitation.

"I want her."

A sharp, hot twist coiled in my chest and my fingers tightened against his shoulder. 

"I want Claire," he repeated, like he wanted to make sure I heard it right if I didn't the first time. 

"She'll never be yours," I growled, my nostrils flaring, feeling Wolfe dangerously angry and trying to force his way out. 

 "Why?" Caius asked, tilting his head. "Do you think you have some claim over her because of her father's past?" He bared his teeth. "I know you despise her, but I'll be here to stop whatever you scheme."

"You know nothing, Caius." I bit back. "Your ignorance is almost pathetic." 

"And neither do you." He retorted. "Do you have any idea how many times I've saved Claire? You have no idea the kind of bond we share. Even her doesn't know how deep it goes."

"She—"

"Cai…Caius." Claire's weak voice cut through the tension, and my breath hitched.

"Caius." She mumbled again, stirring slightly but her eyes remained closed. 

I felt Wolfe clawing in me, his anger and pain reaching me too. Claire had whispered his name again. His. Not mine. Just like on the field. 

Something inside me snapped. Wolfe clawed faster at the surface, desperate to take control, to tear something apart.

Then Caius shoved my hands off him and stepped forward like he'd already won. "As you can see, she's made her choice," he turned his back to me. "So, either you fuck off, or we settle this right now with a duel. Your choice."

I clenched my fists, watching as he knelt beside her. He lifted her shirt, carefully wiping away the blood.

I was about to step forward, about to rip him away from her, when Claire whispered again, her voice barely audible.

"You saved me again."

I staggered back, feeling indescribable torment within me. 

And before it exploded, I stormed out of the room before I did something I couldn't take back.