"So that’s the kind of man you were in love with? The one who couldn’t defend you when it was clear who was at fault and what was going on?"
Alia heard the man say behind her, and she closed her eyes for a second before taking a deep breath.
"Are you here to mock ?" She asked.
Ryan raised his hand defensively.
"I am just initiating a conversation. Until you hate too, I don’t see why that would be a problem," he said.
Alia didn’t say anything and just kept walking towards her class. Ryan didn’t leave her alone and kept walking with her, following her.
"So you don’t hate ," He said.
Alia looked at him briefly.
"I don’t," She said.
Ryan raised his brows. He hadn’t expected her to respond and confirm.
From what he heard from his brothers, the girl was unbelievably hard to talk to. She wasn’t dangerous; she just had a sharp mouth.
"Why?" He asked.
"Do I need a reason to hate you?" Alia asked.
As much as she wanted to be alone, she was glad for his presence as it kept her from thinking about what happened earlier and feeling bad.
"You helped just now. It ans you are a good person," She said.
"You talk like you know ," Ryan said, finding her interesting.
"I am observant," Alia said.
She was different.
He didn’t know how to pinpoint it but could feel it in his bones. He had asked his Gamma to do subtle research on her background so he could better understand the girl.
After all, she didn’t waste a chance telling Aaron how much she hated him, yet she didn’t complain or ntion the na, which could’ve damaged their reputation and made things bad for them.
That was exactly how he found out she was a born academic prodigy. Yet she didn’t have many certificates in her na; all publishing usually belonged to her sister.
The girl was head over heels for Alpha Killian to the point she kept in the rain for him many tis, even after being berated and hated for it.
It was hard to imagine that this girl loved soone so imnsely. But then again, was that the reason she turned so bitter? Has her heart been wounded and broken beyond repair? Ryan wondered.
In the scene from earlier, where her father slapped her because she didn’t want to give up her research, Ryan had watched everything but didn’t want to sha her by getting involved personally.
After all, he didn’t know what stand he had in her mind.
"But you hate my brother. He is not a bad person either," Ryan said.
Alia didn’t say anything to that.
Rather, she looked at her wristwatch, and seeing she still had so ti, she turned towards the terrace.
Ryan didn’t ask her where she was going and just followed her.
Ryan, Derrick, and Aaron had collectively decided to talk to her to see if she needed sothing from them in return for not taking their nas.
No one would ever help anyone without needing anything in return.
She already ntioned she hated Aaron, and Derrick was a jerk in her eyes. Thus, Ryan was the only one left. He had been waiting at the university entrance while reading a research paper when he saw everything unfolding.
Alia stood near the railing, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the cold breeze.
She knew Ryan had followed her, and she sighed.
She didn’t know how to explain her hatred towards Aaron. It wasn’t like she could bring up her past and tell them that he did sothing that hadn’t even happened in this life yet.
"I just don’t like his face," Alia said, settling with this excuse.
Aaron and Derrick, who had been on a call with Ryan since earlier, heard their conversation paused.
Derrick looked at his brother’s cold and ashened expression and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"You act like you are her favorite," Aaron scoffed, and Derrick stopped imdiately, rembering how she had rejected even talking to him.
Ryan licked his lips. For an observant guy like him, it wasn’t hard to see that the girl used these words to hide why she hated his brother.
But what could that real reason be?
He agreed with Aaron. They never t this girl, and they didn’t et anyone from the healers of the West community. Then why does she hate him?
"You had every reason to," Ryan said.
"Hmm?" Alia furrowed her brows.
"You had every reason to na us for what happened yesterday. We told you that we planned sothing like that," Ryan said.
Ryan observed the girl, waiting for her answer, but she kept looking at the forests as if rembering what happened.
His gaze involuntarily moved to her hands and legs, where he rembered those assassins had left a deep cut.
"Have you ever been frad for sothing you didn’t do?" Alia asked after so ti.
"When I was a kid," Ryan said.
Alia smiled.
"I had been going through that for quite a long ti, all my life. I know the feeling, the pain, the suffering of helplessness, and more than that, the frustration of not knowing the reason," she said.
Alia turned around, knowing it was about ti to leave the terrace.
"I hate Aaron, but that doesn’t an I will fra him for sothing he didn’t do. The prank was bad, and your pack didn’t deserve that. As the alphas, you should think about them before thinking about your ego. Their lives co at stake with one bad decision," She said.
"Thank you for earlier," Alia smiled at him before she left.
Ryan felt uncomfortable. What she didn’t say wasn’t wrong, and he had never felt so guilty about sothing in his life.
Even if the plan and the words weren’t his, he was there to see her get humiliated, too.
He looked at the leaving girl and couldn’t help but feel a dull ache in his heart, her words echoing in his head.
’I have been going through that all my life,’
Ryan clenched his fists before he ended the call and stood on the terrace in the sa place she had stood earlier.
They misjudged her.
Alia descended the stairs to go to the corridor where her class was.
However, as soon as she took the last step, soone held her hand and pulled her under the staircase.
The area was visibly darker, and Alia’s eyes widened as she faced the sa man who had saved her. Even with his masked face, she could feel the familiar vibes from him.
Like last night, his ember eyes glowed in the dark, and her heart started drumming against her chest.
"You are not wounded anymore," He said as a matter of fact.
Every breath he took, fanning her face, made her want to lt in his arms and run away from him at the sa ti. What was this feeling that she felt every ti he would arrive?
"So he touched you," the man said, his knuckles brushing against her cheeks, and Alia furrowed her brows.
"I don’t know –" The man placed his finger on her lips to stop her from talking.
So students passed near them, and Alia kept looking at him.
"Now speak," The man said.
"I am married," Alia blurted out, unsure why she needed to say that.
The man before her didn’t say anything and just smirked.
He kept looking into her scared eyes, his hand caressing her cheeks.
"I know," He said after a pause before his smirk deepened.
"But I am your fate. You can’t run away from ," The man said, his face still unclear due to darkness.
"Go before I do sothing you won’t like at the mont," the man said gently, pushing her before picking up his scythe.
Alia gulped and quickly backed.
As if her pants caught fire, she ran away from the man, looking back in between to ensure he wasn’t following her.
It was good that he saved and protected her, but this was getting out of hand now.
As Alia turned around the corner, she bumped into Alpha Killian, and a curse almost left her mouth.
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