"The saddest noise in the world is that of a heart breaking." - Ken Poirot

It took me at least a whole minute to figure out and understand where I was when I opened my eyes.

I sat up slowly and slid my legs out of bed, rubbing a mildly aching head. I missed the comfort of my home, the love of my family and pack. Over here, I constantly felt on edge, especially when he was around.

The word 'his' still rang in my head. Why does he keep saying that? I need to have a conversation and set this straight before others get hurt. Yes, I have to do that. Right now.

My stomach growled.

Or maybe after I tame the beast residing in my stomach demanding for food.

I headed for the door but was caught off guard when someone from the other side opened it.

"Good, you're awake. 80 percent of my energy got wasted trying to wake-," Josh leant forward and lowered his voice, "that pissed off Alpha bastard back in the lounge."

"I can hear you, Josh." Tyler's loud voice shouted.

Josh rolled his eyes, "Anyways, I got pizza from the cafe to make this shitty day better. What do you say, roomie? Ready for a pizza eating competition?" he winked.

Pizza? PIZZA?

Exactly what the beast inside me needed.

I grinned, "What are we waiting for? Let's attack."

---

As soon as my stomach's hunger was fulfilled, I made my way out the door, trying my best to ignore the questions being shouted at me by my roommates. I had a feeling they'd follow me so I started to run in the building and soon found out that I was completely lost.

I wandered in different aisles, climbed different staircases in search of his smell. I had no idea where I was going. I took a few doors here and there, but each time I was back in a hallway that looked exactly the same as the other ones I had seen.

Coming to a stop, I exhaled and leant on a nearby wall, my head falling into my hands.

Where the hell am I? And why- wait. Someone is here.

"Vivian?"

I turned my head to the direction of the voice and saw Elliot, his face completely bloody. If he hadn't called my name, I would've never guessed that it was him because of all the blood. I couldn't recognize him, he's too far away and his gait is all wrong. His nose was out of place; broken. His body marred with bruises which were a multitude of hues, colours that normally should not be on someone's skin. There were garish purple splotches, roughly the size of a fist, while others were more greyish but still looked just as bad. And they were all over him. And it wasn't just the bruises. There were scratches, too. Lines across his body, like someone or something, had dug its nails into him, tearing his flesh. Someone had clawed away at him. He looked terrible.

I instantly ran towards him, "What happened to you, Elliot? You're bleeding so much.....we have to take you to the Academy Doctor."

I had never, not even once in my life, seen as much blood as this.

My hands were trembling when they made an awful attempt to stop the blood that was oozing out of his stomach. How can I fix him? I've never dealt with this much blood, "Who..how, what the...El..who did this?"

I felt tears about to come out. What beast could hurt someone like him?

"I am fine, Vivian. You don't have to worry," he speaks, his cracked lips failing at the first syllable.

"What do you mean not worry? Are you out of your mind?! You can't heal yourself with this many injuries! You have to let me take you to-" He put a bloody finger on his lips.

"Shh...it is okay. I will be okay, I am heading to the Doctor."

Zack was right. I should've never come here. Since day one, everything is going wrong. First Ethan with his awful stunts and now Elliot all injured.

I cannot take this. I have to leave this place. I am not prepared for this torture. I don't need this Academy to survive.

I don't need anything. Nothing. I am okay. I am okay.

No.

I am not okay. I can't- I was never this weak....never?

I want to stand but for the moment my legs have given way to gravity, shaky, weak. I felt Elliot wrap his bloody arms around my waist and then pulling me in for a hug.

"Shh, baby girl. You are okay," he whispered.

I didn't realise that I was crying. I never thought of myself to be someone who would collapse under pressure. Never. I felt alone and helpless. Like the time I was lost in the woods.

"This Academy is tough....I can't deal with it...first Ethan's class and now....wait-" I pushed him away. My eyes were obediently on his red-rimmed eyes and the next they were rested on the bloody mess that had been a perfectly ordinary nose only hours before; so ordinary in fact that I could not recall what it had looked like. "Did Ethan do this to you? Did he do this because you stopped the fight?"

I found the answer in his silence.

Everyone was getting hurt because of me. Because of us. This needs to stop.

"Ethan is a dead man today," I shoved Elliot aside and started to walk in the direction he came from. A new type of energy sizzled through me. First, anger consumed me. Now, it is revenge.

I've had it.

My plan to get revenge was cut short when I was stopped by Elliot who grabbed my wrist. It was still painful to see how wrecked his face was.

"Stop Vivian...Ethan didn't attack me because of the fight."

"Then what the hell made him do that to you? He could've killed you! That bastard is a monster!" I screamed and pulled my wrist from his grasp with a new found force.

Elliot let out a deep, painful sigh, his eyes tightly squeezed shut, "I found out that he is your mate...."

Those eight words sucked the air out of my body. However, the next sentence completely paralysed me.

".....and Ethan found out that I took his mate's virginity."

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