by River Ramsey
“I’m sorry, what is this?” she croaked, pointing at Axel’s name on the page.
“New transfers are assigned a guide,” she explained, as if it should be obvious. “You know him, don’t you?”
Ella gulped. She knew him well, which was exactly why she was dreading the idea of spending one second with him, let alone a whole day. “I don’t really need a guide,” she lied, deciding it would be much safer to figure out everything on her own, even if that had previously been what was stressing her out most.
The secretary looked at her doubtfully. Not that Ella could blame her. She was probably the one girl in the entire school who wouldn’t love the excuse to follow Axel around all day, but even if he wasn’t the way he was, she didn’t need to give Marissa one more reason to be territorial. “I’m afraid it’s policy. You’ll never find your way around this place by yourself.”
“Right,” Ella murmured, tucking the folder under her shoulder. “Thanks.”
She headed out into the hall and kept her head down as she walked toward her locker assignment. She was still getting stares, but not quite as overtly as before.
Maybe she was overreacting. Surely Axel wouldn’t have any interest in showing her around. She’d be surprised if he even bothered to point her in the direction of her first class.
She spotted the cluster of lockers where hers was supposed to be and just as she turned the corner, another girl shoved into her hard enough to push her against the nearest locker. Ella winced as the combination lock dug into her forearm.
“Watch where you’re going, stray,” the girl spat, surrounded by a group of smirking queens. Ella watched as they walked off, realizing Marissa wasn’t the only one she was going to have to watch out for.
She finally made her way to her locker and started trying to figure out the combination on the dial. While she was lost in focus, a shadow blocked out the light behind her. The second she registered the familiar, masculine scent, she turned around and found herself trapped between Axel, who was closer than he’d ever willingly gotten, and the locker behind her.
“Having trouble?” he asked in a tone that was too close to pleasant to be his.
“I was just figuring it out,” she muttered, clutching the folder to her chest. It made a paltry shield, but she’d never been able to help but cower in his presence.
“Yeah, looks like you’re doing a real bangup job.”
She was almost relieved to hear the sarcasm in his voice. That, she knew how to deal with. Part of her had feared he would change toward her in the same bizarre way his mother had, but she should have known better than to think Axel Hill would grovel to anyone, future Empress or not.
He reached past her, leaving her trapped between his arms as he adjusted the dial. She had to back up just to keep from being pressed against his chest, and she had a hard time remembering how to breathe with his scent playing with her head like it was. When the locker finally clicked, he pulled the padlock away, letting it dangle from his finger.
“You’ve gotta be forceful,” he said in a tone that gave her the feeling he wasn’t just talking about the dial anymore. She swallowed hard, stumbling back into the locker hard enough to push it shut when he moved closer, his forearm propped on the wall above her. He was so much taller she barely even came up to his chest, and while she’d studied his muscular physique from a distance a shameful number of times, she had yet to realize just how much power there really was rippling through his body.
Most shifters had an animal form that mirrored their nature in some way, but Axel was the other way around. He was always a tiger trapped in human skin, raw power and restlessness radiating through his every movement. His bicep flexed as he leaned in, close enough that she could feel the auras between their bodies merge. Her inner cat wanted to roll over in submission, but she knew acting like prey was only going to make him worse.
“We haven’t talked since the Unveiling,” he remarked casually, as if he wasn’t pinning her against her own locker.
“You haven’t been home,” she countered, struggling to eek the words out of her tightening vocal chords.
His lips quirked at one corner, the slightest hint of a smile that made her want to recoil and fall into his arms at the same time. “Well, you’re here now.”
Ella’s head was spinning, and not just from the dizzying effect of his musk. She’d never been this close to any male, and she was starting to see why that was the safest life strategy. She struggled to grasp onto something, anything that might distract him from whatever this was before it went wherever it was going.
“You’re supposed to be my guide.”
“I know,” he answered, unblinking and unsurprised. “Lucky you. Looks like I’m gonna have to show you all the ropes.”
Ella’s throat was bone dry, and she realized from the way the chatter around them had died down that the others were staring at them. Not that Axel seemed to care. He’d always acted like he was the only person in the world, anyway. Or at least the only one who mattered.
“I just need to know where this is,” she said, trying to keep her hands from trembling as she flipped through her schedule to show him the first page.
He cast a cursory glance down at it, but he didn’t budge. “I’ll take you there, when we’re finished talking.”
The bell rang and Ella had never been more grateful to hear such a shrill sound in her life. She managed to slip out from under his arm and took a step back. “It’s fine. I’ll find it myself,” she said, darting into the crowd before he could corner her again.
She realized halfway to the other wing of the classroom building that she had left her locker open, but there was no way she was going to risk going back for it, even if it was probably going to be filled with shaving cream when she got back.
So much for hoping nothing had changed between them. All her life, she’d wanted nothing more than for Axel to notice her. Now that he finally had, she just wanted to go back to being invisible.
Chapter 7
Ella
After managing to survive her first period class, Ella was dreading having to go all the way across the hall for economics, the first of several classes she shared with Axel. To her relief, he was nowhere to be seen when she entered the room, so she took a seat in the very back and tried to ignore the stares and whispers from the other students.
As the classroom filled, she busied herself with setting out a notebook and pens in front of her. She hadn’t even noticed Bishop was in the same class until he took the seat next to her and leaned in.
“Hey. This seat taken?”
She nearly jumped out of her skin at his familiar voice, and when she turned around to face him, she realized he was somehow even more devastatingly handsome in the Academy uniform. It looked sharp on all the toms, but while Axel had modified his by rolling up the sleeves of his button down and abandoning the blazer entirely, Bishop looked perfectly polished and made the regulation seem as if it had been tailored to him.
“No,” she said with a nervous laugh, looking around at the perimeter of empty seats that had formed around her, even though nearly every other seat was taken. “As you can see, this is the quarantine zone.”
Bishop rolled his eyes, pulling his book and tablet out of his bag. Ella realized she was the only student still toting around a pen and paper, but that was by far the least of her shortcomings. “They’re just jealous. You threw everyone for a loop at the Unveiling and they’re all afraid if they’re nice to you, they’ll piss off Marissa.”
He was speaking at a high enough volume for the students in their section to hear, but he carried himself like a man who had no reason to care what anyone else thought. Unlike Axel, he didn’t use the freedom to speak his mind for malicious purposes.
“You’re probably right,” she agreed. “Not about the jealousy part, but about Marissa.”
He gave her a knowing smile, but concern ebbed into his gaze. “How are you feeling?”
She instinctivel
y touched her chest, recalling the dull ache that still surfaced now and then. He had seemed guilty enough at the hospital about saving her life, so she didn’t want to give him any more reason to worry. “I’m fine now. Thanks to you.”
He gave a dismissive snort. “Just glad I paid attention in health last semester.”
Ella absolutely despised her mind for drifting to the other biology-related subjects he might be able to instruct her on. At least she didn’t seem to be the only female similarly affected by the dashing tom.
“How’s your mother doing?” she asked, deciding to change the subject before she made a fool of herself. It was nice to talk to someone who was willing to look her in the eye without the all-out intimidation tactics she’d just been subjected to.
Even worse was the fact that they’d had more than just their intended effect.
“She’s fine,” he answered, giving her a look that made her wonder if he knew what she was up to. He was just too much of a gentleman to call her on it. “She told me to ask you the same thing.”
Ella couldn’t help but smile. Natalia had always seemed like a genteel, gracious person from a distance, but the Hills had taught her firsthand that appearances weren’t always what they seemed. It was as much of a relief as it was a surprise to know the Empress was as genuine as she hoped.
Before Ella could respond, she felt a familiar presence looming near. She turned around as Axel dropped into the seat next to her, but his gaze was fixed on Bishop, focused and territorial.
Her heart beat a little faster, even though she knew better than to think he was actually being possessive of other her. She was nothing more than a means to an end to him, and she knew well just what Axel did to anyone who stood between him and what he wanted.
“If it isn’t the prince,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ella blinked in confusion at the insult, before she realized it was technically what Bishop was, as Natalia’s son. Axel’s tone made it clear it was still a mark of condescension.
“Axel. Showing up for class on a Monday?” Bishop asked, clearly unfazed. “What’s the occasion?”
The smirk on his lips made it clear he knew exactly why Axel was there, and rage flashed in the other tom’s eyes at being called out. Before he could respond as violently as Ella was sure he wanted, the teacher came into the room.
“Alright, quiet down,” the imposing man ordered. He looked more like a bear shifter than a cat, and he certainly wasn’t what Ella was picturing of the economics professor. She was relieved he looked more than capable of breaking up a fight, even between two of the strongest males at the Academy, but Axel and Bishop seemed to have agreed to a ceasefire. For now.
Ella tried to focus on the teacher’s lesson, even though she constantly had to flip back and forth between the page he was reading from and the glossary in the back of the book just to keep up with all the new terms.
She’d done well enough in high school economics, but she’d never imagined the shifter world’s financial structures would be so much more complicated. It was bizarre to see such familiar names in the text, the Meyers and Hills among them.
So were the Watersons. As the teacher went over the fact that the Watersons and Hills had almost singlehandedly funded the construction of the Academy, Ella was reminded of just how deep Marissa’s connections went. She had already made an enemy of the most powerful student at school, with the exception of the toms on either side of her.
Maybe cozying up to one or both of them wasn’t such a bad idea. Of course, Bishop was the much safer option of the two.
“You can borrow my notes,” Bishop offered in a whisper as he leaned over, close enough to give Ella a start.
His scent had the same intoxicating effect on her that Axel’s did, as different as it was. The tiger shifter’s energy was all fire and chaos, while Bishop’s was icy cool and just as powerful. His presence itself was as soothing as it was distracting.
She was starting to understand why the sexes had once been educated separately. She’d assumed it was because toms were unruly, but now she wondered how any of the other queens maintained their focus.
“Thanks,” she whispered back, realizing she must look as lost as she was. Maybe Bishop would even be willing to study with her. That would provide the opportunity to get to know her better, but she felt like asking any favors on top of him already saving her life was too presumptuous.
She could feel Axel’s seething glare even with her back turned, but to her relief, the bell rang before anything could come of it. She had barely stood and slipped her textbook back into her bag before Axel grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward the door.
“Hey!” she cried in protest, having no real choice but to follow along if she wanted to keep her arm.
She put the brakes on in the hall and he finally stopped, turning around with irritation still blazing in his eyes. “What the hell was that?”
“What was what?” she asked in dismay.
“You and Bishop,” he answered, as if it should be obvious. “You act like you’re going into heat the second he talks to you.”
Her cheeks inflamed with embarrassment and indignation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Please,” he snorted. Before he could follow up on that with the remarks he so clearly wanted to share, someone called his name in the same indignant tone he’d used with Ella moments earlier.
Axel turned around, seeming as confused by Marissa’s presence as Ella was. She slipped behind him, while trying to maintain as much distance between them as possible. She knew if she ran, he’d just grab her again and make the whole thing look like something it wasn’t.
Then again, she wasn’t really sure what it was, either. He’d never acted like this, and it seemed to go beyond his basic territorial temper tantrums.
Marissa’s eyes narrowed and fixed on Ella, despite her best attempts to blend into the wall. “What are you doing with her?”
Axel sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Can we do this somewhere else?”
Ella marveled at the shift in his demeanor. He was almost civil with her. Her father did still own half the pride, so it shouldn’t have come as any real shock.
“Do what?” Marissa demanded, planting herself in front of him with her arms folded in challenge. Her posse caught up with her, flanking her on either side while keeping a slight distance.
“You’re making a scene,” Axel muttered. Ella could feel his energy growing more unpredictable by the second. He had a short fuse, and once it was lit, that was it.
“A scene?” Marissa echoed, her voice spiking an octave. “What is this, are you trying to break up with me or something?”
It was clear she meant the question as an absurd deflection, but every moment of his silence intensified the growing doubt on her face.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Calm down,” the tom growled, glancing around the hallway that had become the stage for the melodrama playing out before the entire school. Ella wanted nothing more than to shrink away and disappear, but as she was contemplating doing just that, Marissa’s gaze landed on her once more.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Don’t do this,” Axel pleaded. “Not here.”
It was the first time he’d ever given any indication that he cared what anyone else thought, but Ella knew his uncharacteristic attempt at peacemaking was more political than personal.
She still couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Sure, she’d wondered if Axel would wash his hands of Marissa now that she wasn’t going to be the new Empress, but she’d never actually imagined he would go through with it.
Neither had Marissa, it seemed.
“Why, so you can tell me you’re breaking up with me to fuck that fleabitten whore your mother found on the side of the road?” Marissa cried, no longer bothering to modulate her tone at all.
Ella flinched.
She’d heard worse versions of her origin story, but this one was being broadcast in front of the entire Academy, as if to cement her status as a social outcast for good.
“This has nothing to do with Ella.”
He was lying. Ella had heard him do it enough times to know. What he was lying about was what took her by shock.
That meant it was because of her.
“Bullshit,” Marissa seethed. Her friends had moved in closer to her, ready to either offer consolation or backup depending on how the conversation went.
At the moment, Ella was betting on the latter. All she could do was stare frozen as they argued in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bishop watching from across the hall.
Now he really wasn’t going to want anything to do with her.
All at once, Axel ceased pretending to care for any reason other than his own selfish interests. “You know what? Fine. I wasn’t going to embarrass you, but if this is what you want, yes. I’m breaking up with you.”
The look of shock on Marissa’s face made it clear that she hadn’t fully believed her accusations. Not until that very moment. “What?” Her voice broke and Ella felt a pang of guilt. For what, she wasn’t sure.
“I’m done with you,” Axel said, drawing his words out slowly as if he was speaking to a child. “We’re through. Finished. Get it?”
His voice was dripping with condescension and as soon as he’d finished, the hallway fell so silent Ella could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
When Marissa finally recovered, she raised a hand and struck him right across the face. The slap was hard enough that the sound echoed through the hallway and Ella watched in the same breathless dismay as everyone else.
Sure, plenty of people had probably wanted to hit Axel over the years, and Ella counted herself among them. But no one was actually fool enough to do it.
Marissa’s eyes were burning with rage and tears, but her trembling hand, still raised, made Ella think even she was surprised at what she’d done. Axel hadn’t so much as flinched, and the fact that his expression hadn’t changed at all was even more unnerving than an outburst would have been.