The Bully Alpha's Fake Alpha Mate (BL)-Chapter 24: CORNERING SCENE

ASHER’S POV

Running and avoiding Reed has become one my favorite hobbies since I came to Stone Claw Academy. I’d been avoiding Reed for three days.

Three days of taking different routes to class, eating meals at odd hours, studying in hidden corners of the library where he wouldn’t think to look. Three days of feeling his eyes on me anyway. It was damn exhausting.

The shower incident had shaken me more than I wanted to admit. The way my body had responded to him. The instant, undeniable arousal despite everything he’d done to me. The way I’d almost let him kiss me, would have let him if Marcus hadn’t interrupted.

I was losing control, and I was losing it so damn fast. My suppressants were failing faster than ever. I had to inject again yesterday, barely four days after the last dose. At this rate, I’d run out in two weeks, and then what?

I pushed the thought away and focused on my physics textbook, trying to make sense of the equations blurring before my eyes.

The classroom was empty, it was late afternoon, that dead zone between the end of regular classes and the start of evening training sessions. I’d found this abandoned classroom on the third floor, unused, dusty, and with broken desks shoved against the walls.

It was perfect for hiding, atleast this should be the last place Reed or anyone would ever look for me. This is the only place I could be myself without worrying of exposing myself to Reed or Reed finding out the truth about me.

I could finally be myself in here and then actually read my books without getting disturbed by Reed or the group. I was so focused on the textbook that I didn’t hear the door open, and I didn’t sense him until it was too late.

"Found you." A familiar voice spoke out, and I froze, my heart skipped a beat, and my head snapped up to see Reed standing in the doorway, backlit by the hallway lights. He looked like something out of a nightmare, tall, broad-shouldered, all controlled predator energy. My heart started racing immediately.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Looking for you." Reed stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The click of the lock engaging echoed through the empty room. "You’ve been avoiding me."

"I’ve been studying, and this is my personal space Reed, and you are not invited. So, please leave." I said which made him smile.

"Liar, you are clearly avoiding me, and beside, no place in Stone Claw is personal when it comes to me. I own it all, and I am clearly invited." He said as he moved closer, and I stood up, putting the desk between us like a barrier. It felt pathetically inadequate.

"Reed, I don’t have time for whatever this is-"

"Whatever this is?" He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You mean the fact that you ran away from me? Again?"

"I didn’t run. I left, and I had other matters to attend to." I lied which made him scoffed.

"After almost letting me kiss you, and after getting hard for me." His eyes were intense, locked on mine. "After wanting me just as much as I want you."

"I don’t want you," I said automatically.

"Still lying." Reed moved around the desk, and I backed up. "Your body doesn’t lie, Asher. I can smell it on you, that sweet scent that gets stronger every time I’m near."

Panic flared, he kept mentioning that scent, a scent I couldn’t smell on me, and the worst part was that he kept noticing things he shouldn’t notice.

"You’re imagining things, Reed. You gave always imagined things since the moment I stood up to you." I told him.

"Am I?" He took another step closer, and I backed up until I hit the wall. "Then why are you running?"

"I’m not fucking run—"

"Yes, you are." Reed suddenly closed the distance between us in two strides, planting his hands on the wall on either side of my head. Caging me in. "You’ve been running since the shower. Since you realized that you want this as much as I do."

"I don’t want anything from you except for you to leave me alone. I would really love it if you can actually do that. Just leave me alone and let me be."

"Liar," he said again, his voice dropping to a low growl. "Why do you keeping lying to me and to yourself?" he asked.

We were now inches apart. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, I could smell his scent, pine and smoke and something uniquely Reed that made my head spin.

My suppressants were failing, and I could feel it in the way my body responded to his proximity. The way my pulse quickened, my breathing shallow, a warmth pooling low in my belly and between my legs.

"Reed, get away from me." I said, it was meant to be a command but it came out weaker than I expected.

"No." He answered. His eyes locked on mine.

"This is insane. We hate each other." I reminded him, and he just bobbed his head.

"I know." His gray eyes were burning into mine. "I fucking hate you, Asher Graham. I hate that I can’t stop thinking about you, I hate that I want you so badly it’s driving me crazy, and I hate that every time I close my eyes, I see you."

"Then leave me alone," I said desperately with pleasure written all over my eyes.

"I can’t." His face was so close now I could count his eyelashes. "Believe me, I’ve tried but you’re under my skin, in my head, and I can’t—I can’t fucking let you go."

His hand moved from the wall to my face, cupping my jaw. His thumb brushed over my lower lip, and I couldn’t suppress the small gasp that escaped me.

"See?" Reed’s voice was rough. "You feel it too."

"I don’t fe—"

"Please, stop lying." His other hand slid down to my hip, gripping possessively. "I can feel your heart racing, and I can see the way you’re looking at me."

"I’m looking at you with hatred, Reed." I said, my voice dropping low.

"Hatred." Reed’s lips curved into a dark smile. "Is that what you call this?"

He leaned in, his nose brushing along my jaw, and I felt him inhale deeply.

"God, you smell incredible," he murmured against my skin. "Sweet and perfect and mine."

"I’m not yours." I countered him.

"Aren’t you?" His lips ghosted over my pulse point, and my entire body trembled. "Then why are you shaking? Why is your pulse racing? Why—" his hand on my hip slid lower, pressing against the front of my jeans, "—are you hard?"

I was despite everything, despite the hatred and fear and the knowledge that this was wrong on every level, I was achingly, and embarrassingly hard.

"That doesn’t mean anything," I managed. "its just normal for a healthy man to grow hard."

"It means everything." Reed’s hand pressed harder, and I couldn’t stop the small sound that escaped my throat. "It means you want me, and it means your body knows what your mind won’t admit."

"Reed—" My voice broke.

"Say it." His lips were at my ear now, his breath hot against my skin. "Say you want me."

"I—I can’t." I stammered as I protested.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because you’re a monster." The words came out choked. "Because you’ve tortured me since the day I got here, because you hired people to attack me, and because you’re cruel and sadistic and—"

"And you want me anyway," Reed finished. He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. "Don’t you?"

I stared at him, breathing hard, caught between denial and the horrible truth.

Yes, Goddess help me, yes. I fucking wanted him with an intensity that terrified me. I wanted his hands on me, and his mouth on me. I wanted him to pin me down and take me apart until I forgot my own name. The realization was devastating and it scares me.

"I hate you," I whispered.

"I know." Reed’s hand cupped my face again, tilting my chin up. "I hate you too."

His lips hovered over mine, so close I could feel their warmth. "But I’m still going to kiss you," he said softly. "And you’re going to let me."

"No—"

"Yes."

The last inch of distance disappeared.

Reed’s lips crashed against mine, and the world exploded. It wasn’t gentle, it wasn’t sweet or tender or anything remotely romantic, It was pure possession.

His mouth claimed mine with bruising force, teeth and tongue and raw hunger. One hand fisted in my hair, yanking my head back to deepen the kiss. The other hand gripped my hip hard enough to bruise, pulling me flush against him.

I could feel every inch of him. The hard planes of his chest. The rigid length of his cock pressing against mine through our jeans.

I should have fought, I should have shoved him away, screamed, done something—anything—to stop this but instead, I kissed him back.

My hands came up to his chest, but instead of pushing, they fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. My mouth opened under his, and I met the brutal assault of his tongue with my own.

It was fury and desire and hatred all twisted together into something that felt like insanity.

Reed made a sound low in his throat. possessive and triumphant, and ground his hips against mine. The friction sent sparks of pleasure through my entire body.

"Fuck," I gasped against his mouth.

"That’s the idea," Reed growled.

His hand slid under my shirt, rough against my skin, mapping the planes of my stomach and chest. When his thumb brushed over my nipple, I arched into the touch, a moan escaping before I could stop it.

"You like that?" Reed’s voice was dark with satisfaction. "Like my hands on you?"

"Shut up," I managed.

"Make me." He dared.

I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into another kiss, harder this time, all teeth and aggression. Reed groaned and pressed me harder against the wall, his hand sliding down to palm my erection through my jeans.

The sensation was overwhelming, too much and not enough all at once. I broke the kiss, gasping for air.

"Reed—we can’t—" I told him, my face flushed and hot.

"We already are."

"This is insane. Someone could walk in—"

"The door’s locked." His hand worked at my belt buckle. "And I don’t give a fuck anyway."

"Reed, stop—"

He froze, for a moment, we just stared at each other, both breathing hard, caught in the impossible tension between us.

"Do you really want me to stop?" Reed asked quietly.

The honest answer was no. I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted him to keep touching me, kissing me. I wanted him to make good on every dark promise in his eyes but if I let this continue, if I gave in to this insane attraction, there would be no going back.

"Yes," I lied. "I want you to stop."

Something flickered across Reed’s face. Was it hurt, or was it frustration? I couldn’t tell but it was gone so quickly and then maybe I might have imagined it.

He stepped back, removing his hands from my body. The loss of contact felt like a physical ache, and my wolf whimper from its loss, and I suddenly felt empty.

"Fine," he said, his voice cold again. "Run away again, Asher. That’s all you’re good at."

The words stung more than they should have.

"I’m not running. I’m being smart. This—" I gestured between us, "—whatever this is, it can’t happen."

"Why not?" He asked, "we clearly want each other, so why cant it work?"

"Because you’re my enemy." I answered, "so we can’t do this."

"So?" Reed’s eyes were challenging. "Enemies can fuck."

"Is that all this is to you? A chance to fuck me?" I asked, completely amazed at his response.

"I don’t know what it is," Reed admitted, and for once he sounded genuinely confused. "All I know is that I can’t stop wanting you, I can’t stop thinking about you, and I’m done pretending otherwise."

"Well, I’m not." I pushed past him, heading for the door. "Stay away from me, Reed. Everything whatever it us ends now."

"Or what?"

I turned back to look at him. "Or I’ll make you regret ever meeting me."

Reed’s laugh was dark and humorless. "Too late for that, princess. I already do."

I unlocked the door and fled.

Down the hallway, down the stairs, outside into the cold air where I could finally breathe again. My lips were swollen from his kisses, my body was still trembling with unsatisfied desire, and I could still taste him, sharp and addictive and wrong.

I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and texted my mother.

Me: I need more suppressants. Emergency.

Her response came almost immediately.

Mom: Honey, I can’t send more. You have to make what you have last.

Me: They’re wearing off too fast. I need more or I’m going to be exposed.

Mom: There’s nothing I can do, I am been watched and this are a bit tight. I am been careful and you should be careful too. My warning, stay away from Alphas as much as possible.

I stared at the message, despair washing over me.

Stay away from Alphas.

The one thing I absolutely could not do because Reed Jackson wasn’t going to let me go, and the terrifying truth was, I wasn’t sure I wanted him to.