The Bully Alpha's Fake Alpha Mate (BL)-Chapter 25: ACADEMY HIERARCHY

ASHER

The cafeteria buzzed with tension the next day. I could feel it the moment I walked in, the way conversations stopped, the way eyes tracked my movement, the weight of collective judgment pressing down on me from all sides.

News traveled fast at Stone Claw Academy, and apparently, everyone had heard about Reed cornering me in that empty classroom.

I grabbed a tray and moved through the lunch line, acutely aware of the whispers following me.

"—heard Reed had him pinned against the wall—"

"—totally going to destroy him—"

"—shouldn’t have challenged Jackson in the first place—"

I kept my expression neutral, my movements calm and controlled, even as my heart raced. The last thing I needed was to show weakness. Not here, and not now.

Scott waved at me from a table near the windows. I headed toward him, grateful for at least one friendly face.

"Hey," he said as I sat down. His eyes were concerned. "You okay? You look like you didn’t sleep."

"I didn’t." I hadn’t because every time I’d closed my eyes, I’d felt Reed’s hands on me, tasted his kiss, heard his voice saying I’m done pretending otherwise.

"Everyone’s talking about you and Reed," Scott said quietly. "About whatever happened yesterday."

"Nothing happened." I said too quickly.

"Asher—"

"Nothing happened," I repeated firmly this time. I wasn’t going to tell him that my worst nightmare had kissed me and I actually enjoyed it, and didn’t want it to end. "Reed’s just... being Reed. Trying to intimidate me. It’s not going to work."

Scott didn’t look convinced, but he let it drop. "Well, you should know. The Academy’s basically split into factions now. Reed’s inner circle versus everyone else, and you’ve somehow become the symbol of the ’everyone else’ camp. It’s totally different from our little hiding group we created. It’s becoming wild and huge."

I blinked. "What?"

"Look around." Scott gestured subtly at the cafeteria, and I did.

The social structure of Stone Claw Academy had always been obvious, but now it was glaringly clear. Reed sat at the center table with his elite group, Callum, two other Alpha legacy students named Tyler and Jax, and a few carefully selected others. They radiated power and privilege, the undisputed rulers of the Academy.

Around them, in concentric circles of decreasing status, sat the rest of the student body but today, something was different.

Several tables, mostly populated by lower-tier Alphas and a few Betas kept glancing at me. Not with the usual contempt or fear, but with something else. They looked at me with interest, calculation, and hope.

"They’re watching you," Scott confirmed. "Ever since you stood up to Reed on your first day, people have been paying attention. Most students are too scared to challenge him, but you did, and you’re still here."

"Barely," I muttered.

"But you’re here, and that means something." Scott leaned forward. "Reed’s been the undisputed king of this place for three years. Nobody questions him, nobody defies him, not until you showed up."

"I’m not trying to start a revolution, Scott. I told you and the group before and I still meant it, I just want to survive until graduation."

"Too late for that." Scott’s voice was gentle but firm. "Whether you meant to or not, you’ve become a symbol. Other Alphas see you as proof that Reed Jackson isn’t invincible."

I glanced back at Reed’s table. He was watching me, his gray eyes intense and predatory. When our gazes met, he smiled, a slow, dangerous curve of his lips that sent heat pooling in my stomach and between my legs, and I looked away quickly.

"This is insane," I said. "I’m not a symbol. I’m just a student trying to get through each day without getting killed by Reed or anybody." I told him even though I know what me and Reed shared was more than him killing me now.

"Then you might want to be careful about who approaches you," Scott warned. "Because—" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Asher Graham?"

I turned to find three Alphas standing beside our table. I recognized them from combat class, all third-years, all lower in the hierarchy than Reed but still formidable.

The one who’d spoken was tall and lean with dark skin and sharp features. His name was Julian, I thought.

"Can I help you?" I asked cautiously.

"We wanted to introduce ourselves properly," Julian said. "I’m Julian Storm. This is Kai Winters and Devon Cross." He gestured to his companions, one with shaggy blonde hair, the other built like a tank with a buzz cut.

"Okay...?"

"We wanted you to know that not everyone here worships Reed Jackson, and we would love to stand beside you. Besides, we heard about your little group and we would love to be a part of it." Julian said.

I felt Scott tense beside me, my eyes widened. How did they know, Scott, Jasmine, Liam, Marcus, and I were very secret about it and if they do know about it, meaning Reed knows already and he has been quiet about it.

I turned to look at him and I could feel his eyes boring holes into me and I turned away quickly to look away from him. I knew I was doomed.

"I’m not looking for allies," I said carefully.

"Maybe not," Kai said, his voice surprisingly gentle for an Alpha. "But you have them anyway, and I am here to support you."

"What we had, my group is not for war, it’s just how to survive, and we are not stupid enough to challenge Reed." I muttered.

Devon grinned. "Sometimes there’s not much difference about challenging, and surviving, and maybe soon you will challenge him but the point is, you’re not alone here. If Reed comes after you again, you’ve got people who’ll have your back."

"Why?" I asked bluntly. "You don’t know me. Why would you risk pissing off Reed Jackson for a stranger?" I asked, wondering why everyone wants to risk it for me, and go against Reed.

Julian’s expression hardened. "Because Reed has done so many bad things to us. To him, he was correcting us and allowing us to follow the damn school hierarchy but to us it’s bullying. He is torturing us and having fun with us and we hate it. You saw what he did to Scott the first day you came, that’s what he has been doing to us, and we hate it.."

He leaned in slightly. " We are tired of allowing Reed Jackson to run this Academy like his personal kingdom for too long, we are glad you came and challenged him. We need more of you."

I didn’t know what to say, I’d been so focused on trying to hide from Reed, to ignore the fire he was building inside of me and the attraction I was feeling towards him that was slowly turning me into a mess.

It was making me yearn for him and I hated it so fucking much. I couldn’t handle everything all on my own, with my secret, Reed’s extremely open threats and hidden intentions, I was totally drowning. And before I could respond, Julian tapped my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Think about it, and don’t forget to invite us for your next meeting." He said with a smile on his face, and they left, heading back to their table across the cafeteria.

Scott whistled low. "Well. This just got a lot more complicated."

"You think?" I pushed my untouched food away, my appetite gone. "I came here to lay low, Scott. To get through four years without anyone noticing me."

"Yeah, well, that ship sailed the day you stood between Reed and me," Scott said. "You’re in the middle of Academy politics now whether you like it or not."

I glanced back at Reed’s table. He was watching me again, his expression unreadable but his eyes burning with intensity, and I realized Scott was right.

There was no going back, no staying neutral, and no avoiding this conflict. I was trapped, caught between Reed’s obsessive attention, my own dangerous secret, and the unexpected role of reluctant revolutionary, and I had no idea how I was going to survive any of it.