The Bully Alpha's Fake Alpha Mate (BL)-Chapter 35: THE WAR DECLARED

ASHER

I couldn’t go back to my dorm, not just yet and not when my hands were still shaking and my jeans were barely buttoned and I could still feel Reed’s hands on my body but I couldn’t stay in the woods either.

So I found myself walking back towards the bonfire, my brain still trying to process what had just happened.

The music had stopped. That was the first thing I noticed as I got closer to the clearing.

The second thing I noticed was the silence, complete and total silence.

I stepped out of the tree line, and every single person at that party turned to stare at me, hundreds of eyes all fixed on me, and then someone’s phone was still recording.

"Holy shit," someone whispered. "He actually came back."

I looked around at the faces staring at me. Some shocked, some fascinated, and some horrified.

Scott pushed through the crowd. "Asher, are you okay? What happened? Where’s Reed?"

"I’m fine." My voice came out hoarse. "I need to leave."

"You’re not fine." Scott grabbed my arm. "Your face is scratched, and your shirt is torn. What did he do to you?"

"Nothing I didn’t provoke." I told him flatly.

"That’s not an answer—"

A commotion erupted from the woods behind me, and I turned to see Reed emerge from the trees.

His hair was wild, his shirt was half unbuttoned, and his belt was still undone, hanging loose from his jeans, and his eyes.

God, his eyes were absolutely murderous.

The crowd parted for him, everyone backing away creating a pathway for him as he stalked toward the center of the clearing towards me.

Callum tried to intercept him. "Reed, man, you need to calm down—"

Reed shoved past him without a word.

His gaze was fixed on me, burning with rage, anger and possessiveness, and I took a step back.

Reed stopped in the center of the clearing. He looked around at everyone watching, at all the phones recording, and at the entire Academy holding its breath then he spoke.

"Listen up." His voice carried across the entire clearing, cold, controlled, and terrifying. "Because I’m only going to say this once."

The silence was deafening.

"From this moment forward, Asher Graham is my enemy."

Gasps rippled through the crowd, and Reed’s eyes found mine across the clearing. "You wanted to provoke me? You wanted to challenge me in front of everyone? Well congratulations, you succeeded and you have to face the music, princess."

He took a step forward.

"But here’s what happens now. Anyone who helps Asher Graham in any way becomes my enemy too. Anyone who sits with him at lunch, anyone who partners with him in class, and anyone who so much as smiles at him in the hallway becomes my damn enemy."

"Reed, you can’t be serious—" Scott started.

"Try me." Reed’s gaze slid to Scott. "That includes you, Scott. You want to keep playing hero? Go ahead but when I’m done with you, you’ll wish you’d stayed the fuck out of my way."

Scott’s jaw clenched, but he stayed silent.

Reed turned back to address the crowd.

"Asher Graham thinks he can challenge me, he thinks he can disrespect me, and he fucking thinks he can run away from me."

He smiled but it was terrifying.

"He’s about to learn what happens when you make an enemy of Reed Jackson."

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode, this was really happening, and Reed was declaring war on me in front of the entire Academy.

"So here’s how this works," Reed continued. "From now until the end of the semester, Asher Graham is untouchable. Not because I’m protecting him but because he’s mine to destroy."

He looked directly at me.

"No one touches him, no one helps him, and no one interferes because I’m going to make his life so miserable that he’ll beg me to end it."

The crowd was silent then someone started clapping. Slowly at first then others joined in, and within seconds, half the crowd was applauding Reed’s declaration while the other half looked horrified.

The Academy was splitting right before my eyes, Reed’s supporters on one side, and mine on the other except I had no supporters. I had people who were too scared of Reed to help me, and people who were too entertained by the drama to intervene.

"This is insane," Scott said beside me. "He can’t do this."

But Reed already had, he’d turned me into public enemy number one. He’d made helping me a death sentence. He’d declared open war with the entire Academy as witnesses, and judging by the cheers and the phones recording and the excited whispers spreading through the crowd, everyone was going to pick a side.

Reed started walking toward me, and the crowd scattered out of his way.

"Reed, stop," Callum called out. "You’re going to regret this tomorrow—"

"The only thing I regret is not doing this sooner." Reed stopped a few feet away from me. Close enough that I could smell him. Pine and smoke and rage. "You wanted my attention, Asher? You have it. Every single second of every single fucking day from now on, I’m going to make you wish you’d never met me."

"I already wish that," I said quietly, and Reed’s smile widened.

"Good, then we understand each other."

He leaned in close, his voice dropping so only I could hear.

"Run all you want, hide if it makes you feel better but I’m coming for you, Asher and when I catch you again, there won’t be anyone around to watch. No phones, no witnesses, just you and me."

He pulled back, his gray eyes boring into mine.

"Sleep well tonight because tomorrow, your life becomes hell."

Then he turned and walked away, and the crowd erupted into chaos. People shouting, phones flashing, and everyone talking over each other about what had just happened.

Scott grabbed my arm. "Come on, we need to get you out of here."

I pulled away from him. "You heard what he said. Anyone who helps me becomes his enemy too."

"I don’t care—"

"Well, I do." I looked at Scott. At this guy who’d shown me kindness when no one else would. "You don’t deserve to be dragged into this."

"Asher—"

"Go to your room, Scott. Stay away from me, that’s the only way you’ll survive this."

I turned and walked away before he could argue. The crowd parted for me. Some students stared with pity while others with excitement. A few looked terrified on my behalf but no one tried to stop me, and no one offered to help because Reed had declared war, and everyone knew what happened to people who got in his way.

I made it back to my dorm somehow. My legs were shaking, and my mind was racing.

Everything that had happened tonight was crashing down on me all at once.

The kiss, the woods, Reed’s hands on my body, and his voice in my ear promising to make me his.

The panic when I realized he was actually going to do it.

The knee to his groin.

The run through the darkness, and now this.

War.

Open, public, declared war with the most powerful Alpha at Westridge Academy.

I was fucked, completely and totally fucked.

My phone buzzed, amd I pulled it out, expecting more texts from unknown numbers. More gossip, more videos but this was different.

Unknown Number: You’re going to regret this.

And my blood ran cold then another text came through.

Unknown Number: Running away was a mistake. You should have let me claim you when you had the chance.

Then another.

Unknown Number: Now I’m going to make you suffer, and when you’re broken and begging, I’ll give you one more chance to be mine.

My hands were shaking so hard I almost dropped the phone.

Unknown Number: Sweet dreams, Asher. Tomorrow, the real fun begins.

I stared at the messages.

Reed was texting me, Reed was threatening me, Reed was promising to break me, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I was alone in this, completely alone and against the most dangerous Alpha at Stone Claw Academy who had just declared war on me in front of everyone.

My phone buzzed one more time.

Unknown Number: P.S. - I can still taste you, and I’m going to taste you again. Soon.

I threw my phone across the room, it hit the wall and clattered to the floor but I could still see the glow of the screen, I could still see the messages waiting there. Reed wasn’t going to stop.

He was going to hunt me, torment me, amd break me until I gave him what he wanted, until I submitted, until I became his, and the worst part? The part that terrified me more than anything?

A sick, twisted part of me wanted it, it wanted him, it wanted to go back to that tree and let him finish what he started.

I sank onto my bed, my whole body shaking.

What the fuck was wrong with me?