Chapter -
Piper
The next few weeks pass in a blur. Between classes and assignments, whatever free time I manage to get ends up spent on the ice.
I keep busy and for a reason.
I need away from Hunter Wardgrave.
The man is persistent.
I have to see him every day for classes sometimes even multiple times a day because he dines with his friends which apparently dine with mine. So there is no escaping him.
Sometimes, when I lie awake at night, I find myself wishing things were different.
That my life was different.
That I could simply follow my heart and give this, whatever this is between us, a real chance.
But he already made it clear that he doesn’t do love, relationships, or any of the things I crave most.
So perhaps it’s better this way.
But then reality hits, and I know there’s no point wasting time wishing for impossible things.
I can’t have love anyway.
Neither with Hunter nor anyone else.
I make my way to my first class of the day, which once again happens to be with Mr Wardgrave, when my phone pings inside my bag.
My stomach sinks at the sound.
By now, the feeling is familiar.
I already know my mood is about to be ruined before I even pull the phone from my bag.
I think it’s time for a visit. Don’t you? Halloween break is approaching, after all, and you should have some free time.
I swallow as I type the text.
I’ll arrange it.
Because appearances aside, agreeing is my only real option.
My stomach feels heavy as I put the phone away and continue towards class, trying not to think too much about what the message actually implies.
I’m just about to step into the classroom when a hand suddenly closes around my arm.
A gasp catches in my throat.
I spin around instantly, only for my eyes to land on the man standing behind me.
Julian.
Julian Reed.
My father’s right hand man.
Relief and dread crash into me at the exact same time.
“What are you doing here?” I ask quietly, my eyes flicking around the corridor to make sure no one is paying attention to us.
His grip on my arm tightens, and my eyes immediately drop to it.
“What are you doing here?” I ask again.
“You’ve been left unattended for far too long, Piper.” His tone stays calm, but it only makes my stomach twist harder. “You seem to be forgetting what’s at stake.”
My brows pull together, yet my heart immediately starts pounding at the implication.
Does he know about me and Hunter?
No.
That’s impossible.
I try to pull my arm free, but his grip only tightens further.
“Ah—” The sound leaves me before I can stop it. “I’m not… what do you—”
“I’d let go if I were you.”
The voice comes from directly behind Julian.
And then he steps into view.
Hunter.
I swallow hard at the sight of him.
As always, he looks perfectly put together. Intimidating in a way that draws attention the second he enters a room.
He’s noticeably taller than Julian, broader too, and the size difference only makes Hunter appear even more imposing.
His eyes stay fixed on Julian’s hand around my arm, and the look on his face sends a chill down my spine.
He looks genuinely dangerous.
Julian releases me, though his eyes narrow the second they shift towards Hunter.
Damn it.
Maybe he’ll just assume Hunter is a professor stepping in because a student looks uncomfortable.
“I think you should stay out of this,” Julian says evenly, though the anger in his eyes betrays him instantly.
“Step aside,” Mr Wardgrave says coolly. “And don’t waste my time. Class already started.”
The atmosphere between them turns ugly within seconds.
I notice Mr Wardgrave repeatedly clenching and unclenching his hand at his side, yet outwardly he looks entirely unaffected.
If anything, he looks bored.
I glance towards Julian, suddenly desperate to get the two of them away from each other before this turns into something worse.
“I’ll find you after class,” I say quietly.
His jaw tightens as his eyes move between me and Hunter, and panic twists inside me at the thought that he might know about us.
Though there’s barely anything to know in the first place… right?
“You’d better,” he finally says before he turns and walks away.
Silence hangs between us for a brief second.
“Like fuck you will,” Hunter says beside me.
I turn towards him with a frown.
“Just don’t get involved in this,” I say firmly. “And stay away from me. I mean it.”
I turn to head towards the classroom.
But before I can step inside, his hand closes around my arm, and he pulls me back.
Pain shoots through me instantly.
“Ah—”
Hunter immediately loosens his grip.
Unlike Julian’s, his touch is careful. Gentle even.
But the bruise already forming beneath my sleeve still throbs from where Julian held me too tightly.
Hunter’s eyes darken the second they drop to my arm.
“He bloody hurt you.”
“It’s fine.”
“No. It’s not.”
He steps closer and lowers his voice slightly.
“He’ll pay for that.”
A chill runs down my spine at the promise in his tone.
“And you won’t be seeing that scum ever again.”
“You don’t get to decide that for me,” I snap back.
Movement further down the corridor catches my attention.
Students walk past us, and my stomach drops when I notice one girl with her phone raised slightly in our direction.
I shove a hand against Hunter’s chest, forcing some space between us.
“Don’t do that again,” I hiss.
Then I turn and walk straight into the classroom without looking back.
My heart pounds all the way to my seat.
Being seen with Hunter like that was already dangerous, but with Julian here too…
And that girl definitely took a picture.
If she posts it somewhere, I’m fucked.
I quickly take my usual seat at the front of the classroom.
He walks in only seconds later.
He passes by me, and his familiar scent reaches me almost instantly.
It reminds me too much of that night.
Of him.
“Morning, everyone,” he booms, leaning back against his desk with one ankle crossed over the other and his hands loosely clasped in front of him.
His black shirt looks immaculate, his trousers just the same, not a single crease in sight. His hair sits perfectly in place, his beard trimmed, leaving behind only a faint shadow along his jaw.
And his eyes…
His eyes never leave mine even while he addresses the entire class.
Just as usual, I suppose.
I close my eyes briefly and press my fingers against my temples.
He really isn’t making this easy for me.
Maybe he doesn’t even realise what he’s doing.
Or maybe he does, and simply doesn’t care.
Either way, he brings too much attention to us, and eventually I’m going to pay the price for it.
“Today you’ll be sitting an exam,” he says. “Halloween break starts next week, and I’d rather get this one out of the way now. You’ll have another before Thanksgiving, then your semester exam in December.”
He finally turns his attention to the rest of the class.
“A lot of you will fail today,” he says coolly. “So I’d advise you to start paying attention during my classes and make sure you don’t fail the exams that follow.”
The corner of his mouth lifts slightly.
“Or don’t. I’ve no problem failing you the module entirely.”
A few groans echo through the classroom.
“Silence,” he says.
The room immediately falls silent. You could hear a pin drop.
“Miss Ashthorne, if you would.” He motions for me to step forward.
I rise slowly, sending him a glare that only makes that familiar sly smile appear on his face again.
That dimple.
Every single time I see it, I momentarily forget how to function because it looks so out of place on a man like him.
And the worst part is that he knows exactly what it does to me.
I stop in front of him, intentionally leaving some space between us, but the moment he straightens to his full height, the distance suddenly feels insignificant.
My eyes lift to his.
And the way he looks at me makes the rest of the classroom disappear for a moment.
Time seems to stretch between us before he finally turns towards his desk and reaches for a stack of papers.
“Hand these out, please.”
I take the stack from him, but he keeps hold of it for a second longer than necessary, his fingers brush mine in the process, and goosebumps immediately spread over my skin.
I swallow and quickly turn away.
Everyone is staring.
Which honestly isn’t surprising after the little display we just put on.
I keep my head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone as I place a paper on each desk and continue up the rows.
Two boys near the back of the classroom smirk the second I approach their desks.
Their eyes travel slowly over my body.
The corset dress I’m wearing only makes my chest more noticeable, and one of them openly lets his eyes rest there before he slowly licks his lips.
My body reacts instantly, but not in the way it does with Hunter.
With Hunter, the attention burns.
This only makes me want to cover myself up.
I recognise both of them vaguely through family connections, but I really can’t remember their names.
One of them flashes me a grin and wiggles his brows.
“Piper, darling, you, me, champagne and dinner sometime. We’ll call it a date.”
I roll my eyes, mildly amused by the flirting, though I also have the sudden urge to hit him for staring at my chest so blatantly.
But before I can even respond, I feel him behind me.
“Out,” Hunter says, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The classroom is dead silent.
The boy in front of me blinks, clearly caught off guard. “What? Why?”
“If I have to repeat myself, you’ll be removed from my class and failed for the module.”
His hand lands lightly on my stomach and he pulls me back into him.
The boy notices it and narrows his eyes at me.
I try to discreetly pull away, but Hunter holds me firmly in place, refusing to let me move even an inch.
The boy slowly stands and starts shoving his things into his bag.
“You too,” Hunter says.
The other looks genuinely confused. “Me? Why?”
“For talking.”
“But I didn’t—”
“Looks like you just did.”
The boy standing looks pissed.
“Well, I didn’t realise talking wasn’t allowed in this class.”
“Not to Miss Ashthorne, no,” Hunter replies without missing a beat, and I suddenly want to claw his eyes out.
He leans slightly forward, taking me with him as his hand stays possessively on my stomach.
“If you so much as look at her again,” he says calmly, “not only will you be thrown out of my class and failed for the module, you’ll be expelled from this academy and beaten within an inch of your life.”
He straightens. “Now.”
He motions towards the door, and both boys quickly grab their things and leave, though not before the first one throws one last glare in my direction.
The second they disappear outside, I try to pull myself out of Hunter’s hold, but he doesn’t budge.
If anything, his arm tightens slightly around me.
He pulls me even closer before bending down and taking a slow breath through his nose into my hair.
“Bloody addictive.”
He finally lets me go.
My heart pounds from the scene he just caused, yet my body still reacts to him despite the fear twisting inside me.