CHAPTER 74: TAROS HAS A GIRLFRIEND?

"What?" she shouted, her eyes wide with surprise. Did she not blend in well enough with the boys? If she hadn’t told Alex that she was a girl, he would have never guessed.

"I’m just saying," Alex replied with a slight shrug and a smile, though he didn’t move away from her side.

Angela nodded slowly. She began to wonder what else she could do to blend in better. Then an idea struck her. Maybe if she changed the way she walked and talked, it would help.

She stopped standing straight like she usually did. Raising her shoulders, she pushed her arms slightly forward and squinted her eyes as she scanned around. She was going to frown, no matter what... because that’s what the alphas did most of the time—walking around like the world was a burden, no trace of a smile. Maybe that kind of look impressed some girls, but not her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Alex asked, staring at her with a straight face, as if he hadn’t told her to blend in just a moment ago.

Angela rubbed her chin and raised a brow at him. She stepped back, rubbed her hands together, then stepped forward again and said, "I’m trying to blend in, boy. Sup?"

"Please don’t blend in anymore," Alex muttered as he quickly dragged her by the arm and looked around to make sure no one was watching. He didn’t even know what to say to her at that point. All he knew was that she had to stop whatever that was. "Are you being serious? You look nothing like the other boys here."

"Really?" Angela dropped the act and straightened up, her body relaxing again. She stared at him in disbelief. How could he say she looked different when she was just copying what most boys do when a girl walks past? "But that’s what you guys do."

"I doubt that. It looked fake... and weird too," Alex said quietly. They were standing behind Kaito, who was having a conversation with a senior student.

"I was trying and I—"

"Don’t try, Angela," Alex cut in gently. "Just be normal. I just don’t want you laughing like a girl in public or staring at Alpha Taros like he’s the last man on earth."

"Are you serious?" Angela couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at her lips. She didn’t know her feelings for Taros were that obvious. Her hand moved to her neck and she bit her lower lip, eyes quickly looking away from her friend. Oh Taros!

"See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about," Alex sighed, watching her closely. "Don’t do that, please."

"It’s not like I’m forcing it. But I’ll try not to," Angela replied, her voice serious.

Kaito was moving now, and they followed him. Angela nearly missed a step on the stairs when she heard the loud screams of girls calling Kaito’s name. They were shouting at the top of their lungs, saying they loved him and all the other wild things fans usually said.

And Kaito? He didn’t even smile. He just kept walking, quiet and focused, as if the noise around him meant nothing. But the girls didn’t stop. Their screams grew louder and more desperate. Angela’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. As they moved forward, she saw some girls holding up painted portraits of him.

That was too much. Didn’t they know he was her mate? Deep inside her, Mighty-storm bared her teeth, growling for them to back off. He was already taken.

"Now I understand why Kaito always feels like a king," Angela mumbled under her breath.

They stopped walking, but only because Kaito had stopped. In front of them stood four giant thrones. She could already guess who owned them. Each one had the first letter of its House carved boldly at the top. The one in the middle had a large W. Kaito walked toward it and sat down like he belonged there.

He was the only Alpha present, or so she thought.

Alex picked one of the seats beside the thrones. He placed his hand on the empty one next to him, and Angela sat down without a word.

"We’re playing a match with the Form Three boys," Alex told her, his eyes scanning the area. He was probably looking for Stales. He had left earlier with Renn to prepare, and since Renn was nowhere to be found, he figured they were still getting ready.

"I wanted to join, but I didn’t know there would be this much crowd," Angela said, shaking her head. The whole thing was already making her nervous. She began thinking of backing out.

"Don’t even try it," Alex warned. "I already submitted your name. You’re participating, whether you know how to play or not. If we win, you’ll get extra points added to your ranking. It will boost you."

"I really need those points," Angela sighed, remembering what her name looked like at the bottom of the general board. She turned to search for Stales, but her eyes landed on something else. Or rather, someone.

Taros was talking to a girl.

She looked too happy to be talking to him, and what made it worse was that he was smiling back. That smile wasn’t forced. It wasn’t polite. It was real.

Angela felt her chest tighten.

The girl had long red hair that fell over her shoulders, and her whole vibe screamed She-wolf. Confident. Maybe flirty. Perfect.

"Who is that?" Angela asked, trying to sound calm, but her voice shook a little. Her cheeks were already burning. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but something about that girl didn’t feel right. How could she make Taros smile like that? Why was she even making him smile?

"That’s Hailey," Alex said with a sigh. "She’s Principal Valois’s sister. She’s been Taros’ girlfriend for years now."

Her heart skipped. Angela felt her blood boil. Her skin must have turned pale like she had just seen a ghost. She looked again at the two people still talking, still smiling. She didn’t want to believe what she was seeing. So he had a girlfriend all this time? And he had been playing games with her?