CHAPTER 26: _ I DON’T CARE

~Darien’s Point Of View~

Darien Bellamy walks away from Heidi like she’s just another assignment he’s done with. Like her wide eyes and quiet trembling hadn’t clawed at something underneath. He walks quickly, not because he’s afraid she’ll call him back, but because he’s afraid he might stop.

He’s afraid that what happened in the study the other day would happen again. His brothers had brushed Heidi’s silly declaration of their kiss as him just toying around with the Omega who is unfortunate enough to be their fated mate.

And that’s where the problem is—he wasn’t toying around with her.

He hates dirt and everything that symbolizes low class especially since it’ll soil their family’s name and make his mother unhappy. But he kissed her back voluntarily. He enjoyed it. That’s what drives him crazy and makes his blood boil.

That’s why he stood back and watched her get punished by Grayson and Morgan. Yes... who was she to unnerve him so? To make an Alpha blood restless? She deserves every bit of suffering that is bound to come her way.!

The corridor curves ahead of him, students brushing past in their navy plaid uniforms and chatty conversations. Duskwind Academy may be old, but it’s alive, and every inch of its stony walls feels like it’s watching, judging, and whispering secrets.

"Heidi is in pain and what did we do?" his wolf rages.

Darien grits his teeth. Not this again.

"Her pain is our pain."

"Stop." He mutters under his breath.

"You hurt because she hurts. That’s what being her mate means, Darien."

Argh! Please!

He halts near a stained-glass window depicting the Moon Goddess and exhales. Heidi is nothing to him. She’s annoying, infuriating, and weak. Always flinching. Always looking like a kicked puppy. And yet...

And yet.

He still sees her eyes when she looks up at him, "I’m foolish for thinking I could trust you."

Damn her.

"You can lie to yourself all you want," his wolf, Kairos, continues. "But you felt it. That bond is snapping into place. And you felt it when Grayson and Morgan threw her around like a toy."

Darien’s jaw ticks. "They’re her mates too and they still bullied her. Amias walked past her like she was invisible, so why should I be the one to feel guilty or get trapped in the bond?!"

"That’s because you’re different, Darien."

"I’m not." He starts walking again. "I’m not the only one bonded to her. Let someone else care."

Kairos scoffs. "You can’t outrun what’s already in your blood."

That’s it. He’s done with this conversation. Not when it accelerates the degree of his heartbeat and makes him question everything he thinks he believes about control and reputation. He pushes Kairos down. Hard.

Darien reaches the staircase leading to the upper tiers of the Academy and starts climbing. Duskwind’s system is brutal and unforgiving. Students are divided not by age or experience, but by power. And Darien is a level three psychic werewolf; one of the highest ranks among psychic specialists, a rare breed. His lectures aren’t with the general population. They’re with the elite, the dangerous, and the gifted.

Which is both a blessing and a curse. No Grayson. No Morgan. No Amias. Thank the Goddess.

Morgan and Grayson are an Aetherblade werewolves. These types are more substantial in battles with their abilities to create slashes that travel through the air and hit from unexpected angles.

However, since they are werewolves, they already had enough strength and abilities to fight a battle without aetherblades. Hence, those who fall under this category aren’t highly ranked. But being a psychic werewolf puts you right there with the high-ranked abilities.

Since he and his brothers share different abilities, Darien can’t be more glad. But then... there’s Lira. He enters Lecture Hall Arcanum and finds her already in her seat, flipping through a textbook like she isn’t the one threatening Amias with his weakness earlier.

It’s crazy how her sophisticated act fools the entire school and every girl in the Duskwind literally wants to be like Lira. Fine, she’s powerful and highly intelligent, but she’s as selfish as they come.

She doesn’t look up, but Darien feels her presence like static. Why would Amias need a pretend girlfriend? To impress their father? Or to keep appearances? Whatever the reason, it makes Darien’s lip curl.

That’s not fighting fair. Who could have thought the great Amias could cut through shortcuts? Hehehe.

He settles into a seat two rows behind Lira, spacing himself far enough to breathe. Girls begin filtering in behind him, all fluttering lashes and shy glances. He barely acknowledges them. The attention used to thrill him once. Now it just turns his stomach.

He rubs at his neck, feeling Amias’s handprint still faintly hovering on it. That choking grip. That unspoken warning. The arrogance of it. His fists clench.

If it weren’t for his mother, he would have taught Amias the lesson of a lifetime a long time ago.

"We don’t brawl like savages," she’d said. "We use politics, precision, and poise. Win their hearts, then crush them slowly."

That’s his mother. Elegant and Vicious second wife of the Alpha. She’s built her reputation on clean claws and smiling fangs. And she expects him, her perfect son, to maintain it.

His sisters, his mother—they all count on him to play the perfect card. But Goddess, he wants to break something.

A chair scrapes as the professor enters. Professor Havelock is an older psychic with one blind eye sweeps into the hall and silence reigns.

Havelock nods curtly. "Today, we begin with the ethics of mental invasion..."

Darien’s knee bounces. There’s this soft tug at his heart as if he’s forgetting something. Something crucial... something weak—in pain.

Heidi. Yes!

She’s in her ruined uniform. Probably still trembling, still trying to hold herself together by wiping at that bloody inky stain on her uniform. And she’s his assistant in this investigation. She can’t walk around like that. No, he can’t allow it. That’s also like a stain on his reputation.

Damn it.

He pushes to his feet without thinking. Every head swivels toward him like prey sensing a predator.

Professor Havelock raises a brow, but not in disapproval. "Mr. Bellamy?" he asks, like he’s genuinely delighted about a student’s interruption of a lecture. Of course, he will be. As long as the student’s a Bellamy.

To what do we owe the honor?"

Darien almost rolls his eyes. Of course. If anyone else interrupted, they’d be chewed out. But hierarchy rules Duskwind, and the Bellamy name is gold.

"I need to be excused," he says flatly.

A murmur flutters through the room.

Professor Havelock waves a hand. "Of course, of course. Do take your time."

Darien strides out, ignoring the whispers. His skin crawls. Heidi. She is in an unclean uniform. Shame.

The moment he steps outside, Kairos’s taunting commences "You’re doing it. Caring. Look at you."

Caring? Him? What? Never! Darien almost stomps his feet on the floor like a pathetic wolf at the thought and idea of it. Why would anyone ever think he, Darien Bellamy, cares for someone as miserable as Heidi?!

"I just don’t want my assistant looking like a disaster." He grumbles, fisting his hands into a ball.

"You could’ve sent someone else."

Darien doesn’t reply. Because he could have. But he didn’t.