Chapter 14. Who did I scam, darling?

Eve jerks in his sleep, eyelashes fluttering, he fights back the sleep and the strong headache. He blinked the sleep away, and saw a familiar ceiling upon opening his eyes. As he sat up, his eyes darted across the empty room. He made a motion and a pain drilled through his entire body as he tried to move to leave his bed. 

He winced in pain as he suddenly remembered the agonising disaster he went through last night. He instinctively reached for his neck to caress the bruises on it. Nervousness washed over him as he recalled how he nearly lost his life at the hands of the devil who choked him. But who was he and what he wanted from him? He didn't know the answer and the question itself left a very bitter taste in his mouth. 

Eve flinched as he heard a knock on the doors and he felt a shiver run down his spine. His body and mind reacted on their own and he clutched the blanket to his chest as if his instincts were telling him that soon a nightmare was going to come true or maybe already had. 

"Eve?" 

Eve sighed out the breath he was holding, at the sound of the familiar voice and he felt at ease. Shoving the blankets away he excitedly left the bed to meet the playful person that promised to take care of him. However, he halted in his tracks as he looked down at his clothes and frowned. 

Wait when did I change the clothes? He asked himself. 

He pondered about the last night, and he was sure he didn't get the time to change, and straight passed out after the devil left the room before choking him to death. Maybe he had woken up in the middle of the night and forgot about it because he was quite exhausted, he assumed. 

"Eve, are you not up yet?" 

Eve looked up at the door and snapped back to reality. He didn't pay any thought and ran towards the door. Upon opening the door, he came face to face with a fresh smiling face. 

And a scowling face behind him. 

"Good morning, Luna," River smiled widely and Eve smiled back as he felt relieved. However, as much as he felt at ease, his heart was the exact opposite. He didn't know why his heart suddenly started to beat fast or why he wanted to cry out loud as soon as he saw River. 

Probably because he felt gratitude towards him that he's the only one who helped him in this hellish school, he thought. 

"What are these marks on your neck?" River let out in confusion but then he smiled. "So, the Alpha already marked his territory." 

Eve frowned in disarray as he reached out for his neck, remembering how a stranger attacked him out of nowhere. He couldn't understand how to tell that to River or Sage. 

Sage, who was poking holes in River's face but when his eyes met with Eve's confused ones they softened, but he immediately looked away. 

"W-What?" Eve innocently asked. 

"Nothing, just go get ready. After breakfast, I'll take you to get your batch." River said and took a step forward, causing Eve to unknowingly take a step backward. Eve's eyes widened and he looked up bashfully at River, who looked at him awkwardly. Eve cursed himself for making things awkward unintentionally. He nodded and entered the room to get ready.

River sighed as he wiped away his smile, while Sage glared at him in disgust.

"So, that drug really works. I need to let Alpha know." 

As Eve went inside.

River whistled like a carefree delinquent. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded on his chest, shirt unbuttoned showing half of his upper chest, looking like a hot thug. Anyone could find him irresistible but knowing his true colours Sage could only glare at him. 

He snarled, finding the whistling noise irritable, his blue fierce eyes piercing holes at River's head. River stopped whistling and raised his brow when his eyes met Sage's burning eyes and flaring nostrils.

"What?" River asked boredly. 

"This is not right?" Standing in front of Eve's dorm, waiting while he gets dressed, Sage growls. 

"Not right what?" River scoffed in annoyance. He continued when Sage didn't speak and kept staring at him. "Oh, I have to guess it myself?"

Sage grimaced at his mocking tone and tried to suppress his building rage. He hates when River acts like this. 

"Why are you acting like a scheming bitch again?" 

If someone else was standing in place of Sage, they would have already been placed in a position where they could never speak again.

But since it was Sage, River only finds his anger amusing. 

"Who did I scam, darling? You need to be more specific than that?" He smirked, pretending as if he didn't know what Sage was talking about. 

Sage also hates it when he plays the ignorant card. All in all, he doesn't know why he even likes River when he's nothing but full of flaws. Maybe love indeed made you blind. Because now too he couldn't help but get affected by that tempting smile. 

"How could you break the trust he puts in you?" Sage huffs, desperate for River to understand what he's saying. "Have you ever noticed how this kid looks at you, how his brow relaxes on its own as soon as he gets close to you, believing that you'll protect him from everything, completely unaware of your true face? And you gladly threw him at Alpha's feet for your selfishness."

River rolled his eyes and stuck his middle finger in his ear, indicating to Sage that his voice was bothering him.

"You know, you're getting so annoying now. Why do you always have to get involved in my business?" River glared at him down, dead serious, which made Sage flinch and he felt a pain in his chest. 

Sage knew that River didn't feel the same way he do, but what was more saddening was that River never even considered how his words were like a sharp stab to his heart. 

Sage stiffened with a hurtful expression, he didn't mind getting beaten by anyone but it pained him whenever River used the nasty words. 

He sometimes feels jealous of Eve, because, even though he didn't know River's intentions, he gets to feel River's so-called fake smiles that feel so sincere, his protectiveness that feels so safe, and his sweet words with hidden meanings that Eve doesn't need to know yet.