The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Warning. This chapter does briefly mention s****l assault and could prove triggering to some. Please do not read if it may trigger you.
Jaxon POV
“Anyway I firmly believe that you should try out for the football team” the annoying coach kept repeating as I stood there, half listening and wishing he would just shut the hell up. How many times was he going to keep repeating himself? I was about ready to scream in frustration.
Who had told him I was interested in being on the football team? I had no interest whatsoever, but I was too polite to say so. I could see Grant in the background half listening, a brooding expression on his face. I gritted my teeth. I was supposed to meet Jordan ages ago in the cafeteria so she could help me with my history paper and this guy, this fat balding guy with a huge beer belly, wouldn’t stop waffling on. It was infuriating. I needed to get the hell out of here before the bell rang and I lost my chance to speak to Jordan. No doubt she was pissed off at me for keeping her waiting. But it wasn’t my fault the coach had cornered me in the hallway and begun to talk to me, ironically near Alpha Grant’s locker from the looks of it. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and walk away, even though the urge to do so was really strong at that point.
“With all due respect sir, I have no interest in being on the football team,” I said as civilly as possible “I simply do not have the time or the inclination” I exhaled. There. That was polite and should make my point.
The man looked taken aback. Did he think I would just agree and that would be the end of it?
Grant looked pleased by my refusal. The coach narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m sure you could find the time if you really wanted to son,” he said a little snarkily “and football players do not need to do as much work in order to keep their grades up. You should think about that.”
I laughed, even though I was feeling a sense of disquiet. Why was this man so intent on me joining them? Even Grant was looking a little bemused now. I couldn’t help myself. I grinned at the man, a cocky expression on my face. He had really annoyed me now.
“I don’t have to do much schoolwork as an Alpha either sir,” I said calmly “but I choose to because it’s important to me that I learn as much as I can. It benefits no one to have a stupid Alpha in charge of the pack and I’d rather not be a laughingstock” I explained as the coach looked at me with bewilderment.
Even Grant looked impressed by that answer. I went to turn around and the coach grabbed my arm in a panic. “Wait” he blurted out “you can’t leave yet.”
Did this man have a death wish? I raised an eyebrow and regarded him coldly, all my instincts screaming at me that there was something wrong. I grabbed his hand and yanked it off, twisting it behind his back as he gave a grunt of pain. “Why are you so intent on keeping me here?” I breathed as he sweated profusely and avoided my gaze “You’ve been trying to keep me here for as long as possible. Why?” I demanded as Grant came closer, his eyes narrowed as he viewed the man questioningly, an angry expression on his face. His eyes were dark, as though he was speaking to his wolf.
“No reason” stammered the coach.
I didn’t believe him for a second. He was looking and sounding way too shifty. I pulled his hand up higher, causing him to curse and yell. Students began to scatter, leaving the coach to his own devices.
“Coach” Alpha Grant said in a deceptively calm voice “Alpha Jaxon is correct. He’s shown no interest whatsoever in playing football and yet you approached him and kept him here. Why?” he demanded.
The coach’s eyes darted between us. He looked panicked now. He swallowed hard. I crushed his hand, listening to the sounds of bones breaking with a sick sense of satisfaction as he howled in pain. The bastard was hiding something. But what?
“They asked me to” he blurted out, desperately trying to get free “I was asked to keep you distracted” he breathed, looking at me.
I frowned. “Why?”
“I don’t know” he stammered “they didn’t tell me the reason. Just that they wanted Jaxon to be distracted for as long as I could manage. I didn’t ask questions and to be honest, if I could get him to be on the football team that was a bonus as far as I could see.”
I shoved him into the lockers, feeling a sickening sense of dread. “Jordan” I breathed “I was supposed to meet her in the cafeteria” I snarled. s**t.
I turned and ran, shocked to see Alpha Grant keeping stride with me, a grim expression on his face.
“Why are you following me” I hissed “Since when did you give a s**t about Jordan?” I snarled.
“We don’t have time to argue” he snapped as we turned the corner and burst through the doors “Or aren’t you worried about your precious girlfriend” he added bitterly as I looked at him confused.
What was his problem? He almost sounded jealous I thought with a shake of my head.
My eyes scanned the cafeteria frantically. The cafeteria was crowded and it was difficult to see through the crowds. My hands clenched into fists in frustration. There were so many different scents in here that it was overwhelming.
“Damnit” I swore “I can’t see her” I added, turning to Grant whose eyes were almost black now.
He nodded to an empty table. “Is that her backpack?” he asked and I rushed over.
It was. It was sitting there, but Jordan wasn’t anywhere near it. Grant grabbed a student by the collar and hoisted him slightly in the air. The student kicked his legs.
“What the hell man” he blustered as Grant’s mouth curled in displeasure “I haven’t done anything” he protested, his eyes desperately seeking the room for someone to help. Nobody met his eyes. He was on his own.
“Nobody said you did” I hissed.
The student swallowed hard, realizing two Alphas were now glaring at him.
“The girl whose backpack that is,” Grant said, pointing to it “Where is she?” he growled.
The student’s eyes darted to the backpack. He paled.
“I um don’t know,” he said weakly.
He wasn’t a very good liar, I mused to myself. Grant clearly felt the same way, because he hoisted the student in the air even higher and then flung him into a nearby wall. He hit the wall with a loud thud, that even had me wincing slightly in sympathy. The student got to his feet shakily, putting a hand to the back of his head and flinching as blood stained his fingertips.
I eyed him cooly. Grant grabbed him again and hoisted him back into the air, looking impatient.
“Where is she” he snapped.
The student blanched. The other students nearby all fell silent, watching their Alpha lose his cool.
“I don’t know where she is” The student stammered “All I know is…” he trailed off.
“All you know is what” I snarled, ready to tear him a new one.
He gulped. “Some of the football team dragged her away,” he said in a strangled voice “She was kicking and fighting,” he said in a low voice.
I let out a ferocious growl that had the windows shaking. Grant was furious. “You all let them take her” he roared and the student flinched “Son of a b***h” he cursed.
“Which way did they go?” I demanded, moving dangerously close to the student “Which exit did they take?”
My priority was to find Jordan, even though I itched to kill everyone in the cafeteria. I couldn’t believe they all looked the other way while she was grabbed by a group of guys and dragged out against her will. Did none of them have a conscience? I was disgusted, but judging by the expression on Grant’s face, he wasn’t impressed by his pack members either. Good, maybe it would be a wake-up call for him on how they treated poor Jordan.
“They took her through those doors” he whispered, hanging his head “There were about six of them” he offered miserably. Grant flung him into a nearby table, sending it toppling to the floor as students hastily ducked out of the way. We both rushed out the doors.
“Where do you think they took her?” I panted, as we headed out into the hallway and looked up and down.
“No idea” Grant growled “but whatever they have planned it can’t be good. f**k. She’s probably terrified. What were those guys thinking” he snarled.
“That they can get away with it because their own Alpha treats her like crap” I snapped as we headed up the hallway “It’s not as if you’ve been a great role model” I glowered at him.
He went silent. My words had obviously struck a chord with him, or there was something else going on that I didn’t know about. Why the hell was he acting so protective of Jordan so suddenly? It was so different from the Alpha I had seen so far. The asshole he’d acted like the whole time I’d been going to school. This was a whole new side of him and it made me suspicious. Was it merely jealousy because he thought that Jordan and I were boyfriend and girlfriend?
“Can you smell her scent?” I asked him grimly, trying to distinguish it from the hundreds drifting throughout the school. He inhaled deeply. Frustration appeared on his face. “It’s too hard” he admitted “I keep thinking that I get a trace of it and then it’s gone.”
“Think then” I urged him “where would football players take her? They would need privacy and somewhere teachers or other students wouldn’t interrupt them.”
He thought about it. I didn’t know the school well enough. I suspected they were still in the school or on the school grounds though. Suddenly his eyes brightened.
“There are only two places I can think of. The boy’s locker room or underneath the bleachers outside” he breathed. “I overheard coach saying there aren’t any gym classes this afternoon” he added with a shout and took off with a run.
I followed, sprinting behind him.
As we got closer, Jordan’s scent got stronger. My rage increased. We reached the locker room and I didn’t hesitate, kicking the door open with a loud bang. What I saw next had me seeing red. Jordan was lying on a wooden bench, one boy holding her arms above her head, while another one was standing with his c**k out, between her legs, his hand underneath her panties. She was naked and sobbing hysterically.
“Get the f**k away from her” I roared as Grant’s eyes turned completely black.
My wolf was going berserk and wanted to take control. I was tempted to let him. My eyes were on Jordan who was crying. Everybody in this room was going to suffer, I vowed, nobody in here was going to be granted any leniency. Slowly my nails began to grow, and my canines popped out of my mouth. These bastards were going to pay and they were going to pay dearly.