Kian’s POV

  

By now, my daily routine had completely shifted around Kai.

Every single day after college ended, he made me meet him. And every single day, he gave me a rough time—forcing me to run laps around the grounds, play basketball, football, cricket, and even sit down for intense carrom board matches.

Because of this, I went home late every evening. The moment my body hit the mattress, I felt like a dead man, completely drained of life and energy. My mom was starting to get genuinely worried about me.

At this point, I had lost count of how many times I had cut my elbows, hands, and knees. Sure, Kai was always the one who cleaned and bandaged my wounds afterward... but he was the direct reason I kept getting cut up in the first place!

Yet, Kai wasn't the only one giving me a hard time.

That same freshman bully and his clique were non-stop on my case. Whenever they caught me alone without Kai anywhere in sight, they immediately stepped in my path to pick on me.

One day in the classroom, I finally snapped. "What did I ever do wrong to you?!" I blurted out. "Why are you always talking to me so rudely?!"

His answer? A sharp, vicious punch straight to my face.

My lip split open, trickling blood down my chin. Around the classroom, a few students actually smirked and giggled.

Sun immediately jumped up from his desk, rushing over to stand in front of me. "Hey! Why did you do that?! What did he ever do to you for you to lay hands on him?!"

The bully glared at Sun, cracking his knuckles. "You want to get beaten up too? Step up, then!"

I quickly reached out and grabbed Sun's arm, pulling him back. "It's okay, Sun... I'm fine. Please, don't get into an argument with our classmate for me."

"You weak bastard!" the bully sneered, towering over me. "Are you even an Alpha? You're just a pathetic bitch who loves acting weak to gain everyone's sympathy, aren't you?! Let me teach you a real lesson!"

SLAP!

Another harsh strike landed across my cheek.

Unable to take the humiliation and pain any longer, I turned and ran straight out of the classroom. The bully yelled after me, chasing me down the hallway.

Panicking, I sprinted around the corner—and crashed headfirst into a tall, broad chest.

I stumbled back, looking up through my tear-filled eyes.

It was none other than Kai.

Kai looked down at me, his eyes dark, before shifting his gaze to the bully standing frozen at the end of the hallway.

Without saying a single word to the boy, Kai grabbed my wrist and forcefully dragged me down the corridor. I stumbled after him, having no idea where he was taking me.

He pulled me straight into the college chemistry lab and slammed the door shut behind us.

The lab was completely deserted—not a single student or teacher was in sight.

Suddenly, Kai turned on me, his voice echoing loudly against the walls. "Are you ever going to change?! How long are you going to keep running away from your problems?!"

I flinched, shrinking back against the lab counter.

"Don't you want to deal with those bastards who deliberately try to hurt you for no reason?!" Kai yelled, his face tight with anger. "You just let them do whatever they want to you!"

   

Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down my hot, bruised cheeks. His harsh shouting made my entire body stiffen with fear.

"Stop crying like a weakling who doesn't have arms or legs to stand on!" he snapped, stepping closer. "You're acting like a pathetic coward who refuses to fight back! You just let everyone torture you!"

I sobbed quietly, unable to stop the tears. Kai had always spoken to me in a cold, distant voice, but hearing him shout at me like this cut deeper than any physical slap.

"What?! Don't you have a mouth?!" he demanded, frustration lacing every word. "Why are you staying silent like you're mute?! Speak up, damn it!"

I stared down at the tile floor, my throat tight. Not a single word would come out.

he let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Hanging out with you is a complete waste of my time. You actually love letting people take advantage of you, don't you? Do you feel happy letting others hurt you?! Crying like this must just be an act for you—you're probably completely used to it by now!"

I felt so deeply insulted. His words cut through me far worse than any physical strike ever had.

Even though he had made me run endless laps and pushed me to my absolute limits, he had never turned around and mocked me. He had always cleaned my wounds and driven me home safely. But now, hearing him spit those cruel assumptions at me... it hurt a thousand times worse than all the bullying I had suffered from everyone else combined.

Why does it hurt so much coming from him? I asked myself, tears blinding my vision. Isn't this normal? They're all rich Alphas... they're supposed to treat a poor scholarship student like me this way. It's normal... right?

Wiping my eyes with my trembling sleeve, I turned around to sprint out of the lab.

Before I could reach the door, Kai grabbed my arm, slamming me back against the counter. "You're so good at running away from your problems, aren't you?!" he barked. "You're not going anywhere. Do one hundred push-ups right now!"

I looked up at him through my tears, but his eyes were completely cold and unyielding.

Summoning every single ounce of courage I had left, I choked out, "I... I want to go home."

"Don't push me! Do them right now!" Kai cut me off, his voice thunderous. "And who allowed you to talk back to me?! You don't talk back to those bullies, so don't start with me! Hurry up—don't make me lose my patience!"

Sobbing uncontrollably, I sank onto the cold tile floor. I tried to place my palms flat to do a push-up, but my hands were shaking so violently that my arms collapsed beneath me. I sat there on the floor, weeping openly in front of him without holding anything back.

"What? You don't want to do it?!" Kai stepped closer, grabbing my trembling hand tightly. "Stop wasting my time!"

Something inside me snapped. A tidal wave of built-up frustration, hurt, and rage suddenly boiled over.

With all the strength left in my body, I shoved his hands away and screamed at the top of my lungs: "I DON'T WANT TO DO IT, OKAY?! I DON'T WANT TO DO YOUR STUPID PUSH-UPS!"

Kai froze, his eyes widening slightly.

"YES! I AM WEAK! THAT IS MY PROBLEM, NOT YOURS!" I sobbed, my chest heaving as tears streamed down my red, bruised face. "DO NOT INTERFERE IN MY BUSINESS EVER AGAIN!"