Page 73 of Cruel Destinies

The second I rounded the corner toward the gym’s exit, I spotted the last person I expected to see on this campus leaving a private training room. Niko?

I froze, the fire inside me extinguishing as if blown out by a rude gust of wind. He looked the same. His familiar short-cropped hair had a negative image of flames shaved into the sides. But now he wore a military uniform.

I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed him until this moment. I wanted to rush into his arms and kiss him fiercely just as much as I wanted to punch him in the face.

But I didn’t do either of those things. I just stood there, unsure of what to do. If he showed even the slightest interest in speaking to me, I would have. But once our eyes met, he averted his gaze, looking everywhere but at me.

He made my decision for me.

The adrenaline in my system amplified the burgeoning fury in my chest, and I decided to finally follow Arya’s advice.

With a quick sweep around the room, I spotted only one guy I found the least bit attractive. Jackson, the hound shifter with a temper—the perfect rebound. With more confidence than I actually felt, I sauntered over to Jackson and tapped him on the shoulder.

He was tall, towering over me as he turned to look at me. “Uh, hi? What’s up?” His eyebrows scrunched together as he stared at me.

“Hey, Jackson. Wanna go out with me? Get some food? Have some fun?” Again, confidence radiated off me, and I had no idea where it came from.

The group of hounds behind Jackson teased him and playfully patted his back, and though my cheeks heated, I held my sassy stance and waited for his reply with a coy smirk.

Jackson's eyes grew as wide as did his smile. “Hell yeah! Anytime, anywhere.”

His smooth response made my stomach turn into knots. For a second, I wrestled with guilt over my intentions, but I wasn’t done putting on a show for everyone—especially Niko.

“Alright. Friday, Christmas Eve?” I suggested, brimming with domineering authority like a diva.

“Sure!” he burst with a nod and an acceptably handsome grin.

“Cool. I’ll text you the details.” I spun on my heel and sashayed toward the exit, barely sparing a glance at Niko as I passed.

He did meet my gaze then. And he looked broken.

Now, it was my turn to ignore him. I swept my eyes away from him with disinterest, only for them to land on Arya, who, oddly enough, came out of the training room shortly after him. I had expected to see respect or approval on her face, but instead, I only found disappointment.

Chapter 24

Arya

I watched as Ashlyn sauntered past us out of the gym, feeling incredibly awkward standing next to Niko after that little display.

Sheepishly, I turned to look up at him. His facial features had hardened as he stared fixedly down at the floor.

“Niko, I—” I started to say, but the general stole my opportunity to offer any sort of comfort.

“Come, my boy,” he bellowed with a hearty pat on Niko’s shoulder. “We have much to do. Good day, Miss Walker.”

The general headed for the exit, and Niko obediently followed, his footsteps heavy with anger.

I hung behind long enough to make sure they were far enough away before exiting the gym in search of Ashlyn. I found her leaning against a tree on the lawn, no doubt hiding out to wait for Niko and the general to pass out of sight.

“So, what was that little scene all about?” I asked as I approached her.

She jumped at the sound of my voice but quickly recovered, crossing her arms and adopting a confident stance. “Just taking your advice.”

I arched a skeptical brow at her, matching her stance with a little more jut to my hip.

She scoffed. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who said I should get a rebound guy.”

“I thought you weren’t ready for a rebound,” I countered.

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