Bride of the Cursed Alpha (Auren and Lucien)

Chapter 184

Chapter 184

Tamara POV

Confused, I hurried over to the beachball practice area. The beachball practice area was set in a spacious park, just a short walk from the main campus. It was an open, flat patch of grass near the edge of a sandy field. The ground was smooth enough to keep the ball bouncing steadily, but there were a few patches of uneven terrain. A large net stretched across the field, marking the boundaries of the practice area. Laughter of the team as they tossed the ball back and forth sounded as I neared them.

On one side, a few benches lined up where some of the team members gathered. Some of them sprawled out on the grass, chatting idly, while others stayed focused on warming up or stretching.

Coach Dana stood in the center, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. As soon as she saw me, her expression hardened. "Tamara Vaslof?"

I nodded. "Y-yes. Good afternoon."

"You're late," she snapped, glaring at me. "Do you have an explanation for that?"

I swallowed, pulling out my phone and showing her the message from the coach. "I received this two days ago from you. I thought it was real," I stammered, my hands shaking as I handed her the phone.

She read the message, and her frown deepened. "This isn't from me," she said flatly, throwing the phone back into my hands. "Who did this? Why would you try to mess with the team like this?"

I froze, not knowing what to say. "I-I didn't—"

She cut me off, her voice cold and sharp. "I don't want to hear it. You think this is some sort of game? You think you can just waltz in here and make a joke out of the team? You're wasting my time, Tamara."

Tears stung my eyes, but I fought them back. "If you haven't sent me the message, then who sent it from your number Coach Dana?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she said, getting impatient.

Dread ran down my spine. The thing was turning mysterious by the minute. But one thing was there someone was messing with me big time. And I had to find out who that was.

in line, and don't ever do something like this again," Coach Dana grunted. "Do you know

side of the court, joining the other girls. They looked at me with judgment in their eyes. A couple of them whispered to each other, and I could hear the

They weren't the eyes of teammates. They were the eyes of people who thought I didn't belong. And maybe they were

the ball again, my hands slick with sweat. I could feel my face turning red, and I tried to shake off the embarrassment, but it stuck to me

instead, I just focused on the ball, pretending I wasn't hearing them. My mind was spinning. Everything was going wrong today. First the situation with Tulip and Matt, then the message, then the way the coach had looked at me, like I

I grabbed my things and rushed out of the park. I needed to talk to someone, figure out what was going on. But ! wasn't sure who to turn to. The idea of facing

the admin block, hoping to get some answers. When I arrived, I was directed to the office for the athletic director. The office was clean, sterile-too cold explaining a

enter.

a shrill voice

a woman with short

1/3

how to even begin. However, mustering up the courage, I told her my issue. Then I requested her, "I wanted to ask if I could

raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. "We don't usually allow mid- season switches. You've already committed to beachball. You need to see

felt my heart sink. "But I had applied for basketball

frustration, but you signed up for beachball. It's clearly written here. If you want to try basketball next season, we can discuss that. But for now, you need to stay with

going right. I was lost in a world of confusion,

the time I got back to my dorm, I was furious. Furious at the coach, at the other girls, at myself and furious at Matt for God knew why. "Why is this happening?" I muttered to myself, slamming my door behind me. I walked to my desk and sat down, trying to focus on my assignments. But even as I did the work, my mind kept wandering back to Matt, to Tulip, to Coach Dana and the events of the day. It felt like

he seemed so distant. "Why does he treat me like that?" I asked aloud. My heart ached, but I didn't know why. Was it because of the bond we shared? Or because he'd been avoiding me for the past few years? Either way, I couldn't

Angel sighed in

will reject him soon. In fact I will reject him

Please...' she

am in this constant

could, but my mind still wasn't at ease. I glanced at the clock. It

*Tamara?"