Page 32 of Toxic

Alvin snorted. "You’re such a lying asshole. I told you about the Kingdom of Promises, and now you suddenly act like a prude. Are you two finally fucking?"

"And what’s that to you? You’re not a pimp, that’s what you said. You won't get your share even if we did fuck."

"Sure, but why make such a big deal out of it? Can’t you just spill?"

"Don’t feel like it."

"C'mon, tell us!"

"Nope."

"C'mon!"

"God, Alvin, you really are like a dog with a bone. Give it a rest; this interrogation is cringe," Archer muttered, and I felt grateful for his intervention.

For some time now, he seemed to be a stabilizing force between me and Alvin. I almost wished he had more of a laid-back slash cool-cat personality because I could really use a buddy like that around. Unfortunately, his rigorous lifestyle kinda put me off.

Alvin huffed. "Are you his spokesperson or something? I’m just saying, the bitch is gonna drain your wallet. Don lost hundreds for nothing!"

"I’m not Don."

There was a brief pause as Alvin stared at me. Then he sighed and said in a much calmer tone, "That’s what you think, Skye. But Soren’s a beta, so your relationship is doomed anyway. He hates alphas for a reason. You don’t know him, but I’ve heard him say it a dozen times: ‘I will never date an alpha asshole again! I’d rather die!’ He prattled on about it so much, he scared off all the other patrons at the Kingdom of Promises. Do you know, at the beginning, like six months ago, they were all kinda into him? His edgy look, bad-boy aura. He’s a looker under all those piercings and tattoos, and he’s got that whole ‘hard to get’ vibe. Some thought of him as a broken angel to save. But after trying to get his attention, they all just ran away, thankful to be alive!"

I winced hearing that, feeling sorry for Soren, having to deal with so much unwanted attention. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised he saw me as just another annoying pursuer. Yet, for some reason, I was the only one who’d somehow succeeded. The question was… why?

Alvin didn’t notice my grimacing and kept going. "I kinda get Soren, though. He’s right: AOs are a thing, ABs aren’t. Betas are ‘recreational use’ only. No mateship, no fertility, no heats, no ruts. In the end, we always end up with omegas—it’s just statistics! You should save yourself the headache," he said, lying back on his bed and grabbing his phone.

"Well, even with omegas… there’s always a chance they’ll find a High Mate or a True Mate," I muttered. "Martin left me, and my brother Rain got dumped by his husband when the guy found his High Mate. Even my brother Storm is divorced now—his husband cheated on him. Breakups can happen to anyone. Nothing’s set in stone except True Mates."

Alvin raised his head. "Wait, Storm is divorced? Your adorable purple alpha brother?"

"The same. He’s in some deep shit now. Lost his job recently; my dad texted me saying he might go to jail for some messed-up stuff that happened between him and his husband. I ignored it. To be honest, I just don’t care."

"Jail? That’s bad. I guess you two are still on bad terms. Did you ever make up after… he fucked David?"

I stared at him, feeling a wave of irritation. "Why would you even bring that up? Jeez, you really are annoying." I glanced at Archer, who raised his head too, obviously intrigued.

Seeing this, Alvin perked up, he definitely wasn't going to let it go now.

"Yup, Archer, listen to this! Skye dated this guy, David, all through high school. They split up just before college started. Then Skye’s brother Storm—the infamous purple alpha—got with David and fucked him! Skye and Storm had a fight, and Storm broke his fingers. That’s why Skye sucks at the violin now…" Alvin burst into laughter.

I sat there, boiling inside that the fucker told that fucked-up story without my consent.

Archer glanced at me and murmured, "I’m sorry, Skye." I had a feeling the ‘sorry’ meant more than one thing.

"What the hell, Alvin? Why bring this shit up?! So fucking low!"

Alvin shrugged. "Chill, it’s in the past."

Fuming, I stood up and left the room without saying a word. I needed some fresh air before I exploded. Why was Alvin so passive-aggressive toward me? I had no idea. I sat on the stairs leading to the dorm and got lost in thought.

But soon, I heard footsteps behind me… and Archer joined me.

He didn’t say anything; he just sat down next to me, and we sat there in silence for a while. His presence kinda calmed me—he was a good influence on my strained nerves.

"Alvin can be super annoying sometimes. Honestly, I’m glad graduation is so close. I think our friendship from high school just… faded. We’re not in sync anymore."

Archer shrugged. "Friends are overrated anyway."

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