(( Angst warning! I repeat ANGST WARNING! But I'm hoping this chapter can shed some light on things. Remember, Acxa is human too.))

" I can't, I can't do this anymore..."

" I'm sorry?"

" I know they're onto me... this is all so wrong." Acxa talked on her phone quietly. She stood behind the school, being that classes had gotten out a few minutes ago.

" You seem to have forgotten who's in charge around here." The other voice growled.

" You don't own me. I won't be your pawn anymore." She grit her teeth.

" That's fine... that is... if you want the police to know about your little operation." Of course the  mastermind behind this was Lotor. " Or I could just tell your mother about what's in your basement... she'd have to believe her favorite nephew."

" Like she'd listen to a rapist..." Acxa grumbled.

" I think the drugs speak for themselves, honey." Lotor's smirk could almost be heard through the phone.

" You act like weed is a big deal."

" Personally, I couldn't care less." He laughed. " But I know your mother does... and the cops will too if you don't do what I told you."

" You're awful..." She looked down. Acxa didn't want to do this, she already felt bad enough for outing Keith and Lance. When was enough enough? " I don't care that we share blood... you're not my family."

" Cool." Lotor yawned. " Oh! And make sure to bully him, too. Twist the knife."

" You want me to stab him?! That's not the agreement!" She exclaimed.

" No no... it's an expression." Lotor rolled his eyes.

...

Lance had taken way less time than usual to get his football gear on. And thankfully, him and Keith had made up fairly quickly from their little disagreement. He was giving his omega a piggyback ride, which Keith had become more comfortable with apparently.

They were going up to the field, and Hunk and Shay trailed them by about a hundred feet.

" Babe... do you hear something?" Lance whispered to his boyfriend as they came around the back of the school.

Keith perked his head up, and his smile faded slightly.

" No...?"

" Well, I did." Lance said, and he slowed the pace of his walking. The racket of his cleats tapping against the pavement eased to only small scuffing noises.

" You don't even want him, all you want to do is hurt Lance... you're not better than him so stop trying to prove it." Acxa tried to keep her voice down.

" Just do what I asked!"

" I can't!"

" Do it or I rat you out."

"I-"

Acxa froze as soon as she saw the couple within ear shot. Luckily they hadn't heard very much, but she hung up the phone quickly and shoved it down into her cheer bag. A nervous smile crept up onto her face.

Lance immediately noticed the somewhat guilty expression she had, and Keith picked up on it as well.

" Who you talkin' to?" Lance narrowed his eyes, continuing to carry his omega. Out of context, this would've been creepy and uncalled for. But the boys had reason to be suspicious of her.

" Be mean. Be ruthless." She repeated in her head. It was way more difficult than it seemed for her to make a snotty face at them. Lotor had forced her into being a bitch, into seeming hard and scary.

" None of your business." She said before walking away.

" Lance, don't." Keith whispered. " We only have the upper hand if she doesn't know we're suspecting her."

" I don't care." Lance grit his teeth. He was about to say something else but the other male covered his mouth. Acxa was far away by the time Keith let Lance speak. " Keith! What the hell!"

" Remember what Pidge said. She'll slip up eventually..."

" That's a bunch of crap... you could get hurt in the mean time." Lance barked. He completely disregarded the fact that he himself could get hurt as well.

" Woah. You good, man?" Hunk asked while him and Shay approached.

" Peachy." Keith rolled his eyes.

" I can't tell if you're being sarcastic?" Shay raised a curious yet concerned eyebrow.

" That's Keith... my sarcastic, salt shaker of a boyfriend." Lance tried to calm down. It was just a phone call. Only that. Nothing more than a phone call. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen. It was like an ever present dark cloud was looming over him and his omega both. " Shay, watch him please." Lance gestured to Keith. " I'll be keeping a lookout but if Acxa does anything-and I mean anything- let me know."

" Babe. Calm down." This was coming from Keith. Hothead Keith. If even he said to calm down, someone needed to cool their fucking jets.

They were all up to the football field a little while later. Lance had made extra sure to fill Allura in on Acxa's suspicious behavior. And the cheer captain was going to keep her at arms length. Literally.

" Shay, Keith, and..." Allura sighed. " Acxa. You're all with me. This is our center group for the week."

This was a horrible idea, or so Keith told himself a million times over. But Allura needed herself and Shay to be under Keith. They were the strongest backspot and base on the squad. Acxa couldn't be trusted with other cheerleaders, if she tried anything, inexperienced ones wouldn't be able to save it. But Allura had done extensions since her freshman year. She was amazing at them.

The omega wouldn't show that he was scared. He felt anxiety pulling on his legs like ankle weights, and his stomach was in his throat.

" No... please..." Acxa thought to herself. She had to get out of this. She couldn't throw him. She couldn't hurt Keith as badly as Lotor wanted her to. Her conscience was finally catching up with her. This was supposed to be over after the video got out. Keith was supposed to be shallow enough to leave Lance, but no. Lotor wouldn't rest until someone was injured or... worse.

" Can we not do baskets? I'd prefer we extend him and get it over with." She said, and her tongue was hinting that she was too good for this. Acxa couldn't do it. She may have done some illegal things, but she wasn't evil.

" No way in hell I'd let you throw him anyways." Allura folded her arms and she glanced at Keith, who was stiff as a board.

" We got you..." Shay smiled, and she nudged Allura.

" I'm not following through... just enough pain to scare him. That's it."

...

" God damn it!" Lance cursed, pulling off his helmet. He was fuming, and his face definitely made no effort to conceal it. Overthrow. He kept misjudging the distance, and the ball continued flying way behind his target.

" Lance, my boy, what's going on with you?" Coach Coran slowly jogged over to the quarterback. He called a water break, but made Lance stay.

" I don't know... I really don't know." It took all of Lance's self control not to lose his temper. The alpha was so frustrated with himself that it was actually scary.

" What's on your mind? You're not focusing." Coran knew that this wasn't like him. Lance never missed his mark.

As much as the Cuban male wanted to spill, what could he say? 'Oh, you know, Lotor? The one who tried to rape Keith? Yeah him. He's trying to get us, and he has someone working for him and they want to hurt us.' Yeah no, didn't think so.

" It's just... my grades." Lance lied right through his teeth.

" What are you talking about? You have a steady B average." The football coach looked skeptical of Lance's reasoning.

" I have tests that haven't been put in yet... I'm stressing about them." He covered yet again.

" Just go get some water. Take a second to compose yourself." Coran sighed and pointed him to the bench. And Lance nodded. He kicked up some grass while shuffling his cleats against the ground. Not being able to say anything to adults about this was getting hard. If he told, God knows what Lotor would've done next.

" Here..." Matt handed him his water bottle, which Lance hastily grabbed. He held his face in his hands, just trying to get a grip.

" Something bad is going to happen." Lance muttered.

" What?" Pidge questioned. She'd begrudgingly shown up at school. After having vomited out her insides, there wasn't much left to upchuck. Even though her stomach was in a great deal of discomfort, her mind was thankfully back up to par. But her and Matt were confused, and that didn't happen very often.

" I know it." The alpha grit his teeth. He felt absolutely paranoid. Since him and Keith were soul bonded, he was hyper aware of protecting his boyfriend. " She's planning something... she has to be."

" Acxa?" Matt raised an eyebrow while looking over his shoulder. The cheerleaders seemed be circling up around a smaller group. They were about to stunt.

" Woah. They're making him stunt?" Pidge caught a glimpse at Keith, and then... everyone else. " With her?! Is Allura crazy?!"

" No way." Lance slammed his water bottle down onto the metal surface of the bench. And Hunk, who was also spectating, stopped his friend from marching over there.

" Lance, you can't." He had to forcefully hold the other alpha back.

" I'm not letting her touch him." Lance's blue eyes were murky with fear, panic, and especially anger. He knew he'd agreed to let Keith do this, but he couldn't keep his word this time.

" Think about what you're saying." Hunk was having a hard time holding him back.

" What if she tries something?!" Lance's face was melting into one of utter terror.

" She won't do anything with everyone there." Pidge was definitely uneasy, but she doubted Acxa would be so stupid to do that. She thought Lance was paranoid, but... for the first time in a long while... Pidge was wrong.

...

" You know the counts, am I correct?" Allura looked at Acxa. If she tried anything funny, the squad's captain and junior captain would be ready. It was just an extension. It could be saved as long as everyone made an effort.

" For the millionth time, yes I know the counts." Acxa rolled her eyes.

" The attitude is unnecessary." Shay held a firm grip on Keith's waist, ready to load him in whenever.

The omega could've actually had a panic attack right then and there. His facial expression spelled out just how alarmed he was. The only one he really trusted was Allura.

" No mercy... scare him off and end this..." Acxa thought to herself. She was such a coward. Lotor just scared her so much, and so did the idea of being snitched on.

" You ready, Keith?" Allura looked at him, trying her best to stay levelheaded.

He wasn't ready. Not even close, nor would he ever be.

Keith nodded slowly. This was about graduation.

" Ready!" Shay called in a loud voice. " 5, 6, 7, 8!" She lifted Keith so he could jump in, then she quickly switched to holding his ankles while Acxa and Allura lifted him up. They settled at about chest level.

Keith stayed as tight as he possibly could, squeezing every muscle he had control of. Flying was sort of like riding a bike, once learned, it was a skill that couldn't be forgotten. They weren't even in extension yet, but his breathing had gone shallow.

" Extension! Ready! 1, 2-"

That's when Allura extended her arms, lifting Keith's left foot all the way above her head. But it was lopsided. Acxa knew the counts full well, but she hadn't pushed up at all. Meaning that Keith would come down on her side if he lost balance. Which was exactly what happened.

" Keith!" Allura let go of Keith's foot and bear hugged his torso. Shay got him from behind, but his right foot still hit the track. His ankle rolled harshly to the side, Keith's eyes widened. Crunch.

Acxa had barely even made an effort to help him, in fact, she'd stepped back. She hated herself for it, too.

And across the distance, Lance was freaking out. He stopped struggling against Hunk, being that the other alpha had let go of him.

By the time Allura stood Keith up, tears were spilling from his eyes. He tried to put weight on his foot, but he couldn't do it without feeling an excruciating sensation.

" Fuck!" He hissed out in pain, and Allura helped support him. Lance was sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him. He got past all the cheerleaders and saw Keith keeping his right foot in the air.

" Babe... Babe look at me!" He hysterically exclaimed, and his omega stopped staring at the track. His breathing had gone shallower, to the point where Keith was barely respiring at all. It was obvious to Lance that he was having a full blown panic attack. He dirty looked absolutely everyone around them, ready to rip any one of them apart if they even laid a finger on his boyfriend. " Keith, please try to breathe with me, okay?" Lance did his best to use a comforting voice.

Keith couldn't control it, he kept trying to hold the air in but it would escape so he could inhale more. He tried to focus on Lance's voice, just letting himself know that his alpha was there.

" L-Lance, I-I-" He choked on air.

" Babe. Breathe." He shooed Allura and everyone else away from Keith. His breathing started to even out a little while later. As soon as Lance was sure he could talk, he scooped Keith up carefully into his arms. " Where does it hurt?" He asked him, wiping some of the tears from the boy's cheeks. But they just kept flooding in.

" My ankle, it-it crunched." Keith sniffled, not wanting to seem like a baby. But it hurt like hell. He buried is face into Lance's jersey and started crying harder. It embarrassed Keith greatly to shed tears in front of all these people.

The cheerleaders stood in silence, most of them looked concerned, but then there was Acxa. She was inspecting her fingernails, acting as though nothing had happened at all. Lance had seen it. It was her fault.

" You even come close to my omega again, and I will end you." Lance growled at her. " I don't care that you're a girl, I have no issue snapping you into pieces." He sounded dead serious.

" I'm quaking in my cheer shoes." She raised a single brow at him. Acxa felt so guilty. She could've broken down and just cried. Luckily she was a great actress. " Wasn't my fault. Keith is heavier than a sack of rocks." That was a total lie.

" You wanna go, Bitch? We all saw what happened when Lotor got after Keith." Lance had a crazed smile while leering at her. He left out just how bad he felt about hurting Lotor that severely. " I'd be happy to turn you into a sack of broken bones."

" Lance, no!" Keith exclaimed against his chest. And Allura knew she had to do something.

" Acxa, you're dismissed from practice." She got nearer to the other cheerleader. " I suggest you crawl back into whatever hole you came from and stay there." Allura rarely ever got aggressive. But as an alpha, it was in her blood to be protective.

" Psh. Whatever." Acxa picked up her bag and started leaving. She couldn't have been happier to get out of that situation. But Lotor would be angry with her.

" We have to take care of his ankle." Shay said to Lance. She was close to getting her CNA, so she knew how to provide help to Keith.

" You guys have done enough." Lance snarled, protectively backing away with his boyfriend. His alpha instincts were controlling his actions. Now that Keith, his omega, was hurt... there was no telling what he might do.

" Lance, if his ankle crunched he needs medical attention." Allura walked closer to the couple.

" The medical trainer isn't here right now... please let me take a look." Shay tried to stay calm.

And Lance stared down at Keith, just wanting to keep him safe. The boy looked like he was in a world of pain as he hastily wiped away his tears.

" Keith... what do you want me to do?" He brushed the cheerleader's bangs from his face.

" I-I can't be here right now..." Keith stammered.

" I'm going to call Shiro, and he's gonna come pick us up, okay?" Lance kissed Keith's forehead lightly, and the omega noticed that his alpha was close to crying. It was amazing to everyone just how tender Lance could be after an outburst like that.

And Pidge and Matt, who'd been listening to this, went for Lance's football duffel in the locker room. This was bad. So bad.

" He needs to go to a doctor." Shay tried to get Lance's attention.

" Yeah, and Shiro and I are going to take him there." The quarterback growled. " Nobody besides me is touching him until then."

...

Pidge and Matt showed up a few minutes later carrying the bag. And Coach Coran was trying to calm Lance down.

" Lance, please." He attempted to talk to him, but then he realized there was no use. The bonding mark on Keith's neck explained a lot of the alpha's behavior.

" Coran, I'm leaving practice early." Lance spoke with certainty. And the older gentleman could only sigh.

" Take him to the hospital." Coran gestured to the gates where they could exit the football field.

" Here, we'll carry your guys' stuff to the parking lot." Matt offered and Pidge went to grab Keith's cheer bag.

" I'm hunting down that bitch..." Pidge muttered to herself, ready to throw some punches.

And Lance nodded to them as he slowly started carrying his omega across the football field. Keith's lip was quivering as he looked up at Lance.

" I'm sorry..." He said quietly. " ...for making you worry."

" Shush." Lance said in a softer way. " Don't be sorry. Babe, everything's going to be okay." He didn't want to scare his boyfriend anymore. He almost wondered if he had when he kept everyone away from him. " We're going to get you checked out."

" What are we supposed to tell Shiro?" Keith asked himself. His brother would actually flip his shit if he knew the truth about everything.

(( Woah, a lot just happened. I'm S H O O K. But see ya soon, Loves!))