Darius was everywhere. Watching. Silent. Dangerous.
I noticed him first in the hallway outside my morning class. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes tracking my every move. He didn't say anything. Didn't approach. Just watched.
The bond hummed between us, restless and uncomfortable.
By lunch, he was at the Alpha table with his usual crowd, but his attention wasn't on them. It was on me. Every time I glanced up from my food, there he was. Staring.
"He's doing it again," Celeste muttered, stabbing at her salad.
"Ignore him."
"Kind of hard when he looks like he's planning your murder."
I forced myself to look away. To focus on my food. On Celeste's stories about her pack back home. On anything that wasn't Darius Fenrir and his intense, burning stare.
But the bond wouldn't let me forget. It tugged constantly, a thread connecting us no matter how much I wanted to cut it. My wolf was confused and restless, not understanding why our mate was near but not approaching. Not claiming. Not fixing what he'd broken.
Because he doesn't want us, I reminded her for the hundredth time.
She whined in response.
After lunch, I had Pack Dynamics, which was basically a history class focused on wolf hierarchies and territory laws. Boring, but necessary. I grabbed my books from my locker and headed to the second floor.
The classroom was half full when I arrived. I chose a seat near the back, hoping to blend in and avoid any more attention.
No such luck.
I'd barely opened my notebook when someone dropped into the seat beside me.
"Hey. You're Elara, right?"
I looked up. A guy with sandy brown hair and an easy smile sat next to me, his own books already spread across the desk.
"Yeah," I said cautiously.
"Caleb Bane." He offered his hand. "I'm a Beta. Second year."
I shook it. His grip was firm but not aggressive. "Nice to meet you?"
"Sorry, that was weird. I just noticed you're new and figured you might want some help navigating Professor Hale's class. He's brutal if you don't keep up with the reading."
"Oh." That was... surprisingly nice. "Thanks."
"No problem." Caleb pulled out a worn notebook filled with detailed notes. "I've got all the lectures from last semester if you want to borrow them. Might help you catch up."
"You'd do that?"
"Why not? We're all stuck in this place together. Might as well help each other out."
My wolf settled slightly. Caleb's energy was calm. Friendly. No ulterior motives that I could sense.
"That would actually be really helpful," I admitted.
"Cool. I'll bring them to the library later if you want to study."
Professor Hale walked in before I could respond, and the class fell silent. He was an older wolf with silver hair and sharp eyes that missed nothing. He dove straight into a lecture about Alpha succession rights, scribbling terms on the board faster than most students could keep up.
I tried to focus. Tried to write notes that made sense. But my concentration kept slipping because I could feel Darius again.
The bond told me exactly where he was. Outside the classroom. In the hallway. Pacing.
Why was he here? He wasn't in this class. His schedule was completely different from mine.
But I could feel him out there, his wolf agitated, his emotions bleeding through the bond whether I wanted them or not.
My hand tightened around my pen.
Class dragged. Every minute felt like an hour. When Professor Hale finally dismissed us, I packed up quickly, hoping to slip out before anyone could corner me.
Caleb caught up with me at the door. "Hey, so library? Around four?"
"Yeah, that works."
"Cool. I'll grab my notes and meet you there."
I stepped into the hallway and immediately froze.
Darius stood across from the door, leaning against the opposite wall. His eyes locked onto me the second I appeared.
Students flowed around him, giving him a wide berth, but he didn't move. Just stared.
Caleb noticed him too. "Uh. Is that who I think it is?"
"Yep."
"And he's staring at you because...?"
"Long story."
"Right." Caleb glanced between us nervously. "Want me to walk with you?"
"I'll be fine."
"You sure? Because he looks like—"
"I'll be fine," I repeated, more firmly this time.
Caleb hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. See you at four."
He headed down the hallway in the opposite direction. I took a breath and started walking, keeping my eyes straight ahead.
Darius pushed off the wall.
My wolf perked up immediately.
He fell into step beside me, matching my pace easily. His presence was overwhelming, taking up all the air in the hallway.
"We need to talk," he said.
"No, we don't."
"Elara—"
"You made yourself very clear the other night, Darius. There's nothing left to talk about."
I walked faster. He kept up without breaking a sweat.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"None of your business."
"The Beta. Caleb. Who is he to you?"
I stopped walking and turned to face him. Students scattered around us, sensing the tension. "Are you serious right now?"
"Answer the question."
"He's someone helping me with class notes. That's it."
"You don't need his help."
"Actually, I do. Because unlike some people here, I didn't grow up learning all this pack hierarchy stuff. I'm behind, and he's being nice enough to help me catch up."
Darius's jaw tightened. "I could help you."
"No, thank you."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want your help, Darius. I don't want anything from you."
The bond twisted painfully between us. My wolf whimpered, hating the conflict, hating the distance.
But I held my ground.
"You can't just walk around with random Betas," Darius said, his voice low. "People will talk."
"People are already talking. In case you forgot, you rejected me in front of half the school. My reputation is already in the gutter. What difference does it make who I study with?"
"It makes a difference to me."
"Well, it shouldn't. You don't get to reject me and then police who I spend time with."
His eyes flashed gold. "That's not what I'm doing."
"Then what are you doing? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you want all the control and none of the responsibility."
"I'm trying to protect you."
"From what? A guy offering to share his notes?"
"From people who might use you to get to me."
I laughed. Actually laughed, bitter and sharp. "You think Caleb is using me? He's a Beta who's been nothing but kind. Meanwhile, you rejected me, humiliated me, and now you're following me around like some kind of jealous—"
I stopped myself before I could finish that sentence.
But Darius heard it anyway.
"Jealous?" His voice was dangerously quiet. "You think I'm jealous?"
"I don't know what you are. And honestly? I don't care."
I turned to walk away, but his hand shot out and caught my wrist. Not hard. Not bruising. But firm enough to stop me.
"Let go," I said.
"Not until you listen."
"There's nothing to listen to, Darius. You made your choice."
"I made the wrong choice."
The words hung in the air between us.
My wolf surged forward, hopeful and desperate.
But I shoved her back down.
"Too late," I said quietly. "You don't get to take it back now."
"Elara—"
"No. You called me weak. Wolfless. A mistake. You said you didn't want me." My voice cracked slightly, and I hated myself for it. "So whatever regret you're feeling now? That's your problem, not mine."
I yanked my wrist free and walked away.
This time, he didn't follow.
The library was quiet when I arrived just before four. Most students were at sports practice or hanging out in the common areas, so the reading room was nearly empty.
I found a table near the back and spread out my books, trying to focus on the lecture notes I'd scribbled earlier. They were a mess. Half-finished sentences. Missing key terms.
"Rough class?"
I looked up. Caleb stood there with a thick binder under his arm and that same easy smile.
"Something like that."
He sat down across from me and opened the binder, revealing pages of neatly organized notes. "Here. Start with chapter three. It covers the basics of Alpha succession, which is what Hale's been focusing on."
I pulled the binder closer, genuinely grateful. "Thank you. Seriously."
"No worries." He pulled out his own textbook. "Want to go through it together? Sometimes it helps to talk it out."
"Sure."
We spent the next hour working through pack hierarchy structures and territorial rights. Caleb was patient, explaining things I didn't understand without making me feel stupid. It was nice. Normal.
For a while, I almost forgot about the bond. About Darius. About everything.
Almost.
The library doors opened. I didn't look up, too focused on a particularly confusing section about Beta obligations.
But my wolf went on high alert.
And then I felt him. That overwhelming presence. The bond snapping tight like a rubber band about to break.
Darius stood at the entrance, his eyes locked on our table.
On Caleb sitting across from me.
"Uh," Caleb said quietly. "That's the Alpha heir."
"I know."
"And he looks really angry."
"I know."
Darius crossed the library in long strides. Students looked up from their books, sensing danger, but no one moved to stop him.
He stopped at our table, his hands flat on the surface, leaning forward. His entire focus was on Caleb.
"Leave," Darius said.
Caleb's eyes widened. "I'm sorry?"
"You heard me. Leave."
"We're studying," I said sharply. "You have no right—"
"I have every right." Darius's voice was low and dangerous. "This is my mate."
The word echoed in the quiet library.
My mate.
After everything. After the rejection. After telling me he didn't want me.
Now he was claiming me in front of witnesses.
"You rejected me," I said coldly. "Remember?"
"I made a mistake."
"That's not my problem."
Caleb stood slowly, clearly uncomfortable. "Maybe I should—"
"Sit down," I told him. "We're not finished."
But Darius's wolf had other ideas.
It burst forward without warning, taking partial control. His eyes blazed pure gold. His canines extended. The air around him crackled with Alpha power so strong it made my own wolf cower.
He turned that power on Caleb, and his voice came out as a growl.
"Stay away from her."