Darius's childhood friend—Adrian—lay on the ground, clutching his ankle where he'd landed wrong. His face showed pain mixed with something else. Fear. Resignation. Like he'd known this moment would come eventually.
"Adrian?" Darius's voice was rough with disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like? Running."
"From what? From who?"
"From consequences. From choices I made that I can't undo."
Through the bond, Darius's emotions crashed over me. Betrayal so deep it made my chest ache. Fury mixed with hurt mixed with desperate hope that there was an explanation that made sense.
"Get him up," I said. "Take him somewhere we can talk privately."
Students had gathered, watching the scene unfold. Word would spread fast. The Alpha heir's childhood friend caught infiltrating campus. The betrayal made visible.
"Private might not be safe," Caleb warned. "If he's compromised, isolating ourselves with him is risk."
