You’re fun, Aria. Even my brothers seem intrigued.
Aria's POV
The halls were quiet, unnervingly so, the kind of silence that pressed against your ears until your own breathing felt too loud. My legs trembled as I clutched my books tighter against my chest, still shaken from earlier. Killian Blackthorn—the fourth and most elusive of the infamous brothers—had not just noticed me. He’d spoken to me. Warned me. Claimed me in a way no one else ever had.
And he’d stopped another Alpha from hurting me.
Why?
He didn’t know me. None of them did. Not really. But each of them… Zayne, Rylan, Cassian, and now Killian—they were like predators circling prey. My instincts said to run, but something deeper, darker, primal, wanted me to stay.
I reached the stairs to the girls' dorms when I heard the whisper of shoes behind me.
I spun. Nothing.
"Scared, stray?"
The voice was velvet and venom.
Zayne.
He stepped out from the shadows, arms crossed, silver eyes glinting like a predator stalking wounded prey. “You’re collecting quite the fan club.”
I stiffened. “What do you want?”
He chuckled, low and dark. “To watch you squirm. You’re fun, Aria. Even my brothers seem intrigued.”
"Maybe I'm just not afraid of you," I lied, my voice shaking.
He stalked closer. “Then why is your pulse racing, hmm?”
I backed up until my spine hit the cold stone wall.
His smirk turned cruel. “You're in over your head. And we? We eat strays like you alive.”
I took a shaky breath, trying to steady my racing heart. Zayne was a force of nature, a dangerous whirlwind of charisma and cruelty. His proximity was suffocating, his scent—pine and something musky, undeniably male—filled my senses, making my omega instincts scream both fear and an unsettling, forbidden curiosity.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I managed, my voice barely a whisper. My lie was thin, transparent. He knew I was terrified. He thrived on it.
He leaned in, his silver eyes piercing, searching, as if he could see the frantic beat of my heart beneath my ribs. "Oh, I think you do. First, Rylan corners you in the library, practically sniffing you like a bloodhound. Then Cassian, the quiet one, practically stalks you after classes. And now Killian, our ghost, steps out of the shadows to warn off some pathetic excuse for an Alpha who thought he could lay a hand on what clearly belongs to us." The last word was a low growl, possessive and chilling.
A shiver traced its way down my spine, but it wasn't entirely from fear. "I don't belong to anyone," I shot back, finding a sliver of defiance I didn't know I possessed. "Especially not to a pack of bullies who get off on terrorizing people."
His smirk didn't waver, but his eyes hardened. "Feisty. I like that. It makes the hunt more entertaining." He reached out, a slow, deliberate movement, and brushed a stray strand of hair from my face. His fingers were surprisingly gentle, yet the touch sent a jolt through me, a confusing mix of revulsion and an unwelcome spark of awareness. "But even the fiercest little rabbit eventually tires of running, doesn't it?"
I flinched away from his touch, pressing myself further into the cold stone. "Leave me alone, Zayne."
"Now, why would I do that?" he purred, closing the small distance I'd created. "You're the most interesting thing to happen around here since… well, since never. This academy is usually so dreadfully dull. All these obedient little omegas and eager betas, and then there's you. The stray. The one who doesn't fit, doesn't bow, doesn't break." He tilted his head, a predatory glint in his eyes. "Yet."
"I'm not a toy for your amusement," I said, trying to project more confidence than I felt. My palms were sweaty, and I could feel a tremor starting in my knees.
"Everything's a toy to me, little stray," he countered, his voice dropping to a low, intimate tone that was far more unnerving than his earlier aggression. "Especially when it struggles so prettily." He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear, sending another jolt through me. "Tell me, what's your secret? Why do the Blackthorns, who usually ignore the entire student body, suddenly have such a keen interest in you?"
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. What was there to tell? I was an orphan, a scholarship student, a no-name omega who had somehow stumbled into the crosshairs of the most powerful pack in the academy. "There is no secret," I whispered. "I'm just… here."
"Oh, I doubt that," he murmured, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw, sending a ripple of goosebumps across my skin. "Something about you calls to us. A scent, perhaps? A feeling? Or maybe," his voice grew colder, sharper, "you're just playing a very dangerous game, trying to attract our attention."
My eyes snapped open. "I'm not playing any game! I want nothing to do with any of you!"
He let out a short, humorless laugh. "A bold lie, considering you've already had three of us practically falling over ourselves for a piece of you. Even Killian. And trust me, getting Killian to acknowledge someone's existence is a feat in itself." He pulled back slightly, his eyes narrowing. "Though I'm still trying to figure out what his game is. He's never been one to intervene. Not for anyone."
The thought of Killian, silent and imposing, stepping in to stop that Alpha, still bewildered me. Why had he done it? Was it truly a claim, as Zayne implied, or something else entirely? "I don't know why he did it," I said, honestly. "I don't understand any of this."
"Good," Zayne said, a flicker of something unreadable in his silver eyes. "Confusion keeps things interesting. It makes you vulnerable. And vulnerable things are easy to break." He paused, his gaze dropping to my lips, and for a terrifying moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat of dread and a faint, shameful anticipation.
Instead, he straightened, a sigh escaping his lips. "Well, I suppose I've had my fun for tonight. But remember this, little stray." He stepped back, creating a welcome space between us, but his words still wrapped around me like an invisible chain. "The Blackthorns always get what they want. And right now, we want you." He turned, his silhouette melting back into the shadows from which he'd emerged, leaving me alone in the silent, echoing hall, my body trembling and my mind a whirlwind of fear, confusion, and a burgeoning sense of dread.