Chapter 7 – Three days to be his woman

Lyra

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Mirae’s voice pierced through the buzzing silence, loud and mischievous. My eyes widened, and my heart nearly stopped in my chest.

Was she serious?

Heat exploded across my cheeks, burning with embarrassment. My arms were still wrapped around Nick’s neck, my legs dangling off his hips as he held me there, effortlessly. His hands were firm on the back of my thighs, anchoring me to him like I belonged there.

Rixa’s voice snapped in from the side, sharp and venomous. “Kiss what? Shut up!”

But Mirae only shot her a smug look, arms folded, bouncing slightly on her feet like a cheerleader at a game.

I wanted to vanish.

Nick’s gaze was still on mine. His eyes glinted with something unreadable, something dangerous. His face was so close. His breath warm against my skin. And then, slowly, deliberately, he started to lean in again.

No.

I turned my head quickly, pulling away just in time.

“No,” I whispered, more to myself than him. “Not again.”

His brows furrowed, lips pausing mid-air. He looked confused, thrown off.

But I couldn’t let him kiss me again. I wouldn’t. He was a heartbreaker. A walking disaster. The kind of boy girls wrote sad songs about. And I wasn’t ready to be a verse in his playlist.

Even though… maybe a small part of me wanted to be.

God, what’s wrong with me?

“You’re going to fall!” Mirae shouted suddenly, dashing toward us in a panic.

And she was right.

Nick hadn’t expected me to pull away so abruptly. He lost his grip for a split second. My body tilted backward, air rushing past me as the world spun.

I felt the ground coming.

But then, strong arms. A tight catch. A solid chest.

Nick had me again, holding me like I weighed nothing, one arm cradling my back, the other under my knees. He was breathing hard now, looking down at me like I was something fragile.

“You’re safe,” he said, his voice low and steady, his eyes locked on mine.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

And then, it hit me again.

That vision. A flash in my mind.

The wolf.

Snarling. Charging. Those same glowing eyes.

I flinched in his arms, clinging to his shirt. What was that? A hallucination? A memory? My chest tightened.

Mirae slowed her steps once she saw Nick had caught me. She let out a breath, visibly relieved. Jay, however, stood there uselessly. His eyes flickered with something, regret? Guilt? but he didn’t move. Not a step forward. Not a word.

Rixa grabbed his hand with an iron grip, her eyes cutting into me like daggers. And then she turned and stormed off. Jay followed behind her without protest.

Like always.

Like the coward he was.

I looked back at Nick.

Something inside me shifted. Something unseen but loud. My illness was catching up. My head throbbed, and my body felt heavier with every heartbeat.

There was a wall now between me and myself. A strange hollowness.

I pushed lightly against his chest. “I’ll walk, thanks.”

Nick didn’t release me right away. He stared at me, unreadable, until a playful smirk returned to his lips.

“I won’t kiss you,” he said softly, his face still close. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

I blinked.

That wasn’t the point. Not entirely. But it was easier to let him think it was.

He slowly, reluctantly let my feet touch the ground.

I thought that was the end of it.

But then, without warning, he swept me off my feet again, this time bridal-style, making me yelp in surprise.

“What are you doing?!”

“I won’t let an angel like you get dirty out here,” he said, his tone light but eyes serious.

Mirae burst into a cheer behind us, clapping like we were in a drama.

I flushed, fully mortified now. “Nick, let me down. I’m fine!”

He didn’t even flinch. “Nope.”

I smacked his chest lightly, struggling, but he didn’t budge. Not even a wobble.

He carried me all the way back toward the bus. My classmates were already boarding, the group now gathered again after the chaos. As soon as they saw us, Nick carrying me like a prince out of a fairy tale, they exploded.

Cheers, whistles, teasing laughs. Not for me, obviously. For him.

Some girls looked at me like I’d just stolen their boyfriends. Hatred, envy, and judgment clear in their narrowed eyes.

So much for wanting a quiet college life.

“Just let me go, please,” I whispered, trying not to cry from the unwanted attention.

Nick leaned in, lowering his voice close to my ear. “Never,” he said, and I felt the smile in his tone.

He set me down gently on the bus seat, making sure I was steady before stepping back slightly.

Then he leaned forward again, lips close to my ear.

“You have three days,” he whispered, his breath brushing my skin. “Three days to decide.”

I turned to look at him, confused. “Decide what?”

He winked, without saying anything.

And with that, he turned and walked off the bus.

Leaving me a mess of emotions, blushing, confused, annoyed, and a little bit terrified.

Mirae ran toward me like a whirlwind, throwing herself into the seat beside mine.

“WHAT just happened?!” she screeched. “Are you two dating? Is this official? Is this a romance arc? Oh my God, do I need to plan a wedding theme? Should I buy a dress?!”

Other girls were already gathering around, firing questions.

What the hell just happened?

And why did my heart still feel like it was racing toward something I couldn’t see?

"I wanted to give him this… Could you please give it to him when you see him?"

A girl with big eyes and pink nails placed a small wrapped box into my hands, barely looking me in the eye. Then another followed, giving me what looked like a handwritten note with a perfume sample clipped to it. One after another, they handed me tiny gifts.

Everything was about Nick. I was just the girl holding his attention for the moment, the girl they had to get through.

I stared at the pile in my hands, blinking.

But my mind wasn’t on them. Not really.

It was on him, on what he said before he left.

"You have three days to decide."

Three days… for what?

What decision?

I sighed deeply and fluffed my hair in frustration. I didn’t even realize I was tugging at it nervously until Mirae slid back into the seat beside me, practically bouncing with excitement.

The bus had started moving, the rest of the girls retreating to their seats in low, curious murmurs. But Mirae? She was locked in, eyes wide, hands gripping my arm.

“Lyra,” she breathed. “Start talking. What is going on with you and Nick?”

I stared at her, tongue tied. My pulse jumped.

Should I tell her? Should I say it out loud, that I’d had my first time with him? That the boy who was known for playing girls had sex with me?

God, no. If I said that, she’d scream. Everyone would hear.

“I’m… shocked myself. I don’t know what’s going on,” I said finally, forcing a nervous laugh.

A lie.

It made my stomach twist.

Mirae beamed, holding my hands. “I’m happy for you. I hope you guys start dating soon!”

“What? Mirae, no. You know him—he’s a flirt.”

“So?” she shrugged. “Flirts can fall in love too. People change.”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop it. I’m not interested in him.”

I turned away quickly, pressing my forehead to the cool glass window. My words sounded firm, but my heart fluttered the second I spotted him outside, blowing me a kiss playfully as he walked past the bus.

I ducked, hoping Mirae hadn’t seen—

“Oh my God, he blew you a kiss!” she squealed.

I groaned.

“Lyra, just give him a chance. Or, at the very least, use him,” she said with a mischievous grin. “Make Jay see what he lost. Imagine how crushed he’ll be seeing you with the most popular guy in school. That’ll burn.”

I didn’t say anything.

But her words echoed inside me.

Jay… Jay, who didn’t even look back when I was lying unconscious on the ground.

Jay, who followed Rixa around like her pet.

And Nick… Nick, who held me like I mattered.

Maybe I should let Jay feel what I felt.

But just as I was about to reply, I stretched my legs slightly, and froze.

There was no pain.

Not even a sting.

I stared down at my thigh, where I was sure I had scraped myself badly in the woods. I remembered limping when Mirae found me. I remembered the blood, the ache.

“Mirae… didn’t I injure myself earlier?”

“Yes,” she said, frowning. “You had a big bruise.”

I pulled up my skirt slightly, checking the spot.

There was nothing.

Not even a scratch.

“What the heck?” I muttered, heart racing. “Where did it go?”

Mirae leaned in. “That’s weird. It was definitely there.”

I sat back in my seat, chills running down my spine.

Something was happening to me, and I didn’t understand it.

But I didn’t have time to think more, because the bus stopped right in front of our hostel gates.

I glanced at the time on Mirae’s phone.

11:07 PM.

We were in deep trouble.

Curfew was 8 PM.

“Let’s sneak in,” Mirae whispered.

We both tiptoed toward the dorm entrance, trying to make as little noise as possible. The moon was high, shadows long, our breaths shallow.

“Open it slowly,” I whispered.

Mirae nodded and gently turned the doorknob, wincing with every squeak. We slipped inside like shadows, holding our breath.

And then, click.

The hallway lights burst on.

We froze.

A slow, deliberate clap echoed behind us.

“You two really thought you were clever?”

We turned in horror.

The dorm head stood at the end of the hallway, arms folded, glasses on the bridge of her nose, lips pursed.

“You broke curfew,” she said sharply. “You both know the rules. My office. Now.”

Our legs wobbled as we staggered forward, Mirae squeezing my hand like a lifeline.

“Please…” I whispered. “We’re sorry.”

“Sorry can’t fix this. Tell your parents to come to the school immediately,” she snapped, her eyes narrowing on me. “Or else you’ll lose your scholarship, Lyra.”

My breath hitched. My eyes widened.

Not my scholarship.

No. That was all I had. The one thing saving me from going back to that hell.

“And you, Mirae,” she added coldly, “you’ll be suspended.”

With that, she spun on her heels and marched off, the sharp click of her stilettos echoing down the hallway like a ticking bomb.

I couldn’t move.

My body locked in place, heart slamming against my ribs.

Parents?

Who was I supposed to call?

My stepfather?

The same man who once tried to sell me?

Just then, my phone beeped.

The sharp sound cut through the silence like a knife. I jumped, still standing frozen in the hallway.

I pulled it out with shaky hands.

Unknown number.

I hesitated for a second, then tapped it open.

“This is from Nick.”

My breath caught in my throat.

Nick?

How the hell did he get my number?

My heart skipped. I looked around like someone might be watching, as if reading the message was some kind of crime.

Mirae was too bothered about the whole situation right now.

I swallowed hard and kept reading.

“I know you must be dying to know.”

“I’m giving you three days…”

“…to accept being my woman.”

I nearly dropped the phone.

My lips parted, but no words came out.

Three days?

To be his woman?

A shiver ran down my spine. My face flushed with heat.

How could he say something so bold, so casually?

And why, why did my heart flutter just reading it?