Chapter 4

I stared at the door, frozen in place. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as Kaelen knocked again, harder this time.

"Blackwood, I know you're in there." His voice had lost its earlier heat, replaced with cool authority. "Open the door before I break it down."

An alpha threat. My body recognized it before my mind did—that telltale shiver running down my spine, the instinctive urge to obey. I fought it down, gritting my teeth as I checked my appearance in the mirror. No visible signs of what I'd just done, and I'd applied enough formula that my scent should be masked.

I couldn't hide forever. Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door and pulled it open just enough to see them both standing there—Avalon leaning against the wall opposite my door with careless grace, Kaelen directly in front of me, arms crossed over his chest. They looked composed, as if they hadn't just been fucking against a bookshelf minutes ago.

"Can I help you?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice steady.

Kaelen's eyes narrowed, scanning me from head to toe. I could feel his gaze like a physical touch, searching for weakness. "Aren't you going to invite us in?"

"I don't think that's necessary," I said, gripping the edge of the door tighter. "Whatever you have to say can be said here."

Avalon pushed off from the wall with fluid grace, stepping closer. "Don't be rude, little wolf. It's a private matter."

Before I could protest, he placed his palm flat against the door and pushed. I stumbled backward as they entered, Kaelen closing the door behind them. My single room suddenly felt suffocatingly small with two powerful alphas filling the space.

"Nice room," Avalon commented, looking around with casual interest, but his eyes were sharp, taking in every detail. "Small, but then again, the Blackwoods aren't what they used to be, are they?"

I straightened my shoulders, trying to project confidence I didn't feel. "What do you want? I don't appreciate being followed."

"And we don't appreciate being spied on," Kaelen countered, his tone cold despite the heat in his eyes. "Though you seemed to enjoy the show."

Heat flooded my face. "That was an accident. I was looking for somewhere quiet and heard—"

"And decided to stay and watch," Avalon finished, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. He moved closer, too close, his scent filling my nostrils—power and dominance and something else, something uniquely him that made my knees weak. "Don't be embarrassed. Most would have done the same."

I took a step back, bumping into my desk. "I'm not—" I swallowed, searching for the right words, "I wasn't interested in what you were doing. I was just shocked."

Avalon chuckled, the sound making something hot unfurl in my stomach. "Your body says otherwise, little wolf. I could smell your interest."

My blood turned to ice. Had the formula failed? Did they know? But Avalon's next words offered small relief.

"That's not why we're here, though." His expression grew serious. "You've made an enemy of Ivan Volkov. Not smart for your first day."

I scoffed, trying to appear unconcerned. "He's just another alpha with a bruised ego. I can handle him."

"No, you can't," Kaelen said flatly, moving to perch on the edge of my bed as if he owned it. The casual dominance of the gesture wasn't lost on me. "Ivan isn't just 'another alpha.' He's dangerous, more than you know."

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely curious despite my desire for them to leave.

Avalon sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Ivan has a reputation. He doesn't just dominate—he destroys. Anyone who challenges him ends up either transferring out or suffering until they break." He fixed his intense gaze on me. "And you challenged him publicly on your first day."

"I handled myself fine," I insisted, even though we all knew I hadn't.

"You froze," Avalon said bluntly. "For a moment, you looked like—" he paused, studying me with disturbing intensity, "—like something other than an alpha. Ivan noticed too. That's why he's going to come after you harder than most."

My heart skipped a beat. They were too close to the truth.

"What do you care?" I asked, deflecting. "We don't even know each other."

Avalon moved closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. "Let's just say I'm curious about you, Blackwood. There's something... different."

He reached out, and before I could stop him, his fingers traced a line down my chest. My body betrayed me immediately, responding to his touch with a shiver I couldn't suppress. His scent seemed to intensify, wrapping around me like a physical embrace.

"I can help you," he murmured, his voice dropping lower. "Protect you from Ivan. All you need to do is meet me tomorrow night at the old treehouse near the west boundary of campus."

I struggled to focus on his words rather than the sensation of his fingers still resting lightly on my chest. "I don't need protection," I managed to say, stepping sideways to break contact. "Ivan can't do anything to me."

Avalon's smile was predatory. "He can, and he will. The question is whether you're smart enough to accept help when it's offered."

From the corner of my eye, I caught Kaelen's expression—cold fury barely contained beneath his composed exterior. His eyes tracked Avalon's hand, jaw tightening when Avalon touched me.

"If you change your mind," Avalon continued, seemingly oblivious to Kaelen's jealousy, "the treehouse, tomorrow at midnight. It's not far from the old oak grove."

"I'm not interested," I insisted, though my voice sounded weak even to my own ears. "And I'm not—I don't—" I fumbled for words, desperate to establish some boundary. "I'm not into guys, so whatever you think was happening earlier, you're mistaken."

The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, especially given what I'd done just minutes before they arrived. Avalon seemed to know it too, his smirk widening as his hand returned to my chest, this time sliding up to rest at the base of my throat. Not threatening, but possessive in a way that made my pulse jump.

"Aren't you?" he whispered, his thumb brushing over my racing pulse point. "Your body says otherwise, little wolf."

I couldn't respond, couldn't move, caught in his gaze like prey before a predator. For a terrible moment, I thought he might lean in, might try to kiss me—and worse, that I might let him.

Instead, he stepped back, breaking the spell. "The treehouse. Midnight. If you're smart, you'll be there."

He turned and headed for the door, Kaelen following after shooting me a glare that could have frozen fire. As they left, I caught Kaelen's low whisper: "Was that necessary?" Pure jealousy dripped from every syllable.

Avalon's only response was a low chuckle as the door closed behind them.

I sank onto my bed, legs finally giving out. My hand moved to my throat where I could still feel the phantom pressure of Avalon's touch. What the hell had just happened? And more importantly, what was I going to do about it?

Ivan was a threat, that much was clear. But Avalon and Kaelen might be even more dangerous—to my secret, and to my self-control.

I glanced at my phone. Ten hours until midnight. Ten hours to decide whether to meet Avalon at the treehouse or to stand my ground and face Ivan alone.