5

Chapter 5

Aria's POV

One week since The Veil and the mansion was a warzone of silence.

My mom slept in the guest room. Kael locked himself in his study every night. They passed each other like strangers and I floated between them pretending I wasn't falling apart because I could still feel my stepfather's hands on my body every time I closed my eyes.

He hadn't looked at me once all week. Or better still‚ he avoided me entirely. Refused to eat dinner with us. Was always locked up in his study as if staying in the same room as me was something he couldn't survive.

Now it was Monday and I was sitting in a lecture hall staring at a syllabus that had just ruined my entire life.

Constitutional Pack Law. Professor Kael Stone.

"Hey." The guy next to me leaned over. Sandy hair‚ green eyes‚ pretty-boy grin. "I'm Jace. Jace Thornton. And you look like you're about to throw up."

"Aria Brown. And I might."

"That bad already? Class hasn't even started."

"Trust me‚ it's worse than you think."

"Well‚ you're way too hot to be this stressed on a Monday morning‚ Aria.” He said. “Such a pretty name for a pretty girl‚ by the way."

"Does that line actually work for you?"

"Usually‚ yeah." He grinned wider. "Is it working now?"

"Not even a little bit."

"Damn. I'll try harder next time." He leaned back and stretched his legs out‚ making himself comfortable. "So what do you know about this Professor Stone guy? I heard he's brutal."

My stomach clenched. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Everywhere. Apparently he failed like thirty percent of his class last semester and didn't lose a second of sleep over it. Someone told me he made a girl cry during a midterm review." Jace took a sip of his coffee. "Should be fun."

I opened my mouth to respond but the door at the front of the lecture hall swung open and every single thought in my head went quiet.

Kael walked in wearing a charcoal suit with a black tie and I swear the air left the room. He set his briefcase down‚ pulled out his papers‚ and scanned the hall with those cold grey eyes that passed over me as if my chair was empty.

"I'm Professor Stone‚" he said. "This is Constitutional Pack Law. I don't curve grades‚ I don't accept excuses‚ and I don't waste time. Neither should you."

Jace whistled low. "Jesus. Who pissed in his coffee?"

I didn't answer because I was gripping my pen so hard it was about to snap. That voice. That deep‚ controlled voice that had groaned *fuck‚ just like that* against my neck while he was buried inside me seven days ago was now calmly explaining Alpha succession law as if I didn't exist.

He taught the entire class without looking at me. Not once. Sixty minutes of me sitting there with my heart slamming while he paced the front of the room and called on everyone except me.

When class ended I grabbed my bag and stood.

"Miss Brown. Stay behind please."

Jace raised an eyebrow at me. "Already in trouble on day one? Impressive."

"Shut up‚" I muttered‚ but there was no bite in it.

He laughed and grabbed his bag. "I'll save you a seat in the cafeteria. If you survive."

He winked and headed out with the others.

The room emptied. The door closed. And suddenly it was just me and Kael and all that heavy‚ loaded silence.

He waited until the last footstep faded before he looked at me.

"You need to drop this class‚ Aria."

"I can't."

"You can. Go to the registrar and—"

"And what? Lose my scholarship? This is the only section this semester‚ Kael. There's no other option."

"Don't call me that here."

"What should I call you?"

"Professor Stone."

"Right." I laughed and it came out bitter. "Professor Stone. Got it."

"I'm serious. Drop the class."

"And I'm serious. I can't. My entire scholarship depends on it and you know that because you're the one who helped me get it."

That landed. I watched it hit him right in the chest and he looked away for half a second before his jaw tightened back up.

"Then keep your distance‚" he said. "In class and outside of it."

"I've been keeping my distance. You're the one who asked me to stay behind."

"To set boundaries."

"Boundaries." I stared at him. "You want to talk about boundaries. After what happened."

"What happened didn't happen‚ Aria."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"You sure about that?" I took a step toward him and watched his whole body tense. "Because you haven't been able to look at me for a week‚ Kael. You leave rooms when I walk in. You won't sit at the same table as me. That's not a man who's moved on. That's a man who's terrified of what he'll do if he gets too close."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Trust me‚ I do."

I took another step. And another. Until I was close enough to smell him‚ and my body responded the way it always did around him. Heat pooling low in my stomach‚ my thighs pressing together‚ my breath getting shallow. I was already wet and he hadn't even touched me. That's how bad this was.

"Aria‚ stay away from me."

"Or what?" My eyes dropped to his mouth and stayed there while every memory of what that mouth had done between my legs flooded through me. God‚ he was so fucking handsome. Even now. Especially now‚ with his jaw clenched and his control slipping and his eyes fighting not to look at what they wanted to look at. "Or what‚ Kael? You fuck me again and throw money at me and tell me to forget?"

His breath hitched hard. "Jesus‚ Aria!"

"What? Isn't that the truth‚ Kael?"

"I'm Professor Stone in this room. Not Kael. Do you understand?"

He stared back. And this time he didn't look away.

"You're fucking testing my patience."

"Then stop being patient."

His eyes dropped from mine to my mouth‚ then lower to the neckline of my top where my cleavage pressed against the fabric‚ and then back up to my eyes. Both of us breathing hard. Both of us standing so close that I could feel the heat coming off his chest.

"Aria…" My name came out of him wrecked‚ like something that hurt to say.

"Kael…"

For one second‚ one terrifying‚ electric second‚ he leaned in. His eyes were on my mouth and his hand came up as if he was going to grab my face and close the gap‚ and I wanted it. I wanted it so fucking badly that I could already taste him—

He pulled back.

His whole body jerked away from me and he turned around and gripped the edge of his desk so hard his knuckles went white. His back was heaving with each breath and when he spoke his voice was barely recognizable.

"Get out of my classroom."

"Kael—"

"Get. The. Fuck. Out. Now!"