Claimed

I didn’t sleep.

Not really.

Every time I closed my eyes, it replayed.

Kai’s kiss.

Damon’s voice.

I know your secret, Zara.

By morning, my head was pounding and my chest felt too tight for my own body.

And the worst part?

I had agreed.

A fake relationship.

With Damon Thorne.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, brushing my hair slowly, like if I moved too fast everything would fall apart.

“What kind of first day turns into this?” I muttered.

“A fun one,” Avery’s voice came from behind me.

I glanced at her through the mirror. She was sprawled across her bed, scrolling through her phone like nothing in the world could shake her.

“I’m serious,” I said. “I think I made a mistake.”

She sat up instantly, eyes lighting with interest. “Oh? Is this about last night? Because I heard things.”

My stomach dropped. “What things?”

A slow grin spread across her face. “That you kissed Kai Ryder.”

Heat rushed to my face. “It was a dare.” "And you were there."

“Mmm,” she hummed. “And then Damon dragged you to the dance floor right after.”

My heart skipped. “People noticed that?”

“Zara,” Avery laughed. “This is Blackthorn. People notice everything.”

Great.

Exactly what I didn’t want.

I turned back to the mirror, gripping the edge of the table. “It doesn’t matter. It was just… a moment.”

A lie.

And I knew it.

Avery tilted her head, studying me. “You’re in trouble.”

I forced a smile. “I’m not.”

“You are,” she said simply. “Because guys like Damon and Kai? They don’t play games.”

Too late for that.

The campus felt different that morning.

Or maybe it was just me.

Every glance felt heavier. Every whisper louder. Like something was building and I was standing right in the middle of it. I kept my head down as I walked toward the main building. Blend in. Stay invisible. That was still the plan. Right?

“Zara.”

My steps slowed.

I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

Damon.

My heart betrayed me instantly, picking up speed.

I turned slowly.

He was leaning against the side of the building like he owned it. Which… he probably did, in some way.

Tony stood beside him, arms crossed, watching me with a sharp, assessing gaze. And a few steps away...

Kai.

My breath caught.

All three of them.

Together.

Close.

Like they belonged to the same world.

Because they did.

And now… somehow… I was standing in front of it.

“Morning, Butterfly,” Damon said, pushing off the wall.

I swallowed. “Damon.”

His eyes flickered slightly at the way I said his name.

Like it meant something.

Like I meant something.

“Walk with me,” he said.

Not a request.

I hesitated for half a second.

Then I stepped forward.

We didn’t speak at first.

Tony and Kai fell into step behind us, their presence heavy, silent.

I could feel Kai’s eyes on me.

I didn’t turn.

I couldn’t.

“What happened last night,” Damon finally said, his voice low, controlled, “ends today.”

My chest tightened. “It was a dare.”

“I’m not talking about the dare.”

Of course he wasn’t.

I exhaled slowly. “Then what are you talking about?”

He stopped walking.

So suddenly that I almost ran into him.

When I looked up, his eyes were already on mine.

Sharp.

Decisive.

“You said yes.”

My stomach dropped.

This.

This was it.

“I did,” I said quietly.

Behind him, I felt the shift.

Tony straightened slightly.

Kai went completely still.

Damon’s gaze didn’t leave mine.

“Then we don’t do this halfway.”

My pulse spiked. “What does that mean?”

His lips curved slightly.

“You’ll see.”

I should have known.

I should have seen it coming.

But nothing could have prepared me for what he did next. We stepped into the central courtyard and everything changed. Students everywhere. Laughter. Conversations. Movement. Normal.

Until Damon stopped.

Right in the middle of it.

And suddenly...

People noticed.

Whispers started.

Heads turned.

Because Damon Thorne didn’t just stand somewhere.

He made it a scene.

My heart started racing.

“Damon…” I said under my breath.

He didn’t look at me.

Instead, he looked around.

Like he was making sure he had an audience.

Oh no.

No, no, no...

“Damon,” I tried again, panic creeping into my voice.

Too late.

He reached for me.

And pulled me against him.

The world went silent.

His arm wrapped around my waist, firm, possessive, leaving no space between us.

My breath caught.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

His lips brushed my ear.

“Making it real.”

My stomach flipped violently.

Before I could react...

He turned slightly, his voice cutting through the courtyard.

Clear.

Confident.

Unavoidable.

“Since everyone’s already looking…”

My heart stopped.

Damon tightened his hold on me.

“This is Zara Corven.”

A pause.

A beat.

And then...

“She’s my girlfriend.”

Silence.

Then chaos.

Whispers exploded around us.

“Wait...what?”

“Damon has a girlfriend?”

“Who is she?”

“Isn’t that the scholarship girl?”

My ears rang.

My body went cold and hot at the same time.

This wasn’t subtle. This wasn’t private. This was a declaration. A claim. I tried to pull back.

His grip tightened.

“Don’t,” he murmured.

My heart was pounding so loud I was sure everyone could hear it.

“You didn’t tell me you were going to do this,” I said through clenched teeth.

“And risk you running?” he replied calmly.

My eyes snapped to his.

“You think I would..."

“Yes.”

That shut me up.

Because maybe… a small part of me would have.

I felt it then. The weight of every stare. Every judgment.

Every whisper.

And suddenly...

I wasn’t invisible anymore.

Not even close. Damon’s thumb brushed lightly against my waist. A small movement. But it grounded me.

“Relax,” he murmured. “You wanted protection. This is how you get it.”

Protection.

Right.

That was the deal.

So why did it feel like something else?

“Damon.”

The voice cut through everything.

Cold.

Sharp.

I didn’t need to turn.

Kai.

Damon didn’t move.

“Problem?” he asked casually.

I finally looked past him.

Kai was staring at us.

No...

At me.

His jaw tight.

Eyes unreadable.

“You move fast,” Kai said.

Damon smirked slightly. “I don’t like wasting time.”

Something dangerous flickered in Kai’s expression.

“And she’s okay with that?”

My breath caught.

Damon’s hand tightened on my waist.

“She said yes.”

Kai’s gaze shifted to me.

Waiting.

Asking.

My heart twisted.

Because for a second...

I wanted to say something else.

But I didn’t.

“…I did,” I said quietly.

Something in his eyes changed.

Not anger.

Something worse.

Disappointment.

He looked away first.

“Good for you,” he muttered.

But it didn’t sound like he meant it.

“Damn,” Tony’s voice cut in, lighter but just as sharp. “Didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

Damon shrugged. “I don’t bluff.”

Tony’s eyes moved to me, studying. “Guess that makes you important.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Because I wasn’t.

Not really.

I was just…

Caught in something bigger than me.

The bell rang.

Breaking the moment.

People slowly started moving again.

But the whispers didn’t stop.

They followed me.

Every step.

Every breath.

“She’s the one…”

“That’s her?”

“Damon’s girlfriend?”

My chest tightened.

This was it. No going back. Damon leaned closer, his voice low enough only I could hear.

“Get used to it.”

I swallowed.

“Used to what?”

His lips brushed my ear again.

“Being mine.”

My heart stuttered.

And I hated how that made me feel.

Because this was fake.

It had to be.

Right?

But as I walked into class, with every eye still lingering on me…

It didn’t feel fake anymore.

It felt like something had just begun.

Something dangerous.

Something I might not be able to escape.

And somewhere in the crowd...

I felt it. Elias watching. Quiet. Still.

But not happy. Not even close. And I wonder why...