Chapter 6 – The Aftermath

The academy was never quiet. But that night, the silence felt wrong.

Too thick.

Too sharp.

Too full of things unsaid.

The arena was still smeared with the chaos of the attack — cracked tiles, scattered weapons, a faint metallic scent that clung to everything. The instructors had sealed the area for investigation, and the students were sent back to their dorms under strict lockdown.

But Zade couldn’t sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the flash of that blade, the reflection of his own shock in Xander’s gray eyes, and then the face under the mask.

Someone who knew.

Someone who had looked straight at him and said his name — Zade Varyn.

And not like a classmate.

Like someone who’d been searching.

He sat on the edge of his bunk, elbows on his knees, hands trembling against the thin fabric of his training pants. His heart hadn’t slowed since it happened. The serum suppressing his scent felt like it was burning through his veins, barely holding.

The last thing he needed was to lose control now. Not with what that intruder said. Not with the way Xander had looked at him afterward — not with suspicion, but with recognition.

A soft knock sounded on his door.

Once. Twice.

He froze. Only one person knocked like that.

“Open up,” came the low voice.

Zade hesitated. “It’s past curfew.”

“Yeah,” Xander said. “And someone tried to kill you today. So maybe let me in.”

Zade sighed, pushed to his feet, and unlocked the door.

Xander slipped inside quietly. His hair was still damp from the rain, his black academy jacket open at the throat, the faint scent of dominance radiating off him like a storm. He closed the door behind him and leaned back against it, eyes scanning the room before landing on Zade.

“You’re shaking,” he said simply.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“I said I’m fine.”

Xander stepped closer. “You’re lying again.”

Zade glared at him, but the exhaustion underneath it betrayed him. “What do you want, Xander?”

His tone was sharper than he meant it to be, but the Alpha didn’t flinch.

“I want to know who that was,” Xander said quietly. “And why they said your name like that.”

Zade looked away. “I don’t know.”

“That’s another lie.”

He moved closer, slow and deliberate, until Zade could feel the warmth of his breath ghosting against his skin. “You knew them. Maybe not their face, but you knew what they were after.”

“Drop it.”

“I can’t.”

Zade’s pulse stuttered. “Why? You think it’s your job to save me now?”

“No,” Xander said, voice lowering. “I think it’s my job to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

Zade laughed under his breath — hollow, bitter. “You don’t even like me.”

“That’s not true.”

The words hit like a weapon. Zade blinked up at him, startled, but Xander didn’t back down. His expression wasn’t teasing this time — it was tense, raw, something unguarded flickering just beneath the surface.

“Don’t confuse me for everyone else here,” Xander said quietly. “I saw you fight today. Whoever that intruder was — they weren’t trying to take down the academy. They were coming for you. And I need to know why.”

Zade shook his head, trying to breathe past the tightening in his chest. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then make me.”

For a moment, neither of them moved. The tension hung between them like a drawn blade. Xander’s gaze searched his — steady, unyielding, too knowing.

And Zade hated that he couldn’t lie convincingly anymore. Not to him.

Finally, he said, “If I tell you, you’ll wish you never asked.”

“Try me.”

Zade’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. His mind flashed to the man’s voice in the arena — I’ve been looking for you. The memory made his skin crawl. He wanted to tell Xander, but how could he explain the truth without unraveling everything?

That he wasn’t supposed to exist.

That he wasn’t just an Omega — he was a forged one, born from illegal gene manipulation meant to mimic Alpha strength.

A fake.

A secret that would destroy his life if anyone knew.

Xander must’ve seen the war in his eyes, because he softened just slightly.

“I won’t tell anyone,” he said. “Whatever it is.”

“You already did,” Zade muttered. “You know what I am.”

Xander exhaled slowly. “Yeah. I do. And I’m still here, aren’t I?”

That startled him.

He looked up, but Xander was closer than before — too close. His presence filled the small room, heavy and unrelenting.

“Why?” Zade asked quietly. “Why are you still here?”

Xander’s eyes flicked down to his mouth before meeting his gaze again. “Because you think you’re alone,” he said. “And I don’t like watching you pretend to be something you’re not.”

Something in Zade broke. The walls he’d built so carefully cracked just enough for the truth to leak through — the exhaustion, the fear, the constant ache of hiding.

He turned away, voice trembling. “If you tell anyone—”

“I won’t.”

He looked back sharply. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because if I wanted to expose you,” Xander said, stepping closer until his chest brushed Zade’s shoulder, “I would’ve done it the moment I found out.”

Zade swallowed. His throat was dry. His heartbeat thundered.

Xander’s gaze dropped again — the faintest flicker of longing before he masked it. “Get some sleep,” he said quietly. “You’re shaking apart.”

Zade didn’t move.

“Xander…” he began, his voice barely a whisper.

The Alpha paused at the door.

“Whoever that was,” Zade said, “if they come back, don’t get involved. This isn’t your fight.”

Xander turned his head slightly, his eyes cutting through the dim light. “Too late for that.”

And then he was gone.

Zade stood in silence long after the door clicked shut. The air still smelled faintly of him — clean, dark, dangerous.

He pressed a hand to his chest, trying to steady the erratic rhythm beneath his palm. But it was useless.

Because Xander Vale was right about one thing.

This wasn’t just about survival anymore.

It was about him.

About the way his presence clawed under Zade’s skin and refused to leave.

And as the rain began to fall again outside the dorm window, Zade realized something terrifying:

He wasn’t afraid of the intruder anymore.

He was afraid of what Xander would do to him next.