The Choice

I pressed the button.

But not to call Marcus’s secretary.

I pressed end. Turned off my phone completely. Set it face down on the table.

Lycian reached me just as the screen went dark.

“Don’t,” he said. His voice was rough. Raw.

“I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

“I turned it off.”

He sank into the chair across from me. Relief flooded his face. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” It was the truth. “This is probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Or the smartest.”

“My aunt needs that money.”

“I’ll give you the money.”

“I told you, I don’t want…”

“Not as payment. Not as charity.” He leaned forward. “As what I should have offered from the beginning. Help. Because you need it and I can give it.”

“And what do you want in return?”

“Nothing.”

“Lycian.”

“Okay, not nothing. I want you to give this a chance. Give us a chance. But that’s not conditional on the money. Your aunt needs treatment. I have money. That’s just logic.”

My throat felt tight. “You can’t just throw money at people’s problems.”

“Why not? I have it. You need it. This isn’t complicated.”

“Yes it is. Because then I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“That’s not how the world works.”

“Then we’ll make it work differently.” His eyes were intense. Silver, not gold. Focused completely on me. “Let me help. Please.”

I wanted to say no. Wanted to keep my pride intact. But pride didn’t pay for chemotherapy.

“I’ll think about it,” I said finally.

“That’s not a no.”

“It’s not a yes either.”

“I’ll take it.” He glanced at my phone. “Marcus is going to be angry when you don’t call.”

“I know.”

“He’ll come after you.”

“I know that too.”

“I won’t let him hurt you.”

“You can’t stop him. He sits on the scholarship board. He has connections everywhere. One phone call and I’m done.”

“Not if I make a phone call first.”

I looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“My father sits on the board too. And he outranks Marcus.” Lycian pulled out his own phone. “One conversation and your scholarship is protected. Marcus won’t be able to touch it.”

“Why would your father do that?”

“Because I’ll ask him to.”

“You think he’ll just agree? Just like that?”

“He wants me to mate with someone. Anyone. He’s been pushing for years. If I tell him I’m interested in you, he’ll back off the Madison situation. And protecting your scholarship is a small price for that.”

“You’d lie to your father?”

“It’s not a lie.” His voice went quiet. “I am interested in you.”

Heat crept up my neck. “This is crazy.”

“I know.”

“We barely know each other.”

“I know that too.”

“And you want to tell your father we’re… what? Dating?”

“If that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”

I shook my head. “This is going to blow up in our faces.”

“Probably.”

“So why do it?”

“Because the alternative is watching you walk away. And I can’t do that.” He reached across the table. Stopped just short of touching my hand. “I know this is fast. I know it doesn’t make sense. But the bond is real, Elowen. I feel it every time I’m near you. And I think you feel it too.”

I did. That pull. That electric shock whenever we touched. The way my breath caught when he looked at me.

But feeling something didn’t make it real. Didn’t make it safe.

“If I do this,” I said slowly. “If I let you help. If I give this a chance. What happens when it falls apart?”

“It won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” He finally closed the distance. Took my hand. That spark raced up my arm. “But I know that walking away now guarantees we fail. Trying at least gives us a shot.”

His hand was warm. Solid. Real.

I should pull away. Should protect myself. Should make the smart choice.

But maybe the smart choice wasn’t always the right one.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Okay?”

“I’ll try. We’ll try.” I squeezed his hand. “But if this goes wrong…”

“It won’t.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Because I believe it.” He smiled. Actually smiled. Not the cold, controlled look. Something genuine. “Trust me.”

“I don’t know you well enough to trust you.”

“Then get to know me.”

“How?”

“Dinner. Tonight. Somewhere off campus where people won’t stare.”

“I have to work tonight.”

“Skip it.”

“I can’t just skip work.”

“Call in sick.”

“I’m not calling in sick for a date.”

“Then I’ll come to the coffee shop. Sit there all night. Order one drink every hour.”

I laughed. Couldn’t help it. “That’s creepy.”

“That’s dedicated.” His smile widened. “Come on. One dinner. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Fine. One dinner. But somewhere cheap. I’m not going to some fancy restaurant where I can’t pronounce anything on the menu.”

“Deal.”

We sat there for a moment. His hand still holding mine. The coffee shop buzzed around us but it felt distant. Like we were in our own bubble.

My phone buzzed on the table. Even turned off, I could feel it vibrating.

Nine o’clock.

Marcus’s secretary was probably calling. Wondering where I was. Why I hadn’t made the call.

“He’s going to retaliate,” I said.

“Let him try.”

“Lycian.”

“I’m serious. I’ll call my father today. By tonight, your scholarship will be untouchable.” He squeezed my hand. “You made the right choice.”

“I hope so.”

“You did.” He stood up but didn’t let go of my hand. “I have to get to class. But I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“I don’t know where you live to pick me up.”

“Text me your dorm. I’ll figure it out.”

“You don’t have my number.”

He pulled out his phone. Handed it to me. “Put it in.”

I typed my number with one hand. My other was still caught in his.

When I handed his phone back, he immediately called me. My phone vibrated again on the table.

“Now you have mine,” he said.

“Smooth.”

“I try.” He finally let go of my hand. But slowly. Like he didn’t want to. “Seven o’clock. Don’t stand me up.”

“I won’t.”

He turned to leave. Made it three steps before turning back.

“Thank you,” he said.

“For what?”

“For choosing this. For choosing us.”

Then he was gone. Disappearing into the morning crowd.

I sat there with my cold coffee and my turned-off phone.

What had I just done?

I’d turned down five thousand dollars per semester. Refused a powerful Alpha’s deal. Agreed to date the future heir of the most powerful pack in the country.

All for a feeling I couldn’t explain.

My phone buzzed again. And again. And again.

I turned it back on.

Twenty-three missed calls. All from blocked numbers.

Twelve voicemails.

And one text from a number I didn’t recognize.

You made a mistake, Ms. Hale. A very expensive one.

My stomach dropped.

Marcus.

I stared at the text. My hands started shaking.

Maybe I had made a mistake. Maybe I’d just destroyed my entire future for a guy I barely knew.

But when I thought about Lycian’s face. His smile. The way he’d looked at me like I mattered.

It didn’t feel like a mistake.

It felt like the first real choice I’d made in years.

Even if it meant war with one of the most powerful wolves on campus.

My phone rang again. Blocked number.

I answered this time.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Hale.” Marcus’s voice was ice cold. “We need to talk. Now.”