CHAPTER 3 Part 2: The Excuse

Avery stared at him, her mind spinning. A tutor?

​Suddenly, the cold, calculating voice of Alpha King Magnus echoed in her head. Bring my son home. Gain his trust. Strip him of his delusions.

​This was it. The perfect, golden opportunity she had been praying for. She didn't have to hunt him down or manipulate her way into his inner circle; Jake was handing her the keys to his life on a silver platter. If she became his tutor, she would have a legitimate, unquestionable excuse to spend hours by his side, slowly breaking down his resistance to his pack duties, all while saving her brother's life.

​But looking at the intense, burning hunger in his green eyes, she knew she was walking right into a furnace. The mate bond was a living thing, and the closer she got to him, the harder it would be to hide her true nature.

​"I don't know..." Avery hesitated, playing the reluctant human. "I'm really busy with my own studies."

​"I'll pay you double the university's standard tutoring rate," Jake pressed, stepping closer, his voice dropping into a persuasive, gravelly whisper. "Name your price, Avery. Just say yes."

​Avery let out a slow, controlled sigh, looking down at her books before meeting his eyes again. "Fine. I'll do it. But under two conditions: we only meet in public spaces, like the main library, and we stick strictly to the syllabus. No distractions."

​A dark, victorious smile spread across Jake's face, making him look devastatingly handsome. "Deal. We start tonight—"

​"Well, well. Look what we have here."

​The smooth, mocking voice cut through the air like a blade, instantly shattering the fragile bubble between them.

​Cole strolled down the hallway, his hands shoved casually into the pockets of his designer jeans. His blonde hair was damp, and his blue eyes danced with a sharp, dangerous amusement as he took in the scene. He had been heading toward the exit after his shower, but the sight of the unyielding, untouchable Jake cornering a quiet girl in the middle of West Hall was too delicious to pass up.

​As Cole stopped beside them, his eyes slid off Jake and landed squarely on Avery.

​For a split second, Cole’s arrogant smirk faltered. His blue eyes widened slightly, his nostrils flaring as he subtly took a deep breath. Even with her scent masker fully operational, Avery's raw, magnetic Lycan aura—the innate, fierce dignity of her soul—vibrated on a frequency that Cole’s Alpha instincts picked up instantly. He couldn't smell a wolf, but his inner beast growled in sudden, intense fascination. She didn't look like the typical, submissive human girls on campus. There was a hidden fire in her eyes that captivated him on a primal level.

​"I didn't know you frequented the literary wing, Jake," Cole purred, his eyes never leaving Avery's face as a genuinely intrigued smile spread across his lips. "And you certainly never introduced me to your beautiful friend."

​Jake’s entire demeanor changed in a heartbeat. The soft, possessive warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous fury. He shifted his weight, his massive frame instinctively moving to shield Avery from Cole’s piercing gaze.

​"She's none of your business, Cole," Jake growled, a dangerous, low-frequency vibration rattling in his chest. "Get lost."

​"Oh, come on, don't be greedy, Number 7," Cole chuckled, ignoring Jake's warning as he stepped around him, forcing himself into Avery's line of sight. He offered her a charming, dazzling smile that had broken a hundred hearts on campus. "I'm Cole. Cole Sterling. I play on the team with this brute. If he's bothering you, you can tell me. I'm much better company."

​Cole reached out, his hand moving toward Avery's shoulder, intending to pull her gently into a conversation.

​He never made contact.

​Before Cole’s fingers could even brush the fabric of her hoodie, Jake’s hand shot out like a striking viper. He caught Cole’s wrist in mid-air, his large fingers locking around the bone with a crushing, agonizing grip.

​The sound of the impact—flesh slamming against flesh—echoed sharply through the corridor. The surrounding students went dead silent, instantly freezing in their tracks as the suffocating, heavy air of a looming Alpha battle flooded the hallway.

​Cole’s smile vanished, his blue eyes instantly flashing a bright, predatory amber as he glared at Jake. He tried to pull his arm back, but Jake’s grip was like a vice of solid iron. Jake’s own eyes flared a deadly, glowing emerald, his jaw clenched so hard the muscles in his neck strained against his skin.

​"Touch her," Jake whispered, his voice vibrating with a terrifying, monstrous promise that made the air itself feel cold, "and I will rip your hand off your body right here in front of everyone. Try me, Cole."

​Avery stood trapped between them, her heart stopping as she looked at the two Alphas, their power clashing like thunderclouds in the crowded university hallway.