Chapter three– The Exposure Game

Elior’s POV

The days after the duel were torture.

Not because of the bruise blooming on my shoulder, but because of him.

Rylan Voss had stopped pretending I didn’t exist.

Everywhere I turned, he was there, maybe leaning against the lockers with his arms folded with that lazy smirk curving his lips like he knew something I didn’t. The rest of the students thought he was picking a fight. Maybe they were right. But to me, it felt like something else- something far more dangerous.

The air around him carried that faint electric weight, the kind that made the back of my neck prickle. Every time his eyes caught mine, my pulse reacted like it had a will of its own. I told myself it was fear, but I knew better. It was the suppressant thinning in my bloodstream, and the way his scent that was always sharp, dominant and undeniably Alpha had kept tugging at the edge of my restraint.

It started small.

A glance that lasted too long.

A passing comment that sounded too deliberate.

A seat he chose- always near mine.

At first, I tried to ignore it. I buried myself in classes, in notes, in keeping my head low. But Rylan had a way of closing distance without even moving as his presence filled every room.

During pheromone control class, the instructor asked us to practice restraint techniques in pairs. Of course, fate or maybe Rylan’s quiet manipulation made sure we were matched.

He stood in front of me, taller by a few inches, posture relaxed, but his gaze were steady and unreadable.

“Ready?” he asked, voice deep enough to make the air between us vibrate.

“Always,” I lied.

He stepped closer. The assignment was simple- maintain composure under proximity. Easy, for any normal Alpha. But I wasn’t one. I could already feel the edges of my control fraying as his heat bled into the space between us.

“Your heartbeat’s fast,” he murmured.

I forced a smile. “Maybe you’re imagining things.”

His eyes glinted, a challenge hidden behind amusement. “Maybe. Or maybe you’re hiding something.”

The word ‘hiding’ sliced too close. I inhaled, slowly and in a shallow manner, trying to mask the panic clawing at my throat. He didn’t move for a while, just studied me with the kind of focus that made me feel like he was peeling layers away.

When the class ended, I practically bolted. But I could feel his gaze still following me and this time, it had the ‘quiet, unspoken I’m not done with you yet’ vibes.

Rumors started after that all over again, like it was now an everyday thing.

How the new transfer student kept dodging locker-room showers.

How I was never around during scent evaluations.

How I somehow aced every theoretical test but never volunteered for dominance trials.

By the time the week ended, I could feel the whispers crawling along the walls. The academy fed on gossip sometimes, and mine had become the new favorite.

That night, I slipped through the dorm corridors, careful to avoid the security drones. My stash was almost gone as it was only two vials left. I couldn’t afford another slip-up. Not when Rylan was watching.

The underground pharmacy was hidden behind the old mechanical lab, accessible through a service hatch that most students didn’t know existed. I had to crawl through narrow pipes before the smell of the storage room filled my nose.

The supplier, an old medic named Halden, frowned when he saw me. “You again. You know it’s risky getting caught out this late.”

“I’ll take that risk.” I pulled out a few bills, enough to cover the dose. “Just give me the suppressant.”

He hesitated. “We’re low. You’ll have to make it last. And if your system’s already showing resistance, it won’t hold much longer.”

His words landed like stones in my chest. “You mean…”

“I mean you’re running out of time, kid.” He handed me the small silver vial. “Sooner or later, someone’s going to smell what you really are.”

I left in silence, his warning ringing in my ears. The night air bit at my skin as I crossed the courtyard. I thought I was alone until a shadow detached itself from the wall.

It was Rylan.

Again?! I started wondering if he does nothing other than to follow me around.

He stepped forward, the faint glow from the moon catching in his hair. “You move quietly,” he said. “Almost like you don’t want to be seen.”

I froze, and I felt my pulse jumping. “Could say the same about you.”

He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Touché. But unlike you, I’ve got nothing to hide.”

He said it casually, but the words hit hard. I tightened my grip around the vial in my pocket, praying he wouldn’t notice.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked, forcing my voice steady.

“Could ask you the same.” His eyes flicked briefly to my hand, and I quickly shoved it into my jacket. He didn’t miss the move- he never did.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then he sighed, stepping closer until the faint scent of cedar and rain filled my lungs.

“You don’t trust anyone, do you?” he asked quietly.

It wasn’t a question meant to be answered. But still, something in his tone felt calm, not accusing though, now made my guard falter.

“I can’t afford to,” I whispered before I could stop myself.

Something glistened in his eyes. Sympathy? Curiosity? I couldn’t tell.

He stepped back, giving me space. “Then maybe you’re not as much of an Alpha as you want people to think.”

I froze. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He smirked, turning away. “Just an observation.”

*****

From that night on, something between us changed.

He didn’t confront me again directly, but he hovered.

In the cafeteria, he’d sit across from me, even when the table was full.

In lectures, his chair somehow ended up next to mine.

During sparring practice, he’d volunteer to pair with me, always pushing me harder than the others, watching every reaction. Just having every possible means to have me close to him, though he made it unsuspicious to others.

And no matter how hard I tried to avoid him, my body betrayed me.

Every time he got too close, my pulse skipped. Every time he touched me, maybe a hand brushing my arm or a shove during training- my scent threatened to slip.

I could feel the suppressant failing as the edges of my control crumbled.

During tonight's late-night training session, he caught me off guard again.

I was working alone, trying to vent my nerves through combat drills. The room was silent except for the sound of my fists hitting the practice dummy. Then came that voice.

“You train like someone running from something.”

I turned. He was leaning on the doorframe, having his hair messy, still in uniform.

“What do you want, Rylan?”

He shrugged. “Maybe I like watching you struggle.”

My jaw tightened. “Then you must be easily entertained.”

He walked in, slow and deliberate. “You’re not like the others,” he said, circling me like a predator testing its prey. “You don’t challenge authority and I notice that you avoid attention. You actually don’t act like an Alpha.”

“Maybe I just don’t need to prove myself.”

He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him.

“Or maybe,” he murmured, “you’re pretending to be something you’re not.”

Again! My throat went dry. “Get out of my way.”

“Make me.”

It wasn’t a shout. It was low, daring, dripping with intent.

Our eyes locked. I could feel my pulse hammering against my ribs, my body screaming to move, to run or fight or something. But his gaze pinned me.

He reached out, brushing his thumb along my jawline casually. The contact sent a jolt straight through me and my scent wavered for a heartbeat, escaping the fragile wall the suppressant had built.

His eyes widened just slightly and then something unreadable passed through them.

But instead of calling me out, he stepped back.

“See you around, Elior.”

He left me standing there, shaking, half from fear, half from something I didn’t want to name.

The next morning, the announcement came.

“All Alpha students are required to undergo a full scent assessment this Friday,” the Chancellor’s voice echoed through the halls. “Attendance is mandatory.”

The words turned my blood to ice.

A full scent test meant exposure. And no amount of suppressant would hide me for long. To think this was the first time this test was done since I got here even scared me more. Could Rylan be behind this?

As the announcement ended, I caught sight of Rylan across the courtyard. His gaze found mine instantly, unreadable as ever.

But there was something new there now, let's say something that made my stomach twist.

There was a high tendency that he knew.

Or at least, he suspected with regards to the truth.

And the worst part wasn’t that he might expose me.

It was that a small, treacherous part of me didn’t want him to.