I don’t want anything to do with you

Aria’s POV

Caspian’s eyes gleamed as he folded his arms behind his head.

“Well, this is a first,” he said, grinning. “Care to explain how you ended up in our very exclusive, very off-limits lounge, little wolf?”

I opened my mouth to answer, though I wasn’t sure what I was going to say—but Thane beat me to it.

“I brought her here,” he said, closing his book with a soft thud.

Restroom boy, if I remembered correctly—arched a brow and stepped farther into the room. “Why?”

“She was being targeted,” Thane said evenly. “Beaten up in the courtyard.”

Ryker scoffed, a sharp sound in the quiet lounge. “So she’s the one who decided to get that kind of attention for herself.”

My spine stiffened. “Decided?”

Before I could say more, Kaid’s voice cut through the rising tension.

“Since when,” he said coldly, turning to Thane, “do we bring women into our space?”

The silence that followed was heavy.

Thane replied. “It wasn’t intentional. She needed somewhere to rest after taking those blows.”

Kaid’s gaze shifted to me, unreadable. But I’d had enough.

I stood up, my legs a little shaky but holding.

“I’ll leave,” I said flatly. “Didn’t mean to invade your precious boy’s club.”

Thane lifted his eyes briefly, concern flickering in them. “You have not fully regained your strength..”

“I’ll manage,” I muttered, already turning toward the door. “Thanks for the food.”

I didn’t make it two steps before bathroom boy moved, sliding in front of me like a wall of smug arrogance.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, tilting his head, that infuriating half-smirk back in place.

I met his gaze, refusing to flinch. “Away from here.”

He chuckled, low and mocking. “You think you get to just walk out? We haven’t settled your debt yet.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What debt?”

He leaned in slightly. “The one from the bathroom. You dropped me like a sack of bricks. Pretty sure my future pups are still in recovery.”

“Then maybe don’t corner girls with your pants half down,” I shot back.

He grinned. “You’ve got a mouth on you.”

“And you’ve got a face I wouldn’t mind hitting twice.”

Kaid’s voice broke through the tension in the room, his tone commanding. “Let her leave, Ryker.”

Ryker hesitated, just for a moment, his eyes flicking toward me. There was something in that look—something I couldn’t quite read—but he finally moved, stepping aside with a faint smirk still playing on his lips.

I didn’t look back as I pushed past him, opening the door.

“Your name should be restroom boy, it fits you better,” I said over my shoulder, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

I didn’t wait for his response, quickly close the door shut behind me with a soft thud.

I walked down the hall, trying to collect myself.

I didn’t understand why I felt so overwhelmed when all those guys had been in the room with me. I wasn’t choked up, but my body was on high alert—too aware of every little sensation. There was a strange heat radiating from me.

Focus, I told myself, taking a deep breath.

But then, I realized—I wasn’t carrying my bag.

I cursed under my breath. My bag was still in the room with them.

There was no way I was going back in there.

———

The professor wrapped up the lesson, but I barely registered a word she said. Her explanation of some tech concepts floated over my head like static.

My mind was elsewhere. I couldn’t shake the feeling of the heat from my skin, the rush of energy I felt from being in their presence. It was like my senses had been overloaded, and I couldn’t focus on anything else.

Focus, I reminded myself again, pressing my fingers against my temples. I needed to get a grip.

I was snapped out of my daze when a soft voice broke through my thoughts.

"Hey."

I looked up, startled, to see a girl standing beside me. She had glasses perched on her nose,with her short hair.

She seemed... familiar, though I couldn’t place her at first.

"Do you have a partner?" she asked, her voice low but clear.

I blinked at her, trying to clear my mind. "What are you talking about?"

She shifted her weight slightly, looking around the classroom, then back at me. "The teacher said we need to pair up for the project." She paused for a moment. "You didn’t hear? It’s already time to pick partners."

That’s when it hit me. The class had ended. I hadn’t been paying attention at all. I glanced at the clock. It was already well past the time I thought the lecture would end.

"Oh," I said, a little embarrassed. "I didn't realize." I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, still shaken from everything that had happened earlier.

I glanced around the room, suddenly aware of the remaining students who were quietly chatting in pairs. I hadn’t noticed how quickly everyone had found their partners. It wasn’t hard to see why. No one would want to partner with people who were already targets of the Betas and Alphas, people who might get picked on just for the wrong reasons.

Then it clicked. This girl.

Her face seemed familiar. She was the one I’d helped out when she was being harassed by those girls. I hadn’t even realized it was her until now.

I softened. "Wait, you’re the one... the one who was being harassed.”

She shifted uncomfortably, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her glasses. "Yeah, that was me," she said. "But I... I didn’t really appreciate it, you know?" She hesitated, as though the words were hard to say. "I know you were trying to help, but this isn’t something you can help with.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I stared at her, not quite understanding at first, but then the realization slowly sank in. She wasn’t mad at me for helping her. She wasn’t ungrateful. She was scared.

"Listen," she continued, her gaze darting around the room nervously, "I don’t want to get tangled up in anything else. I just want to finish this project and get out of here. I don’t want any trouble." She looked down at the desk.

"I’m not looking for friends. I just... I just need to be left alone.”