Chapter 002

NOVA

My hands curl into fists, my nails digging deep into my palms. The beaded scent blockers throb with heat as my body fights the truth of the bond, but it's there. It's undeniable. My skin prickles, my throat tightening.

I'm drowning in his scent already. There's a tinge of something sweet under the spice. Vanilla? Honey? Apple? And it's creamy too. Fuck. Is this really his natural scent?

Rhydar freezes mid-step, a second towel clenched in one fist as his eyes land on me. The music dies in my ears. All I hear is the rush of blood and the warning in his voice.

"You're not Leo."

They are three simple words, but I swear, they send me into a temporary cardiac arrest. And suddenly I can't speak. His jaw twitches, and I can sense his wolf stirring. The sheer power makes my legs tremble.

Is it too late to give up and run?

"What game are you playing?" he drawls, moving towards me with graceful, lethal movements. My heart is pounding so hard, and I'm beginning to sweat. Together, that is a dangerous combo, because it amplifies my fucking scent to any predator close by. And right now, Rhydar is nothing more than a terrifying predator.

No, this isn't how I go down.

'Breathe, Nova. Right now, you're Leo. What would Leo do?'

"Cat got your tongue, Creed?" Rhydar's deep voice assaults my insides, but instead of crumbling, I turn away from him. Then, I lift my gaze to him, keeping my chin raised.

"...Screw you, Kane."

And I could've sworn that for a second, an expression of hurt and surprise flashed in his eyes. Weird.

The other guy bursts into laughter and tosses the apple at Rhydar, who catches it before it hits him in the face.

"Get out, Theo. Go back to your dorm," Rhydar tells him as I take my bag off my shoulder.

'Theo' grumbles and rises to his feet. But just before he moves past me, his green eyes widen as he glances at my wrists.

Shit.

He's seen the beads.

"Yo," he says slowly. "Why's Creed wearing scent blockers?"

My stomach flips. They're going to tear me apart. But I react before my mind catches up.

"Back off," I snap, throwing my duffel onto the unclaimed bunk. I stalk across the room, forcing a lazy slouch into my shoulders just the way Leo used to. "I just got back, and you're already sniffing around like hungry pups."

I feel their eyes follow me as I throw open the bathroom door and slam it shut behind me.

The lock clicks into place with a satisfying click. Then I finally breathe. My chest heaves as I lean hard against the door, bracing myself.

That was too close. Something tells me Rhydar is sharp enough to figure out that something is off. He could have stopped me as I moved past him. Was he biding his time to toy with me?

And the other one, Theo, he definitely noticed the scent blockers. They'll be watching me now.

The door rattles behind me.

"Creed," the apple guy calls. "What the hell is going on?"

Another voice joins in, his familiar bass scraping my insides. Rhydar.

"Come out."

The knob jiggles harder.

"Not happening," I call back, my voice clipped. "I just got back from isolation. You want me social? Try again tomorrow."

The pounding grows louder, and I flinch.

"Seriously?" Rhydar growls. "If this is a joke—"

"Get off the damn door, Kane," I hiss. Silence hovers for a moment. Then I hear footsteps retreating, followed by muffled curses. And finally... pure silence.

I sink to the floor, trembling, biting down hard on the inside of my cheek. Just enough to taste blood.

...

The hours crawl by. I don't leave the bathroom even when I hear the music kick up again. And finally, I hear the unmistakable slam of the dorm door together with the voices fading. I gulp. There is a possibility that Rhydar is still in there, waiting to confront me. With his size and build, he can easily pin me down. But I'm not one to go down without a fight. So, screw this.

I emerge slowly from the bathroom, my senses on alert. But to my surprise, the room is truly empty.

I move fast to Leo's bed. His side of the room is colder. There's a faint scuff mark on the corner of the desk, like someone used to tap their ring there when they were thinking.

My brother. It was one of his habits.

My chest cracks again.

Right. He once gave me the other ring that perfectly matches his. I run my finger over the black ring on my index finger and let out a sigh.

Slowly, I pull open the bottom drawer. There are pens, pencils, ripped tests, and crumpled notes. But underneath them is a leather-bound book with no name on the cover. But the instant I open it, I recognize Leo's slanted handwriting.

It's his journal, I realize. Swallowing hard, I flip the pages until I come across a text that makes my chest tighten:

'If something happens to me... it wasn't an accident.'

Letting out a shaky breath, I turn to the next page with trembling fingers.

'Rhydar hates me. He nearly killed me today. I think he'll try to finish what he started next time.'

My blood runs cold in my veins.

I barely register the creak of the floorboard as I slam the drawer shut, my fingers fumbling now as I reach for the one above it. If Rhydar really is a suspect, I need more than just angry words in a journal. I need something solid.

The top drawer groans as I yank it open. There are documents in it. But tucked behind the false back panel is a familiar object.

My breath hitches as I pull it out slowly. It's Leo's pendant. The one I gave him the night before he left for the academy. He said it would protect him. He said he'd never take it off.

It used to shine brightly. Now it's caked in dried blood. The once-gold chain is rusted and snapped in one side. My stomach lurches as I cradle it in my palm.

"No," I whisper, tears blurring my vision as I recognize the smell of his blood. And suddenly, I'm not in the dorm room anymore. I'm by the riverbank again, the one where we made our pact as kids.

I blink hard, and the image fades, but the pain doesn't.

"Looking for something?"

The hair on the back of my neck rises stiffly. I spin, and there he is.

The devil.

He's wearing a white hoodie and cargo pants now, his black hair parted in the center. His eyes burn into mine and then drop to the pendant in my hand. And those stormy eyes grow murky.

My pulse goes wild.

"I-I was just—"

"Going through my things?" he cuts in. "Or maybe you were looking for that?"

He nods towards the pendant. The dried blood glints in the faint light. He steps forward, and I instinctively back up, the journal slipping from the bed and thudding to the floor.

My back hits the wall, and his hand slams against the wall beside my head, trapping me.

The pendant digs into my palm, but I don't dare let go. He's so close, I can see how long his dark lashes are.

Fuck. Why is he so close?

"Interesting thing to be digging for," Rhydar murmurs, his eyes darting down to where my fist is clenched at my side. "Tell me, Creed... is there a reason you're shaking?"

His voice is softer now, and somehow, that is even more terrifying.

I swallow. "Maybe you should stop crowding me."

"Oh?" He leans in, his mouth brushing the shell of my ear, and I can feel his smirk as he whispers, "But you don't sound like you want me to stop."

My knees almost buckle.

The scent blockers aren't working. I know it. My wolf's going haywire, pushing against the barrier as Rhydar's scent overwhelms the room.

I try to duck out under his arm, but he shifts, blocking me with his body.

My back hits the wall, hard.

His thigh slides between mine, not touching me. But it's close enough to make my breath quicken.

"You're twitchy," he says, tilting his head, those grey eyes roaming my face with madness roaring in their depths. "What's got you so jumpy, Creed?"

I force my mouth to move. "I could ask you the same thing. Are you always this handsy with your roommates?"

His smile is feral and terrifyingly sexy at the same time.

"Only the ones who lie to me."

My stomach drops.

He knows.

No, he's bluffing. He has to be bluffing.

He leans in even closer, his nose brushing lightly along my jaw as he inhales slowly.

"You smell..." he murmurs. "Wrong."

I can't breathe. His mouth hovers just beside mine, and my wolf is straining for release. Rhydar's hand slides down from the wall, slowly skimming the outside of my thigh, tracing the hem of my hoodie, until I shiver.

"Tell me something..." he murmurs, his voice sending my heart palpitating. "Is this why you're so tense?"

I freeze.

He leans back just enough to look me in the eyes, those intimidating pair of stormy eyes glinting with a cruel kind of curiosity.

"Or are you still stuck on the last thing we talked about?"