Chapter 4 Jane's Pov

Cornell was supposed to be my clean slate.

No whispers of betrayal. No Trevor lurking in every hallway, wearing his bulshit like cologne and smiling like he’d done nothing wrong. 

I wanted distance. Space. Control.

Instead, I got Damian Ross.

Arrrrghhhhh!

By the time practice ended, my blood pressure was high enough to kill a lesser wolf. Geneva was still grinning like she’d just watched the season finale of her favorite drama.

“Okay,” she sang as we walked back to the dorms. “Spill. On a scale of one to ‘he’s insufferable,’ how bad was that?”

My jaw was set as I tightened my ponytail while I answered. 

“He is the whole scale. Trust me. He’s arrogant. Cocky. The human embodiment of everything I swore I’d avoid.”

“So… like Trevor?”

I shot Geneva a look. I had told her about Trevor a few days ago and she had been sympathetic about it. 

I exhaled loudly before answering. “Kinda. Even though Trevor is the main asshole. Damian is just loud and arrogant.”

“Loud and arrogant and hot,” Geneva added under her breath.

I certainly ignored that.

But ignoring Damian himself? Impossible. His laugh had echoed across the field the entire walk back. 

Even now, hours later, I could still hear it. Annoyingly deep. Infuriatingly confident.

More annoying was how rattled it made me feel. 

***

Later that evening, I was sprawled across my bed with a psychology textbook open, though my brain wasn’t absorbing a single word. Geneva was scrolling on her phone, humming some tune, when she gasped dramatically. “Oh. My. Goddess.”

I didn’t look up. “What now?”

“You’re trending.”

That got my attention. I sat up. “What?”

She turned her screen toward me. Sure enough, there it was—an anonymous campus gossip account, with a blurry photo of me and Damian nose-to-nose on the field earlier. 

The caption read: 🔥 Sparks or claws? Cheer Queen vs. Goalie King. Place your bets. #AlphaWars

My stomach dropped immediately and I opened my mouth in shock. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Geneva was practically vibrating with excitement. “Look at the comments! Half the campus thinks you’re about to kill him. The other half thinks you’re secretly hooking up.”

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “This is exactly what I didn’t want when I came here. Drama. I fucking don't want it.”

“Sweetie, you can’t stand that close to Damian Ross and not cause drama.”

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed with a new notification. It was from an unknown number.

Unknown: You glare cute.

I froze. “No. No, no, no.”

Geneva snatched the phone before I could stop her. She read it, then shrieked. “Oh my Goddess, it’s him!”

I lunged, grabbing it back. “How the hell did he even get my number?”

Before Geneva could speculate, another message popped up.

Damian: Don’t worry, I bribed Jason who bribes someone in your squad. Totally worth it.

My wolf bristled under my skin. Cocky bastard, I thought. 

I moved my fingers to quickly text back. 

Me: Lose my number, asshole. 

The reply came instantly.

Damian: Can’t. Too entertaining.

I threw the phone down like it burned me. “He’s insufferable.”

Geneva just grinned. “He likes you.”

“I don’t care.” 

But the flutter in my stomach betrayed me and I hated it.

***

The universe wasn’t done torturing me.

The next evening, I headed to the library for some actual quiet. The place was nearly empty, perfect for drowning myself in research. Or so I thought.

Half an hour in, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

It was Damian Ross.

Oh God, no, I thought as he slid into the chair across from me like he owned the damn library. He was wearing his hoodie, backwards cap and cocky grin in full force.

“Don’t tell me you’re stalking me,” I said, snapping my book shut.

“Relax, sweetheart.” He propped his feet on the chair next to him. “I’m here for academic enlightenment.”

I arched a brow. “You? Study? That I have to see.”

He shrugged, pulling out a notebook that looked suspiciously empty. “What can I say? Inspiration strikes.”

“Try harder,” I muttered, gathering my things.

But his next words froze me mid-movement.

“I know you hate me already but I need your help.”

That made me stop. I looked at him, skeptical. “Excuse me?”

He leaned forward, the cocky grin slipping just slightly. “There are… rumors. About me failing classes. If I don’t get my grades up, I lose my eligibility. Which means no hockey. No shot at going pro. No Alpha credibility. Everything gone.”

For a moment, I saw something real in his eyes. Fear. Vulnerability. 

He masked it quickly, but it was there. I had seen it. 

“And this has what to do with me?” I asked carefully.

“You’re smart. Top of your classes. People respect you. At least, that is what Jason and others have been telling me. If I’m seen with you—hell, if people think you’re tutoring me—it kills the narrative.” He hesitated, then added, “If they think we’re… together, it shuts it down completely.”

I blinked rapidly at him. I couldn't believe he was saying this right now. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.” His jaw clenched as he continued. “Fake dating. Just for a while. Few weeks, maybe. Until the fucking rumours die down.”

What the hell was going on here?

Somebody, pinch me so I could wake up, I thought in shock. 

When I laughed, it came out sounding ridiculous. “You’re insane. Why would I ever agree to that?”

“Because,” he said, eyes locking onto mine, “Trevor’s coming to the inter-pack games.”

The name hit me like a punch. My wolf snarled low inside me, fury flashing through my veins.

Damian must’ve seen it, because his mouth curved into that infuriating smirk again. “Thought that might get your attention.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it and then opened it again. After a minute, I managed to ask, “How…how did you know about Trevor?”

He smiled a slow dangerous smile that got my insides heated up despite how I was feeling at the moment.

“Trust me, I know things,” he said with a husky voice. “And one of the things I know is that you would do everything to make sure Trevor pay for treating you with such disrespect.”

I bit my lips as I glared at him. I hated him. 

And I hated that he was fucking right.

Trevor would be there at the games, I thought. Smug. Watching. Probably with some new girl draped over him like a trophy. 

The idea of walking in with Damian—the one rival Trevor couldn’t stand—sparked something deliciously vindictive inside me.

Still, I wasn't sure it was a good idea doing this with Damian. Not when he was such an arrogant and overwhelming person. Doing this with him would be like playing with gasoline when I didn't want to get burned. 

It would be too risky. Way too risky. And right now, I didn't think I could afford risky. 

I crossed my arms as I said, “Even if I considered this—which I’m not—you and I can’t even share a field without trying to strangle each other. So it doesn't make sense.”

“It actually makes it perfect.” He leaned back on his chair as he spoke, spreading his arms like the conclusion was obvious. “Nobody would believe we’d fake it. Which means they’ll buy it.”

I rolled my eyes at him. 

The audacity of him. The nerve. And yet…

I could already picture Trevor’s face. I could see already the shock that would be on his face when he sees Damian and I together. I could imagine the rage he would feel. 

Heck, maybe he would feel regret for his actions.

Sensing the prospect of revenge, my wolf prowled, interested now. 

“You’re impossible,” I muttered finally, unable to think of anything else to say. 

Damian’s grin widened. “So that’s a yes?”

“No.”

“So… a maybe.”

I grabbed my bag and stood, glaring down at him. “If I do this—which I haven’t agreed to—it’s on my terms. I call the shots. You step out of line once, Ross, and I’ll make you regret it.”

His eyes glinted, wolf staring right back at mine. “Deal. But for the record—sweetheart—you’ll regret underestimating me.”

“Wait for my answer,” I said to him and then without waiting for a response, I spun on my heel, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me flustered.

But as I left the library, one truth lodged itself in my chest like a thorn.

I was not just angry at Damian’s arrogance.

I was also intrigued.

And that terrified me more than anything.