SOREN

Watching Skye fight for me was a surreal experience. He looked badass and, well… really sexy, to be honest. He didn't show an ounce of fear while facing that piece of shit, Don. God, I hate that fucking rapist. If people only knew… But I've told no one, except Liam. And I kept pretending, even to myself sometimes, that nothing serious happened. But seeing Don get pushed around and tossed to the ground made me feel a sick kind of satisfaction.

As soon as Don ran off, Skye turned his back on me and headed straight for his dorm, totally ignoring me. I couldn't let that happen, so I called out his name. First time I've ever done that.

His face was… well, blank, impassive. I couldn't read his expression. These last couple of weeks have changed him—he's distanced himself from me, stopped noticing me, and it's been… unsettling? Like, something was off. I should feel relieved, so why the hell was I not?

I didn't even think before I offered him a bj, but he just took a step back and turned me down. Then he walked away, not even giving me a second glance. I was left there alone, in the dim evening light, feeling miserable and lost. I didn't even know what I wanted or what the hell just happened. Slowly, step by step, I made my way back to the party where Sean, Tim, Mark, and Alvin were still drinking by the keg.

When Alvin saw me, he made a murderous face. "You're such a bitch, Soren," he snarled. "Can you leave Don the fuck alone? I was finally going somewhere with him in the last couple of weeks!"

"And I should care… because?" I snapped back.

"You're draining his money, giving him shit, stringing him along!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" I yelled, clenching my fists. I could've told him the truth, but I didn't want to come off like… a loser.

Alvin's tone got darker, "I want you to leave Don alone! Got it? Or you're out of our club!"

I laughed so loud it cut through the music, making a few people look at me.

"Me? Leave him alone? He's the one following me around like a lost puppy, you idiot!"

"Yeah, because you keep pulling crap like today! Why'd you drag him to dance? You're giving him hope while making Skye miserable at the same time! I see right through you. You're a sick, toxic bastard playing messed-up games with these guys, and I'm telling you to leave them both alone."

My nerves were about to snap. "And who the hell are you to tell me what to do? Because you suddenly want Don's tiny dick in your ass, you're being bitchy? What I do is none of your business!"

Alvin's face went pale, then red, then pale again. I knew I was making him an enemy, but I honestly didn't care. One more stupid alpha off my back, even better.

"You're done with the Kingdom, asshole! From this moment—"

I burst out laughing again. "I'm done with it anyway. I haven't been ‘servicing' May and Ed for weeks. So I don't give a shit about your fucking Kingdom!"

Sean, who'd been standing next to us, just stared at me, mouth open.

"Hey, hey, guys! Can we not do this while we're drunk as fuck?"

Alvin just snorted and stormed off, practically shooting lightning bolts from his eyes.

Sean came up to me and threw an arm around my waist. "Hey, why are you so pissed today? You're even more intense than usual. What happened?"

I really didn't need his sympathy right now, and certainly not his touch. I hated feeling weak, but I was so upset and all over the place that I mumbled, "Don tried to force himself on me. If it wasn't for Skye, I don't know what would've happened."

Sean's eyes went wide as he stared at me through the flickering lights of the dance room. "Are you serious? Was he that drunk? Has he gone mad?"

"He was tipsy, but that's no excuse."

"God, it's a good thing Skye was around. I guess it's a blessing he rejected me, or he wouldn't have been there in time!" He made an apologetic face.

I blinked, dumbfounded. "Wait. What? He rejected you?"

Sean giggled and waved it off. "Yup. I offered him a free fuck, but he politely declined. Hahaha…"

A weird wave rushed through me. Skye rejected him? Nice! But then I remembered, I got rejected too today. "He also turned me down. I offered him a blowjob," I blurted out before I could think about it.

Sean chuckled. "He said he's not into drunk sex."

"He gave me the same answer…" Something was bugging me, and I had to bring it up. "But I can't believe you offered to fuck him, Sean, knowing he's into me. That was kind of a bitchy move."

Wow, why did I even say that? I had no claim on Skye. I'd pushed him away over and over, and yet…

Sean looked at me, just as surprised as I was with my own words.

"What? I thought you hated him!"

He had a point. But… there was a ‘but'.

"I do… maybe… I mean, no. I don't hate him, to be honest."

Sean's face, barely visible in all those swirling lights, looked completely confused. "I don't get it, Soren. What's going on? Did you change your mind? Sorry, but I had no idea."

"Forget I said that. It was stupid. You're right, you couldn't have known. We're good." I snorted dismissively.

Sean kept staring at me. "So… do you like him now? Are you into him?"

"No! No. Absolutely not. No."

"Man, you're confusing me. Four ‘nos'. That pretty much adds up to a double yes."

"It's nothing like that. I don't date alphas," I muttered, sounding weirdly unsure, and pulled away from Sean's embrace, feeling uncomfortable, but he kept pushing.

"Wait, I need to know that you don't want him for yourself. I was going to make a move on him tomorrow, but I don't want to come between you two, so just tell me."

He wanted to make a move…? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, it just felt wrong, there was such a strong resistance inside me that I almost couldn't speak, the words were stuck in my throat.

"So? Soren, we need to communicate. Can I make my move, or not?"

I couldn't believe the word that came out of my mouth.

"No."

The silence between us would've been deafening if it weren't for the blaring music… but even that seemed distant. Sean stared at me, his mouth hanging open in shock—like he'd been frozen in that expression since we started talking.

Then he cleared his throat, it was rising inside him, almost palpable—some irritation and confusion. "Is this gonna be another ‘Don' situation? You're gonna keep him as a paypig?"

"No! And I haven't taken a dime from Don since the start of this semester!"

Sean took a step closer, his face tense. "I heard from Alvin that Skye said he could give you money as ‘friendly support'. Seems like he's the perfect candidate. Is that your plan for him?"

I couldn't stand the bitterness in his voice; it pissed me off.

"No, that's not the plan! And why do you even care? Do you genuinely like him or just wanna smash?"

Sean blushed and clenched his jaw. "I think he's cool. And hot. He doesn't deserve Don's treatment, that's for sure. And if you're trying to pull the same shit on him, here's a friendly warning: I won't let you."

Oh, wow, that was unexpected. We had a brief moment of staredown.

I could've told him how wrong he was, how badly he misunderstood everything, how ridiculous it all was… but he didn't know what happened between Don and me, so he just pitied Don and thought I was more toxic and messed up than I really was. I knew I couldn't explain it without spilling the whole truth, and… I wasn't ready for that. It had to stay my secret. So the only thing I could do was to be myself—and get even more pissed off!

"What I do is none of your business! If he wants to simp for me, he can. You can't win him anyway. Go find some other guy. He's into me, and only me. He'd never sleep with you—I'd stake my life on it."

For some reason, I was strangely sure of that.

Something flashed across Sean's face, a mix of anger and… humiliation.

"Seems like he didn't want your bj today, either. Maybe you've lost your hold on him, your charm's worn off," he said with a venomous grin. "My odds can still be good!"

"We'll see tomorrow. I bet he'll agree." The moment I said it, I regretted it. The words came out wrong, but it was too late—they were out there, hanging in the air.

Sean's face changed; a triumphant grin took it over. "Oh, so it's a bet now? Poor Skye. He probably deserves it, just for being an alpha, right? How would he feel knowing you're betting you can blow him? Sick!"

Something in me just wanted to scream, cry, run away, or just laugh hysterically. I made my own mess today, being even more feral than usual. And I was paying the price.

What could I say now?

Backing out seemed like an option, but would it even work?

My strength was waning, so I only sighed. "No, it's not a bet, Sean. I just… want it. I've wanted it for a while now. And I don't care what you think." I blurted out, shocked that I'd actually uttered something honest for once.

But his skeptical look said it all—it was too late to take it back. The words were out there, and nothing could change that now. So I just turned around and walked away, heading back to my dorm. I couldn't keep up this stupid convo.

When I got to my room, I did what I'd wanted to do before—I collapsed on my bed and cried. I cried like the weak, stupid, indecisive beta I secretly was, under the whole facade of a mean bitch.

But my phone kept beeping, so I finally looked at the screen.

It was Liam.

"What's going on? You were supposed to send me the corrected code hours ago!"

For a moment, I was tempted to tell him everything, to confess all the confusion and anger I felt, admit my strange pull toward Skye, but I only cursed under my breath. "I'm sorry. I thought I'd be back sooner, but something happened at the party. Never mind."

"You can tell me later, but now focus, Soren. In two months, we'll be working full-time at DevApp. We can't screw this up—it's too important!"

Feeling even more down, I dragged myself to the laptop, grabbing two energy drinks from the cooler. I had to focus—he was right. But could I, really?

I made a big mess today. I pissed off Alvin, Sean, and Don… and even Skye rejected me.

Yep. Peachy. Just another day in my depressing life.