CHAPTER 27
1316 Words
ADINNA’S POV
Sleep doesn’t come easy.
Every time I close my eyes, It’s like I can hear his low and mocking voice
Sweet dreams, little wolf.
Those words loop in my head like a curse, echoing through every breath I take. Even the silence of the night doesn’t feel safe.
I locked the door immediately he left and I’ve checked it a hundred times, but that doesn’t stop the fear or the memory of his hand on my arm.
When I finally wake the next morning, I am not sure I had actually slept. My reflection in the mirror is enough proof with the dark circles, puffy eyes and hair sticking out like I’d wrestled a thunderstorm. My wolf is still restless beneath my skin, pacing like a caged animal, and I can’t tell if it’s fear or fury driving her.
“Get it together,” I whisper to myself. “He doesn’t win today.”
The day starts gray, the sky heavy and threatening rain. I don’t mind. The gloom matches my mood perfectly.
By the time I reach the academy grounds, I’ve already put on my mask. No one needs to know that I’ve spent the night feeling hunted. No one needs to know that Jace’s nearness still burns on my skin like an unwanted brand.
The professor walks in as I take my seat and announces that the test has been postponed to the next day. A murmur of relief ripples through the class, but I barely hear it. My eyes have already found him.
Jace.
His leaning lazily in his seat with one arm draped over the backrest like he owns the air around him. When our gazes meet, he smiles slowly and deliberately.
“Morning, little wolf,” he mouthes across the room.
My stomach twists.
I force myself to look away, and dig my nails into my palm under the desk until pain grounds me. He isn’t going to get to me. Not today.
But of course, Jace never knows when to stop.
When the professor leaves us for a brief break, the room breaks into small groups of chatter. I try to disappear into my notes when I hear his voice echo loudly across the classroom. Loud.
“So tell me, Adinna,” he drawls, his words slicing through the noise, “Have you found an Alpha to latch onto yet? Or are you still playing the helpless act?”
The entire class freezes for a heartbeat before laughter breaks out. Some are awkward, some are genuine, but most are just relieved that it isn’t them on the receiving end.
Heat climbs up my neck in embarrassment as every eye turns toward me. My throat is burning with unshed tears, but I clenche my fists tighter. I’m not giving him that satisfaction.
“Shut up, Jace,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady.
He tilts his head, clearly entertained. “Aww, the little wolf bites now. Careful, you might actually start believing you have claws.”
More laughter.
It’s like watching a scene from outside my own body. I can see myself sitting there, jaw tight, eyes burning, pulse hammering against my ribs. I can hear my wolf whispering to me to let her out.
Then, a voice cuts through the noise.
“That’s enough, Jace.”
Dean.
I turne slightly and see him sitting a few seats away, his expression sharp, his tone colder than usual. Dean has never directly spoken against Jace. At least, not in front of people.
The room falls quiet again.
Jace’s smile falters. Just a little.
“Oh?” he says, his voice lowering as it loses its playful edge. “Since when do you care what I do?”
Dean meets his gaze steadily. “Since you started crossing lines.”
The silence that follows is electric. Even the ones who had been laughing moments ago are suddenly pretending to look busy, like they have the ability to disappear into their textbooks.
My heart is pounding. For the first time, someone is actually standing up to him. For me
Jace rises slowly from his seat, every movement deliberate, and predatory. “Crossing lines?” he repeats, his voice dripping venom. “Don’t lecture me, Dean. You of all people should know better.”
Dean doesn’t move. “This isn’t about me.”
“Oh, it never is,” Jace says and steps forward till they are face-to-face with each other. The tension between them is thick enough to taste. Two wolves sizing each other up, waiting for the first one to flinch.
I don’t understand half of what just passed between them, but I can feel it. It’s something deeper than friendship, something twisted and complicated. There is history there, and it feels like it was old and ugly.
Then Jace turns his head slightly, eyes flicking to me. Then his smirk returns, smaller this time but more dangerous.
“Stay out of this,” he murmurs to Dean. “She’s mine to deal with.”
Something inside me snaps.
I don’t know if it was fear, anger, or exhaustion, but my chair scrapes loudly as I stand. “I’m not yours to deal with,” I say before I can stop myself. My voice is shaking, but it carries. “You don’t get to treat me like I’m part of your stupid game.”
Jace looks at me with his usual unreadable expression. Then, he chuckles.
“Brave today, aren’t we?” His tone is almost gentle, but the edge underneath it is sharp enough to bleed on. “You should be careful, Adinna. You keep testing me, and I might soon stop finding it cute.”
The room goes dead quiet again.
Dean’s jaw tightens. “You’ve said enough.”
“Maybe,” Jace says with his eyes still on me. “Maybe not.”
He gives me one last look, one that makes my stomach twist again, because beneath all that mockery, there is something else in his gaze. Something darker. Something that looks too much like interest.
Then he smirks and walks out, leaving behind a silence that buzzes like static.
The second he’s gone, I realize that I’ve been holding my breath.
Dean turns to me, but I shake my head before he can speak. I don’t want pity. I don’t want comfort. I just want space to breathe.
I gather my things and leave the room before the whispers can start.
The hallway feels too long.
When I finally reach my dorm, I slam the door shut and press my back against it, sliding down until I’m sitting on the floor.
My hands are shaking. My entire body is shaking.
He humiliated me in front of everyone, again. He reminded me, without saying it outright, that no matter how far I thought I’d come, I’m still trapped in his shadow.
And yet, the thing that scares me most isn’t the anger. It’s the part of me that felt something else when he leaned close. When his voice dipped. When his eyes caught mine.
I hate it.
I hate that my pulse keeps on betraying me. That my wolf stirs not in fear but in some confusing, unspoken recognition.
“What’s wrong with you?” I whisper to myself. “He’s the enemy.”
But my body didn’t listen. It never did around him.
Outside, thunder rumbles. The storm finally broke, rain pattering softly against the window.
I crawl into bed and clutch my pillow like it can keep me safe. But even as I close my eyes, I can still hear his voice mocking me.
My heart squeezes painfully, and I realize that it isn’t just fear keeping me awake anymore. It’s curiosity. It’s something dangerous, creeping through my veins like poison.
I hate him.
I’m scared of him.
But I can’t stop thinking about him.
- Writer
