FAKE DATING THE ALPHA BREAKER

LORI Tonight was supposed to be perfect. I had planned every little thing down to the last detail. The dress, the shoes, the perfume. Even the spotify playlist I'd made just in case things got steamy in the car. I was finally going to give myself to Valkyrie. Yeah, my boyfriend. The tall, dark-haired, absolutely gorgeous senior who could make any girl melt just by looking in her direction. His smile was lethal, and his voice? Low and raspy, the kind that made you wanna do crazy things. I had no idea what he saw in me when he first started talking to me after lectures two months ago, but when he asked me out, I swear my knees buckled. "Lori," He'd said with that little smirk of his, one hand brushing his hair back, "How about you stop pretending you don't want to go out with me?" I laughed, so nervous but thrilled. "Okay, fine. I'll go out with you." We'd been seeing each other since then, sneaking kisses between classes, holding hands and texting late into the night. And yeah, he had asked me about s*x. A few times, actually. But I always told him no. Not because I didn't want to- Goddess knows I was dying to- but because I believed in something stronger than lust. "I'm saving it," I told him one night inside my dorm room, his hand warm on my thigh. "I believe in the mate bond. Once I turn 18 next month, nothing will stop us. I know you're my mate and I want my first time to be with the one I'm destined to be with." His jaw tightened then, and he pulled away a little. Anger? Disappointment? I didn't know what it was in his eyes, but he kissed me goodnight and left. And now, tonight, that was going to end. I sat in front of my vanity mirror, my skin looking flawless under the soft glow of the bulb. My long, honey-blonde hair fell in curls over my shoulders. I lined my hazel eyes with black kohl, made my lashes flutter with mascara, and painted my lips with a soft nude gloss that made them look kissable. My dress was a black, tight, strapless skirt with a slit so high I had to be careful how I walked. It perfectly hugged my curves and made my boobs look amazing. I slipped on my heels, spritzed on some vanilla perfume and stared at my reflection. "He's going to lose his damn mind," I whispered to myself, cheeks flushed. The party was at a mansion on the edge of the academy. One of Valkyrie's friends was turning eighteen, and his parents had apparently given him the whole damn estate to throw a rager. I walked into the house, the music already vibrating through the walls. "Lori!" Someone squealed. I turned to see my best friend, Mabel, waving from across the room. She ran over, her pink crop top and sparkly mini skirt glittering under the LED lights. "You look hot as hell," she said, eyes wide as she took me in. "Val's gonna eat you up." "That's kinda the plan," I laughed. People were already drunk. The DJ was blasting music so loud my chest vibrated with every beat. The lights flashed red, blue, green. Some shirtless boys were dancing with barely dressed girls in the corner- some literally only had n****e pasties and thong bikinis on. This school was supposed to be prestigious, that's what I thought when I got in on a scholarship. But some of the students here were total chaos. Skipping classes, sneaking drugs, acting like they were invincible. But tonight, I didn't care. I was focused on one thing. I scanned the room, my heart skipping when I spotted Valkyrie across the room talking to the birthday boy. He looked... perfect. His dark hair was styled messily like he'd just rolled out of bed. Sharp jaw, straight nose, lips full and kissable. His black shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, showing those veiny forearms I loved so much. And the way he laughed, tilting his head slightly- God, he was everything. I waved. He saw me. He waved back. But... that was it. No smile. No "damn, you look sexy." Just a wave and back to chatting. I frowned, but tried to shake it off. A few minutes later he walked over, and that had my heart fluttering like crazy. "What are you doing here? You said you had to study for your chemistry test." He asked in a low voice. "Changed my mind. I wanted to surprise you." I said, grinning. "Guess what the surprise is." He blinked, no trace of mirth on his face. "I'm not in the mood for games." The smile fell from my face. "What? Come on. Just guess." He sighed and looked away. "Gotta go." He turned and started walking off. I was speechless. He climbed the stairs and disappeared down the hall. My heart dropped. My hands trembled a little. What the hell was that? I stood there for a few seconds, feeling like someone had punched me in the chest. Then I turned and pushed through the crowd, heading outside. The air was cool. Crisp. I walked into the backyard where the pool shimmered under string lights. A couple was making out in the corner. Another guy was puking in the bushes. I sat on a bench. My head felt like it was swelling. "What the actual f**k, Val." I whispered. "What did I do?" My throat was burning and the sadness was quickly morphing into anger. "f**k this!" I muttered and got up. I needed a drink. There was a booth near the pool- more like a pop-up bar. I marched over. "Whiskey. Straight," I said to the guy behind the counter. He grinned."Aren't you a little too pretty to drink something so strong?" "Aren't you a little too nosy to be this flirty?" He laughed. "Feisty. I like that. Name's Riley. You got a boyfriend?" "Yeah. Not that it's your business." "He here?" I grabbed my drink. "Somewhere. Being an asshole." "His loss," he said, watching me as I took a sip. It burned down my throat but I welcomed it. I stood there for a second, letting the warmth fill me. Then I sighed. Nothing changed. I still felt horrible. Drinking wasn't going to fix this. I stared at the half-empty glass in my hand, the whiskey burning less now, almost like my body had stopped registering pain. I needed to talk to him. Really talk. Not at a party, just us. Alone. I grabbed my phone and sent a text: can we talk? I waited. The screen stayed blank. A typing bubble appeared but vanished almost immediately. I waited, but he didn't reply. What the f**k? I bit my lip, hesitating before hitting the call button. It rang, but he declined the call immediately. My heart jumped to my throat as I stared at the phone like maybe I'd imagined it, like the connection dropped or he hit the wrong button. But no. It was obvious he didn't want to talk to me. "What the f**k," I breathed, my voice barely audible over the pounding bass inside the house. Panic clawed its way up my throat. I turned and made my way back into the house. The crowd had only gotten thicker and more intoxicated. Someone was throwing up into a houseplant. I pushed past it all, remembering he'd gone upstairs. Maybe he just needed space. Maybe he was upset. Maybe I could fix this. I climbed the stairs, two at a time. The second floor was darker, quieter- sort of. The music was muffled now, just a deep thump-thump beneath my feet. Red and blue LED lights blinked from the wall strips, casting eerie shadows like we were in some sort of weird, twisted dream. All the doors were shut. Except one. A single sliver of yellow light spilled from underneath it, bright and jarring against the blue, red colour that dominated the hallway. I took a step. Then stopped. I'd just heard a sound. No. Sounds. Moans. A man's voice was groaning low and a girl's breathless whimper. The sound of their skin clapping was the unmistakable rhythm of s*x. That's when the familiar, overpowering, musky scent hit me. Valkyrie. The foreboding knocked the air out of my lungs. No. No, no, no. My legs moved on their own. I crept forward, slow. I was filled with dread, and more foreboding now. My fingers trembled as they reached for the doorknob. I didn't want to open it. I didn't want to see it. But my body betrayed me, driven by some awful need to know. Please. Please let it be someone else. Please let this be a mistake. I turned the knob and pushed. The door creaked open, creak-free. And there they were. Valkyrie. And... Oh my goodness... Mabel. They were both naked, twisted around each other in the bed. Her back arched, her head thrown back in a silent cry. His face was buried in her neck, hips grinding into hers. Their moans echoed through the room like they didn't care who heard. I couldn't move. I couldn't move. My heart didn't just break- It imploded.