The Alpha's Captain's Roommate Is A Girl

First Worst Mistake!

VERONIKA

The line was long with dozens of newbies standing behind me, all eager to get their key cards and settle into their assigned spaces.

The woman at the registration desk looked at me with wide eyes, then down at the room assignment in her hand, and then straight back up at me.

"Are you sure about this number?" she asked, pointing directly at the slip for the Obsidian Dormitory, Room One.

"That is the room the captain called out," I said, trying my best to sound casual.

She raised her eyebrows in sheer surprise. "That is the captain's private room, and he never lets anyone in there." She shook her head in complete disbelief as she handed over my key card. "Good luck, I guess," she muttered, which was not exactly reassuring to hear.

If he never lets anyone into his room, why did he choose me as his roommate? Is he planning to torture me because I poured cola all over him, or does he already know something about me?

'Maybe he is just suddenly lonely,' Vega suggested in my head.

'Shut up, Vega!'

They had finished assigning everyone to their dormitories by the time I finally received my card. I watched the groups of new recruits file out of the auditorium, each one heading off with their designated roommate. There were pairs, trios, and sometimes groups of four crammed into the shared spaces.

But I was completely on my own. No other newbie was assigned to the exact same room as me. I was the only one sharing a space directly with the captain.

I tried to convince myself as I walked toward the building that it was not a terrible situation. All I had to do was apologize for the drink incident, keep my head down, and everything would be fine. The main thing was that I had made it this far without getting caught. I was finally here at the academy, which was supposed to be the hardest part of the plan, and I had already accomplished it.

Now I just had to survive three seasons, win the seal, and get out of here. The roommate situation was just a minor complication, or at least that was what I kept telling myself as I made my way over to the Obsidian Dormitory.

The Obsidian Dormitory sat at the far end of the campus grounds. The building looked less like student housing and more like the sleek headquarters of a villain organization. It was incredibly modern, designed with dark wood accents and tall windows. When I opened the door to Room One after swiping my card, I found a spacious layout with two separate beds on opposite ends of a large bedroom, a shared seating area in the middle, and what looked like a private bathroom attached to the far wall.

I dropped my duffel bag by the bed on the right side, my hands shaking slightly as I looked around the empty space. This was really happening. I was actually going to be sharing a room with Malik Vance of all people. If anyone was going to sniff out my secret, it would be the team captain. He was a real Alpha, and Alphas could smell things and sense things instantly. I worried if my natural scent would give me away.

'Just relax,' Vega tried to tell me, though her voice sounded completely uncertain.

I could not relax. My stomach was growling loudly because I had not eaten anything since I was at the airport, and I wanted to change into something more comfortable and get to the cafeteria before Malik showed up. I pulled off my heavy sweatshirt, moving as quickly as possible. I grabbed a large black hoodie from my bag and started adjusting the breast binder underneath, trying to loosen it just enough to breathe comfortably while I ate.

Right then, the bathroom door handle turned.

My entire body froze instantly. My eyes went wide as panic flooded straight through me. I grabbed the black hoodie and pressed it flat against my chest, but it was not enough to hide my shape, especially since the curve of my breasts was still visible from the side profile. In a flash of desperation, I yanked the bedsheets off the mattress and wrapped them tightly around my body, creating a shield just as the bathroom door swung wide open.

Malik Vance stepped out into the bedroom. He was completely naked except for a white towel hanging incredibly low on his hips.

He was not supposed to be here at all. I thought he was supposed to be handling his captain duties with the head coach, and the sudden surprise made me stop breathing entirely. Water was still dripping from his dark, messy hair, trailing down the center of his chest. His broad shoulders, sculpted chest, and defined abs glistened with moisture, looking almost inhumanly perfect. The towel hung precariously low on his waist, low enough that I could clearly see the sharp lines of his hip bones disappearing beneath the fabric.

I had never seen a man naked before, and the very first one I was seeing happened to be him. He was the captain with the dangerous green eyes and the powerful aura that made everyone else look small by comparison.

His eyes landed on me, and they immediately dropped to where the bedsheet did not quite cover the swell of my chest. I saw the exact moment his gaze caught the hidden curve, and I quickly pulled the sheets tighter, wrapping them much higher up my neck.

"What are you staring at?" I asked, trying to sound completely annoyed, but my voice came out higher than I intended, and it definitely did not sound masculine.

His lips curved into a slow, deliberate smile, and my heart rate kicked up to dangerous levels.

"Why are you so tense?" he asked, his smooth voice echoing in the room as he reached for a second towel. "Are you afraid your 'manly features' would turn me on?"

Manly features? If he phrased it like that, it meant he definitely noticed something was off about my reaction. My cheeks flushed burning hot as I realized he was obviously mocking me. I looked away quickly, but I could not stop myself from stealing glances as he dried his hair and began getting dressed.

Every few seconds, my eyes would drift right back to him, staring at the play of muscle across his broad shoulders, the way his hands gripped the waistline of his pants, and the sharp definition of his jaw as he tilted his head to pull a clean shirt over his chest.

My legs pressed tightly together without my permission. Behind the restriction of the binder, I could feel my n*****s harden with an intensity that made me want to die of absolute embarrassment. I bit the inside of my cheek, desperately trying to focus on anything else in the room, but it was completely impossible. He was right there, getting dressed like he had all the time in the world, completely unconcerned by my presence.

'Veronika, you need to breathe,' Vega tried to help, but she sounded a little breathless herself.

I stole one final glance, and our eyes locked. His gaze was still that incredibly sharp green, and something dark and possessive flickered across his face that made my entire body react instantly. My skin suddenly felt so tight that I swallowed hard until my mouth went completely dry.

"Did no one ever teach you that it is rude to stare?" he asked in a casual tone, raising one eyebrow.

Heat flooded my face all over again. I yanked the heavy duvet up and completely over my head, hiding behind the dark fabric as I listened to him moving around the bedroom. Only when the door clicked shut did I slowly lower the blanket, peering over the edge to make sure he was gone.

The room was completely empty.

I exhaled a shaky breath and pressed my palm flat against my chest, feeling my heart hammering violently beneath my hand. It felt like it might actually break through my ribs.

"What the hell just happened?" I whispered to myself, looking down at my covered chest. "Did he see anything? And what was that comment about my features? Does he suspect who I am?"

'If he had seen something definitive, we would be heading back home to Natalya right now,' Vega said quietly. 'We are still here, so he does not know for sure.'

I desperately hoped she was right about that.

I finally changed into fresh clothes and headed down to the campus cafeteria. The space was absolutely massive, filled with long rows of tables and the loud noise of dozens of hungry Alpha players.

I grabbed a tray of food from the line and started looking around for an empty seat, my eyes scanning the crowded room.

That was when I saw him, and my heart stopped cold.

Malik was sitting at a table with a few other players, but I clearly had his entire, uninterrupted attention. He was looking directly at me, and the moment our eyes met, my whole body went hot. I instantly remembered the water dripping down his chest, the defined lines of his abs, and the way the towel had hung so low on his hips. My cheeks flushed red before I could even try to stop it.

His brow came together slightly, and his eyes traveled down the length of my body in a slow, deliberate scan. It felt more like a physical touch, the way his gaze traced from my face down my neck, across my chest, and down to my legs. The sheer intensity of it made me straighten my spine, and I felt my toes curl tightly inside my shoes.

One of his friends said something to him, and he finally looked away, turning his attention back to the conversation. I swallowed hard and quickly found an empty table far away from his group, sitting down with my back partially turned to his direction.

The whispers started immediately among the players around me.

"Wow, is that kid still breathing? He will be lucky to survive staying in that room with the captain."

"Why did the captain even pick him anyway? He usually refuses to share a space with anyone."

"Someone like that does not deserve the spot. If I had that room, my parents would buy me anything I wanted."

"I would have traded my car for that room assignment."

I nearly laughed aloud as I heard the jealousy in their voices, listening to the resentment that a scrawny newbie like Veron Cross had been chosen for such an honor. If they wanted the room so badly, they were more than welcome to take it. I would happily donate the space along with a gift basket.

I scoffed at a quiet comment from Vega and started eating, bringing a spoon up to my mouth as I raised my head.

And that was when our eyes met all over again.

The exact moment his green eyes found mine across the crowded cafeteria, something shifted between us. It was something entirely terrifying. Vega, who had been chattering away in my head just moments before, went completely silent. It did not just feel like silence, it felt like she had suddenly vanished. I felt her presence like a flickering light, turning on and off repeatedly, as if she was desperately trying to control something deep inside me and completely failing.

The spoon slipped from my hand and clattered loudly against my tray. I grabbed my chest, pressing my palm flat over my heart as I tried to understand what was happening to my body. My mother's old words suddenly surfaced in my memory, a warning she had told me years ago about how the moment your wolf recognizes your fated mate, it feels like your life has been split into two pieces.

This could not be happening. It was absolutely impossible.

'Vega, what is wrong with you?' I called out to my wolf desperately.

'Nothing,' she responded, but the lie was incredibly obvious. 'Nothing is wrong at all.'

She was trying to hide something massive from me to keep me from panicking, but panic was already rising in my throat like bile because something was definitely wrong.

Malik's eyes had widened slightly across the room, and I watched as a faint red tint crept across his pupils, showing a flash of dominant Alpha intensity. His grip on his fork tightened so much that the metal actually bent slightly under the pressure of his fingers. He was staring directly at me with an expression I could not read, but it was intense and overwhelming. He knew something, and while I did not know what it was, he definitely knew.

Someone suddenly sat down right beside me, completely breaking our eye contact. I jerked my gaze away from Malik, my heart still racing at a dangerous speed.

"You look incredibly tense, man. Are you thinking about tonight's ritual?" the guy asked, and I recognized him as one of the other new recruits.

"Ritual?" I asked, trying to recover my senses after whatever had just happened between me and Malik. "What kind of ritual?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard about it yet. It has been the main talk of the campus since we arrived. And you know what else?" He leaned in close, way too close, putting his hand heavily on my shoulder to whisper into my ear. "I heard this year's ritual is going to be very intense since there are a lot of changes around—"

He did not get to finish the sentence.

Someone grabbed his hand off my body with enough force to make him yelp in sudden pain. His arm was twisted back brutally, and then his entire body was slammed hard against the table, rattling the food trays.

I jerked back in shock, my eyes going wide as I stared at the scene unfolding right in front of me.

"Don't f*****g touch her," Malik growled, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that seemed to vibrate through the entire cafeteria.