Undercover At The Alpha Academy

Under the Hat

He was now looking straight at me.

Panic surged through my chest. I instinctively turned, hoping to escape before he could reach me.

Too late.

"Wait," his voice cut through the silence like a blade. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I froze, my hand hovering near the door. I could feel his eyes boring into my back.

“I think I entered the wrong room. I’m sorry. I’ll leave,” I said quickly, reaching for the doorknob.

But the door didn’t budge.

A warm presence pressed close behind me. Adrien’s hand rested on the door, his body so close I could feel the heat of him against my back. My heart pounded. Damn, he's fast.

"What number’s on the door?" His voice was low, but there was a sharp edge to it.

“Nine Ninety-Four,” I replied, swallowing hard.

There was a beat of silence, heavy and tense.

“I’m not sharing my room with a weakling like you,” Adrien said. His tone was calm, too calm, like still water hiding something dangerous underneath. A warning.

I flinched. “Y-Yeah, I’ll talk to the academy council. I’m sure they’ll fix it,” I said, trying to sound brave, though my voice shook. I didn’t want him to see how scared I really was.

But instead of stepping back, he grabbed my wrist and yanked it off the doorknob. I gasped as he spun me around to face him.

His eyes were sharp, unreadable. “I don’t want any trouble with the council,” he said.

“So be it. Fine. I’ll share the room.”

Relief started to flicker in my chest, but then he leaned in slightly.

“But don’t think I’ve let you off the hook.” He smirked, his voice lowering to a near-whisper. “It’s better this way. Now I can keep an eye on you.”

He released me and turned away, casually making his way to his bed like he hadn’t just threatened me. He picked up a book, flipped it open, and ignored me completely.

I stood there, stunned, my back still pressed to the door. My legs felt like they might give out beneath me. Eventually, I forced myself to move, walking stiffly to the other bed in the room. The silence between us buzzed, awkward and heavy.

Then the door slammed open.

A man with a trolley stacked high with luggage barged in. I recognized my bag immediately.

Before I could say anything, he unceremoniously grabbed my bag and another black duffel I assumed was Adrien’s, and dumped them both onto the floor with a thud.

“Thank you, Mitch,” Adrien said flatly, eyes never leaving his book.

The man didn’t respond. He just turned and slammed the door behind him, leaving the room in thick silence once again.

I crouched, picked up my bag, and started unpacking slowly. Quietly. I wanted to disappear into the walls.

If I didn’t move too much, maybe Adrien would forget I was there.

I kept my head down, pretending to be absorbed in organizing my things. But I couldn’t help glancing up and froze.

Adrien was pulling off his shirt.

My breath caught.

His back was to me, muscles shifting with every movement. Then he turned, and I found myself staring, wide-eyed, mouth slightly open. His bare chest was all hard lines and lean strength, a constellation of faint scars crossing his torso.

He paused and looked right at me.

Our eyes met.

Crap.

I immediately turned away, face burning. Nope. Didn’t see that. Get it together, Alice.

I busied myself with my bag again, trying to erase the image from my mind. Adrien seemed unfazed. He grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him with a click.

As the water started running, I sat on my bed, staring at the floor.

I wasn’t sure what scared me more: the fact that I was sharing a room with the academy’s most dangerous alpha, or the fact that, despite everything, part of me was curious about him.

And that part needed to be shut down. Fast.

The water hummed behind the bathroom door, a steady reminder that I wasn’t alone.

I sat frozen on the edge of my bed, hands gripping the sheets. I kept replaying that moment in my head—his smirk, that effortless dominance, the way he looked right through me like he already knew my secrets.

You’re safe. Just stay calm. Don’t blow your cover.

I glanced toward the bathroom. Steam curled from beneath the door, and with it, a reminder that I was dangerously close to being exposed. Sharing a room with Adrien meant constantly being on edge. I couldn’t afford to slip up. Not even once.

I needed to be Steven. Not Alice. Not the broken sister of the boy who was supposed to be here.

I forced myself to breathe, then started unpacking with more focus, neatly stacking my clothes and tucking my boots under the bed. My fingers trembled slightly as I opened the bottom drawer of the shared dresser. It smelled faintly of cedar. I hated how homey it felt.

The bathroom door opened.

I jolted upright.

Adrien stepped out, towel draped around his neck, damp hair slicked back, water glistening on his skin. He wore black sweatpants and absolutely no shirt. Again.

I tried to look at anything but him.

“You organize like a librarian,” he muttered, tossing the towel onto his bed as he walked over to his side of the room.

“Thanks, I guess?” I said under my breath, hoping my voice didn't betray how much effort it took to sound unfazed.

He didn’t answer. He rummaged through his duffel bag, pulling out a small notebook and pen before flopping onto his bed.

I glanced over, curious despite myself.

He was scribbling something down, brow furrowed in concentration. Notes? A journal? Strategies? I didn’t peg him for the reflective type.

“What are you staring at?” he asked without looking up.

My spine stiffened. “Nothing.”

“You’re not very good at lying.”

I clenched my jaw. “I wasn’t lying.”

He finally looked at me, pen resting between his fingers. “You flinch when I look at you. You fumble your words. You act like I’m about to tear your throat out. You really expect me to believe that’s nothing?”

My stomach twisted. I hadn’t realized I’d been that obvious.

“I’m just tired,” I said flatly, turning back to my bag.

There was a pause, then a quiet chuckle. “Right. Tired.”

I ignored him and started folding the last of my clothes.

Adrien shifted on his bed, tossing his notebook aside. “You know,” he said, voice suddenly casual, “most of the new recruits try to impress me. Suck up. Challenge me. You’re the first one who looks like you’d rather sleep in the hallway.”

I shrugged, not trusting myself to answer.

Another long silence stretched between us before he said, softer this time, “Good. Stay out of my way.”

I glanced up, and for a split second, his gaze wasn’t cruel. It wasn’t mocking. It was… tired. Guarded.

Then the walls slammed back into place, and he lay back on his bed, arm thrown over his face.

I lay down slowly, curling beneath the covers.

The room dimmed as night settled in. A low wind brushed against the windows, carrying with it the distant sounds of howls echoing across the campus.

I lay on my back, staring up at the ceiling. The room was quiet except for the soft rustle of the wind against the windows. After a few minutes, I heard faint snoring. I turned my head slightly and waited, just to be sure.

Adrien was asleep.

Carefully, I slipped out of bed and grabbed my toiletry bag. With practiced silence, I tiptoed to the bathroom, closing the door behind me with a gentle click.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

My fingers worked quickly, tugging out the hidden bobby pins that had kept my hat and my secret secure all day. As the last pin slipped free, my hair tumbled around my shoulders in loose waves. The tension in my scalp faded instantly, replaced by a quiet relief.

Finally. I could breathe.

The cold water from the shower hit my skin, but it wasn’t unpleasant. If anything, it grounded me. I shampooed my hair, scrubbing away the weight of the day, the lies, the near-disaster of being discovered. The scent of lavender filled the small space, calming my nerves just a little.

Once I was done, I wrapped a towel around my head and changed into clean clothes, placing my worn ones neatly in the laundry basket in the corner. I crept toward the bathroom door and cracked it open just enough to peek out.

He was still sleeping, one arm slung over his face, the rise and fall of his chest steady.

I tip-toed back to my bed and sat down, carefully drying my hair with the towel. Every sound felt ten times louder in the silence, but Adrien didn’t stir.

When my hair was dry enough, I pinned it back into place, tucking it tightly beneath the hat once more. I double-checked the mirror before slipping beneath the covers.

As I lay down, the warmth of the bed wrapped around me, but the calm didn’t come. My heart was still beating fast from the risk I had just taken.

Sharing a room with him wasn’t just dangerous. It was nearly impossible.

But I had to make it work.

No matter what.