Chapter9
1274 Words
The Jealousy Game
POV: Serenye
The bass thundered through my chest as Lyanna dragged me deeper into the packed frat house. Bodies pressed against bodies, the air thick with sweat, alcohol, and arousal. Colored lights strobed across faces twisted in laughter and lust.
"This is going to be amazing!" Lyanna squealed over the music, her eyes bright with excitement. "You need to loosen up, Serenye. You've been so tense lately."
If only she knew why. Three days of watching Sebastian avoid me like I carried the plague. Three days of him taking his meals in his office, leaving early, returning late. Three days of my carefully laid plans crumbling because the bastard had more self-control than I'd anticipated.
But tonight? Tonight I'd force his hand.
I'd chosen my outfit with surgical precision. A black dress that barely qualified as fabric, clinging to every curve, ending high enough on my thighs that one wrong move would expose everything. My breasts threatened to spill out with each breath. Red heels that made my legs look endless. Hair wild and loose down my back. I looked like s*x incarnate, and I knew it.
"Drinks!" Lyanna announced, pulling me toward the kitchen.
I accepted the red cup she thrust at me, pretending to sip while my eyes scanned the crowd. So many males. So many potential weapons in my arsenal tonight.
A tall guy with shaggy brown hair approached immediately, his gaze locked on my cleavage. "Haven't seen you before. I'm Marcus."
I smiled, leaning closer than necessary. "Serenye. I'm new."
"Lucky us," he breathed, his hand finding my waist.
I let him touch me, laughing at something he said that wasn't remotely funny. Over his shoulder, I caught two more guys watching, whispering to each other. Perfect.
For the next hour, I worked the room like I'd been trained. A touch here, a laugh there, lips close to ears when I spoke. I collected admirers like trophies, letting them think they had a chance, keeping them all dangling on invisible strings.
"You're popular tonight," Lyanna observed, slightly drunk now, giggling as another guy asked for my number.
"Just be friendly," I said innocently.
That's when I saw him.
Drake Sterling stood near the entrance, and even in a room full of males, he commanded attention. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair swept back and a jaw that could cut glass. His eyes, a striking amber color, found mine across the crowded room.
He smiled. Confident. Interested. Dangerous in a different way than Sebastian.
I'd heard about him. Beta from the Silver Ridge Pack, visiting for the semester while his father guest-lectured. Wealthy, charming, and according to campus gossip, insatiable. He crossed the room with predatory grace, ignoring everyone else.
"You must be Serenye," he said, his voice smooth as whiskey. "I've heard interesting things about you."
"All terrible, I hope." I tilted my head, letting my hair cascade over one shoulder. His laugh was genuine. "The best kind of terrible." He extended his hand. "Drake Sterling. Dance with me?"
I glanced at Lyanna, who nodded enthusiastically, probably thinking she was playing matchmaker.
"Why not?" I placed my hand in his.
He led me to the makeshift dance floor where bodies moved in rhythm to the pounding music. But instead of keeping a respectful distance, Drake pulled me flush against him, his hands settling on my hips.
"Is this okay?" he asked against my ear.
"It's a start," I replied, turning so my ass pressed against his groin.
His sharp intake of breath told me everything. I began moving, slow and deliberate, grinding against him in time with the music. His fingers tightened on my hips, and I felt his body respond, hardening against me.
The song shifted to something slower, heavier with bass. I rolled my hips, arching my back, so my ass rubbed against his c**k with each movement. His hands slid higher, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts.
"f**k," he groaned. "You're killing me."
I smiled, tilting my head back against his shoulder. "Am I?"
That's when I felt it. The shift in the air. The sudden electric charge that made every hair on my body stand at attention. My eyes snapped open, scanning the crowd.
There. Sebastian stood near the bar, a glass in his hand, his entire body rigid. Even from this distance, I could see the fury blazing in those green eyes. They were fixed on me with an intensity that made my core clench.
Our gazes locked. The world narrowed to just us. The music faded. The surrounding bodies disappeared. There was only Sebastian, watching me grind against another man, his jaw clenched so tight I wondered if his teeth would crack.
I smiled. Slow. Seductive. Victorious. Then I turned my attention back to Drake, pressing even closer, making sure Sebastian had a perfect view as I reached back, threading my fingers through Drake's hair.
"You're an incredible dancer," Drake murmured, his lips brushing my neck.
I glanced back at Sebastian. His knuckles were white around his glass. His chest heaved with each breath. The veins in his neck stood out in stark relief.
Good. Suffer.
"Tell me something," I said to Drake, loud enough I knew Sebastian's Alpha hearing would catch it. "Do you always get what you want?"
"Usually," Drake replied, confidence dripping from every word. His hand slid up my side, fingers grazing the side of my breast.
I turned in his arms so we were face to face, my breasts pressed against his chest. "And what do you want right now?"
"You," he said simply. "In my bed. Screaming my name."
I laughed, the sound carrying over the music. I leaned up, my lips nearly touching his ear. "Maybe you should try harder to convince me."
Drake grinned, spinning me out and back into his arms with practiced ease. "Challenge accepted."
A crash shattered through the noise.
Everyone near the bar jumped back. I looked over Drake's shoulder to see Sebastian standing there, his hand dripping blood, shattered glass at his feet. The liquid from his drink pooled on the floor, mixing with crimson drops.
He didn't even glance at his injured hand. His eyes stayed locked on me, burning with something primal and possessive that made my p***y clench despite myself.
"s**t," Drake muttered, following my gaze. "That's Alpha Wolfe."
"I know who he is," I said quietly.
Sebastian took a step forward. Then another. The crowd parted instinctively, sensing the danger radiating from him in waves. His Alpha aura rolled through the room like a physical force, suffocating, overwhelming.
One by one, people began bowing. Heads dropping, shoulders curving, knees bending. Even Drake's posture shifted, his body unconsciously submitting to the dominant presence.
But I didn't bow. I stood there, still pressed against Drake, and met Sebastian's gaze head-on. Defiant. Challenging. Daring him to do something about it. His eyes flashed gold. His wolf was right at the surface, barely contained.
He stalked toward us with lethal grace, each step deliberate, measured. The air grew heavy, crackling with tension. People scrambled out of his way, some whimpering softly as his power washed over them.
Twenty feet away.
Fifteen.
Ten. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst from my chest. But I didn't break eye contact. Didn't submit. Didn't back down.
Five feet.
Drake's hands fell from my waist, his body trembling slightly under the weight of Sebastian's dominance. Sebastian stopped directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body, could smell his scent, pine and
Smoke and pure male rage. His bleeding hand reached out.
- Writer
