CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA

The flight from Lagos to Edinburgh took seven hours. Adaeze Obi spent six of them rehearsing what she would say if anyone asked where she was from. She had her answer ready Nigeria, yes, Lagos specifically, no she had never seen a lion in her backyard, and yes she spoke English perfectly fine, thank you very much. What she was not prepared for was him. Blackthorn University sat on a hill like it owned the sky. Ancient stone walls, ivy crawling up every surface, fog rolling in from nowhere. Ada dragged her two oversized suitcases up the cobblestone path and told herself she was not scared. She was absolutely scared. The other students moved around her in groups, laughing and reuniting like people who had always belonged here. Ada watched them from the corner of her eye. Expensive coats. Easy confidence. The kind of people who had never had to fight for a seat at any table. She adjusted the strap of her backpack and kept walking. You earned this. Her mother's voice in her head, warm and steady. Nobody gave it to you. You earned it. She held onto that. You're in my way. The voice came from behind her. Deep and Cold. The kind of voice that did not ask it stated. Ada turned around slowly. He was tall. Unreasonably tall. Dark hair, sharp jaw, grey eyes that looked like a storm that had already decided to destroy something. He stood with his hands in his pockets like the entire world was mildly inconvenient to him. Behind him stood two other boys just as large, just as intimidating but they hung back slightly. Like they were waiting for permission to breathe. Ada blinked. Excuse me? Your suitcase. He nodded at it. It's blocking the path. She looked down. It was barely to the side. A perfectly reasonable amount of space remained on either side of it. She looked back up slowly. Then walk around it. Silence. One of the boys behind him made a sound. Not quite a laugh. More like someone trying desperately not to make a sound. The grey eyes did not blink. Something shifted in them. Like nobody had ever said that to him before. Like he was genuinely trying to process the reality of what had just happened. He stepped closer. One step. Slow and deliberate. Ada did not move. She had grown up with three older brothers in a Lagos apartment. She knew exactly what men who expected you to flinch looked like. She also knew exactly what happened when you didn't. She lifted her chin. He stopped. Something changed in his face so fast she almost missed it. His nostrils flared slightly. His eyes narrowed. Not in anger. In something stranger than anger. Like he was trying to solve a problem that had no business existing. He was looking at her like she was something he recognized but had no name for yet. What's your name? His voice was different now. Lower. The cold edge was still there but underneath it was something else entirely. None of your business. Ada grabbed her suitcase handle and turned away. She heard footsteps. One of his friends saying something low and urgent. Then silence again. Then his voice. Quiet. Almost to himself. The words so soft she almost convinced herself she imagined them. It's you. Ada kept walking. She did not look back. But her hands were shaking and she could not explain why. She had faced scarier things than a tall boy with pretty eyes and a bad attitude. She had sat through her father losing his job. She had watched her family eat rice without stew for two months so she could keep her lessons going. She had written fourteen scholarship applications before this one finally said yes. A rude boy on a cobblestone path was nothing. Nothing. She found her dormitory, dragged her suitcases up two flights of stairs and pushed open the door to room 14B. A girl was already inside, standing on her bed and hanging fairy lights around the window with zero apology for the chaos she had created. Clothes everywhere. Three half eaten snacks on the desk. Music playing from a small bluetooth speaker. She turned around and grinned like Ada was the best thing she had seen all day. Roommate! Finally! I was starting to think I'd have to talk to myself all year. She jumped off the bed and stuck out her hand. Zara. Zara Ahmed. I'm from Manchester, I talk too much, I eat your snacks first and apologize later and I make excellent tea. We're going to be best friends. Ada stared at her for a full second. Then she laughed. The first real laugh since the plane landed. Adaeze. Ada. Lagos. Zara's eyes went wide. A Nigerian girl! Oh we are absolutely going to run this school. She grabbed Ada's suitcase and hauled it inside. Right. First order of business did you see that insane boy outside? Dark hair, looks like he invented the concept of brooding? Ada's hand stilled on her backpack strap. What about him? she said carefully. Zara dropped her voice dramatically. That's Damien Black. His family basically owns half of Scotland. Nobody talks to him unless he talks first. Nobody looks at him unless he looks first. She paused. Why are you making that face? I'm not making a face. Ada. You are absolutely making a face. Ada turned away and started unpacking. He was rude to me outside. Zara was quiet for exactly one second. Then Oh no; What? Nothing. But her voice had gone strange. Nothing at all. Unpack your things. I'll make tea.