My Fake Boyfriend Is An Alpha

Elyana's POV The email arrived at exactly 8:17 a.m. I smiled before opening it. Today was supposed to be a good day. Tuition was already paid through my scholarship. I just needed to confirm my enrollment for the new semester. Another year, and I'll be closer to graduating. Another year closer to the life my mom had dreamed of for me. I tapped the email and my smile faded. Subject: Scholarship Termination Notice My stomach dropped. That couldn't be right. I opened it, my hands shaking as I read. "Dear Miss Elyana Steve, following an administrative review, your academic scholarship has been revoked with immediate effect…" The words blurred. "No." I blinked and read it again. Then again. There had to be a mistake. My GPA was perfect. I'd never broken any school rules. I worked every weekend to cover my living expenses. There was no reason for them to take this away. My phone slipped from my hand. This couldn't happen, not now, not after everything. I grabbed my backpack and ran. The financial aid office had to fix this. They had to. ************* "There has to be a mistake," I said, standing in front of the desk. I tried to keep my voice steady. The woman typed something without looking at me. "Name?" "Elyana Steve." She paused. Then she looked up. "I'm sorry, Miss Steve. Your scholarship has been terminated." "I know that's what the email says, but why?" "I don't have that information." I stared at her. "You don't have that information? This scholarship is the only reason I can afford to be here." She smiled at me the way people do when they've given the same response a hundred times. "You can file an appeal." "How long will that take?" "Four to six weeks." I almost laughed. "Four to six weeks? Tuition is due tomorrow." "I'm sorry." Sorry. That word again. Since Mom had died, everyone was sorry. Sorry for your loss. Sorry we can't help. Sorry there's nothing we can do. I was tired of it. "Is there someone else I can talk to?" "The decision is final." "It can't be." "It is." I swallowed. "If I lose this scholarship, I have nowhere to go." For a second, I thought she might actually care. She slid a paper across the desk instead. "Students who fail to settle outstanding fees within twenty-four hours will be required to vacate campus housing." My chest tightened. Twenty-four hours. That was all I had. The woman reached for another file as our conversation was already over. I didn’t move. “There has to be someone who made this decision.” “There is.” “Then let me speak to them.” “I’m afraid that’s not possible.” “Why?” “They’re unavailable.” “For how long?” “I don’t know.” I stared at her in disbelief. “So someone can destroy my future, and I can’t even ask them why?” “I’m sorry.” “There it is again.” She blinked. “‘Sorry,’” I repeated quietly. “That’s all anyone ever says.” Her expression softened for a second. “I really do hope things work out for you.” I let out a bitter laugh. “I hope so too.” But hope didn’t pay tuition. Hope didn’t keep a roof over my head. Hope didn’t stop my whole life from falling apart. ******************** When I left the office, campus looked different. Students laughed as they walked past. Someone complained about their coffee order. A couple argued over lunch. Everyone else's life just kept going. Mine had stopped. I walked without knowing where I was going. Every building on campus held a memory. The library where I’d spent countless nights studying until security chased everyone out. The science hall where I’d received my first academic award. The little café where Mom used to meet me before she got too sick to leave the house. She always ordered hot chocolate, even during summer. “You study too much,” she’d tease. “And you worry too much,” I’d answer. She would just laugh. The memory hit me so suddenly that I had to stop walking. For one painful second, I could almost hear her voice. Then reality crashed back. I wasn’t even sure I’d still be a student by tomorrow. I sat on a bench outside the library and looked at my phone. My bank account balance made me sick. Not enough for one month's rent. I had no dad. No relatives who'd help. After Mom died from cancer last year, there was just me. This scholarship wasn't just school. It keeps me alive. My phone buzzed. For a second, I thought school was calling. That they'd made a mistake. Instead, it was my landlord. Rent overdue. If payment isn't received this week, your belongings will be removed. I closed my eyes. Everything was falling apart. That evening, I packed my clothes into two old suitcases. There wasn't much. A few outfits. My textbooks. Mom's favorite necklace. And the framed photo of us at the beach when I was ten. She was laughing. I remembered that day. She'd told me, "No matter how hard life gets, promise me you'll keep moving forward." I hugged the picture to my chest. "I'm trying, Mom." My voice cracked. "I really am." Tears spilled down my face. I let myself cry. Not because I was weak. Because I was exhausted. I'd spent my whole life fighting. Fighting bills. Fighting loneliness. Fighting to survive. And somehow, life kept finding new ways to knock me down. My phone vibrated. I wiped my eyes. Probably another bill. I almost ignored it. Instead, I unlocked the screen. An unfamiliar email sat at the top of my inbox. From: Admissions Office, Blackmore Academy I frowned. Blackmore Academy? I'd never applied there. I opened the message. "Dear Miss Elyana Steve," "Following a review of your exceptional academic record, we are pleased to offer you a full transfer scholarship to Blackmore Academy." I froze. A full scholarship? I read down the page. "The scholarship includes full tuition, accommodation, meals, and living expenses for the duration of your studies." I covered my mouth. This had to be fake. Nobody offered strangers anything like this. At the bottom was one final sentence. "Please respond within twenty-four hours. We have been expecting you." My heartbeat stopped. Expecting me? How could they possibly be expecting me when I'd never even heard of Blackmore Academy?