Chapter 2
1473 Words
Kai didn’t move for several seconds.
He sat stiffly in his seat, fingers curled so tightly around his tablet that the plastic creaked. The professor kept reading names, completely unaware of the small storm unraveling in Kai’s chest.
Leon Rivera.
Of course it had to be him.
Of all the people in this university, of all the Alphas in that class, fate—or some sick joke of the universe—had to hand him over on a silver platter.
Kai’s jaw tightened. He knew how this would go. Leon would take all the credit, flirt his way around deadlines, and leave Kai to carry the weight. Worse, he'd probably expect Kai to fawn over him like the rest did.
Well, he wouldn’t. Not in a million years.
“Looks like we’re a pair,” came a voice, low and too close.
Kai’s head snapped up.
Leon had moved across the room without him noticing. He stood beside Kai’s desk, towering with that infuriating, easy confidence. His expression was unreadable—neutral, even—but his golden-brown eyes flicked over Kai like he was trying to piece together a puzzle.
Kai forced himself to hold the gaze. “Don’t expect me to do your work.”
Leon blinked. Then, to Kai’s surprise, he smiled. Not the lazy grin he gave the girls hanging off him. This one was... quieter. Almost amused.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Leon said smoothly. “You’re clearly the responsible type.”
Kai didn’t answer. His walls were already halfway up.
Leon tilted his head, studying him. “You’re the top of the class, right? Makes sense they’d put us together.”
“Don’t pretend this is fate,” Kai snapped before he could stop himself.
Leon blinked again. Something flickered in his expression—then vanished. “Fate?” he echoed, curious.
Kai bit the inside of his cheek. He hadn’t meant it like that.
He stood abruptly, stuffing his tablet into his bag. “I’ll email you the research brief. We don’t need to talk more than necessary.”
Leon didn’t move aside. “I thought soulmates were supposed to be more cooperative.”
Time. Froze.
Kai’s heart slammed into his ribs so hard it hurt.
He stared at Leon. “What did you say?”
Leon raised a brow. “Kidding,” he said, voice casual. “You looked like you were about to faint. Lighten up.”
But the damage was already done.
That word—soulmates. It hit too close. Too fast. Kai’s chest ached again, like something unseen was pulling tight from inside.
He brushed past Leon without another word.
---
Kai didn’t go back to the dorm right away. He found himself in the library instead—fourth floor, far back corner, where no one ever went unless they were avoiding something.
His head throbbed. Not just from stress.
It was something else.
He sat on the windowsill, pulled his knees up, and stared out at the gray sky. Everything in him was screaming that something wasn’t right.
The way his suppressants had started to falter. The way Leon’s scent clung to the air around him longer than it should have. The weird pressure in his chest—pulling, aching, reaching.
And Leon.
The way he looked at him. Not like he was interested. Not like he was trying to impress. It was like he was... searching.
Kai had never believed in soulmates. Not really. That was fairytale crap they fed to Omegas when they were little—“Someday your Alpha will find you,” “Your bond will complete you,” blah, blah, blah.
He didn’t want a bond. He’d spent years building walls, learning how to control himself, to live without needing anyone. A soulmate would only break all that.
And if it’s him?
No. Kai shook the thought away violently.
Leon Rivera wasn’t the type to have a soulmate. And if he did, he wouldn’t treat them like they were worth anything more than a one-night high.
So whatever this was, Kai was going to ignore it.
Even if his body refused to.
Even if the idea of touching him made his skin buzz.
Even if somewhere deep inside him, something ancient whispered his name when he closed his eyes.
---
Kai didn’t check his phone all day.
He knew Leon had messaged him—he saw the preview notification earlier. Just one line:
> “Let’s meet tonight. Library. Study room 3A. 7 PM.”
Kai debated ignoring it altogether. But showing up was easier than giving Leon an excuse to slack off. He could suffer through one hour. Two, max. Then he’d go home, shower, and scrub the Alpha off his skin.
He showed up at 7:05 PM, just late enough to avoid looking eager.
The glass-paneled room was dimly lit. Leon was already there—legs propped up on a chair, scrolling through something on his tablet, looking impossibly relaxed. A water bottle sat untouched on the table beside him. His jacket was draped over the chair, exposing a white shirt stretched slightly across his chest and rolled-up sleeves that revealed lean, tanned arms.
Kai took a breath. Shoved the door open.
Leon looked up immediately, eyes locking onto him. His brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t smile.
“Didn’t think you’d come.”
Kai dropped his bag on the opposite side of the table and sat without replying.
Leon sat up slowly, setting his tablet aside. “I went through the assignment outline. Looks like we need to pick a research topic by Friday.”
Kai nodded. “I have three suggestions. All data-heavy, minimal fieldwork.”
“Efficient,” Leon said.
“Practical,” Kai corrected.
Leon’s gaze flicked toward him again, longer this time. “You always this serious?”
Kai didn’t answer. He opened his notebook and slid it across the table. “Pick one. We’ll draft the outline together.”
Leon leaned forward, fingers brushing the edge of the page—and then stopped.
His nose twitched.
Barely.
Kai caught it.
Leon didn’t say anything, but a flicker of something passed through his eyes. Confusion. Sharp and sudden. Like something had just brushed against his senses.
Kai’s breath caught.
No. Not now.
The scent blockers were still active—he’d checked twice before coming. But the temperature in the room felt like it had risen. Just slightly. His skin was warm. Too warm. He pressed his palms into his thighs under the table.
“Do you smell that?” Leon asked suddenly.
Kai froze.
“What?” he said, too quickly.
Leon blinked, leaning back slowly. “I thought I caught a—nevermind.” He shook his head, frowning slightly. “Must be from earlier. Girl dumped half a bottle of perfume on me.”
Kai didn’t respond. His mind was racing.
His suppressants weren’t failing. They couldn’t be.
He still had two weeks before his next heat cycle—he tracked them obsessively, always took his meds on time. But something was off.
Maybe it was the bond. That... pull. Maybe being this close to Leon was waking something up.
He reached for his water bottle with a steady hand, trying not to show how shaky his insides felt.
“Did I do something?” Leon asked suddenly.
Kai blinked. “What?”
“You’re... tense.” Leon tilted his head. “Like you’d rather be anywhere else.”
Kai stared at him. “You think?”
Leon let out a soft breath of a laugh. “That obvious?”
Kai closed his eyes for a second, collecting himself. “Look. I don’t care what you do outside of this project. You can sleep with half the campus for all I care. Just don’t bring that energy near me.”
Leon raised a brow. “That’s what this is about? You saw me in the hallway and now you think I’m going to jump you or something?”
“I think you’re reckless,” Kai snapped. “And selfish. And I don’t want to get dragged into whatever messes you make.”
Silence.
Leon didn’t speak for a while. When he did, his voice was quieter.
“You don’t know me.”
“I don’t want to.”
More silence.
The tension hung heavy between them—thick, tight, and buzzing with something unnamed. Something neither of them wanted to acknowledge.
Then Leon said, almost too casually, “What if I said... I want to know you?”
Kai’s throat closed.
He didn’t answer.
Because beneath the harsh words, beneath the heat slowly crawling up his neck and the scent trying to escape his skin, a part of him wanted it, too.
Wanted him.
And that scared him more than anything else.
---
To be continued…
- Writer
