Alpha in the Field

Tension and Crisis

Maya

The next morning, I changed my routine. I left my dorm earlier than usual, avoided the main quad, and walked quickly beside Stella to every class. She teased me about it, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to run into Adrian again, especially after he kept showing up every single time.

At lunch, Stella nudged me. “You know he’s not even hiding it, right? He shows up so you know he’s there.”

I kept my eyes down and poked at my food. “If I ignore him, maybe he’ll get bored.”

She laughed quietly. “That’s not his style, Maya. Adrian Kane doesn’t chase people. If he’s doing this, he means it. And it’s messy.”

“I can handle it,” I said again, even though saying it made my chest feel tight.

Later that afternoon, I waited by the field for Stella to finish practice. I stayed near the bleachers, looking at my phone and keeping my head down and busy. But when I looked up, I froze. Adrian had stopped mid-drill with the ball in his hand, and his eyes were locked on me.

“Torres,” he called, his voice carrying across the field.

Everyone turned to look at us. Players slowed down, and Coach Daniels blew his whistle. “Kane, get back in position!”

He didn't listen, his eyes were fixed on me as if he thought I would walk out there. I felt heat rise to my face and quickly shook my head, refusing to move, but everyone was already watching me.

Stella gave me a worried look from the sidelines, and I wished I could disappear.

When practice ended, it only got worse. Teammates pushed by me in the hallways, whispering as they passed.

“She’s the reason he’s distracted.”

“Coach isn’t going to let that slide.”

“She’s nothing special.”

I felt their resentment hit so hard, even though I hadn't done anything wrong. As I tried to leave quietly after class, a hand brushed against my wrist, making me stop.

“Going somewhere?” Adrian asked in a low voice, standing close enough that I could feel his breath.

I tried to pull away, but his grip held me firmly without hurting me.

“I can’t keep doing this,” I whispered, looking around to check if anyone was nearby. “You’re making my life really difficult.”

His eyes darkened, but his voice remained calm. “Your life belongs to me now. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be.”

My heart raced, and I felt tense. “You can’t decide that for me.”

“I already have,” he said, brushing his thumb against my wrist before he let go. “And you feel it too. That’s why you’re resisting so much.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, and couldn't find the words. For a moment, I almost believed him and almost let myself feel anything I didn’t want to admit was there.

Then I pulled my hand back, gripped my bag tighter, and forced myself to step past him. My chest pounded, my head spun, and I hated how much power he had without even trying.

I kept walking and didn’t look back, even though I felt his eyes on me. The hallway was busy, but it didn’t matter. I knew Adrian would be there, steady and close enough to remind me he wouldn’t let go. When I reached the bleachers, I sat down and held onto my bag to calm myself. Stella was still changing in the locker room, so I tried to focus on the drills happening below to distract myself.

Adrian was in the center, leading the field with every move. His teammates followed him without hesitation. I told myself not to look, but my eyes stayed on him. That’s when I saw it. He caught a ball awkwardly, scraping his hand against another player's helmet, and blood spread across his knuckles. My stomach tightened, expecting him to walk off or at least react. But he didn’t. He glanced at the cut and kept going with no hesitation and no sign of pain.

But then something weird happened.

The skin pulled back together, closing in seconds right in front of me. The blood faded, leaving nothing but clean skin. I blinked fast, thinking I imagined it, but it was real, and it left me frozen in place. I wasn’t supposed to see something like that. No one could heal like that.

“Maya,” Stella’s voice pulled me back. She dropped onto the bleacher beside me, her hair damp from showering. She followed my line of sight, and I knew she noticed the way my body had gone tense.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Nothing,” I said too quickly, my voice shaky.

Stella looked at me for a long time, not believing me. “He’s dangerous. You might not see it yet, but I do. Be careful around him.”

Her words made my chest tighten because they felt too true. I wanted to argue but couldn’t, especially after what I had just seen with no explanation. I nodded instead, avoiding her gaze, and forced myself to gather my things.

I walked back across campus with Stella, but I couldn’t pay attention to what she was saying. I kept thinking about the image of his hand healing and his voice from earlier, telling me I belonged to him. If he wasn’t normal, what had I gotten caught up in?

When Stella left to meet another friend, the sky was getting dark. I started toward my dorm, hugging my books close. I stopped when I saw Damien leaning against the lamppost near the entrance. His smirk was familiar, like Adrian’s, but his energy felt different, it was more calm and focused, as if he knew something I didn’t.

“Rough day?” he asked, pushing off the post.

I didn’t reply and kept walking, but he kept pace with me.

“You should know,” he said casually, “Adrian doesn’t play fair. When he wants something, it doesn’t end well. And you… you’re already deeper in this than you realize.”

I stopped at the bottom of the steps and turned to glare at him. “Why do you care?”

“Because messy obsessions attract unwanted attention,” he said with a shrug. “And he doesn’t like to share.”

His words made my stomach twist. He knew something, maybe more than I did. His casual warning didn’t feel helpful, it felt meant to scare me, and it worked.

I pushed past him, not wanting to give him that satisfaction, and hurried into the dorm. My key shook in my hand as I unlocked the door and closed it behind me. My heart beat too fast and too loud, and my mind spun with everything I had seen and heard.

I dropped my bag on the bed, trying to calm down, but before I could sit, I heard a soft knock on the door. I froze.

“Maya.” His voice was low and steady.

I stepped back, my hands trembling.

“Maya,” Adrian called again, firmer this time.