Mated to my Rival

Kross POV

Chapter 6

Kross

Black hair, blue eyes, short and built like a girl—how the hell could someone like that be an Alpha?

That was my first thought when I saw him getting ganged up on outside the dorms. He looked completely out of place among the rest of us. A joke, really. But then he pulled out a dagger—quick, with real intent to stab Wilde.

That flash of rage, that raw Alpha instinct… it was there. Buried beneath all that delicate appearance, but still present.

I didn’t stop him to help him. I don’t usually get involved in anyone else’s mess. But Wilde and the rest of the idiots with him were under my watch, assigned to me by Coach. If they got into trouble, I’d get pulled into it—and I’ve worked too hard to maintain my perfect record. I’m not risking that. Not for some reckless newcomer trying to make a statement.

When I walked into the room and saw him there, he looked stunned. I wasn’t. I’d been the only one without a roommate this year, and it was intentional. It gave me space—especially during nights when… no one could see me at my worst.

But now he was here. And I was pissed.

Just looking at him annoyed me. What was he thinking, showing up in the middle of the year? Probably wasn’t even ready. I guessed his father forced him here. He didn’t look like he’d survive long, and even if he tried, I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. He didn’t belong here. Not in Thalvion. Not in the world of Alphas.

I dumped my bag on the bed and lay back, trying to calm the irritation that burned just beneath my skin.

A few seconds later, he came and stood in front of me. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand.

Small, pale fingers. Too soft for an Alpha.

“Vaughn DiVinci, Alpha of the BloodMoon Pack,” he introduced himself.

I just stared at him, trying to figure out what angle he was playing. Did he think this would win me over? Make me an ally? Was he trying to avoid trouble before it even began?

I smirked. Weaklings like him always irritated me. Still, I took his hand.

It was soft—too soft. I almost wanted to crush it just to remind him where he stood.

He flinched slightly, his eyes widening before he pulled his hand back quickly.

Good. Let him feel it.

“Kross,” I said. That’s all he needed to know. He didn’t need anything more from me.

He nodded and started talking—something about how we got off to a bad start, how the Alphas had bullied him. I didn’t care. His voice only irritated me more. I stood up, walked over, and shoved my shoulder into his with enough force to make him stumble.

“This isn’t a playground,” I told him coldly. “This is Thalvion. Only the strongest survive here. So quit whining like a baby, or you won’t last a day.”

And he wouldn’t. I knew that. The other Alphas knew it too. He was the weakest one here by far. He’d get chewed up and spat out in training camp before he even got close to the Alpha Trials. It was pathetic, really, how blind he was to how out of place he looked among us.

I told him to brace himself. He had already made a mistake by pulling a weapon on Wilde. He had drawn attention—worse, he'd made himself the new target. Or more accurately, the entertainment. The Alphas would have their fun with him. That’s how it worked. Survival of the fittest. And he wasn’t fit, not even close.

His jaw clenched, and I noticed how soft his face looked. Too delicate. He had the wide-eyed look of a deer. A sweet face—honestly, it made me want to throw up. But it wasn’t my job to ruin him. Just putting the fear in him was enough. The rest? That would be handled by the others.

Maybe it wasn’t his fault that he looked weak, but it was his fault for thinking he could belong here. He’d made the choice to show up, and now he had to deal with the consequences.

I gave him five days, max. He’d c***k before the week was over. That’s how it always went. The weak ones never lasted. This kind of pressure wasn’t new—it was a ritual, a test, a hunt. And he was the one getting hunted now.

Vaughn—or whatever his name was—must have realized he wasn’t going to find a friend in this room. That much was obvious. Good. I didn’t have the time or patience to waste on him. In a few days, he’d be gone, and I’d have my space back.

He looked pissed as he went back to his bed. “Thanks for the warning,” he said stiffly, then laid down. His body was tense, his posture unnatural, like he didn’t know how to exist here.

Everything about him felt wrong in this place. I shook my head. He’d be out of our lives soon enough. I just had to keep myself from smashing his face in until then.

The rest of the Alphas would take care of the rest.