Too Late, Alpha: I Choose Your Rival

Ch 15: Look Away, Pervert

Elisa’s POV:

The second I reached the room Kael had gotten for me, the heavy door clicked shut as I instantly collapsed on the bed, letting out a jagged breath.

For a few seconds, I stared blankly at the wooden ceiling, and unlike my small room in the wolf wing, this one was quite spacious.

The size of the bed was massive, easily double the size of my cramped bed before in the werewolf wing. Even the mattress felt soft to lie down on.

But it was quite hard to believe that just 15 minutes ago, someone else had occupied this room as their own.

But under Kael’s single command, the belongings of that previous occupant had been thoroughly cleared out, without leaving one trace behind.

He was truly…the future Lycan King after all…

The air in the room smelled fresh, given that the giant bedside window was there. Overall, it seemed like I had made the right choice after all by moving out of that tiny, cramped room.

‘But now…I’m really here,’ I thought to myself, slowly sitting up on the bed before I grabbed the metal handle of my suitcase. I am finally inside my enemy territory…though it still feels surreal.

I really didn’t hope that Kael would actually accept my demand and give me a spare room under his wing, but…if one kiss was enough to get him to do that…I don’t regret my choice after all.

Thinking back, my old self would’ve shuddered in dread at the thought of abandoning Ethan’s side and moving to the lycan wing.

If I hadn’t seen their true face when I was being choked to death, today I would’ve crumbled and wept over my destroyed room while being convinced by Maria’s crocodile tears to beg Ethan for his help.

However, now, I just calmly stood up and grabbed a rag to clean up the room for my satisfaction.

For two straight hours, I scrubbed every surface of the room until my knuckles throbbed and my muscles ached. Then, I organized my things on the desk and the few remaining clothes into the wardrobe to claim the space as my own.

After the cleaning session, I freshened up with a quick shower and then pulled on an oversized grey sweatshirt and shorts.

My damp long hair cascaded down my back, making my tense shoulders finally at ease after the turn of gruelling events I had endured throughout the day.

Warming up some coffee, I stood by the glass window, watching the glistening silver glow of the moon pouring in softly.

Drawn to the quiet night, exhaling a long sigh, I pressed my forehead against the cool pane, while my eyes were glued down below, looking out across the U-shaped courtyard that led to the opposite dorm building.

But when I slowly lifted my gaze, my breath caught violently in my throat.

Directly across the next dorm building, stood Kael Blackthorn.

The room was dazzling with bright lights and soft jazz music, but there was no curtain on the window.

And standing right by the open window, as if he had freshly come out of the shower… He was shirtless.

Just a glance at his smug, handsome face was enough to suck the air from my lungs. My heart pounded against my ribs rapidly, almost making me feel dizzy for a second.

From a quick glance, I noticed he wore low-waist black sweatpants, hanging dangerously low on his hips, as the warm light above his head was tracing the alluring topography of his body.

From his broad shoulders to his taut, muscular chest that tapered down into his ridiculously sexy eight-pack abs, with a few scars scattered on his lower abdomen, only made him look more lethal.

He was holding a cigarette loosely between his lips when a thick puff of smoke curled into the night. But his gaze wasn’t focused anywhere else.

Those piercing emerald eyes were intensely locked onto mine.

Why is he here opposite my room in the first place? Don’t tell me…is that his room?

And has he been standing there watching me the entire time?

Countless questions rang in my mind one after another as I stood frozen…under his sharp gaze.

Every instinct in my body screamed at me to close the window and move away from his sight, but my eyes unknowingly refused to move.

My gaze couldn’t stop ogling his sharp jawline, and with water droplets drizzling down his bare shoulder, he somewhat exuded too much s*x appeal that made my heart race faster than before.

My skin flushed with a fierce, burning blush spreading from my chest straight to the tips of my ears.

But as if that sly fox had noticed me ogling at him, Kael slowly raised his hand. He didn’t wave, but instead held up his phone, tapping the screen once without breaking eye contact.

BZZZ.

The sudden vibration of my phone on the desk almost made me jump in fear. Anxiously, when I grabbed it, breaking eye contact first, a flush of heat crept all the way to my neck.

It was a text from an unsaved number that popped up on the screen, but my mind had unknowingly memorized that number just from the first glance.

Unknown: Look away, pervert.

The sender was obviously Kael…and after taking a glance at it, my face turned beet-red with second-hand embarrassment.

"You asshole..." I gritted my teeth, snapping my head up to glare at him from the window.

Through the glass, I noticed the corner of Kael’s mouth twitched upward into a wicked smirk as if he had succeeded in getting the reaction he wanted from me. In fact, he took a slow drag of his cigarette, thoroughly enjoying tormenting me.

My fingers ran across the screen as I tapped open his unsaved number, and then aggressively typed out a proper name to save this number on my phone.

‘Arrogant Jerk.’ That would suit him the most.

Then without wasting a second, I shut that damn window and slammed the heavy velvet curtains over it.

Covering my palms over my burning cheeks, I could feel my heart was thumping so hard that for a second I feared…what if that arrogant jerk ends up hearing the sound of my racing heartbeat from there?

"Get it together, Elisa," I whispered, patting my chest to help myself calm down a little. "Think of that jerk as a tool for my revenge, nothing else. Don’t let his charm sway you…Do not look at him like that…ever again.

“Because after the tournament…I highly doubt our paths will cross again, in this life.”

It took me almost a few minutes for my pulse to settle. While I was desperate to wipe Kael’s shirtless image from my brain, I looked down at my phone again to distract my mind, but then, I froze.

A bright red notification badge hovered over my dialer. My flustered face was instantly replaced by coldness when I gazed at my screen.

My phone had been on silent since the moment I walked out of the wolf dorm. But now, I tapped the screen and scrolled through the log in utmost disbelief.

There were 67 missed calls and 20 texts, all from Ethan.

Perhaps he had called every 10–20 minutes, but it was the first time I had ever witnessed him behaving so relentlessly.

Right beneath the logs, a string of texts lit up the dark screen when I began reading them.

> “Where the hell are you, Elisa? How dare you move out of here without my permission?”

> “The pack girls said you packed your bags and left on your own! Is it true? Answer me, Elisa!”

> “Wait…you really went to the lycan wing? NO FUCKIN’ WAY! You aren't staying there…I will tear that building down myself before I let you stay under Blackthorn's roof.

> “Pick up the f*****g phone. This is driving me insane…Elisa!”

> “Where are you!? Please! Answer me!”

A slow, icy smile broke through the lingering flush on my face when I silenced the phone again and tossed it onto the mattress.

"You can call me all night, Alpha," I murmured into the quiet room. "Go even crazier, Ethan…I am all set to watch your ruin…”