DARE SIX
726 Words
AIDEN
We made it down two flights of stairs before Kaito slowed, then stopped abruptly.
“Hold up.”
I almost ran into his back. “What now.”
“You remember this week isn’t over yet, right?”
I groaned. “You cannot be serious.”
“Very,” he said. “Day six. Your day.”
I crossed my arms, “You couldn’t wait until afterbCatch the Omega?”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t,” he replied.
“Of course it does,” I muttered. “So what, you’re assigning me laps? Push-ups? Guard duty?”
He shook his head. “Nah. Too obvious.”
He glanced around the stairwell, then leaned in just enough to drop his voice. “My task for you tonight is simple.”
I braced myself.
“You’re walking me back to my dorm.”
I blinked. “That’s it?”
“Fine,” I said. “But if someone asks, you’re the one trailing me.”
He laughed under his breath and followed.
Outside, the campus was buzzing with post-alarm energy. Alphas everywhere, loud and triumphant, replaying the hunt like it was a sport. A few looks came our way.
Someone called out, “Yo, Kaito!”
We passed under a streetlight, and he murmured, barely audible, “You’re good at this.”
“At walking?” I scoffed.
We reached his dorm entrance. He stopped, turning to face me.
“That’s the task,” he said. “Completed.”
I raised an eyebrow. “No twist? No last-minute humiliation?”
“Not tonight,” he said. “You’ve had enough.”
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then he added, almost casually, “Get some rest, Aiden. You smell like you’re running on fumes.”
I snorted. “Add that to your list of weird observations.”
He smiled and headed inside.
I stood there a moment longer, the night finally quiet, my pulse slowly settling.
Day six had come way too close to cracking both.
By the time I got back to the dorm, the adrenaline had finally started to wear off.
I pushed the door open and barely had time to step inside before Liam was on his feet.
“Jesus—there you are.”
He crossed the room in three strides, eyes scanning me like he expected to find a bright orange target painted on my back.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You didn’t answer your phone. The alarms—man, people were going feral out there. I thought—”
“I wasn’t caught,” I said quickly.
He let out a breath so hard. “Thank god.”
From the outside, I probably looked fine. A little rattled, maybe. Nothing unusual after Catch the Omega night.
Liam crouched in front of me. “I told you to stay in.”
“I know,” I said. “I screwed up.”
“How close?” he asked.
Liam’s eyes narrowed. “Aiden.”
“Close enough,” I admitted. “But I handled it.”
He searched my face, then shook his head. “You’ve got the worst timing. First the dare week, now this?”
“Tell me about it.”
He leaned back against the desk, arms crossed. “People got tagged tonight. Like, actually dragged into it. Posters are already going up.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “I heard.”
Then Liam sighed. “Look… I know you’re good at keeping your head down. You blend. But this place? It loves excuses to make someone a joke.”
“I’m aware.”
His tone softened. “Just—be careful, okay? Especially this week. You don’t need extra eyes on you.”
I nodded. “I won’t.”
He studied me a moment longer, then smirked faintly. “So. Dare master walk you back or what?”
I snorted. “Relax. Task was done. Nothing dramatic.”
“Shame,” he said. “I was hoping for drama.”
I leaned back on my bed, staring at the ceiling as my muscles finally unclenched.
The night had passed.
I wasn’t caught.
Liam turned back to his desk. “Get some sleep, man. Tomorrow’s the last day, right?”
“Day seven,” I said quietly.
He grinned. “Home stretch.”
- Writer
