Chapter 5 OFFICIALLY LOST MY MIND

DRAVEN

I finally reach the West Wing where Room 326 should be. I've been all over this campus more times than I can count, but somehow I've never had a reason to come this far into the dorm section which is surprising considering I'm pretty sure I know at least a few girls who live around here.

I'm about to cross the hall when someone calls my name.

“Draven!”

I stop and glance over my shoulder. Great. Mira. And her little entourage. The group heads toward me like they just spotted a celebrity. Not that I'm arguing with the comparison. I am the hockey team's assistant captain after all. Sometimes I like reminding people of that.

The second Mira reaches me, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and flashes that practiced smile. “I didn't know you came around this side of campus.”

I clasp my hands together dramatically. “Alright, ladies. Where do you want it? Your notebook or your arm?”

Some of them even want it on their boobs and I’m generous enough to oblige.

A few of the girls giggle. Mira rolls her eyes. “Oh my God, you're impossible.”

“Yeah, I hear that a lot.”

I take a step backward. “If that's all, I've got places to be.”

“No, wait.”

Of course. She moves closer. “I'm worried about Keiran.”

That actually gets my attention. “Worried about what?”

Mira's expression twists immediately. Honestly, I should've left already. I've met enough girls like Mira to know exactly where this conversation is headed.

“That nerd girl,” she says bitterly. “Ellie or whatever her name is.”

I pause for a second to think. “What's she got to do with Keiran?”

“She slapped him.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “She what?”

Mira crosses her arms. “That psycho actually slapped him right in front of everyone.”

Now that's interesting. Very interesting. Keiran conveniently forgot to mention that part. The guy dodges punches for fun on ice even during training. I’ve sparred with him enough times to know landing a clean hit on him is almost impossible. Yet, somehow a girl managed to slap him? And the strangest part, he didn't tell me? That means he’s hiding something big. Probably connected to whatever the hell is off about her scent.

“What's her name again?” I ask, keeping my tone casual..

“Ellie Harper.”

There it is. Bingo.

Mira snorts. “She's lucky I haven't dealt with her myself.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Trust me, that's not a road you want to go down.”

She narrows her eyes. “What's that supposed to mean?”

I shrug. “Exactly what it sounds like.”

The amusement disappears from my face instantly.

“You want to get on Keiran's bad side? Go after her.”

The girls exchange confused glances but I keep going anyway. “Otherwise, stay away from Ellie.”

Mira studies me carefully. “Why?”

I grin, but there’s no warmth in it. “Because I'm asking nicely.”

And if there's one thing people should've learned by now, it's that I'm a lot less nice when they make me repeat myself. Especially when it involves a girl who's involved with the Alpha.

She huffs out a response, but I don't wait to hear it. I turn and head into the hall.

This part of the campus is nothing like the rest. The rooms are smaller, the walls look older, and nobody bothers making the place attractive. Most of the scholarship students end up here.

Not that I'm judging. Alright, maybe a little. The real problem is that every damn block looks exactly the same.

I walk past the same gray doors for what feels like forever, already regretting coming here myself. Whoever designed this place clearly hated people. Eventually, I spot the number I've been looking for.

Room 326. Finally.

ALLIE

“Should we order whiskey? Wait, I almost forgot.” Cassidy gasps dramatically and grabs my shoulders. “I'm so sorry. Basic courtesy actually demands that I ask what you want first.” Her grin is so wide I'm starting to think her face might split in half. “What would you like? Have you tried Piña Colada? Cocktails? Or maybe—”

“Cassidy...”

“Alright, not a cocktail person. That's fine. What about a Mojito? I've heard they're—”

“Cassidy, please stop!” The words come out louder than I intend.

For a second, she just stares at me. Then her smile disappears. “No, you stop, Allie.”

The sudden seriousness in her voice catches me off guard. This isn't the Cassidy that spent the last ten minutes talking nonstop.

“I get it,” she says quietly. “You're here for a reason. I care about Ellie too, okay? Probably more than you think.” She exhales and shakes her head. “But we're not going to get anywhere if you keep acting like you don't need anybody.” Her hands settle on my shoulders. “Because, girl, you do.”

I look away but she continues anyway.

“First, you need to learn how to survive Blackthorne. You need to blend in. You need to stop acting like you're carrying the entire world on your shoulders.”

Her eyes narrow. “And you definitely need to stop drawing attention to yourself unless you want the whole school figuring out there's someone pretending to be her twin sister—”

I immediately press a finger to her lips. “Can you keep your voice down?”

Cassidy rolls her eyes and pulls away. “Relax. Nobody's listening.”

Her gaze sweeps around the room before returning to me.

“Look.” She takes both my hands this time, her tone softer. “All I'm saying is we can't find out what happened to Ellie if you keep slapping every person who annoys you or acting like some indestructible superhero.”

I open my mouth to argue. She beats me to it. “Because that's not Ellie, Allie.”

The words hit harder than I expect. And for the first time all evening, I don't have a comeback.

Finally, I roll my eyes. “You know that's actually not my fault. That wild raccoon pulled my hair first.” It's the best defense I've got and honestly, I'm sticking with it.

“And you slapped the hockey captain,” Cassidy says with that annoying smile she's worn all day.

“Accidentally,” I reply flatly.

She folds her arms across her chest. “God, Allie. Nobody accidentally slaps Keiran Wilder.” Before I can come up with a comeback, Cassidy suddenly freezes. Like, completely freezes. Her eyes widen like she's just watched a horror movie monster crawl out of the screen.

“Oh no,” she mutters.

I frown. “What?”

“Don't look.”

I blink. “What does that even…” Naturally, I try to look.

She immediately grabs my cheeks and squishes my face between her hands. “I said don't look.”

“Now you're actually scaring me…”

I stop. Because somehow Cassidy's expression gets worse.

“Why is he here?” she whispers.

“Who?”

“The guy you slapped!”

“Wait.” My stomach drops. “Keiran?”

Cassidy releases my face so fast it's almost violent. Unfortunately, my instinct wins. I turn. And immediately regret it. Cold gray eyes meet mine from across the bar. Dark hair falls over his forehead, slightly messy like he couldn't be bothered to fix it. His hands are buried deep inside the pockets of his black hoodie, his expression as unreadable as ever.

Of course it's Keiran.

My heart practically launches itself into my throat. I quickly whip around so fast I nearly give myself whiplash. Of all the people I could run into tonight, he's at the very bottom of my list. Actually, scratch that. He's the least.

So when Cassidy grabs my arm and starts pulling me away, I don't argue. I don't even care where we're going. Anywhere is fine. As long as it's far away from him.

Except, she's too late.

“Not so fast, Ellie.” The deep voice comes from directly behind me.

I close my eyes. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

“Keiran Wilder.” Cassidy immediately slips back into her usual cheerful self, but Keiran doesn't even look at her. His eyes stay fixed on mine.

Mine, meanwhile, are doing everything possible to avoid his.

My only prayer is for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

“How about you excuse us, Cassidy?” he says without even glance her way.

For the first time since meeting her, Cassidy doesn't argue.

She slowly lets go of my hand. “Good luck,” she mouths.

Traitor.

Then she disappears. Great. Now I'm alone with the human equivalent of a thunderstorm.

I take a slow breath. Calm down, Allie. He can't do anything here. This is a public place.

“What was that back there?” he asks.

“What?”

“Trying to run from me.”

I immediately decide silence is my best option. Fortunately, before the awkwardness can kill me, another voice cuts through it.

“There you are.”

Keiran turns first. His expression instantly darkens. A tall, elegant girl walks toward us. Long dark hair. Perfect posture. The kind of confidence money probably pays for. She doesn't even look at me.

“Figured I'd find you here,” she says sweetly. Her heels click against the floor with every step.

“What the hell are you doing here, Vera?” His voice hardens.

Wait… Is she his girlfriend?

“Not happy to see me?” she asks.

He scoffs. “I'm not doing this with you.” Then, before I can react, his hand wraps around my wrist. “Let's go.”

“Excuse me?” I nearly stumble as he starts dragging me away.

“Let go of me!”

Keiran ignores me.

“Keiran!” Vera calls after us. He ignores her too. Which honestly feels like a terrible sign for me.

I dig my heels into the floor. One foot catches and the other twists. “Ah!” My balance disappears instantly. Instead of hitting the ground, I crash into something really solid.

I blink. Keiran's arm is locked around my waist. His chest is pressed against mine.

Oh my God. Of course this is happening. Because apparently humiliation is my full-time job now. I quickly push against him, but he doesn't move. In fact, his grip tightens.

Suddenly, his entire body goes rigid. His head lowers slightly as his nose brushes the side of my neck. A shudder runs through him as breathes. “Mate,” The word is so quiet I almost think I imagined it.

For a second, he doesn't breathe. Then his eyes flash pure gold. This time, I know I didn't imagine it. I see it clearly. Which means one of two things: Either Keiran Wilder's eyes just turned gold… Or I've officially lost my mind. Honestly, neither option is particularly comforting.