Reyes shoved a tray toward me that he must’ve grabbed on the way in.
“You’ll thank me later,” he said, already loading his own with roast beef, mashed potatoes, and what looked like some kind of glazed ribs.
I picked at the food without really seeing it.
This was dangerous.
Being near them. Letting them get used to me. Letting myself get used to them.
Reyes grinned, mouth full, and said, “So, Kai, tell me something weird about you.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Weird stuff. Everyone’s got something. Like, I once ate an entire squirrel raw on a dare when I was twelve.”
“Why would anyone dare you to do that?”
Dalton snorted. “Because he’s Reyes. He probably dared himself.”
Reyes grinned. “Correct.”
Derrick rolled his eyes. “You still brag about that like it’s an accomplishment. You got worms, man.”
“At least I didn’t cry the first time I shifted,” Reyes fired back, grinning wide.
Derrick opened his mouth to snap back a retort, but Dalton beat him to it.
“Wow. This is the kind of highbrow conversation I get to enjoy at dinner? No wonder the council thinks we’re all animals.”
The way he said ‘council’ wasn’t casual. He might as well have thrown a dart at Derrick’s forehead.
Derrick stiffened, his fork pausing mid-air. “Better an animal than a mutt with no pack loyalty.”
Dalton’s smile turned razor-sharp. “Careful, Derrick. You’re sounding bitter. Not my fault the council likes me more.”
Derrick’s gaze darkened. “The council likes clean records,” he said, voice low. “Not charming manipulators who get others to do their dirty work.”
Reyes made a low whistle. “And there it is.”
I glanced between them, heart thudding.
This wasn’t playful banter. This was…something else. Old and festering. Like a wound that never really healed.
Like they’d fought over something-or someone-and never forgave each other.
Their gazes finally locked, and for a second I swore the air got colder.
“You two done measuring d***s?” Reyes asked cheerfully, biting into a rib. “Because the tension’s strong enough to season the meat.”
Dalton looked away first, jaw tight.
Derrick let out a breath that was almost a growl, his voice smooth but his jaw clenched. “Come on, Kai. Your turn. Don’t hold out on us.”
I panicked. My brain short-circuited. “I hate the sound of other people chewing.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then-
Dalton leaned forward, staring at me like I’d just confessed to being a cult leader. “You moved into a shared room and you hate chewing noises?”
“I have regrets,” I muttered.
Reyes lost it. Full belly laugh, head back, eyes crinkling.
And somehow, I smiled too.
Just for a second.
Because then, I felt watched.
I glanced around, expecting eyes on me, whispers maybe.
The small guy hiding between the most powerful wolves in the academy.
But Nothing.
Everyone was focused on their own food, their own people.
No one was paying me any attention.
And yet… The feeling didn’t go away.
It settled deep, like a weight behind my ribs.
Not dangerous exactly.
But something close.
Something that tasted a little too much like fate.
KAI – POV
After dinner, the group split up-Reyes and me headed one way, Dalton and Derrick another. No one said much, and I was fine with that. Reyes slowed his pace a bit, walking with me down the hall.
“You did good,” he said, nudging my shoulder. “Didn’t pass out, didn’t choke, and you even made me laugh. That’s a win, hermano.”
I tried to smirk, but it felt forced. “Thanks for the tray.”
He winked. “Anytime. Good luck surviving the night, by the way.”
I frowned. “Why would I need-“
But he was already gone, turning the corner with a lazy wave.
I stood there for a second, staring at the empty hallway.
Good luck.
That never meant anything good.
Still, I dragged my feet all the way to Room 214, stalling as long as I could. Maybe they’d be asleep. Maybe they’d be out. Maybe the Moon Goddess would throw me a bone and strike me dead before I had to see either of them again.
No such luck.
The moment I opened the door, I swore violently under my breath.
And then again.
Once for myself-for being stupid enough to think this year would be easy.
Once for my mother-who had literally thrown me to the wolves.
Once for the Winter Pack-who could all go choke on snow.
And finally, a generous, theatrical curse for half the Greek gods-just for good measure.
Because now there wasn’t just one naked Alpha in this room.
There were two.
Each lounging on their beds like they owned the world.
I slammed the door behind me. Not hard enough to shatter it. But hard enough to announce that I was two seconds from committing murder.
“Are you f*cking kidding me?”
Neither of them flinched.
Dalton, laid out like a lazy lion, and raised an eyebrow. He had a book resting on his stomach, one arm folded behind his head like this was the beach and not a shared dorm.
Derrick, across the room, had headphones on-half pretending he didn’t hear me. He was scrolling through something on his phone, legs crossed at the ankle, completely unbothered.
And absolutely, one hundred percent, naked.
I covered my eyes with one hand and pinched the bridge of my nose with the other. “You two deaf? Or just jackasses?”
Derrick looked up. “What?”
Dalton didn’t even glance at me. “Problem?”
“We had an agreement,” I hissed, walking blindly toward my side of the room. “No d*cks on display. Remember that? Or is that rule beneath the glorious Alphas of the King Pack?”
Dalton yawned. “I sleep naked. I get too hot at night.”
Derrick shrugged. “Same.”
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