Both of them stood there-wild-eyed, half-dressed, Derrick’s shirt buttoned wrong, Dalton’s belt in his hand like he forgot how pants worked.
They froze.
Then-
It was from them.
Derrick and Dalton flanked me like living shadows-bold, sexy, and tethered to me with invisible chains that pulled tighter with every breath I took. I wasn’t sure if they were guarding me from the world or guarding the world from me.
Probably both.
We were headed toward the mess hall for breakfast-burnt toast, bitter coffee, and hopefully zero bullshit.
No such luck.
Reyes’s door creaked open just as we passed.
And like clockwork, the Hollowed Moon twins slithered out.
Bart and Bret. I didn’t care which was which-they were both venom wrapped in pretty packaging. All sharp jawlines, hollow souls, and smug little smirks that made me want to claw my way through drywall.
They stopped dead when they saw us.
When they saw me.
Their eyes-cold, assessing, dripping with that familiar brand of Hollowed Moon arrogance- raked over my body like I was a piece of meat.
I held their gaze. Chin up. Unbothered. Defiant.
But the tension around me shifted.
Derrick stepped in closer, his arm grazing mine, fingers twitching like he was barely resisting the urge to grab me and pull me back against his chest.
Dalton was already there. Pressed so close behind me I could feel the low rumble of his possessive growl vibrate down my spine. His breath ghosted the nape of
They were burning.
For me.
For the audacity of the Hollowed Moon twins.
For touching me with their eyes.
my neck.
Great. Just what I needed before caffeine: a fucking territorial pissing contest.
And then-of course-Reyes burst out of the room behind them, grinning like an idiot golden retriever who thought he belonged in a wolf pack.
“Savage!” he chirped, beaming. “Good morning! I’m starving. Let’s go grab breakfast-“
He swung his arm up like he was going to toss it around my shoulder.
He never made it.
In a flash, Derrick had him pinned to the wall with a thud that echoed down the corridor. His arm was twisted cruelly behind his back, face pressed hard into the cold concrete.
“What did I tell you about touching him?” Derrick’s voice was a dark snarl, pure venom. The possessiveness in his tone made something primal inside me throb.
“Okay-ow-shit-, chill!” Reyes stammered, struggling. “I was just saying good morning-“
Dalton didn’t move from behind me. If anything, he pressed closer, his chest flush with my back, lips at my temple like a warning. His hand ghosted the small of my back, just enough to make my knees threaten mutiny.
The twins snickered. One of them-I didn’t care which-murmured under his breath with a voice like rotten silk.
“Someone needs to leash their mutts. Unless Savage likes being passed around.”
Blood roared in my ears.
Derrick tensed. Dalton growled.
And I snapped.
I spun, sparks practically flying from my fingertips, and fixed Derrick with a glare sharp enough to slice granite.
“Let. Him. Go,” I hissed.
He didn’t move for a second. Just stared at me, breathing heavily, jaw clenched.
“Now, Derrick.”
He dropped Reyes like dead weight, stepping back with a growl that didn’t quite die in his
throat.
Reyes staggered forward, clutching his wrist. “No hard feelings, right?” he asked with a nervous chuckle, but the glint in his eye said he liked the chaos just a little too much.
I turned my gaze to the Hollowed Moon twins, my lip curling.
“You know,” I said sweetly, “it’s funny. Every time you two open your mouths, I lose five IQ points just hearing your voices.”
Bart-or maybe Bret-smirked wider, leaning back against the wall like this was a show.
“Careful, little boy,” he purred, the words soaked in mockery. “Wouldn’t want your guard dogs getting confused and biting you instead.”
I smiled-slow and dangerous. The kind of smile that promised violence wrapped in silk.
“Try me.”
The electricity in my blood surged, crackling just beneath my skin. I wanted to rip that smug look off his face. Burn that smirk until it blistered. Reduce him to ashes and let the wind scatter what was left.
Arrogant bastard.
Dalton must’ve felt the shift in me-
Because in a blur, his hand clamped around my forearm, firm, grounding, possessive. His voice was a low, lethal rumble that slid down my spine like liquid fire.
“We’ll bite him gladly,” he said, his eyes fixed on the twins with cold, predatory amusement. Right after we rip their fucking throats out.”
Unnecessary. Murderous.
And way too sexy.
The twins went still for a fraction of a second. Just long enough to know the threat landed.
I rolled my eyes and groaned.
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered, turning on my heel. “Can I get one damn cup of coffee before testosterone and ego start dry-humping each other in public?”
And I stomped off, leaving behind a hallway drenched in tension, male fury, and a very satisfying lack of a response from the twins.
Dalton and Derrick followed, of course. Close. Too close.
Like shadows with fangs.
And I couldn’t decide if I wanted to scream… or pull them into the nearest empty room.
DERRICK POV
I made my way toward the buffet like I was walking into battle.
Not a sound. Not a word. Just the low hum of conversation around me, the clatter of trays and chairs, and that ever-present, infuriating scent that had become my entire goddamn existence.
Kai.
Little mouse.
She was somewhere behind me, tucked between Dalton’s looming shadow and the table we’d claimed the second we stepped into the mess hall. And I hated that I had to leave her side. Even for a second. Even if it was just to grab coffee.
I trusted Dalton as far as I could throw him-and I could throw him pretty far-but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was every other bastard in this building. Every alpha, every professor, every confused king’s guard who couldn’t decide whether to flirt or fight.
The moment Kai walked into a room, she drew attention like gravity, and the idiots around here were all too happy to orbit.
They didn’t know.
They didn’t see.
To them, she was just some sharp-tongued little boy with dangerous eyes and zero patience. An enigma. A misfit.
But I saw it. I saw her. The way she moved. The way she carried herself. The way she smelled like chaos and home and fury beneath her layered scent blockers.
And the Goddess-fucked up divine lunatic that she is-had bound me to her.
Me. And Dalton.
As if one monster wasn’t enough.
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