PROLOGUE—“The Kiss That Changed Everything”

I always thought I was just background noise in someone else’s story.

The funny guy. The overly dramatic Alpha who couldn’t win. The one who pined after the perfect girl and got friendzoned halfway through the season. Nothing special. Nothing important. Definitely not the main character.

But all of that changed during one stupid truth-or-dare game.

It was the last week before exams. The dorm’s rooftop was crowded, music blasting, alcohol flowing, students laughing like they had no care in the world. I was there too—Easton Virel, average height, average grades, overly emotional Alpha with nothing but a crush on the school’s golden girl: Lira.

She was dazzling under the rooftop lights, surrounded by a group of friends who treated her like royalty. And me? I was just lucky enough to be invited.

“Truth or dare?” someone shouted, pointing at me with a sly smirk.

I should’ve said “truth.” But I didn’t.

“Dare,” I replied, like a dumbass.

The group lit up. “Then kiss the person you like!”

Gasps, laughter, someone whistled.

My throat went dry. I stood up, walking toward Lira. My heart pounded in my chest, nerves frying every cell in my body. This was it. I was finally going to kiss her.

But then… something weird happened.

Glowing text floated right in front of my eyes. Not from my phone. Not from anyone else. Just… there.

“If loser Easton kisses the female lead tomorrow, the male lead will cut off his hand.”

What the hell?

I blinked, and another line followed:

“And a few days later, he gets brutally killed by the male lead. So tragic. He never learns that Caspian Emry, his archrival, was secretly in love with him.”

My body froze.

Wait—Caspian Emry? That Caspian?

The same Caspian who always looked down on me like I was a joke? Who was richer than God, smarter than every teacher, and had a fan club of people willing to lick the ground he walked on?

The guy I’ve been butting heads with since freshman year?

He was… in love with me?

This had to be a prank. Some messed up hallucination. I glanced around. Nobody else seemed to see the floating messages.

My feet stopped right in front of Lira. She looked up at me expectantly, lips parted just a little.

She was waiting.

I couldn’t move.

My heartbeat went from thunder to a full drumline in my ears.

And then I heard his voice.

Low, smooth, mocking.

Caspian. Behind me.

“What’s the matter, Virel? Chickening out?”

Without thinking, I spun around, grabbed his collar, yanked him forward, and kissed him.

On. The. Mouth.

Not a peck. Not for show.

A full-on, desperate, tongue-involved kiss.

Everyone screamed.

“WHAT?!”

“Easton kissed Caspian?!”

“Did he go insane?!”

“Holy crap—this is better than the actual drama club play!”

Floating comments reappeared in my sight.

“THE VILLAIN FINALLY KISSED HIS SECRET LOVE!! I’M SCREAMING!!”

“KISS HARDER YOU COWARD!!”

“This isn’t how the original story went! What timeline is this?!”

To my horror… I didn’t hate it.

The kiss was electric. Like his lips short-circuited my brain and lit a fire in my chest I’d never felt before.

Then I panicked.

I pinched his side hard and pulled away. His eyes opened, dazed, and locked onto mine. I felt everyone staring. I felt myself losing all control. So, like the dramatic Alpha I am…

I pretended to pass out.

My legs buckled. Caspian caught me with those annoyingly strong arms, holding me like a freaking princess.

“Is Easton drunk?” someone whispered.

“Definitely. That explains why he kissed Caspian,” another chimed in. “He probably thought it was Lira!”

Wrong. I was fully sober.

And I had just kissed my archrival to avoid dying in some alternate, cursed, floating-comment-filled storyline.

My only thought before I blacked out (fake, obviously) was:

What the hell did I just do?

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