Chapter 4: “What Are We Now?”

By the time I got back to the dorms, I’d decided one thing:

I’m going to pretend none of this ever happened.

The kiss? Fake. The heat spike? Coincidence. The pheromone regulation room? A fever dream.

Unfortunately, my best friend Kellen had other plans.

He was waiting outside my door like a vulture in a crop top and combat boots.

“Took you long enough,” he said, arms crossed. “So… how was the kiss?”

“I will throw you off the third floor balcony.”

Kellen grinned. “You’d miss me. But seriously—did you use tongue?”

I shoved the door open and stormed inside. “I was trying to save my hand!”

“From being cut off by a jealous villain? Yeah, I read the floating text. Real romantic.”

I collapsed on my bed. “Kellen, I am begging you to shut up.”

“No can do. This is top-tier gossip. You tongue-kissed Caspian Emry, passed out in his arms, then vanished for the entire night—only to show up in class with a public heat alert.” He kicked off his shoes and jumped onto my bed. “I live for this kind of drama.”

“I don’t,” I muttered.

He gave me a look. “You’re telling me you didn’t feel anything?”

I hesitated.

And that was enough.

Kellen gasped. “You liked it.”

“No.”

“You liked it.”

“I hated it.”

“You liked it.”

“IT WAS A SURVIVAL TACTIC.”

“You enjoyed the tactic!”

I groaned and pulled a pillow over my face.

Kellen poked me through it. “So… what are you two now? Bonded? Casual kiss bros? Secret lovers?”

“Nothing. We’re nothing.”

“But he regulated your heat.”

“I didn’t ask him to!”

Kellen made a dramatic gasp. “Did he touch your gland?”

“I’m going to scream.”

“Did you moan—?”

“Kellen.”

He flopped beside me, arms behind his head. “I’m just saying… if you don’t want him, there are about twelve people in our class who do. And if you let your bond deepen, you’re gonna be stuck with his possessive aura for life.”

“Don’t worry,” I muttered, “he probably already has chains with my name engraved.”

Kellen snorted. “Yandere behavior.”

We sat in silence for a bit. My heart was still uneasy.

Because as much as I wanted to laugh it off… something had changed. The way Caspian looked at me—like I was some long-lost treasure he refused to lose again.

And worse?

I was starting to dream about the kiss.

Not in a cute way.

In a very detailed, very graphic, very illegal in five states kind of way.

⸻

At lunch the next day, I tried to ignore the eyes on me. Tried to pretend Caspian wasn’t sitting across the cafeteria, legs crossed, eating grapes like he wasn’t a literal enigma who owned three companies and also my soul.

He didn’t even look over.

But I knew he was watching me.

From the way his aura pressed lightly against my skin, teasing. Tempting.

I gritted my teeth and turned away.

Kellen nudged me. “Are you two fighting? He’s glaring at anyone who breathes near you.”

“I told him to back off.”

“And?”

“He said, ‘You’ll come to me.’”

Kellen gasped again. “That’s hot.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“Same thing, babe.”

I stabbed my tofu with unnecessary aggression. My life was spiraling. My heat hadn’t returned, but my scent was still acting weird. I’d heard two juniors whisper that I “smelled like a marked mate” earlier.

I hadn’t even been marked.

Had I?

Wait—no. No. There’s no way.

Right?

⸻

That night, I dreamed about it again.

The kiss. His voice. His touch.

Only this time… I didn’t stop him.

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