Chapter Seven
CHAPTER SEVEN
Elara’s POV:
Of all the people, of all the places Damien was the last person I wanted to see. Yet there he was, his presence commanding
attention as if he owned the entire world.
I wasn’t ready for what came next.
His eyes scanned the crowd until it landed on me, and for a split second,
ind, it felt like time
time slowed.
I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to think, as the memories of our last encounter played on a loop in my mind. Why is he here? And more importantly, how am I going to avoid him now?
Honestly, I didn’t think Damien would even notice me in the crowd, let alone look directly at me. Yet, there he was
His piercing gray eyes landed on mine like a hawk spotting its prey, and for a moment, my breath hitched.
I tried to step back, to hide among the crowd of girls still screaming and pushing to get a better look, but his gaze was locked on me. My chest tightened as if his stare alone could reach out and grab me.
Before I could react, he started moving towards me
The noise around me faded, replaced by the loud pounding of my heart. I wanted to disappear, but my feet refused to move.
nd just like that, the crowd seemed to notice what was happening
Gasps erupted around me.
“How does she know him?”
“Are they dating?”
“What’s going on?”
The whispers grew louder with every step Damien took, and I wished the ground would swallow me whole. The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself, especially here.
Stay calm. Elara, I told myself. Don’t run. If you run, they’ll think there’s something to hide.
But staying calm was impossible when Damien Scott was less than three feet away. “Elara.” He called out
I opened my
my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead, I just stood there like a deer caught in headlights.
Before the situation could spiral any further, I heard a familiar voice. The director must be waiting for us,” Caspian said, stepping between Damien and me.
I looked at Caspian, my silent savior. His expression was calm,
I could tell he was quietly telling Damien to back off. Damien glanced at Caspian, his eyes narrowing slightly before he nodded. “Right”
but I
With that, they turned and began walking toward the main building.
[let out a shaky breath, but something made me glance back. That’s when I saw him–the pockets, leaning casually against one of the cars, but his eyes were fixed on me.
third
guy. He had his hands in his
gaze, his
Unlike Damien’s intense g
was more calm, almost playful. When our eyes met, he smiled–an infuriatingly confident smile–and then, to my surprise, he started walking toward me
But instead of approaching me directly, he followed Damien and Caspian, disappearing into the building.
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pounced.
The moment they were gone, the girls around me p
“How do you know him?”
“Are you guys dating?”
“Do you have some kind of secret relationship with either of them?”
I couldn’t even form a coherent response before more questions bombarded me.
Thankfully, Sabrina appeared out of nowhere, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the circle of gossiping girls.
“The second guy is my brother, Caspian Duke. She announced, loud enough for everyone to hear. “He’s the son of the acting Alpha of Vellex Pack. And the second guy? He’s Damien Scott, the soon–to–be Alpha of Vellex Pack.”
Her words had the desired effect. The girls shifted their focus from me to her brother and Damien, bombarding Sabrina with questions instead. She ignored them, tightening her grip on my arm as she dragged me in the opposite direction
“Come on,” she muttered. “Before they start a
asking for my family tree.”
We managed to escape the crowd, but some girls weren’t ready to give up so easily. They chased after us, their voices growing louder as they called out questions about Caspian and Damien.
“Run!” Sabrina yelled, and we darted toward a random building, slipping into an empty classroom. She slammed the door shut behind us, pressing her back against it as we both tried to catch our breath
“Well, that was fun –
fun, Sabrina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm
I placed my hands on my knees, trying to steady my breathing. “Yeah, loads of fun”
After a moment, Sabrina straightened and looked at me. “So, what did he say to you?”
“Who?” I asked stalling for time.
“Damien. What did he say to you?”
I shrugged “Nothing. He didn’t get a chance to say anything because Caspian stepped in.”
Sabrina stared at me for a moment, as if trying to decide whether to believe me, but eventually, she let it go. “Well, I’m just glad my brother was there to stop him. You looked like you were about to faint,”
“I wasn’t going to faint,” I muttered, though my voice lacked conviction.
Sabrina laughed, plopping down on one of the desks. “You know, I’m happy my brother and Damien are here. It’s going to make college so much more interesting ”
I gave her a weak smile, trying to ignore the knot forming in my stomach. “Yeah. Interesting.”
She tilted her head, studying me “What about the third gut? Do you know anything about him?” Sabrina asked. He couldn’t take his eyes off you” she added.
“Nope,” I said quickly, avoiding her gaze.
“Hmm” the mused “I bet he’s got some drama going on with Caspian and Damien. Did you see the way they were around each other? It’s like there’s some big secret we don’t know about.”
acting
I didn’t respond, and after a few minutes, Sabrina seemed to lose interest in the topic. She hopped off the desk and stretched Come on, let’s get out of here before those girls find us.”
We decided to take the long way around, using the backyard to avoid the crowd. But as we rounded the corner, we stumbled
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upon a heated argument.
“Why are you here, Julian?” Caspian asked
“Last time I checked, your father doesn’t own this college,” Julian replied coolly.
Caspian took a step closer, his fists clenched. “Are you going to keep chasing us around? We left England, and you followed us here. Why can’t you just leave us alone?”
Julian smirked. “We graduated, Caspian. There was no reason for me to stay there. And don’t act like his Pack is the only one in California Mine is here too, and I have every right to be here”
Damien, who had been silent until now, clapped his s hands slowly. “Your explanation doesn’t add up, Julian ”
Julian’s smirk faltered, but he quickly recovered. “I don’t owe either of you an explanation. Remember that.”
He turned to leave, but Damien’s next words stopped him in his tracks
“Did Daddy and Mommy send their little Wolfie here to try and surpass me?”
Julian spun around, his face dark with anger. Suddenly, he grabbed Damien by the collar, lifting his fist to strike.
Caspian stepped between them, pulling Julian back before he could throw a punch.
“Enough” Caspian shouted.
Damien adjusted his collar. But then his eyes shifted, landing on me and Sabrina.
Julian noticed, turning his head to follow Damien’s gaze, When his eyes met mine, something shifted in his expression. He released Damien, pushing him back before walking away.
I thought he was leaving, but instead, he walked straight toward me.
He stopped in front of me, his blue eyes studying my face.
“Would you like to go on a date with me?” He asked
My jaw dropped. What?