Chapter Six: Unavoidable Encounters

Rion sat on the edge of his seat in math class, nervously tapping his pen against his notebook. He'd been on edge the entire day, ever since he'd spotted Jeakyung walking into school that morning.

*Why is he here* he thought to himself. He had been in this class for about 5 months now and had memorised every single student's faces and was pretty sure Jeakyung wasn't one of them so he wondered why he was here now . 

Rion thought he'd been prepared to face Jaekyung again, but when their eyes met briefly in the hallway earlier, his chest tightened, and he immediately ducked his head, pretending to adjust his glasses. He could still feel the weight of Teakyun's gaze even now, hours later.

He could feel Jeakyung gaze at the back of his head but didn't dare to turn around. 

Why does he have to look so damn perfect? Rion thought, biting his lip. His sharp jawline, the way he carried himself with that quiet but commanding presence—it was like he'd been carved out of marble.

"Focus, Rion," he whispered to himself, shaking his head. He needed to stop these thoughts. Teakyun wasn't someone he should be fantasizing about, especially not after last night.

The bell rang, snapping him out of his spiral. Grateful for the distraction, he quickly packed his things and headed toward his locker. Maybe he could avoid him altogether for the rest of the day if he kept his head down.

But fate had other plans.

As Rion rounded the corner near the lockers, he collided with what he thought was a wall but looked up to a hard, muscular chest. His books tumbled to the floor as he stumbled back, muttering an apology.

"So sorry I wasn't watching were—" The words died in his throat when he looked up and saw who it was.

Jaekyung.

The Alpha towered over him, his expression unreadable but those intense brown eyes locked onto Rion's.

Rion's breath caught. His heart raced, pounding so loudly in his ears that he was sure Jeakyung could hear it.

"Rion," Jeakyung said, his voice low and commanding.

Hearing his name in that tone made Rion's knees feel weak. He quickly knelt to gather his scattered books, trying to break the eye contact that was tying him in knots.

Jeakyung crouched down too, and for a moment, their hands brushed as they both reached for the same book. Sparks shot up Rion's arm, and he snatched his hand back as if burned.

"Are you always this clumsy?" Jeakyung asked, his voice laced with something that sounded like amusement.

"I—I'm sorry," Rion stammered, avoiding the alpha's gaze.

Jeakyung handed him the book he'd picked up, but he didn't let go immediately. Rion's fingers brushed against his again, and his face flushed bright red.

"Thanks," he mumbled, clutching the book to his chest like a shield.

Teakyun stood, towering over him once more. He tilted his head slightly, as if studying Rion.

"You're not very good at hiding your emotions, are you?" he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Rion's eyes widened. Does he know? No, there's no way he knows… right?

"I—I don't know what you're talking about," Rion stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jeakyung leaned in slightly, his proximity making Rion's pulse skyrocket. His scent—a mix of cedar and something darker, more dangerous—invaded Rion's senses, making his head spin. To his surprise Jeakyung got close to his neck as if sniffing him and whispered. 

"Relax," Jeakyung said, his voice low and smooth. "I'm not going to bite."

Rion swallowed hard, taking an instinctive step back. "I should go," he said quickly, clutching his books like a lifeline as he turned to leave.

But before he could take more than a step, Jeakyung's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist.

Rion froze.

"Wait," Jeakyung said. His grip wasn't tight, but it was firm enough to make it clear Rion wasn't going anywhere until Jeakyung let him.

Rion turned back slowly, his wide eyes meeting Jeakyung's.

"About last night," Teakyun began, his tone more serious now.

Rion's stomach dropped. He's going to threaten me again, he thought, bracing himself.

But instead of the cold, commanding tone he expected, Jeakyung's voice softened, just slightly or maybe it was just his imagination.

"Did you… tell anyone?"

Rion blinked, caught off guard. "N-no," he said quickly. "I didn't tell anyone. I swear."

Jeakyung studied him for a moment, his gaze unreadable. Then he released Rion's wrist.

"Good," he said simply.

Rion took a shaky step back, his heart still racing. He wanted to run, but his legs felt like jelly.

As if sensing his discomfort, Jeakyung smirked again, but this time there was something almost teasing in his expression.

"Try to stay out of trouble, Rion," he whispered in his ear before walking away, leaving Rion standing there, his heart pounding and his cheeks burning red.

Why does he have to say my name like that? Rion thought, watching Teakyun's broad back as he disappeared down the hallway.

He exhaled shakily, pressing a hand to his chest to calm his erratic heartbeat.

This is bad. Really, really bad.