: Alpha Temper

Then—the door opened.

And the room instantly felt different.

The air thickened, humming with something heavy and charged.

Nene didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

She exhaled slowly. "You don't look pleased."

Behind her, Zhao Alexander's voice was smooth but dangerously calm.

"Why," he said, "was there a male in your room?"

Nene braced herself before turning around.

Zhao Alexander stood just inside her doorway, exuding absolute control—but underneath that perfect, unreadable expression, there was something else.

Something coiled. Tightly restrained.

His gold eyes flickered toward the window—still slightly open from Jiho's escape route—before returning to her.

"Explain," he said, voice smooth and dangerously calm. "Why was there a male in your room?"

Nene crossed her arms. "Because I let him in?"

A slow, deliberate pause.

Then, quietly, "Try again."

Something about his tone made her skin prickle.

Not fear.

Something worse.

Something that made her heart beat too fast, like an instinct she didn't fully understand was screaming at her to pay attention.

Nene refused to acknowledge it.

She huffed, walking over to zip up her bag. "Jiho's my neighbor. And my friend. He was giving me a crash course on Alpha behavior since I was raised by humans and no one else bothered to tell me anything."

Alexander's gaze didn't waver.

"Your friend," he repeated.

"Yes," she said impatiently, throwing her laptop bag over her shoulder. "Not a lover, not a secret fiancé—just my nosy neighbor who also thought I was being kidnapped."

Silence.

Then, calm as ever, Alexander said, "And you think it's acceptable to be alone in a room with an unmated male?"

Nene froze.

Slowly, she turned to him, expression flat. "Excuse me?"

Alexander didn't blink. "Were you not listening to your lesson? Alphas don't share. That includes time, space, and proximity. If you were already mine, this conversation would not be happening."

Nene stared.

She could feel it—that raw, possessive certainty in his voice.

It wasn't a question. It wasn't a threat, exactly.

It was just a fact.

If they were bonded, if she was truly his, then there would have been no conversation, no patience, no discussion.

There would have been violence.

Her stomach tightened.

"I am not yours," she said carefully.

Alexander's expression didn't change.

But the air did.

A slow, deliberate tension settled between them—not anger, not fury, but something heavier.

Something dangerous.

Nene felt it in the way he watched her, completely unreadable. Felt it in the way his posture didn't shift, as if he was exercising every ounce of restraint.

And somehow, that was worse than if he had been angry.

"You have five minutes left," he said smoothly. "Finish packing."

The heavy, commanding presence that filled the room before she even turned around.

She let out a slow breath. "You're checking my room, aren't you?"

Zhao Alexander didn't answer right away. He was already moving, methodical and silent, scanning the space like he was assessing a battlefield.

She turned to glare at him. "I thought you were waiting outside."

"I changed my mind." His tone was unbothered, but his sharp golden eyes flicked across every inch of the space.

Nene gritted her teeth. "I don't need a security sweep."

Alexander's gaze landed on the still-open window.

His jaw tightened slightly. "Clearly, you do."

Nene exhaled sharply. "I told you—Jiho is my friend."

"That doesn't mean he's not a liability." Alexander's voice was calm, measured, but there was something else beneath it.

Something possessive.

She recognized it now. The same territorial instinct Jiho had warned her about. The same cold, unshakable certainty that told her Alexander wasn't just scanning her room for security reasons—

He was claiming the space.

And by extension, her.

Nene crossed her arms. "This is ridiculous."

Alexander ignored her, stepping closer, his presence too much, too solid, too Alpha.

Then, as if confirming something for himself, he said smoothly, "You won't be coming back here."

Her stomach flipped.

Nene watched as Zhao Alexander moved through her room with calm, absolute authority, like he already owned the space.

Which, knowing him, he probably thought he did.

"You don't have to do a full sweep," she muttered, zipping up her bag. "I'm already leaving, remember?"

Alexander didn't respond. Instead, he opened her closet, flipping through the hangers with sharp efficiency.

Nene stiffened. "What are you—"

He pulled out two jackets, a sweater, and a single long-sleeved shirt.

Then, without even looking at her, he tossed them onto the bed. "Take these."

She blinked. "I thought you said not to bring clothes?"

Alexander closed the closet smoothly. "I said not to waste time packing unnecessary things." His golden gaze flicked to her. "These aren't unnecessary."

Nene gawked at him. "And you know that how?"

"Because I know what you'll need." His voice was calm, matter-of-fact, as if this was just obvious.

Nene gritted her teeth. "I can pack my own stuff—"

Alexander ignored her and picked up her bag. Easily.

Like it weighed nothing.

Before she could protest, he turned back to her and—

Moved.

A second later, her feet weren't on the ground.

She let out a startled yelp as he lifted her effortlessly, one arm hooking beneath her legs, the other supporting her back.

She stiffened instantly. "What the—Put me down!"

Alexander didn't even flinch. "No."

Her eyes flashed. "I can walk!"

"I'm aware." His grip didn't budge. "This is faster."

Her face burned. "This is humiliating!"

Alexander glanced down at her, completely unbothered.

"You weigh nothing."

Nene hissed. "That is NOT the point!"

He shifted her slightly, securing her against his chest with a lazy ease that made her even more furious.

"Then what is the point?" His voice was too smooth, too damn confident.

Nene opened her mouth—then closed it.

Because she didn't have an answer.

Not one that made sense. Not one that wouldn't admit that something about this made her pulse skip in a way she refused to acknowledge.

Alexander's smirk was subtle. "Exactly."

She hated him.

She crossed her arms, glaring up at him as he carried her toward the door, like she wasn't even a struggle.

"This is not normal," she muttered.

Alexander hummed. "Welcome to Alpha life, Lin Evangeline."