chapter 11

Rhonin pulled into the university parking lot, shutting off his piece-of-shit car with a tired sigh. 

His body ached in places he didn't even know could ache. 

His brain running on fumes. 

He had barely kept himself awake since leaving Eden because his muscles were still recovering from two days of being used like a goddamn breeding machine. 

And now, instead of collapsing somewhere and sleeping for a week, he had to sit through a business seminar. 

Fucking hell. 

He locked his car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he dragged himself toward campus. 

Mentally, he started making a list of shit he needed to deal with after this seminar: 

- Find a place to crash. Sleeping in his car was fine, but his back was fucking done. 

- Decide what to do with his money. Tuition? Rent? Food? He needed to figure that shit out. 

- Avoid Kane's interrogation. Because that bastard would not let up about Eden. 

His phone buzzed. 

Kane: where the fuck r u, dumbass? 

Kane: the thing's about to start 

Kane: if i have to save u a seat next to me i'm charging u a fee 

The alpha groaned, typing back.

Rhonin: keep your shitty seat. i'm walking in now. 

Kane replied immediately. 

Kane: run. 

Rhonin rolled his eyes. This better be worth it. 

_

Rhonin slid into the lecture hall just in time, dropping into the seat Kane had saved for him at the back. 

"Barely made it," Kane muttered, side-eyeing him. 

"Shut up, I'm here, aren't I?" Rhonin shot back, shoving his backpack onto the floor. 

The room was packed—students crammed into seats, some half-asleep, some pretending to give a shit about this seminar. At the front, their professor was already talking, droning on about business strategies or some shit. 

Rhonin wasn't listening. 

Because his attention had just locked onto someone near the front. 

Someone very, very fucking familiar. 

His stomach did an uncomfortable flip. 

Sleek black hair. Sharp posture. An air of effortless authority. Even from behind, the man's presence was undeniable. 

Rhonin's fingers twitched against his jeans. 

No fucking way.

Before he could process the thought further, the professor clapped his hands, gaining the room's attention. 

"And now," The professor announced, "Let's give a warm welcome to today's guest speaker—Orion Veltis, CEO of Veltis Corp." 

The room erupted into polite applause. 

Rhonin? 

He was too busy staring in absolute, soul-crushing horror as Orion Veltis—also known as Argent, the omega Rhonin had spent two days knotting into the mattress—stood up from his seat. 

Orion turned, stepping toward the podium with calm, precise movements. 

And that's when it happened. 

Their eyes met. 

Rhonin felt his soul leave his fucking body. 

Orion's gaze didn't waver. 

Didn't flicker. 

Didn't give a single goddamn reaction. 

Rhonin snapped his head down so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.

Don't look. Don't fucking look.

He refused to look at the podium again.

Instead, he pretended to be deeply interested in the scratches on his desk, tracing them with his finger like they held the meaning of life.

His entire body was tense, every instinct screaming at him to get the hell out. Leave. Run. Pretend he suddenly had a life-threatening emergency. 

But then he remembered. 

This seminar was mandatory. 

And if he left? 

Absence fee. 

His broke ass couldn't afford a single extra dollar on his student balance. Even with the money tips.

So, with all the enthusiasm of a man about to be publicly executed, he stayed in his seat, forcing himself to breathe. 

Meanwhile, Argent—or CEO Orion Veltis, as the rest of the world apparently knew him—had already started speaking. 

"Business," Orion said, his voice smooth, composed, effortlessly commanding, "Is about understanding value. Understanding control. And most importantly—" 

Rhonin gripped the edge of his desk, feeling his entire fucking soul detach from his body. 

Because all he could think about—all he could hear—was that same voice, but broken and breathless. 

"Fuck—Valor—harder—" 

 "Take it. Knot me." 

 "More—" 

Rhonin squeezed his eyes shut. 

No. No. Absolutely not. Not happening. Stop fucking thinking about it. 

He focused harder on his desk. 

Took a deep breath. 

Tried to drown out the phantom memories of Orion bouncing on his cock for two days straight. 

This was fine. 

He just had to sit here, keep his head down and pray to every god in existence that Orion didn't acknowledge him.

So, he did.

The alpha kept his head down, refusing to look at the front while the omega had given his speech with perfect, icy composure. 

They had successfully ignored each other the entire time so far.

Almost. 

Because every now and then—Rhonin could feel it. 

Glances. 

Fleeting, precise. Like Orion was checking something. 

It was so subtle that Rhonin almost thought he was imagining it. 

But his instincts? They didn't lie. 

Still, he convinced himself it didn't matter. All he had to do was sit through this, get up, and walk the fuck out. 

Then the professor spoke. 

"Alright, we'll wrap things up with a short Q&A session." 

Rhonin internally groaned. 

It got worse. 

"We'll start from the back." 

Rhonin's blood ran cold. 

One by one, students stood up, asked their questions and Orion smoothly answered every single one. 

Kane even asked some bullshit about startup investments, grinning like he was actually enjoying this. 

And then— 

It was Rhonin's turn. 

He could feel every pair of eyes in the room shift to him. 

Slowly, he cleared his throat, straightened up and—without looking at Orion—said in the deepest voice he could manage: 

"No questions." 

Silence. 

He could feel Kane glancing at him like, 'The fuck with your voice?' 

But it worked. 

Orion said nothing. The professor moved on. The next student— 

"Then, I have a question for you."

Rhonin stopped breathing. 

Slowly—so fucking slowly—he lifted his gaze. 

Orion was watching him. Cool. Unbothered. Dangerous. 

Like he had been waiting for this exact moment. 

Rhonin swallowed thickly. 

"Shit."

The room went dead silent. 

Every student turned to look at Rhonin, waiting. 

Rhonin stared back at Orion, his mind racing.

Orion's expression was unreadable. 

Cool. Controlled. A perfectly poised omega who had spent two days getting knotted into the mattress and was now acting like Rhonin was just another nameless student. 

And yet— 

Rhonin knew. 

This wasn't random. 

This was a setup. 

Orion tilted his head slightly. "Since you don't have a question for me, I'll ask you one instead." 

Rhonin clenched his jaw. "Fine." 

The omega's lips curved slightly—not quite a smirk, but close. "If you were given a startup company with limited capital," Orion began smoothly, "What would be your first strategic move to ensure long-term growth?" 

Rhonin stared at him. 

He could see it—the flicker of amusement in Orion's eyes. 

This motherfucker was testing him. 

Alright then. 

Rhonin leaned back in his seat, arms crossing. "Depends on the industry." 

Orion raised a brow. "Let's say tech." 

"Then it's R&D first," Rhonin shot back. "You need innovation to stay relevant." 

"Wrong," Orion said smoothly. "Without marketing, you'll have no customers to sell to. Innovation without sales is meaningless." 

Rhonin narrowed his eyes. "Without a strong product, marketing is useless. Hype can only carry you so far." 

Orion smirked. "And yet, the most profitable companies today make billions selling mediocrity. Perception is power." 

Rhonin felt something hot coil in his gut. 

Not just irritation. Something else. 

Because this? This was the exact same back-and-forth rhythm they'd had in bed. 

Orion pushing. Testing. Controlling. 

Rhonin pushing right the fuck back. 

The tension stretched. 

Students shifted uncomfortably, sensing something way more intense than a casual debate. 

Even Kane glanced between them, eyebrows raised. 

Fuck. 

Rhonin exhaled slowly, forcing himself to relax. "Guess that's why you're the CEO, huh?" He said, voice lazy. "And I'm just a broke college student." 

Orion's gaze held his for a second too long. 

Then, finally, the omega tilted his head, voice smooth as silk. 

"Good to know you understand your place." 

Rhonin almost choked. 

The hell?

Kane snorted under his breath. "Bro, you just got professionally put in your place. Holy shit." 

Rhonin clenched his jaw, forcing a smirk to cover his frustration. 

He couldn't win this battle. Not here. Not now. 

So instead, he gave Orion a slow, lazy grin. 

"Guess I do." 

Orion's expression didn't change. 

But Rhonin swore he saw the faintest flicker of something in those dark eyes. 

Amusement. 

Challenge. 

Something that said this isn't over.

And fuck, he wasn't sure if he wanted it to be.