Chapter 3 Rhys

He wants access.

I'm her liaison now. Going to her dorm makes sense.

That's the excuse.

My wolf knows it's bullshit.

Mine.

The word's been hammering through me since she slapped me.

I should stay away from her. Every instinct I have says get closer.

By the time I reach freshman housing, my pulse is out of control.

Room 214.

I knock once.

Movement inside. Then: "Go away."

I lean against the door. "I'm your student liaison. Scholarship requirements."

"You can discuss them through the wood."

My mouth almost twitches. Still angry. I can work with angry. Attraction's harder.

"Open the door, Voss."

"No."

"You're making this difficult."

"You're standing outside my room like a serial killer."

Fair. I glance down the hall. Empty. Good.

"Skylar."

Silence. Then locks click. Three of them.

The door opens four inches. One furious blue eye glares through the gap.

"What?"

Jesus Christ. Up close, the bond hits harder. Rain. Wildflowers. Heat. And underneath it all—

Mate.

My wolf surges. My hands flex automatically.

Skylar notices. Her eyes narrow. "What is wrong with your face?"

"Nothing."

"You look rabid."

"That's a little offensive."

"You showed up ten minutes after I slapped you. I'm actually underselling it."

She starts shutting the door. I catch it.

Bad idea.

The second our skin brushes, the bond snaps tight enough to knock the breath out of both of us. Skylar jerks. Her pupils widen. My wolf practically loses his damn mind.

She pulls back fast, like I burned her.

Good. At least I'm not alone in this.

"You need a 3.5 GPA to keep your scholarship," I say roughly.

She stares at me. "I have a 3.9."

"Good."

"You knew that already."

Probably. I didn't read most of her file. I just needed an excuse to come here. Judging by her face, she knows it.

"What are you really doing here?"

Straight to the throat. I glance down the hall again, lower my voice.

"My father knows you're here."

Every trace of irritation leaves her face. Not fear. Recognition. Like she's been waiting for this since she saw my last name.

"He thinks somebody placed you at Hartwell intentionally. He thinks Elliot's old supporters are planning something."

Skylar lets out a short, humorless laugh. "My father's dead."

"My father killed him. Trust me, he remembers."

Silence stretches tight.

"I'm assigned as your liaison because he wants me watching you. If I report back that you're harmless, he backs off."

"And if you don't?"

I hold her gaze. "We both know the answer to that."

She goes still. The bond yanks at me, making my hands shake. I have to look away or I'll reach for her.

Skylar looks away first.

"My mother said this would happen."

Something twists in my chest. "She knew you'd come?"

"She knew your family would be stupid enough to try something."

The room feels too narrow. Breathing gets harder.

"My father thinks you're here for revenge," I say carefully.

"And what do you think?"

That you're my mate. That I can still smell you on my clothes. That my wolf wants to lock the door and never let you out again.

Instead: "I think somebody hid you for twelve years for a reason."

Her jaw tightens. "You don't know anything about my family."

"No. But I know mine."

That lands harder than I expect. She studies me a second too long.

Then: "You hate him."

I almost laugh. She's too perceptive for comfort.

"My father is the strongest Alpha in the northeast," I say evenly.

"Not what I asked."

Straight to the point. Dangerous for different reasons.

I exhale slowly. "Before Elliot Voss, nobody had a wolf stronger than Malcolm Kincaid."

Her expression shifts. She understands pack hierarchy. Power matters. Dominance matters more.

"And now?" she asks quietly.

I hold her gaze. "Now he worries mine might be."

She finally gets it. The quiet between us changes.

I'm not just Malcolm's son. I'm his replacement. The next Alpha. Which makes the mate bond between us infinitely more dangerous.

"My father thinks if you get close enough to me, you become leverage," I say. "A weakness."

Skylar laughs softly, nothing kind about it. "Maybe I do."

My wolf loves that answer so much it's embarrassing.

"You need protection."

"I need you to leave."

"No, you need a believable reason for me to stay near you without my father sending somebody worse."

Her arms fold. "And your genius solution?"

"We fake date."

She blinks. Then laughs, longer this time. "You cannot be serious."

"I'm completely serious."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Mates can't stay away from each other."

Her laughter dies immediately. Pretending this isn't happening is getting impossible anyway.

"If we avoid each other, people notice," I continue. "Wolves notice. My father especially. But if we look obsessed with each other because we're dating? That's normal."

Her breathing changes. My wolf catches it.

"And while everyone thinks we're dating, we control what gets reported back to my father."

That makes her pause.

"He thinks I'm close to you gathering information. Which means he doesn't send another wolf into your life. Somebody older. Smarter. Crueler."

Her jaw tightens. "You're manipulating me."

"Yes."

The honesty catches her off guard. Good.

"Because this is bigger than whether you like me. If wolves realize what you are to me, you die first."

Silence crashes between us. Nobody raises their voice. Somehow that makes it worse. She knows I'm telling the truth.

My father already ordered me to get close to her. Surveillance comes next. Then containment. Then elimination. Mate bonds are weaknesses to wolves like Malcolm Kincaid. Everybody knows the easiest way to destroy an Alpha is through the person he'd bleed for.

Skylar looks away first. "You really think your father would kill me."

Not a question. I don't answer.

Her laugh breaks strangely. "My mom spent my entire childhood waiting for this."

Something ugly twists in my chest.

"I can protect you."

"You barely know me."

"I know enough."

"You know I hate your family."

"Fair."

"You know your father murdered mine."

I nod once.

"You know I slapped you in public."

"That part my wolf liked."

She stares at me like I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. Because despite everything—

she smells incredible. And she's close enough to touch.

"You're insane," she says softly.

"That makes two of us."

"You think fake dating fixes this?"

"No." I step closer. "I think it keeps you alive long enough for us to figure something else out."

The room goes quiet. Neither of us moves. My wolf presses hard against my ribs. Skylar's eyes flick to my mouth, then snap back up.

There it is. The problem. It's not the politics. Not even the fathers. Not the revolution either.

This. The wanting. Rawness of it. It's Immediate. And... surprisingly... Mutual.

"You should leave," she says quietly.

But she doesn't move away. And suddenly I understand exactly what she's asking me.

She wants me gone before she stops wanting that.

"This is a mistake," she whispers.

"Yeah," I say softly. "I know."

But she still doesn't move away.

And fuck it, that's all it takes.

I grab her face and kiss her. Hard!