The music from last night's event still rang faintly in Ayan's head as he walked down the corridor. His jaw was set, his eyes colder than glass. Every step felt calculated — he didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing him flinch.
Yet the whispers followed him like shadows.
> "Did you hear? The omega from Class 3—"
"With Kairo?"
"Apparently, he—"
He didn't stop to listen. He didn't have to. The words were poison dressed as curiosity.
When the crowd thinned, Ayan took the back stairwell, hoping for a moment of silence. Instead, he found Kairo leaning against the railing, hands in pockets, as if he'd been waiting.
"You've been popular this morning," Kairo said, voice deep, almost amused.
Ayan's gaze was sharp. "You think this is funny? That people are spitting out rumors about me just because you can't mind your own business?"
Kairo's lips curved, but it wasn't quite a smile. "If I wanted to stop the rumors, I could. But… maybe I don't want to."
Ayan stepped forward, closing the space between them just enough to challenge him. "Careful, Alpha. I bite."
The air thickened — the unspoken tension from the night before still smoldering. Kairo's eyes dropped briefly to Ayan's mouth before returning to his gaze, steady and unyielding.
"Bite all you want," Kairo murmured, his voice dropping low. "I'm not the one who's going to feel cornered."
For a heartbeat, neither moved. Then Ayan scoffed, brushing past him with a deliberate shoulder bump, leaving the scent of defiance in the air.
Kairo watched him go, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
The rumor was no longer just a rumor.
It was bait.
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Which one do you prefer the first one or this slow burn yet spicy chapter both are different flavors comment down, then I'll continue ch 35 from which ever part you prefer 🫶