Nova –
The final bell rang, sharp and loud, like a starting gun. Students poured out of classrooms, flooding the courtyard in noisy waves.
Tessa nudged me toward the exit, her grin wide.
"Come on, Girl I'll walk you home. Someone's got to explain this place before walk into trouble again, it's like you're a trouble magnet"
I laughed under my breath and let her guide me through clusters of chattering students. The air was filled with laughter, gossip, and the low hum of excitement—until a ripple of whispers pulled everyone's attention toward the fountain.
That's when I saw him.
Kieran Vale.
He leaned against the stone edge like he owned the world, sunlight catching in his hair, that infuriating smirk stretched across his face. My heart skipped before pounding harder. But what froze me wasn't him—it was the girl kneeling at his feet.
Her makeup streaked down her cheeks, voice raw and desperate. "I love you! I… I can't live without you, Kieran! Last night, you—" She broke on a sob. "I gave myself to you because I love you so much!"
The words landed like a punch to the gut. My stomach lurched.
Kieran didn't flinch. His smirk held, sharp as a blade. He arched a brow, gray eyes cold. "You really think I care about you that way?"
Gasps spread through the crowd. The girl choked on her sobs, clinging to his uniform. "Please, I—"
"Enough." His voice was cool, steady, lethal. "I don't deal in promises I don't intend to keep. I never gave you hope. You gave it to yourself."
The girl collapsed into her own hands, trembling.
Something inside me snapped. Heat flared through my chest, rising to my throat. Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward.
"Why?" My voice shook, but I forced it louder. "Why humiliate someone like that? Why lead them on at all?"
Kieran's eyes slid to me. Sharp. Calculating. Amused. A faint curl tugged at his lips.
"Lead them on?" His voice was smooth, dangerous. "Sweetheart, they come to me already full of hope. I don't have to give them anything. She saw the worst of me and still clung to a pretty little lie. All I did was… let her choke on it."
Disgust churned in my chest. "That's cruel."
He tilted his head, studying me like I was something worth dissecting. Then, almost lazily, he smiled wider. "You're angry. I like that. Most people stay quiet or pretend they don't see. But you? You stand up for a girl you don't even know. Tell me, Omega, why does this affect you,why did you decide to play hero? does a total stranger mean that much to you?"
I struggled not to clench my jaw.
My heart raced—not from attraction, but from fury. He was entertained by me, like I was some shiny new toy.
"Don't flatter yourself," I shot back, meeting his gaze dead-on. "I don't care who you are. And I'm not here to play your games."
For a flicker of a moment, I caught it—a flash of surprise in his eyes. Real. Unmasked. Then it was gone, replaced by that smirk that made my teeth grind.
"You're fun," he said softly, his voice edged with something dangerous. "I can see why Damien's taken an interest in you."
My stomach twisted. Not with fear. Not with desire. Just anger—hot, sharp, and burning.
His voice dropped into something darker, his smile wolfish." Tell me omega is all this" He gestured to my trembling hands and glare."You're way of getting my attention?Let me save you the trouble—if you want my attention is what you want, don't waste your breath playing hero. I like my women direct."
My breath caught as he leaned off the fountain, his gaze pinning me in place.
"If you want a moment with me, Omega—if you want to scratch that itch, fulfill your little fantasy of being fucked by one of the Four Kings—then just say the word. I'll clear this courtyard right now and give you exactly what you're begging for."
The crowd gasped as heat scorched my face, fury and mortification colliding. My pulse roared in my ears.
"You're vile," I snapped, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me. My body betrayed me.
His smirk curved, slow and lethal, as though he'd won something I hadn't realized I was even playing for.
"Careful, sweetheart," he murmured, his voice only for me now. "Your anger's starting to sound a lot like interest."Then he chuckled.
My nails dug into my palms as my chest burned. Embarrassment. Rage. Maybe both. But one thing was certain—I hated him.
The courtyard didn't breathe until I turned my back on him.
Heat scalded my skin, my pulse hammering so hard I thought the whole school could hear it. Behind me, whispers swelled, feeding on what Kieran had just said, twisting it into something uglier by the second.
"She actually talked back to him—"
"Did you hear what he offered her? Right there in front of everyone—"
"She must've wanted it. Why else stand up for him?"
My stomach lurched. I wanted to scream that they were wrong, that I hadn't asked for his filthy attention—but my voice felt trapped in my throat. Every step away from that fountain felt like dragging lead.
Tessa grabbed my arm, pulling me through the crowd. "Nova, don't listen. They're vultures. Ignore them."
But the whispers clung like smoke. I could still feel his eyes on me, heavy, mocking, like he'd branded me in front of everyone.
Once we broke free of the courtyard, I finally exhaled, shaky and raw.
"God, he's vile," I spat, shoving my hair back. My hands trembled, more from rage than shame. "How can people just… let him do that? Cheer him on?"
Tessa glanced at me, her usual grin muted now. "Because he's Kieran Vale. People worship him or fear him. Sometimes both. No one crosses him and walks away clean."
I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted iron. Except I just did.
"Nova…" Tessa hesitated, then lowered her voice. "You were brave. Stupid, maybe—but brave. But you need to be careful. People will twist this. They already are."
As if summoned, two girls passed us, giggling not-so-quietly.
"Think she'll actually do it?" one whispered. "Give him what he offered? Maybe she already has—"
Their laughter scraped across my nerves like nails.
I spun, glare sharp enough to slice. They squeaked and hurried off. But the damage was done. The rumors had already sprouted wings.
My cheeks burned, fury battling humiliation. "I hate him." The words came out strangled, low. "I hate him so much."
Tessa squeezed my arm. "Good. Hold onto that. Because once he knows he got to you, he'll only push harder."
We walked the rest of the way in tense silence. But no matter how far I got from that fountain, I couldn't shake the image of him—leaning casual against the stone, smirk curling, eyes locked on me like I was already his next game piece.
And worse than that?
For one terrifying second, I'd felt something under my anger. Not want. Not attraction. Just a heat that scared me in a whole different way.
At the edge of the courtyard, I risked a glance back.
Kieran was still there.
But he wasn't looking at the crying girl anymore. His gaze was fixed on me, sharp, unreadable, as if this whole schoolyard circus had been staged for one reason—me.
I didn't know why I glanced up feeling an eye on me, I felt the blood drain from my body when I saw.
Damien.
He leaned against a wall on the balcony, watching. His eyes didn't mock, didn't smirk. They assessed. Quiet. Patient. Almost like he was waiting for something.
My chest tightened.
Two Kings. Two sets of eyes.
And me—caught in their black book.