Chapter 9 The Rumors Spread
Luca POV
The gossip started even before breakfast. You could feel them in the air, thick and sticky like fog that refused to clear.
I was halfway down the dorm hallway when I heard two Alphas laughing behind me.
“Did you see the way Ronan practically growled at Kael yesterday?” one of them said.
“Yeah. Over that new kid, Elias. He’s acting like a guard dog.”
I slowed. My jaw tightened. They didn’t even lower their voices when they noticed me. Typical.
“Maybe Elias has something on him,” the other one added with a snort. “Or maybe the great Ronan finally lost it.”
I turned sharply. “You two got nothing better to do?”
They froze, pretending innocence, but their smirks stayed. “Relax, Luca. Just saying what everyone’s thinking.”
“Then maybe everyone should start thinking less.” I brushed past them before I said something worse.
By the time I reached the dining hall, the noise hit like a wave. Laughter. Snide comments. The kind that hide behind smiles. And in the middle of it all sat Elias, he was quiet, his eyes down, poking at his food like he was trying to disappear.
I looked around but I couldn't see Ronan . Which explained the confidence in everyone else’s voices.
I walked straight to the table.
“Hey,” I said, sitting beside him.
He looked up, startled. “Oh. Morning.”
“You okay?”
He hesitated. “Yeah. Just tired.”
Liar. His eyes said otherwise, dark circles, his lips pressed too tightly together. I followed his gaze and caught sight of a few students whispering near the corner, their eyes darting toward us.
I leaned closer. “Ignore them.”
He gave a small nod, but his hand trembled when he reached for his spoon. I noticed, and it made something twist inside me.
Then the doors opened. Ronan walked in.
And the entire hall went silent. Even the spoons stopped clinking. Every gaze turned toward him like metal drawn to a magnet. Ronan didn’t even look at them, his eyes found Elias immediately.
He moved straight to us, his steps steady but heavy with something that felt dangerous. I could practically feel the energy shift as he sat beside Elias, his shoulder brushing his.
No one said a word, but the whispers started again the moment he turned away.
I cleared my throat. “You’re late.”
Ronan’s jaw flexed. “Had something to handle.”
“Yeah? Like scaring half the dorm into silence?” I muttered.
He ignored me and looked at Elias instead. “Did anyone bother you?”
Elias blinked. “No. I’m fine.”
His voice was soft. And Ronan looked at him like he didn’t believe a word of it. His fingers brushed the side of Elias’s hand for a second, subtle, protective. But the contact was enough to draw another round of stares.
I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. “You two are making this worse, you know.”
Elias frowned. “Worse?”
“People are talking,” I said under my breath. “They’re saying….”
“I don’t care what they’re saying,” Ronan cut in sharply. His tone dropped, low and cold enough to make me glance around to see who else heard.
I leaned closer. “You should care. You’re not exactly blending in right now.”
He shot me a look that could slice stone. “Let them talk.”
Elias shifted uncomfortably, his fork clinking against the plate. The sound felt louder than it should.
Later that afternoon, I found myself walking through the training field. The tension hadn’t faded. If anything, it was worse.
I caught two Alphas whispering again, standing near the fence.
“…He nearly ripped my head off for bumping into Elias yesterday,” one said.
“Who does that? It’s like he’s possessed.”
When they noticed me, they shut up fast.
That’s when I realized something else, this wasn’t just gossip anymore. It was fear. Ronan was losing his grip on that calm, cold mask of his.
And Elias… he looked like he was walking on eggshells every second.
By evening, I knocked on Ronan’s door. He opened it halfway, his shirt undone at the collar, eyes dark from lack of sleep.
“What?”
I folded my arms. “You want to tell me what’s going on with you?”
“Nothing’s going on.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been acting like a storm ready to break. You think I can’t see that?”
He glared at me, but I didn’t move. For a moment, I thought he’d slam the door in my face, but instead, he sighed, stepping aside.
“Fine. Two minutes.”
I walked in. The air inside his room felt strange, it was heavy. It made the back of my neck prickle.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “People keep saying things about him. About Elias. It’s pissing me off.”
“Yeah, I noticed. But since when do you let gossip get under your skin?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Then explain it.”
He didn’t. He just stared out the window, his jaw clenched.
There was something blinking beneath the surface, like anger, sure, but also confusion. Like he didn’t understand himself.
“Ronan,” I said carefully, “you like him, don’t you?”
His eyes snapped toward me, sharp as lightning. “What?”
I raised my hands. “Hey, I’m not judging. I’m just saying it looks that way.”
He didn’t answer. Just turned away again, breathing unsteady.
That was when Elias’s scent hit the air, something I couldn’t name, soft but sharp enough to make me blink. It was gone almost instantly, but Ronan stiffened like he’d felt it too.
He grabbed the edge of the desk, his knuckles were white.
“Ronan?”
“Nothing,” he muttered, his voice low. “Just… go, Luca.”
His tone had changed. It wasn’t angry, it was almost pained.
I hesitated, watching him struggle for composure. Then I nodded slowly. “Alright. But whatever’s happening, don’t make it worse.”
He didn’t look up.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. Something about Ronan’s eyes before I left his room stuck with me, the way they almost glowed, like he was holding something back too big to contain.
Around midnight, I heard a sound.A low growl. Muffled. Coming from down the hall. I got up and opened my door. The hallway was dark, the sound sharper now, rough breathing, like someone fighting for control.
It was coming from Ronan’s room. I took a cautious step forward, my hand was hovering near the doorknob.
“Ronan?” I whispered.
No answer, it was only the sound of glass cracking. Then a shattering noise.
I froze. The air shifted.
“Ronan….”
The door burst open, and light was spilling through the crack. His voice came out, deep, ragged, not entirely human.
“Stay back.”
And before I could react, the metallic scent of something wild and forbidden filled the air.The control serum container lay broken on the floor, liquid pooling beneath his hand.
His eyes which were glowing gold met mine. And that was when I realized the rumors weren’t the problem anymore.The real danger was Ronan himself.
