Chapter 8 Chapter 8

MIRA

The air behind us shifted before the voice did—low, amused, a smile hidden inside it.

“Help you with what?”

Sophia’s fingers went rigid around mine as we turned together. Luca leaned against the doorway like he owned the oxygen in the room. Sunlight from the hall traced the edge of his grin. His bag hung off one shoulder; sunglasses dangled from his fingers. Every girl on campus knew that grin. Every part of me wished I didn’t.

“It’s nothing,” I said too fast and Sophia echoed beside me, a half-second late.

He pushed off the frame and crossed the space between us in lazy strides, blue eyes flicking from Sophia to me and back again. “Nothing, huh? That looked like something.” His gaze lingered on my face, then dropped down my body shamelessly for a moment.

My pulse jumped. I folded my arms before he could see it trembling.

Luca chuckled, the sound low in his chest. “Relax, Luna. I don’t bite. Not in public, anyway.”

Sophia choked on a laugh and I shot her a look that said please stop.

He straightened, stretching as if he’d just remembered he was late for class. “Come on, I’ll walk you. Alpha’s orders—keep an eye on you.” The corner of his mouth tipped upward. “Tragic for you, I know.”

Before I could protest, his arm slid across my shoulders. The warmth of his body pressed against mine, easy and careless. The hallway outside was full of people; their whispers followed us like shadows. My cheeks burned hotter with every step.

“Maybe try walking without announcing it to the world,” I muttered.

“Can’t help it,” he said, steering me around a corner. “You make a scene just by existing.”

He meant it as teasing, but it landed somewhere between compliment and trap. I focused on the pavement, counting cracks until we reached the lecture building.

At the stairs he finally dropped his arm. “There. Safely delivered.” He caught my hand before I could escape, lifted it, and brushed his lips across my knuckles like we were in a bad romance movie.

Gasps rippled behind us. I pulled my hand back, glare sharp enough to cut. Luca only winked and turned away, already soaking up the attention.

Sophia fell into step beside me, shaking her head. “He’s impossible.”

“Tell me about it.”

——-

The rest of the day passed in pieces.

A seminar, a lab, coffee I didn’t taste. Every corridor felt crowded with eyes. My phone buzzed once with a text from Zane—You okay?—and nothing from Jax. Luca appeared twice between classes just to wave like we were old friends.

By late afternoon the sky had gone soft and orange over the parking lot. I found Sophia waiting near the library steps, scrolling through her phone.

“Tonight,” I said quietly.

Her thumb froze mid-scroll. The joke slid off her face; only the serious version of her remained. She nodded once. “I’ll be ready.”

——

Dark fell fast over the Alpha mansion.

The house breathed differently at night—too quiet, too polished, like it knew it was being watched. I shoved a spare hoodie, water bottle, and a roll of cash I’ve said from my jobs into a backpack. My hands shook as I zipped it.

One more glance at the bed, the desk, the half-open window. None of it felt like mine.

I slipped into the hallway. The floorboards sighed under my weight. Every door looked the same; every shadow looked alive. By the time I reached the back exit my pulse was a drum in my throat.

Outside, the air was cold enough to bite. The forest waited beyond the yard lights, black and silver under the moon.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and texted Sofia. I’m here. Ten minutes no reply then the screen blinked—read.

No reply.

I waited. The wind rustled the leaves, a sound like someone whispering my name. I typed again. Sophia?

Still nothing.

My chest tightened. I called. The line rang once, twice, then cut. I tried again. Straight to voicemail.

“Sophia, come on,” I breathed, pacing a small circle. My hands wouldn’t stay still, the phone nearly slipped from my fingers. I sent another message, then another. The signal bar flickered.

Please pick up. Please.

Nothing.

The forest seemed to lean closer. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. The mansion’s lights were only a dull glow through the trees now, like the memory of a cage.

I shoved the phone into my pocket, swallowing the taste of fear. If she didn’t come, I’d go alone.

I took one last look at the faint outline of the roof beyond the trees. Mom’s voice echoed somewhere in the back of my mind—To stay away from them.

“I have to get away from the Alpha’s sons,” I whispered into the dark. “That’s what you wanted, Mom.”

The night answered with silence and with one last glance back—

I ran.