The library was quiet—too quiet for Rayan's liking.
He sat at the farthest table by the window, surrounded by stacks of medical and genetics books, none of which he had actually opened. His eyes were focused on the words, but his mind was racing.
Kael knew. Maybe not everything, maybe not the experiments or the blood contracts from his childhood—but enough. Enough to be dangerous.
He could've requested any dorm. Any roommate.
And yet, he chose Rayan.
Why now? After all these years of keeping just enough distance to pass for a friend—why make a move now?
A chair scraped nearby.
Rayan didn't flinch, but his senses sharpened.
Kael slid into the seat across from him, looking completely relaxed.
"I thought you hated libraries," Rayan said, without looking up.
"I hate silence. But I hate being away from you more."
Rayan finally met his gaze. "That's not normal."
Kael's expression remained pleasant, but there was an undeniable heat behind his words. "Neither are you."
Rayan closed the book he hadn't been reading. "What do you want, Kael?"
Kael shrugged, playing with a pen. "Just checking in. You skipped lunch."
Rayan frowned. "How do you—?"
"You always eat at 12:30. You weren't in the cafeteria."
That made Rayan pause. "You're tracking me now?"
Kael leaned forward slightly, smile still in place. "I don't have to. You're predictable, Ray."
No one called him Ray. He had never let anyone shorten his name.
Except Kael.
Rayan stood. "I need space. Real space. Not just physically, Kael."
Kael stood too, voice still soft. "You're acting like I'm a stranger."
"You are," Rayan said, gaze steady. "Or maybe I just never looked close enough."
Kael didn't answer.
And that silence—that was more terrifying than any lie.
That night, Rayan stayed late on campus, waiting for Kael to return to the dorm before slipping inside. The lights were off. Kael was asleep—or pretending to be.
Rayan moved soundlessly, pulling out a hidden USB drive from his bag. He'd collected backup IDs, false medical records, and a few emergency funds on this. It was his insurance—his escape.
He tucked it under the floorboard beside his bed, beneath the loose panel he had discovered last week. Then he changed into his sleepwear and climbed into bed.
The air was thick with Kael's scent. It clung to the sheets, the walls, even his clothes. Rayan tried to suppress the rise of nausea—but it wasn't disgust.
It was fear.
Midnight.
A sudden shift in the air made his eyes snap open.
Rayan didn't move, pretending to sleep. But his heart thudded faster.
Footsteps. Slow. Measured.
He sensed Kael standing at the foot of the bed.
Then the quiet sound of him kneeling.
What are you doing? Rayan thought.
The silence stretched.
Then—
A whisper.
"I hate when you hide from me."
Rayan didn't move. Didn't breathe.
Kael stood again. He didn't touch him.
He just… walked away.
The door to the shared bathroom clicked shut behind him.
Only then did Rayan sit up, covered in cold sweat.
The next morning, Rayan got a message from the administration.
Subject: Dorm Room Reassignment Update
"Due to capacity limits and housing policies, we regret to inform you that your request for reassignment has been denied. Please speak directly with your assigned Dorm Guardian for any concerns."
The message was signed by someone he'd never even spoken to.
Kael walked in seconds later, holding coffee and breakfast.
"I brought your favorite," he said casually, placing it on the desk. "You'll need energy today. We have labs."
Rayan didn't touch the food.
"You bribed the admin," he said flatly.
Kael smiled faintly. "I persuaded them. For your safety."
"My safety?" Rayan's voice rose, finally cracking. "You're the threat, Kael!"
Kael didn't even blink. "That's not true. I'm the reason no one else can touch you."
His voice was quiet but cold, like ice beneath velvet.
"You think I don't see the way they look at you?" he continued. "The way Alphas track you with their eyes even though you're scentless? They don't even know why, but I do."
Rayan stepped back.
Kael's eyes softened again, and that sudden switch terrified him more than anger ever could.
"I'm not trying to hurt you, Rayan," he said. "I just want to keep you safe. You're mine to protect."
"That's not how friendship works," Rayan whispered.
Kael's smile faded.
"Who said I ever wanted to be just your friend?"
.
.
The silence between them had grown heavier since that morning.
Rayan didn't speak unless necessary. Kael didn't push—but he hovered, like a fog that refused to lift. Gentle gestures continued: a hand pressed against his back while entering a lecture hall, a second cup of coffee placed on the desk each morning, his notes reorganized neatly after every class.
It was too perfect.
Too invasive.
He had to get out.
By Thursday, Rayan began testing boundaries.
He skipped lunch. Ate alone on the rooftop. Took the long route to class just to avoid walking beside Kael. When they sat together during lab, he shifted his chair away by an inch—then another.
Kael said nothing.
But Rayan noticed how Kael's hand clenched slightly when someone else offered to lend him a pen.
How his smile vanished the second Rayan turned away from him mid-conversation.
How Kael began arriving earlier to classes just to choose the seat beside him first.
There was no explosion. No confrontation.
Only a slow, suffocating stillness. Like the calm before a cave-in.
That evening, Rayan stood outside Mira's apartment, hesitant.
She was one of the few Betas who treated him normally—without the layers of fake kindness or cautious curiosity Omegas usually attracted.
She opened the door, eyes widening. "Ray?"
"I need a place to stay. Just for a couple days. I'll explain later."
Mira stepped aside without question.
He'd barely closed the door behind him when his phone buzzed.
Kael.
Where are you?
You didn't tell me you were leaving.
Rayan muted the notifications and shoved the phone into his bag.
The next morning, he returned to his dorm early to collect a few essentials.
Kael was already inside.
Sitting on Rayan's bed. Waiting.
He didn't look angry. Didn't shout. He just sat there—calm, expectant, like Rayan had simply taken a wrong turn on the way home.
"I called you," Kael said softly.
"I saw."
"Why didn't you answer?"
"Because I didn't want to."
A pause.
"I asked Mira if she'd seen you," Kael continued. "She lied to me."
Rayan's chest tightened. "Leave her out of this."
"I'm just saying…" Kael looked down, then up again. "It hurts when people think I'm dangerous."
"You are."
His voice was sharp, but quiet.
Kael didn't flinch. "Then why do you keep coming back?"
"I came for my things," Rayan snapped. "Not for you."
"You could've run farther."
"Maybe I still will."
Kael stood slowly, walking past him toward the door. As he passed, he leaned in—not close enough to touch, but enough for Rayan to feel the warmth of his breath.
"You keep acting like you're caged," he murmured. "But you never lock the door behind you."
Then he left.
Later that night, Rayan stared at the USB drive hidden beneath the floorboard.
The thought of escape crept in again, curling like smoke around his mind. He could leave. Reinvent himself. He'd done it before.
But when he closed his eyes…
He saw Kael sitting on his bed.
Waiting like he belonged there.
Like he always had.