The next afternoon, the college campus buzzed with life.
Music played somewhere near the courtyard. Someone argued loudly about exam schedules. A group of Betas set up posters for a club event.
Normal.
Messy.
Comfortable.
Lior preferred this world.
Not marble floors.
Not boardrooms.
Just cheap coffee and noisy friends.
He sat on the low wall outside the arts building, counting coins in his wallet.
"…Okay, rent, groceries, bus pass…" he muttered.
"You look like a stressed accountant," Mireo said, dropping beside him.
"Because I am."
"You're twenty."
"Exactly. Too young for this."
She snorted. "Want me to steal you a rich Alpha to sponsor your life?"
"No, thanks. I value peace."
"You value suffering."
Before he could argue, someone jogged over.
"Lior!"
Alaric.
Smiling like always.
Too bright for someone who lived in that cold mansion.
"You're late," Lior said.
"Family thing," Alaric replied lightly.
But Lior noticed it.
The faint shadows under his eyes.
The forced cheerfulness.
"…You okay?" Lior asked quietly.
Alaric paused, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm used to it."
There it was again.
Used to it.
Lior hated those words.
He bumped their shoulders together gently.
"If they ever make you cry, tell me. I'll fight them."
Alaric laughed. "You'd lose."
"Probably. But it'd be dramatic."
"Very dramatic."
They both smiled.
For a moment, everything felt easy.
Until—
The sound of a car engine rolled toward the gate.
Not loud.
But smooth.
Expensive.
Students started whispering.
Phones came out.
"…Is that a Vale car?"
"No way—"
"Why is he here—"
The black vehicle stopped near the entrance.
Polished.
Elegant.
Intimidating.
The door opened.
And like last time—
the noise faded.
Kaizen stepped out.
Tailored suit.
Gloves.
That same unreadable expression.
Like he existed slightly above everyone else.
Not arrogant.
Just… unreachable.
Students moved aside instinctively.
Some bowed their heads without thinking.
Even Alphas stepped back.
Lior hated that.
Hated how everyone reacted like prey.
Kaizen's eyes scanned the crowd once.
Then found Alaric.
Then—
shifted.
Stopped.
On Lior.
Again.
That quiet, searching look.
Not dominance.
Not hunger.
Curiosity.
Like he couldn't figure Lior out.
And that unsettled Lior more than anything.
"Get in," Kaizen said calmly.
Alaric obeyed immediately.
Then peeked out the door.
"Lior, want a ride? It's on the way."
"I can take the bus—"
"You worked since six this morning," Kaizen interrupted.
Lior blinked. "…How do you know that?"
"I notice things."
The same words he'd said to Alaric.
But somehow—
they sounded different directed at him.
Closer.
More personal.
After a moment, Lior sighed and slid into the back seat.
The door shut with a soft click.
The city noise disappeared.
Inside, it smelled faintly of leather and cedar.
Clean.
Cold.
Safe.
Too quiet.
Alaric chatted happily about a class project.
Kaizen drove with one hand on the wheel.
Steady.
Controlled.
Every movement precise.
Lior stared out the window, pretending he wasn't aware of the man beside him.
Pretending he couldn't feel that quiet Alpha presence.
Strong.
But not crushing.
More like…
A wall you could lean against if you got tired.
"…You don't look scared," Kaizen said suddenly.
Lior turned. "Should I be?"
"Most people are."
"Then they're weird."
"…You're strange."
"You're scarier."
A pause.
Then—
very faintly—
Kaizen smiled.
Small.
Barely there.
But real.
And for some reason—
that tiny smile made Lior's heart skip.
Just once.
Like a warning.
Like something dangerous had just begun.