Nicholas’s POV
With shaky legs, I got up and pulled the door open while my heart pounded harshly in my chest. To my surprise, there was no one there. I looked left and right, down the hallway but it was empty.
With a frown, I closed the door shut and relaxed against it. There was no mistaking that I heard someone else out there. But how did they disappear so fast?
Did ghosts live in this house?
But... there was a growl. It was obviously an alpha.
"Shit, shit shit." I muttered in panic as I started to pace around the room. If it were an alpha who stood by my door and listened to me jerk off, he would definitely have heard how feminine my moans were.
And there was no way he wouldn’t scent me.
I was scared now. What if they already found out my identity? Was it Roman? Someone else?
Unable to keep thinking about it, I made my way to my bed and collapsed against it, praying for sleep to just take over me at that moment.
Hours passed and I was still tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I finally managed to sleep for about thirty minutes before I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door.
"Nico? Get out of bed or you’ll be late for your class." Mom’s voice drew me out of the dreamless sleep I was having and I almost groaned in frustration as I threw my pillow at the door.
I needed to sleep. This same recurring pattern of not sleeping well has started since last week and I didn’t know how to make it better.
I finally dragged myself out of bed and walked around like a zombie until I was ready for school. My eyes had bags under them, and I looked like someone who had died and somehow woke up again.
I swallowed my suppressants, but without inhibitors, I knew life today would be difficult. I had to get new ones. But inhibitors weren’t so easy to get anywhere.
Black markets didn’t sell them cheaply either. I was doomed sooner or later.
I walked out of the room, still feeling dizzy and very sleepy. By the time I made it to the stairs, I bumped right into someone and I was sure I would fall and injure myself.
I suddenly felt arms wrap around my bare waist as my shirt had lifted due to me nearly falling backwards, and I glanced up to see Elijah staring at me.
He had held me back from falling, but his arm around my waist triggered my wolf awake, and in panic, I pushed him away from me and bolted downstairs.
"Wait!"
I didn’t wait. I ran until I bumped right into someone else and fell but I didn’t wait this time to be saved. I glanced up to see Cassian staring at me with a displeased expression and I got up, running out of the house immediately.
That was... what the fuck was that? Why them? Why did my wolf keep acting like an idiot around them?
The gate opened and I bolted out of the house, running until I was sure I was far away from the estate. I was out of breath by the time I stopped in front of the school.
Thankfully the university wasn’t so far from the estate so it didn’t take a while to arrive. I tried to get myself together as I walked into the building but I was on edge.
My legs and hands were shaking violently, so I had to shove my hands into my pockets and hurry to class. By the time I settled in far away from people, I sucked in sharp breaths and let them out to see if it would calm my nerves.
It did nothing. My forehead was filled with beads of sweat and my hands were clammy. I was nervous and worried because without my inhibitors, and with my wolf wide awake, I would lose control and blow my cover.
The professor was saying something but I was barely listening. Not like I was paying attention anyway. I was too focused on how I would get new inhibitors so that I could live well again.
"We have a new student. A renowned one to be precise."
That caught my attention as I looked up from my seat and my heart nearly stopped when Elijah walked into the room.
Why was he here?
I watched in horror as he introduced himself and whispers echoed across the room, mostly from girls who wouldn’t stop talking about how hot he was.
"Find somewhere to sit." The professor said and Elijah looked around even though there were lots of empty chairs in front of him.
By the time I realized he was looking for me, it was too late to hide my face because the moment he saw me, his grin widened and he made his way to my side.
"We meet again." He said as he slid in beside me and I groaned in frustration. "I was telling you to wait up this morning so we could walk to school together."
"Weren’t you attending a different campus?" I asked as I tried to keep my face down but he leaned down too like he didn’t understand what it meant to give someone space.
"I got expelled." He said honestly and I turned to him with wide eyes. "I’ve got quite the dangerous record."
"Why are you here then?" I asked, unable to stop the question and he shrugged.
"To hang out with you." He said and I gaped at him in confusion. "I specifically asked to be admitted into your classes. You won’t be able to run away from me anymore." He added with a whisper and I gulped nervously.
I ignored him after that, trying to focus on what the professor was saying but his knees kept brushing against mine, making my wolf crawl around uncomfortably.
His scent made it impossible to concentrate as well and I knew that I was slowly losing my mind and my control. I needed him far away from me.
"Give me some attention, stepbrother." He whispered, his hand on my thigh but I slapped it off. "Come on, I came here for you."
"And I came here to study. Go play with someone else." I muttered harshly but this time, he placed his hand on my back, his finger drawing circles on it and my grip tightened on my pen.
"But I wanna play with you." He whispered right by my ear and I knew I would end up breaking if he kept on playing with me like this.
"Elijah, stop."
"But I don’t want to."
"I said stop!" I finally snapped, yelling at the top of my voice and froze when everyone turned to me.
Elijah snickered as he sat straight and I swallowed in embarrassment.
"Get out of my class, Mr Nicholas." The professor said in anger and with a sigh, I grabbed my bag and books as I stormed out of the classroom.
That was for the best anyway. Elijah wouldn’t be able to—
"Wait for me!" I heard Elijah say from behind me and I almost cried as I started to walk faster but he didn’t stop until he was in front of me.
"What do you want from me?" I asked in frustration and he simply shrugged like he was not doing anything wrong.
"I just want to hang out with you—"
"I don’t want to hang out with you!" I snapped and he looked a bit offended as I turned around to leave. But he was so stubborn that he still continued to follow me.
I finally had enough as I made my way to the restroom and got into one of the stalls but before I could slam the door shut, Elijah held it back. My eyes widened as he walked in as well with me and then closed it, even locking it so no one could come in.
"Elijah, leave. Give me some privacy—"
My words were cut off when he suddenly pinned me to the door, burying his nose in my neck as he took a huge sniff. My knees buckled with the way he held me down and I couldn’t struggle.
Not when my wolf wanted this.
"Why do you smell so fucking sweet? What are you?" He whispered, still sniffing me and panic seized me like a snake.
I finally managed to pull back as I threw a punch to his face and he stumbled back, holding his jaw in shock.
Fuck, I just punched an alpha!