Rumors had teeth. By the next week, they weren't whispers anymore — they were snarling.
In the locker hall, someone had scrawled across the wall in messy ink:
"Omega in heat — desperate much?"
And beneath it, Ayan's name.
He stood there, bag slung over his shoulder, staring at the crude letters. His face was unreadable, but his silence was sharp enough to cut glass.
Behind him, laughter echoed — ugly, mocking.
"Guess the shoe fits."
"Bet he's just waiting for an Alpha to put him in place."
Ayan didn't turn, didn't flinch. But then the hallway hushed, like a switch had been flipped.
Because Kairo was there.
The Alpha's eyes swept over the wall, then over the crowd, and finally landed on Ayan. No words passed between them, but the tension clawed at every corner of the hall.
"Which one of you did this?" Kairo's voice was calm — too calm. Dangerous.
No one answered.
Kairo smirked, cruel, and stepped forward. "Fine. If no one owns up, maybe I'll start picking at random."
A ripple of fear spread. The same people who'd laughed now stared at the floor.
Ayan finally moved, brushing past Kairo like he wasn't even there. His voice, cold and measured, carried through the silence:
"Don't bother. Wolves don't need to growl when the pack is already pathetic."
For a moment, the hallway seemed to shiver.
The Omega had struck back — but the Alpha wasn't letting him walk away so easily.
Kairo caught Ayan's wrist just as he passed, grip firm but not crushing. Their eyes locked, sparks flaring between defiance and possession.
"Don't think silence will protect you," Kairo said softly, so only Ayan could hear. "They'll eat you alive if you let them."
Ayan's lips curved, bitter and beautiful. "Then let them choke on me."
He pulled free, walking away with his head high.
Kairo watched him go, jaw tight. The whole school had seen it — the war wasn't in the shadows anymore.
It was public. Bloody.
And it was only getting darker.
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