"Adrian, Marcus, Julian, Leo..." the introductions went around the table without Axel even asking.
And after the four spoke their names, they all turned to him, their gazes fixed with silent expectation, waiting for him to say his.
But Axel kept his mouth shut, his eyes sliding over to Adrian instead, ignoring their unspoken demand.
"Okay, Adrian, why don't you just tell me the hell you want already," Axel said, voice flat.
Inside, irritation gnawed at him. His mind was already tangled in chaos.
The last thing he wanted was to play into whatever game they were starting. Still, his tone gave away nothing, carefully measured to keep the storm beneath from surfacing.
"We're four," Adrian said, his eyes lingered on Axel like he was trying to size him up. "We need one more person."
"For what? I mean, what clique is it for?" Axel asked, leaning back slightly, trying to project ease he didn't feel.
"What do you think...?" Adrian asked with an unreasonable smirk. "Just friends ofcourse," he added, pressing further, as if Axel's hesitation was an act and not real.
"No thanks," Axel cut him off almost instantly. He didn't even pretend to consider it.
One that had introduced himself as Leo,..tilted his head and spoke up. "Okay… before you guys go on... I have a question," he turned to Axel. "Dude, why do you look like that? I mean, your aura, your confidence, and the fact you don't have a scent... it all screams you aren't an omega. But your body… your skin, your face… damn, it's distracting. No offense, but you're prettier than half the girls here." He finished with a grin.
The words made Axel's stomach twist sharply. That part of him was something he hated most. He didn't need anyone to remind him of it, didn't need anyone pointing out the exact thing he worked so hard to bury.
He's been trying to carry himself like an Alpha... but no matter how convincing he tried to be, his body would always betray him.
People like these ones here were the kind he wanted to avoid more than anyone else. People who stared too long, who noticed too much. People who could peel away the layers he put up with just a glance.
With that frustration, Axel decided not to answer anything about Leo's comment.
He ignored the fact that they were at the table with him, hunger was gnawing at him, sharp and restless, but even food felt uncertain now.
He wasn't sure if he could stomach it ..not with people narrowing their eyes at him, their stares pressing like silent accusations, reminding him of just how deep in trouble he was.
Still, he forced himself to ignore them. He told himself he wasn't going to starve because of something so petty. With a rough exhale, he shifted his focus to the tray in front of him. Only then did he realize the sheer amount of food they'd served him.
His mind was far away that he hadn't concentrated on it when he was served.
Grilled chicken breast, steaming and glistening with a golden char. A mound of mashed potatoes drowned in thick brown gravy. Crisp green beans shining with steam. A warm dinner roll with a glossy pat of butter melting into its surface. Grapes clustered neatly on the other side of the tray. And at the very end, sitting there like a final insult, a slice of chocolate cake, rich and heavy with frosting.
His eyes widened. Was this a joke? Even dessert? They weren't paying much for sustenance, so how comes? Or was this just a one time thing... some kind of welcoming supper?
Across the table, the four hadn't touched their trays. Their food sat untouched while their gazes stayed locked on him. They weren't eating. They weren't talking. They were simply staring... faces smooth, unreadable, making the silence heavier by the second.
And it only irritated Axel more. "Okay. What the fuck do you guys want?" he snapped.
"Your name," Marcus replied instantly.
Axel stared back at them, silent for a heartbeat, trying to decipher what kind of game they were playing. His jaw tightened, but then he spat out the first thing that came to him, quiet but certain.
"Adle Jumar."
The corners of their mouths twitched, twisting with faint amusement. They didn't know that Axel had taken it straight from them, piecing the name together from the first letters of theirs. Adle from Adrian and Leo.. then Jumar from Julian and Marcus. Even he wasn't sure how his brain had spun it so quickly.
"Sounds pretty," Julian said, leaning closer across the table. His voice carried something sly, they said more but Axel barely caught it. His phone buzzed against the surface, shattering the moment, dragging his attention to the screen.
Ivan. Again.
~Why won't you reply to my texts? Hope you're not planning to go silent on me again and block me after we already have a plan.
A heavy sigh slipped out before Axel realized it. His lungs felt crushed under the weight of it.
"What? Something wrong?" Adrian asked, leaning in, shamelessly peering at Axel's phone.
Axel shot to his feet, his chair scraping the floor. His eyes cut across each of them.
"I'm not interested in whatever group you're trying to form," he said, his voice firm. "Thanks for considering me, but stop acting like creeps around me."
He didn't wait for their response. He turned and walked away, each step carrying him out of the suffocating hall.
By the time he was outside, nausea curled in his stomach. He already knew he wasn't going to meet Ivan. That decision was made. He wasn't going to be reckless enough to dig himself deeper into another problems.
He would be a fool to walk willingly into more trouble. Not with Alpha Norman's warning. He knew that man was vicious. The kind of predator who made people regret being born. Axel had no intention of feeding himself into his jaws.
So then… what was he supposed to do with Ivan?
His steps carried him down the polished path leading away from the dining hall, toward the dorms.
The gravel crunch beneath his shoes steady but hollow. He wanted nothing more than to collapse in his room and forget everything, just silence, just peace. But his mind refused to leave him alone.
A thought struck, sudden and dangerous, sliding into him. He stopped for a moment, chest rising with a rough laugh that sounded closer to madness than humor.
"Axel, you've gone completely insane," he muttered under his breath. But he didn't push the thought away. He couldn't, it was now the only hope he had.
He was going to distract Ivan. Seduce him.
Break him apart piece by piece. Twist his mind until he completely forgot about Chloe, until she didn't exist in his memory anymore.
Axel would do whatever it took, whatever sick, manipulative edge he had to walk until Ivan was standing at the brink.
It didn't matter if Ivan didn't like boys. It didn't matter how much he resisted. Axel would carve himself into his mind so deeply there would be no room for that girl who didn't exist in the first place.
With that thought searing through him, Axel's pace quickened, each step carrying a dark edge of determination.
The path glistened under the bright light, leading him straight toward the dorm, straight toward the beginning of a plan that might ruin him more, but he couldn't stand seeing Ivan suffering because of him.