Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers
Chapter 80: Alpha’s Date Offer

Chapter 80: Alpha’s Date Offer

Evaline:

The knock came again. Firmer this time. Sharp enough to yank me back into my own body.

Oscar’s eyes narrowed in irritation, and his jaw tightened. But he didn’t move away though. Not right away. We both stood frozen against the door, his tall frame still blocking mine while his hand was still loosely resting on the door beside my head.

It was insane how aware I was of him. His scent, the way his voice had wrapped around my name like he was afraid to let it go. And now... now that I had seen the side of him that didn’t push me away... I didn’t know what to do with it.

"Are you going to get that?" I asked breathlessly.

He huffed. "It’s probably Kieran. He has the worst timing."

With a reluctant glance down at me, he finally stepped back, but not without brushing his fingers against my arm in the process. That brief touch felt like a trail of fire across my skin.

He opened the door, and much to my surprise, it was indeed Professor Kieran standing on the other side with his arms folded and an unimpressed expression on his face.

"I assume Evaline wasn’t giving you a tour of the bedrooms?" He asked dryly as his gaze flicked from Oscar to me and back again.

Oscar shrugged shamelessly. "She looked like she needed saving. I just happened to be nearby."

Kieran sighed, then turned to me. "Your friend is back. She’s waiting in the foyer."

Relief flooded through me. Mallory.

"I’ll be right there," I said while brushing past Oscar as quickly as I could without looking at him again. I didn’t trust myself to. My heart was still tangled in the sound of his words - You are in my head, Evaline.

And the worst part?

He was in mine too.

* * *

Mallory was looking like she had just been pulled out of a whirlwind.

Her cheeks were flushed, her blonde hair was slightly tousled, and her eyes were wide with the kind of dazed awe I recognized all too well. The same kind I must have worn that night of the full moon when everything changed between me and Oscar. Or every time I was with Draven.

"There you are," she said, trying to sound casual as I approached, but her voice cracked slightly at the end. "Ready to go?"

I nodded, thankful for the way Professor Kieran stepped away to give us a moment of privacy.

"You okay?" I asked under my breath.

She nodded too fast. "Yes. No. I don’t know. I think...I think I found my mate."

I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into a brief, fierce hug. "Yeah," I whispered back. "I figured."

She buried her face in my shoulder for a second, and I felt her take a deep, steadying breath.

"I’m scared, Eva," she murmured. "He’s older. Stronger. I didn’t know the bond would feel like this."

I pulled back to meet her gaze. "It’s alright. You will figure it out. You are not alone in this."

She smiled, just a little, and that was enough for now.

The ride back to the Academy was silent for the most part. Professor Kieran didn’t press, which I appreciated, and Mallory was too busy staring out the window like the entire world had just been turned upside down... and maybe it had.

What I found weird was - since Kieran had enough time to drive us back to the Academy, why didn’t he picked up the report himself and gave it to me?

But I didn’t ask any question. I didn’t dare to.

By the time we reached the dorms, the sky was already darkening. Evening was settling over the Academy, casting long shadows between the stone buildings and glowing lights.

I bid Kieran a quick goodbye and dragged Mallory with me up to our shared dorm before pulling her into my room. Closing the door, I tutned to her with a raised brow.

"Okay. Start talking."

She dropped onto my bed like her legs had given out. "His name is Jasper," she said, voice still breathless. "He’s River’s beta. And I have never met someone like him in my life. It was like... like the air changed the second I saw him."

I sat down beside her, my heart softening at the look on her face. She was overwhelmed, clearly. But beneath all the shock, there was something else, something warm. Hopeful.

"And what did he say?"

She flushed. "He asked about me. A lot. My name, my age, my pack. He didn’t touch me inappropriately or anything, but he did... stand really close. He smelled so good. Is that normal?"

I laughed. "Very."

She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I thought I was going to pass out. He was huge. Like, scary handsome. I couldn’t even think straight. I don’t remember half the words he said because I was too busy staring at his mouth."

I coughed to cover my laugh, nodding. "That’s... yeah, that sounds... I don’t know."

Mallory peeked at me through her fingers. "Do I sound horny?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No. You don’t... or maybe... a little."

She groaned, clearly embarrassed. She then rolled over onto her side and looked at me seriously. "Do you think it’s fate?"

"Maybe," I replied. "Or maybe fate just gives us a nudge in the right direction, and the rest is up to us."

She smiled. "That sounds like something you would say."

"Because it is."

We both laughed then, the tension breaking just a little. And even though the night was heavy with all the unexpected things that had happened, I felt better knowing I wasn’t the only one walking this strange new road.

* * *

Later that night, after we returned from dining hall and I was alone in the room, I sat on my bed with my legs crossed and my phone in my hand. My fingers hovered over the screen, then hesitantly clicked open the contact list.

There it was. Oscar, saved under the name he had chosen himself.

"Mine," it said beneath his number.

I stared at it for a while, with my heart thumping too loud in my chest.

Then, before I could overthink it, I sent a message.

Evaline: I didn’t thank you earlier... for pulling me into that room. River almost saw me.

The reply came almost instantly.

Oscar (Mine): I didn’t do it for River. I did it for me.

Oscar (Mine): But if you want to thank me, pick a time. I’ll take you to dinner. No pressure. Just me and you.

I swallowed hard, staring at those words until they blurred.

Dinner.

Just him and me.

I should have said no. I should have thought it over. But I didn’t.

Because deep down, I wanted it.

Evaline: Okay.

The three dots bounced on the screen for a moment before his next message arrived.

Oscar (Mine): Tomorrow. After class. I’ll wait by the fountain.

I didn’t reply again. I didn’t have to. Because my heart had already answered.

I didn’t sleep much that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Oscar - his half-smirk, his dark eyes that always seemed to look deeper than they should, the way he had crowded me against that door like he was trying to memorize the feel of my presence.

I couldn’t stop hearing his voice either. Calm. Confident. Flirtatious in a way that should have made me roll my eyes, but instead made my stomach twist with something dangerously close to anticipation.

Tomorrow. After class. I’ll wait by the fountain.

I clutched my pillow tighter and groaned into it. What was I doing?

He was trouble. Oscar was the exact kind of chaos I was trying to avoid - unpredictable, emotionally unavailable, and frustratingly attractive. Yet here I was, agreeing to have dinner with him like it wouldn’t mess with everything I had been trying to keep stable.

The worst part? I wanted that chaos. I wanted him.

When morning came, I looked like I hadn’t slept, because I hadn’t. Mallory didn’t notice though, she was still in her dreamy post-mate haze, moving around like her feet barely touched the floor. I envied her a little. The way she just accepted what had happened with Jasper. No fear. No second-guessing.

Me? I was second-guessing everything.

Classes went by in a blur. I barely heard anything my professors said. My thoughts were circling back to the same point - what would happen tonight? Was this really just dinner? Was Oscar trying to make things right between us... or was this another game?

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