Chapter 9
390words
I left an hour early, took the long route, and meticulously avoided any place those two Alphas might frequent.
Success!
The entire day passed without a single Alpha encounter!
I smugly trained until evening, then packed up to leave.
I walked out the training center doors—
Left side, silver figure.
Right side, black figure.
Two Alphas. Left and right. Completely blocking my escape route.
Me: ...
This ambush was military-grade precision.
"Elara Grey." Kael stood with hands in his pockets, eyes glinting with amusement. "Done playing hide and seek?"
"I—I wasn't hiding..."
"No?" Asher moved closer from the other side. "Then why take a three-street detour specifically to avoid our usual routes?"
Me: "...How do you even know that?"
"Wolves have keen senses." Kael's eyes flashed gold. "Your scent—I can track it from three streets away."
Me: !!!
That's literally stalking!
"Please don't misunderstand." Asher clarified. "We merely detected it by chance."
"Chance my ass." Kael rolled his eyes. "I tracked her deliberately. What of it?"
Me: "..."
Okay. Alpha logic—completely beyond my comprehension.
"Alphas." I took a deep breath and put on my most sincere expression. "Taking your spots was wrong. I sincerely apologize. I'll make it up to you. Can we just... call it even?"
"Make it up to us?" Kael raised an eyebrow. "How exactly?"
"You name it!" I raised my hands in surrender. "Anything within reason!"
Kael and Asher exchanged a meaningful glance.
Then Kael said: "Let me Claim you for a week."
Me: "?"
Asher added: "Me as well."
Kael glared at him: "Why are you butting in?"
"She approached me first." Asher's tone was unusually firm.
"She approached me more recently." Kael refused to back down.
The two Alphas faced off, their powerful auras clashing. Nearby Omegas visibly weakened at the knees.
I stood trapped between them, fighting the urge to burst into tears.
Finally, Asher was the first to back down.
He looked at me and sighed:
"Elara, focus on your exam. I won't trouble you further."
He turned and left, vanishing into the night in a blur—shifted to wolf form and disappeared.
Just Kael and me, staring at each other.
"Claim or not?" Kael asked, his golden wolf eyes boring into mine.
I met those dangerous yet somehow captivating eyes. After a moment, I nodded:
"Claim."
