SageI had days to myself in my house, barely gotten used to the quiet of my apartment. I keep having nightmares about the same people coming for me in my own house. But when I remind myself that I have nothing to do with them and they didn’t know where I lived.So I attended school, avoided the professor with care by the way and went back home. The typical life of a loner which I was sometimes okay with.The other times, I cried when I remembered that I was all alone with nobody to talk to. It really was like he didn’t care about me.Yes, I was still thinking about the professor. I had hoped he would try to corner me again to talk to me. I would have given him a listening ear this time.I shook my head with a smile and just rested my head when the peace shattered.It started with a knock at the door, and I froze. A warning bell went off in my head, but I ignored it. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but after the week I’d had, I figured it was someone from school or even my dad checking i
KaidenThe phone hung up and I stared at it in fury.“What the hell was that?” He asked.“It’s nothing,” I shrugged.“That didn’t sound like nothing. What was that?” He asked again through gritted teeth.“Okay, long story short. The people that attacked us earlier, they attacked Sage when he was in my house and he had to be rushed to the hospital. He is fine now and he went back home but he is back in the hospital. That was them over the phone.”I heard nothing, just the faint sound of movement. I expected him to make a huge deal of it but he said nothing so I looked up.The professor’s eyes burned with fury as he stood in front of me, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His usual calm, composed demeanor had shattered, and what remained was a man filled with contempt—for me.“What the fuck? Sage was attacked?”I nodded.“Take me to him.”I wanted to argue but something told me he wasn’t in the mood to play the checkers game with me. I could argue with him and end up with a bruised ch
KaidenA dull, throbbing pain spread through my skull as I came to. My limbs felt like lead, my throat dry and sore. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, and the bed beneath me was softer than I expected.Where the hell was I?I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh light spilling in from a nearby window. The room was familiar, too familiar. Clean, precise, without a single thing out of place. My stomach twisted.The professor’s house.How did I even end up back here? I thought I made the big show of packing up and leaving?Memories crashed into me. The party. The drink. The dizziness. The attack. A hit to the back of my head.Fuck, I should call Martin and ask him what the party was all about. Did he even properly investigate before putting me there?Fuck!I shot up, a sharp pain lancing through my skull. My vision swam, and I groaned, pressing my fingers to my temples.The world was still spinning around in circles and I held my head to try and steady it. It f
SageI woke up the next day having rested my body. The first person I saw was the kind doctor who had treated me the last time. “We have got to stop meeting like this,”I looked at him, he was young and extremely handsome, I smiled. “I am sorry, I can’t help it.”His face turned serious, “what happened this time, Sage?”I sighed, how would I even explain it so he would hear it? That I was a klutz or this was the second time someone intentionally put me in the hospital? I couldn’t say anything that wouldn’t put me in trouble. I had no idea what I was even dealing with.“You have to be more careful from now. The bruises you got this time were much worse. You cannot keep coming back here.”“I understand, doctor.” I said.There was nothing else to say but that. He must think that I am an idiot. Coming into the hospital like a bruised punching bag. I brought this upon myself.He was still crossing things off his record when the professor entered. He took one look at me and frowned.“What
SageI wore my clothes and wrinkled my nose when the antiseptic smell still clung to my clothes as I walked out, my body sore from injuries that hadn’t fully healed. The dull ache in my ribs reminded me of the attack, the pounding of fists and boots, the weight of helplessness crushing down on me. The bruises would fade, but the bitterness in my chest would remain because it was now obvious to me that Kaiden was the reason I had been attacked twice now.He couldn’t even come to see me after they had called him. He is a very ruthless bastard and I hate him with every fiber of my being now.The professor was waiting for me outside, leaning against his car like he hadn’t just berated me in there. His arms were crossed, his expression unreadable, as always.The warmth I had glimpsed in there was long gone now.I stopped in front of him, adjusting the hospital bag slung over my shoulder. "Are we going to your place?"He barely spared me a glance before unlocking the car. "No. I’m taking y
KaidenIn the lecture hall, the faint scent of lavender and cedar lingered, a scent I couldn’t ignore even if I tried. It was Sage’s scent, soft, alluring and a whisper of the beta’s presence that made my wolf stir beneath his skin. Sage didn’t know his own allure, oblivious to the ripple of interest he left behind everywhere he went. But I knew. I had always known.From the moment we met, I had vowed to protect Sage from everything, including himself. Alphas were predators by nature, drawn to the innocence and vulnerability of a beta like Sage. He wasn’t an omega yet he possessed qualities like one.But I wasn’t an alpha, although I was possessive, territorial, and deeply aware of how much control it took to keep myself from claiming Sage outright.The problem was, Sage didn’t belong to me. Not yet.Sage was sitting in the front row, furiously jotting down notes as Professor River droned on about some engineering stuff. His deep voice was smooth as honey, laced with that Alpha autho
SageI was a failure as a man.All through my Twenty five years, I could count the number of times I have spoken to the member of the opposite sex except asking for directions. I was inept when it came to talking to women and for some reason, Kaiden thought he could help me.The low hum of conversations buzzed in the background as I sipped my black coffee. The window seat was my favorite spot, close enough to people-watch but far enough to feel removed from the crowd. I couldn’t focus today, though. My eyes kept darting toward the door every time it opened. I don’t even know why. Maybe I was hoping for some sign that the universe didn’t hate me.“You’re brooding again,” Kaiden’s voice cut through my thoughts. He wasn’t even looking at me, just scrolling through his phone as his hands tapped absently on the table, like he was the most confident person in the room.I gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Just thinking.”Kaiden raised an eyebrow without looking up. “About?”“Nothing important.”
By the time we got to Kaiden’s apartment, my nerves were frayed. I trailed behind him, my steps slow and hesitant. What the fuck had I just agreed to? My mind kept replaying the conversation at the coffee shop. The idea of “training” with Kaiden had seemed ridiculous at first. But now, standing in his apartment, it felt real and terrifying.Kaiden unlocked the door and walked in like it was just another normal evening. He tossed his keys onto the counter and kicked off his shoes without a care in the world. Meanwhile, I hesitated in the doorway, my hands stuffed deep in my pockets, the air feeling way too heavy.“Relax,” Kaiden said, flashing me a grin as he shrugged off his jacket. “I’m not gonna bite.”I tried to laugh, but it came out strained. “Right. I know.”Kaiden leaned against the kitchen counter, crossing his arms as he looked at me. His gaze wasn’t judgmental, more amused, like he was waiting for me to settle down.“You’re making this a bigger deal than it is,” he said af
SageI wore my clothes and wrinkled my nose when the antiseptic smell still clung to my clothes as I walked out, my body sore from injuries that hadn’t fully healed. The dull ache in my ribs reminded me of the attack, the pounding of fists and boots, the weight of helplessness crushing down on me. The bruises would fade, but the bitterness in my chest would remain because it was now obvious to me that Kaiden was the reason I had been attacked twice now.He couldn’t even come to see me after they had called him. He is a very ruthless bastard and I hate him with every fiber of my being now.The professor was waiting for me outside, leaning against his car like he hadn’t just berated me in there. His arms were crossed, his expression unreadable, as always.The warmth I had glimpsed in there was long gone now.I stopped in front of him, adjusting the hospital bag slung over my shoulder. "Are we going to your place?"He barely spared me a glance before unlocking the car. "No. I’m taking y
SageI woke up the next day having rested my body. The first person I saw was the kind doctor who had treated me the last time. “We have got to stop meeting like this,”I looked at him, he was young and extremely handsome, I smiled. “I am sorry, I can’t help it.”His face turned serious, “what happened this time, Sage?”I sighed, how would I even explain it so he would hear it? That I was a klutz or this was the second time someone intentionally put me in the hospital? I couldn’t say anything that wouldn’t put me in trouble. I had no idea what I was even dealing with.“You have to be more careful from now. The bruises you got this time were much worse. You cannot keep coming back here.”“I understand, doctor.” I said.There was nothing else to say but that. He must think that I am an idiot. Coming into the hospital like a bruised punching bag. I brought this upon myself.He was still crossing things off his record when the professor entered. He took one look at me and frowned.“What
KaidenA dull, throbbing pain spread through my skull as I came to. My limbs felt like lead, my throat dry and sore. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, and the bed beneath me was softer than I expected.Where the hell was I?I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh light spilling in from a nearby window. The room was familiar, too familiar. Clean, precise, without a single thing out of place. My stomach twisted.The professor’s house.How did I even end up back here? I thought I made the big show of packing up and leaving?Memories crashed into me. The party. The drink. The dizziness. The attack. A hit to the back of my head.Fuck, I should call Martin and ask him what the party was all about. Did he even properly investigate before putting me there?Fuck!I shot up, a sharp pain lancing through my skull. My vision swam, and I groaned, pressing my fingers to my temples.The world was still spinning around in circles and I held my head to try and steady it. It f
KaidenThe phone hung up and I stared at it in fury.“What the hell was that?” He asked.“It’s nothing,” I shrugged.“That didn’t sound like nothing. What was that?” He asked again through gritted teeth.“Okay, long story short. The people that attacked us earlier, they attacked Sage when he was in my house and he had to be rushed to the hospital. He is fine now and he went back home but he is back in the hospital. That was them over the phone.”I heard nothing, just the faint sound of movement. I expected him to make a huge deal of it but he said nothing so I looked up.The professor’s eyes burned with fury as he stood in front of me, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His usual calm, composed demeanor had shattered, and what remained was a man filled with contempt—for me.“What the fuck? Sage was attacked?”I nodded.“Take me to him.”I wanted to argue but something told me he wasn’t in the mood to play the checkers game with me. I could argue with him and end up with a bruised ch
SageI had days to myself in my house, barely gotten used to the quiet of my apartment. I keep having nightmares about the same people coming for me in my own house. But when I remind myself that I have nothing to do with them and they didn’t know where I lived.So I attended school, avoided the professor with care by the way and went back home. The typical life of a loner which I was sometimes okay with.The other times, I cried when I remembered that I was all alone with nobody to talk to. It really was like he didn’t care about me.Yes, I was still thinking about the professor. I had hoped he would try to corner me again to talk to me. I would have given him a listening ear this time.I shook my head with a smile and just rested my head when the peace shattered.It started with a knock at the door, and I froze. A warning bell went off in my head, but I ignored it. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but after the week I’d had, I figured it was someone from school or even my dad checking i
Sage For the first time in years, I felt like I was truly alone. Kaiden didn’t come. Not when I woke up in the hospital, not when I was struggling to sit up without wincing in pain, not even when the doctor signed my discharge papers. Three days had passed, and he hadn’t so much as texted. I tried calling him but he didn’t pick neither did he return my calls which seem to be a usual thing for him since he fucked up. I guess I got my answer. He was done with me. I should have expected it, but the finality of it still left a hollow ache in my chest. It is something I struggled to accept but I couldn’t. Whenever Kaiden and I fight, I always imagine that it wouldn’t last. We would get back to bickering after a day or two, latest three days. But this blowout made us grow further apart like we had been fighting for decades. I was dead to him. Instead of going back to his place, where everything reminded me of him, I went home. My real home. The apartment was too quiet
Kaiden Walking into my apartment felt like stepping into a crime scene. The door creaked open, revealing a space that had been utterly torn apart. My couch was flipped over, my shelves emptied, their contents shattered across the floor. The kitchen drawers were pulled out, their contents spilled as if someone had been searching for something specific. A muscle ticked in my jaw as I stepped inside, the crunch of broken glass beneath my boots making my stomach tighten. It was as if they were looking for something. I was ticked. I hated it when people went through my stuff like they had every right to. I hated it in every sense of the word. I have never acted rashly with anyone and I doubt it anyone was out for me seeing as I didn’t have the time to go around looking for trouble. I clenched my fists, my breath coming out in sharp exhales as I forced myself to calm down. Getting angry wouldn’t fix anything. I needed to clean up. I didn’t even know where to start. I left the hous
SageI woke up to the steady beeping of a heart monitor, the sterile scent of antiseptic filling my nose. My entire body ached, a dull, pulsing pain that reminded me exactly why I was here.The attack.The masked men.Kaiden.The moment my brain caught up, I heard a familiar voice, loud, agitated."What do you mean ‘soon’? Define soon!" Kaiden’s voice carried through the hospital room. He was pacing furiously, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he glared at the doctor standing in front of him."Mr. Kaiden, I understand your concern, but his body needed time to recover. He experienced significant trauma. His vitals are stable now, and as you can see—"I coughed, my throat dry and raw.Kaiden’s head snapped toward me in an instant. His pacing stopped, his blue eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach tighten.He marched to my bedside, his expression filled with anger and a part of me hoped that it was worry that I could see on his face. "What the fuck were y
SageI stood outside Kaiden’s apartment, gripping my spare key so tightly that the metal bit into my palm. I couldn’t sleep at all last night, I kept turning and tossing.Wondering why my mind was still stuck on Kaiden. He was still my best friend and I couldn’t give up on him. My anger had faded away to something more realistic.Loneliness.I didn’t have anyone to rely on and it made me so fucking lonely. The professor was out of my life and so was Kaiden, that one not by choice.The worst part was that I missed both of them so much that it hurt me everytime the thought of them came up.I decided that if there was any time to make peace with Kaiden then it would be now. He was still angry but he wouldn’t turn me away.My parents’ words still echoed in my head, Let it go if you want your best friend back.Easier said than done.I was so hurt that he would do something like that to me, whatever the reason may be.Kaiden and I had been through so much. The fights, the betrayals, the dis