Rejected by the Beta, Claimed by the Alpha

Chapter 146

Chapter 146: Run

Clark POV:

"Hey," I whispered, even though I knew he wouldn’t answer. "Whatever happened... I’m not gonna ask again. Just... you’re safe here, alright?"

No response.

I didn’t expect one.

But I thought—maybe, just maybe—I saw the covers shift slightly. A twitch. Like maybe he heard me.

I turned toward him, my whisper barely audible.

"Hey... you never told me your name."

No answer.

A minute passed. Then two.

And then, from beneath the blanket, a soft whisper, hoarse and quiet:

"...Lucas."

I nodded in the dark. "I’m Clark."

A pause. Then another whisper, barely more than a breath.

"We shouldn’t have come here."

A chill ran through me. I pulled my covers higher, heart thudding in my chest.

This place... this wasn’t just about bullies.

It was something else.

Something worse.

And I had no Clare here to fight for me.

Just me.

*********

I don’t know when I finally drifted off. Maybe sometime after midnight. My brain had been spiraling like it always did—overthinking, analyzing, replaying the weirdness of the day on a loop—until it finally just short-circuited. Blackout sleep.

I was deep in it when I heard shuffling.

teeth grinding shut. The quiet thump of something soft being stuffed into

open, groggy, my head feeling like it had been stuffed

What the hell?

up. His face was pale in the faint blue glow from the hallway night light filtering under

you doing, man?" I croaked, rubbing the

startled by my voice like I’d

was something rawer. "I’m going home. I can’t... I won’t

brain hadn’t caught up. "What things? You

screamed victim of upperclassman hazing. That had to be it. All schools had them. Maybe

accepted into Memoville to run off before orientation, man," I said. "Come

at me like I

eyes wide. "You think I was

It was dry. Empty. Like his throat had forgotten how to

was bullies," he whispered. "At least bullies don’t

I froze.

believe me anyway," he said, crouching and stuffing his hoodie into his bag. "Nobody ever does.

heart kicked in my chest

I asked, not sure if I even wanted to

just stared at me. Not blinking. Not

it, didn’t you? The ones that walk like models, but don’t blink enough? The ones who talk like they’re quoting from a play and move too... perfectly?" He was talking fast now. "Didn’t you feel it? The cold? The eyes? The

But that was just nerves. Jet lag. Maybe

"Lucas, come on—"

die. Or worse." He zipped his suitcase fully, stood up, and walked toward the door like his legs were

he said, his back to me. "I knew something was wrong the moment that woman at registration smelled my ID. Smelled it. Like

My blood chilled.

that to me too," I

slowly, eyes wide. His face crumbled. "Then why

morning air from the corridor pushed in

his shoulder once, like he was trying to memorize the room in case he didn’t make it

trust anyone," he said. "Especially

Then he was gone.

like hours, but the clock only

for anyone to be up, but I couldn’t sleep

head: They drink blood. They stretch skin over bone. Don’t trust the smiling

at registration had said I "smelled delicious." She had sniffed my

outside the bench had glowing eyes. And

No. There’s

Right?

I tried to rationalize it, something deep inside me stirred—something primal. Some ancient part of me that lived in

And it whispered:

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