Rejected by the Beta, Claimed by the Alpha

Chapter 153: Horror

CLARK – POV

"Curious little lamb, aren’t you?"

The voice was so close, so soft and low, that it slithered straight into my spine like ice. My body jerked like a live wire had touched it—my feet nearly left the ground. I spun around with a strangled yelp only for a hand—cold as death—to clap over my mouth, muffling my scream.

In a blink, I was slammed up against the wall.

Hard.

His body pressed into mine, and we were too close—way too close—his breath grazing my cheek, his icy presence bleeding into my skin like frostbite. To anyone stumbling in on us, it would’ve looked like a moment straight out of a romantic BL anime.

But this wasn’t romantic. This was a goddamn horror scene.

Because I knew that face.

The pale, ghostly guy. The senior I’d asked for directions on my first day—the one who had appeared out of nowhere, just like now.

Where had he come from? Why hadn’t I heard a single step? No shadow. No sound. Just one second I was alone, and the next—this.

"You shouldn’t disturb wolves while they’re having fun," he whispered, his lips brushing my ear.

Wolves? What the actual hell was he talking about?

I stared at him, heart battering my ribs like it wanted out. His eyes were pitch-black, unreadable. His face was smooth, elegant even—but there was a wrongness about it. Not wrong in a way you could point out, but wrong in the way a mask of a human might look after too long. Almost too perfect. Too still.

I tried to push him off, but he didn’t budge.

His body was like stone—unmoving, unyielding, cold.

"I-I wasn’t trying to disturb anyone," I managed to squeak once he eased the hand from my mouth. My throat was tight, dry. "I was just looking for my friend."

He smiled.

God.

It wasn’t a friendly smile. It was the kind of grin a predator gave before taking its sweet time.

"Funny little thing," he murmured, almost affectionately. "Always wandering into places you shouldn’t."

His breath smelled faintly metallic.

Like rust.

Or—blood.

My stomach turned. My knees felt weak.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," I said, stammering.

"Wolves can’t just enter the school vicinity like that," I blurted. I didn’t even know what I was saying at that point. Maybe if I kept talking, he wouldn’t eat me. That felt like a valid fear now.

He let out a soft, amused laugh.

"Oh, little lamb, I meant Man wolf" he breathed, nostrils flaring as he sniffed my neck.

I froze. Fully, entirely frozen. My brain screamed He’s going to bite you, and for a horrifying second, I was almost too scared to care.

was he?! Some kind

that was just

not saying... like... an actual

Maybe someone would come down the hallway.

His grin widened.

pressed his nose

I went rigid.

don’t bite me, don’t bite

smiled—teeth a little too

"You don’t believe me?"

I didn’t answer.

I was

Because I physically couldn’t.

like jelly. And for a heartbeat, the hallway around us faded into nothing but cold, walls, and a deathly still

leaned in again, lips grazing my ear. "Humans," he whispered,

"But not just fear. Something else. Something..." He closed

you want

opened. Sharp.

ran. "That this place... it’s not for humans. Not really. You’re just decoration. Distractions. Food. Most of

for a brief second, his pupils elongated—like

said, almost too fast.

lightly. "But at least I know what

"You... you’re still figuring it out. But I’ll

again. "You

go of me then, and I nearly collapsed. My body

stepped back a few paces, eyes still trained on me

Be a hero.

wing, the one that had been

place students were told not

could open my mouth to

Like gone gone.

second he was right

And the next?

Poof.

door opening, no footsteps, no lingering

spun around, heart hammering like it was trying to escape my chest. "What the fu—" I yelped, louder than

What just happened?

Was he a... ghost?

you to a wall. Couldn’t sniff

with that

No. Nope. No way.

was just a messed-up

Right?

flair for drama. Maybe they’d drugged

it. That,

did his touch still linger on my skin

did I feel like I’d just stared into the abyss and it had winked at

wing slowly, against every cell in my body screaming do not go in there. My feet moved anyway. Because Sara might be in there. Because if she was, and

I approached, the familiar buzz of the overhead lights dimming into flickers. The doors here were sealed with tape and signs reading "UNDER RENOVATION – NO ENTRY" but someone had

And the door?

It was ajar.

"Sara?" I whispered.