Rejected by the Beta, Claimed by the Alpha

Chapter 156: Monsters are Real

CLARK POV

"I said now," he snapped, and the music seemed to dip for just a second—like even the bass itself feared him.

I wanted to run. God knows I did. But...

"I... I don’t know the way," I mumbled, barely audible under the pulse of music, laughter, and murmured sins around me.

But he heard me.

Of course he did.

He closed his eyes and let out the kind of sigh that said I’m-this-close-to-snapping-your-neck. His fingers pressed to his temple, like just existing near me was giving him a migraine.

"Okay... let’s go," he muttered finally, rubbing his head like I was some slow, lost child who’d wet himself at a shopping mall.

"But—my friend—Sara," I tried again, voice shaking. I wasn’t trying to be brave. I was just trying to survive. Trying not to let her disappear into this twisted, glossy hell like a breath in the cold.

That’s when he stopped walking and turned.

And if looks could kill, I’d be a chalk outline on the tiled floor right now.

"Listen here, little lamb," he said, voice low, dangerous, like something ancient had stirred behind his eyes. "I am not your friend. Not your hero. You’re just lucky my demons find your scent interesting, or you’d already be drained, buried, and forgotten."

And just like that—

He threw me over his shoulder.

Like a sack of potatoes.

I didn’t even have time to yelp.

He strode through the party, past the strobe lights and perfume haze, as if none of this madness touched him. No one batted an eye. Not even when he walked straight toward the exit with a whole ass human flailing on his shoulder.

Then, somewhere between the hallway and the front door, another voice piped up.

"Ohhh, Prince Blaze, I see you’ve already found yourself a new blood bag."

Prince?

Did he say prince?

Wait—BLAZE?!

His name was Blaze?!

Since when was Ziprey ruled by a monarchy? Was that on the brochures? Because I swear when I applied here, no one mentioned vampire nobility, blood cults, or psycho speed demons.

Blaze didn’t reply.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t even slow down.

He just carried me like I weighed nothing—which, by the way, rude—and marched through the exit like he had somewhere much more important to be than babysitting a twitchy, half-hysterical freshman.

Then I heard it.

"Fuck it," he muttered under his breath.

And suddenly—

We moved.

Fast.

Like... not normal fast.

body. It wasn’t running. It was freaking teleportation with style. Walls zoomed by, and the world

And just like that—

at the front

like a dropped rag doll counts as gentle. My knees

up

Really looked.

eyes weren’t just dark—they had depth. Like there was something swimming behind them. Something

I stepped back.

you?" I asked, my voice barely above a

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t even blink.

at me the way a lion might

And then—

He vanished.

VANISHED.

shadows swallowed him whole. Like he had never been there to

I screamed.

Like... really screamed.

ran. I bolted to my room like the floor was lava and the shadows were hands reaching out to grab me. I scrambled at my door like a raccoon in a panic, finally getting

Safe.

Maybe.

slid down onto the floor, my chest heaving, ears still

don’t disappear like

others like they

don’t freaking fly down hallways at the speed

just some weird school with an old castle aesthetic and moody hot

was very, very

in the middle

he wasn’t a roommate in a freaking horror movie. His eyes flicked up, and the moment he saw my face—pale, sweaty,

said, voice hollow. "I told you. Now

couldn’t speak. My throat was dry,

straight into my soul, his expression dead serious now. "Did... did they also suck your blood?" he asked quietly. "Did you feel the

back to life.

normal. Pretty. Friendly, even. Then she said I smelled sweet. I thought it was a joke. Next thing I know, I her fangs are on my neck pain and life being drawn

been trying to do to me. She wasn’t just being flirtatious or high on whatever drug they

else. I just crossed the room, nearly tripping over my own feet, and grabbed my laptop from the desk. If the world was

vampires and

Nope. All fiction.

Reddit threads full of

I opened

and legends

Superstitions. Tales told by old women sitting by the fire. Creatures of the night. Spirits that walk beneath a full

All marked "folklore," "urban legend,"

No mention of vampires.

official record

then I tried something

death in

The first result?

Anemia.

aged 17–24. Labeled

scrolling. Some reports were quietly buried. Some obituaries mentioned students dying in their sleep. One particular blog post from a former teacher mentioned a "pattern" no one wanted to talk about. Young students going pale, getting sick, complaining of strange dreams and fatigue—before just

illness."