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.

my lungs were still trying to catch up to my body. It wasn’t running. It was freaking teleportation with style. Walls zoomed by, and the world twisted

And just like that—

the front of the male

rag doll counts as gentle. My knees buckled, and I had to lean against the wall

looked up

Really looked.

over ice. His eyes weren’t just dark—they had depth. Like there was something swimming behind them. Something old and very, very tired of

I stepped back.

what are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t even blink.

me the way a lion might look

And then—

He vanished.

VANISHED.

standing there, and the next—poof. Gone. Like the shadows

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 the damn key into the lock and flinging it

Safe.

Maybe.

slammed the door shut and slid down onto the

don’t disappear

don’t carry others like they

don’t freaking fly down hallways

with an old

was very, very

I was smack in the middle of

horror movie. His eyes flicked up,

he said, voice hollow. "I told you.

was dry, my heart thundering in

into my soul, his expression dead serious now. "Did... did they also suck your blood?" he asked quietly. "Did you feel the life leaving you when their fangs bit into

life. "Wait. They—what? You

was a joke. Next thing I know, I her fangs are on my neck pain and

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

my own feet, and grabbed my laptop from the desk. If the world was

and

Nope. All fiction.

Mythology blogs. Reddit threads full of

hands trembled as I opened

legends

There were wacky stories. Superstitions. Tales told by old women sitting by the fire. Creatures of the night. Spirits that walk beneath a full moon. Giant wolves glimpsed at the edge of the forest by

All marked "folklore," "urban legend," or

No mention of vampires.

official record of

I

death in

The first result?

Anemia.

17–24. Labeled as

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,

"Sudden illness." "Transferred