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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

TAI

T he pounding on the door drags me out of a dead sleep. I blink blearily, the world hazy as I push myself up on one elbow. The room is dim, the glow from the Bedlam Moon paints garish, uneven shadows over the walls straight from a horror movie. My brain takes a moment to catch up, the sound of my name—someone shouting it—piercing the fog of my half-conscious state.

I’m in Nova’s bed. Alone.

The agreement flashes back to me in pieces: she’d go for her run, then come back. We’d fall asleep together. But the bed is cold, untouched on her side, and the pounding on the door grows more insistent.

I’m on my feet before I’ve fully processed what’s happening. The moment I hit the floor barefoot, I feel it—a shift in the air. It’s probing, electric, and wrong in a way that makes my stomach drop. The scent hits me next, subtle at first, like a whisper carried on the wind, but it grows stronger with each breath I take.

Sweet. Mouthwatering.

Nova .

"Fuck’s sake, open the damn door!" Callum’s voice booms from the hallway, frantic and threaded with desperation.

I freeze, shock jolting through my veins. Hearing him like that— almost panicked—knocks me off balance for a beat, and a surge of adrenaline spikes through my limbs.

I cross the room in six strides, yanking open the door just as he barrels inside, Nova cradled in his arms. My heart stops. She’s draped against him, her head lolling against his shoulder, her usually vibrant features slack with exhaustion. Her skin glistens, damp with sweat despite the freezing air that clings to both of them. And the scent—that scent —is everywhere now, wrapping around me like a vice.

Behind Callum, the hallway is chaos. Figures dart through the shadows, their movements too fast, too erratic to be any kind of fae in his right mind. A chorus of growls and snarls echoes down the corridor, punctuated by heavy footsteps and guttural voices.

“She’s burnin’ up,” Callum pants as he stumbles into the room. “I couldn’t—fuckin’—get ‘em to back off!”

The door slams shut behind him, and it’s like a dam breaking. The scent floods the room, thick and cloying, sending a ripple of tension through my body. My magic stirs instinctively, reacting to the invisible threat that seems to hum in the air.

Lust.

I’m drowning in it.

Of all fucking nights our roommate chose to finally show his face back in the room, he chooses tonight? Fuck.

Sylus is already on his feet, his pillow tumbling to the floor as he rises to his full height. His pupils dilate, his nostrils flaring as the scent hits him, his alpha instincts blazing to life in an instant.

“Gods,” he growls, his voice rough. “She’s?—”

“I know,” I snarl, cutting him off as I stride toward Callum. “Lay her on the bed.”

Callum’s face is pale, his eyes wide with panic as he glares at me. “She’s in heat,” he spits, his brogue thicker than usual. “And yer bloody dorms are crawlin’ with alphas ready to rip me apart!”

“Fuck.” The word comes out as a low hiss as I glance toward the door, the muffled sounds of commotion growing louder. “They followed you here.”

He sets her down, his movements careful despite the tremor in his hands. She whimpers softly, her brows furrowing as she stirs, but she doesn’t wake. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips slightly parted, and every inch of her radiates that scent—intoxicating and impossible to ignore.

“We have to get her to the clinic.” I swallow. “Now.”

Sylus’s eyes darken with something primal as he looks down at her, the lower half of his face covered where he’s got a T-shirt pressed to it. “She’s not goin’ anywhere without protection. If they catch a whiff of her outside this room?—”

“They already have,” Callum fires back, his fists clenching at his sides. “They fuckin’ chased us through the dorms!”

The tension between the three of us is suffocating, but there’s no time to argue. I close my eyes, drawing on my magic, letting it surge through me as I extend a barrier around the room. The air shimmers, a translucent wall of energy sealing us off from the madness outside.

“That’ll hold them for now.” My focus shifts back to Nova. “But we can’t stay here. The longer we wait, the worse it’ll get.”

A snarl rips from Sylus’s throat before he stumbles backwards, turning to run to the bathroom to barricade himself. I hear the snick of the lock latching before the distinct sound of him throwing himself against the door. “You need to leave, now!”

Callum looks at me, his jaw tight, his chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath. “What do ye need me tae do?”

“Carry her,” I say without hesitation. “I’ll keep the barrier around us, but we need to move fast. The clinic’s across campus, and if we’re lucky, the patrols will keep the others at bay.” I glance at Nova’s nightstand where her designation bracelet lays and I snatch it up, shoving it in my pocket.

Without another word, Callum scoops her back into his arms, cradling her against his chest as though she’s made of glass. I move to the door, placing a hand on the barrier and letting my magic ripple outward, extending the protection around him and Nova as well.

“Let’s go.”

Callum

The clinic doors slam shut behind us with an ominous finality, sealing Nova inside. I stop just short of following, my pulse hammering in my ears as two attendants rush forward to meet her. They’re efficient, their voices calm, but there’s no missing the urgency in their movements.

“Is she going to be alright?” I ask, though the words barely scratch the surface of what I’m feeling. I want answers. I want reassurance. I want to be in that room with her, not stuck out here, pacing the length of the waiting area like a caged animal.

The taller of the two attendants spares me a glance. “She’s in good hands. The process can be overwhelming, especially for a first-timer, but we’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”

I’m still trying to catch my breath, my chest tight from the cold—or maybe it’s from the ache that’s been clawing at me ever since we crossed campus. It’s probably both. She was burning up in my arms, barely aware of where she was, her head pressed to my shoulder as her scent spilled everywhere. Too many damn alphas turned their heads as I carried her past. Too many nostrils flared, their steps faltering before they backed off, clearly weighing their odds of challenging the barrier Tai put up.

There’s no way I would’ve been able to do it without him.

He stands beside me now, his arms crossed, his jaw set. He hasn’t said a word since Nova was taken in. Not that I blame him. What is there to say?

“She’ll be fine,” he says suddenly, as if reading my mind.

I glance at him, my mouth twisting. “Will she, though? Because nothing about this feels fine.”

His brown eyes stay on the clinic door. “She’s in heat, Callum. There’s only one thing that’s going to help her now.” His voice takes on a bitter edge. “And it’s not like you cared enough to be around lately. Why are you here?”

I wince at his words, but I can't deny the truth in them. I swallow hard, my fists clenching at my sides as I park myself next to him against the wall. “Aye, I fucked up, alright?” The admission scrapes out of me like jagged glass. “I should’ve listened tae her. Should’ve stayed instead of stormin’ off like a bloody idiot. I ken that now.”

Tai doesn’t look at me. His shoulders remain stiff, his eyes locked on the door as though sheer willpower alone can get him inside. The tension between us is thicker than the snow still clinging to the campus grounds.

“And now you’re here because?” His tone is unforgiving.

“Because I care about her,” I snap, my voice rising before I catch myself. “Because she matters tae me. More than ye think.”

He glances at me then, his expression hard, but I press on.

“She needed me tonight, and I … I tried tae be there for her. We made amends. She—” I hesitate, the words sticking in my throat. But there’s no point in dodging it now. “She wanted me. And I couldn’t say no.”

His brows lift, the smallest flicker of surprise crossing his face. “Wanted you?” he echoes, his voice measured. “You mean…?”

“Aye.” I nod, the heat rising to my face. “At the hot springs.”

I brace for getting punched in the nose, just in case he wasn’t entirely on board with us being together now. Not after I ghosted her.

But it doesn’t come.

For a moment, there’s silence. Tai blinks, his jaw slackening slightly before he tilts his head, giving me that look—the one that says he’s trying to work out how the hell this all fits together.

“Well,” he says finally, a slow grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Glad you two made up.”

My brows knit together. “Ye’re … not angry?”

“Angry?” He laughs under his breath, shaking his head. “I’ve been saying from the start that I’m okay sharing her. You’re the one who needed convincing. I’m just surprised, that’s all. You didn’t exactly seem eager to get in line.”

“I wasn’t,” I admit, running a hand through my hair. “But it’s not like I planned it. And it wasn’t just about the heat of the moment, Tai. It meant something.”

His grin softens, and he claps a hand on my shoulder. “Good. It should. She deserves that from you. From both of us.” His voice lowers, the teasing edge giving way to something more serious. “But you’ve got to remember this isn’t a competition. We’re in this together, for her. She needs support more now than ever.”

The weight of his words settles on me, and I nod, my throat tight. “Aye. I get that now.”

He lets out a breath, his gaze drifting back to the clinic door. “Good. Because if she chooses to be with you in the moment, it doesn’t mean she’s choosing you over me—or me over you. It means she’s trusting us to give her what she needs.”

I glance at the door, too, my chest tight with a mix of emotions I can barely untangle. “Then we better not let her down.”

Tai’s lips curve into a barely-there smile, but his eyes stay fixed on the clinic. “Not a chance.”