Erica POV

I didn't sleep that night. Not because of the stitches-though those throbbed like tiny knives were digging into my arm-but because of him.

Tyler Wood.

The alpha who'd fallen into my life with enough force to leave bruises on both my body and my mind.

I kept replaying the moment over and over. The sound of the plexiglass shattering. His wide green eyes when he realized I was beneath him. That voice-low, rough, stunned.

"I'm so sorry."

He looked at me like he'd just broken the only thing in the world that mattered. And the wild part was... that mattered to me.

I wasn't used to people caring that much, especially not alphas. Most alphas at uni either ignored me or treated me like a prize to be won. Tyler? He looked like he wanted to glue the shards of me back together himself.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, making me flinch. Alexis rolled over on her air mattress and groaned.

"Who the hell is texting you at two in the morning?"

I reached for the phone. One new message.

Unknown Number: Let me know if you're okay. I didn't sleep. I keep thinking about you bleeding. I'm sorry again. -Tyler

I stared at the screen, thumb hovering over the reply button.

Should I respond? Should I ignore it? Did he expect something from me?

Alexis sat up, hair like a bird's nest. "Is that him?"

I nodded, unable to say anything.

She snatched the phone out of my hand, read the message, then looked at me like I'd just declared I wanted to date a serial killer. "You're not gonna reply?"

"I don't know what to say."

"Start with, 'Thanks for not letting me bleed out on the floor,' and end with, 'Sure, you can kiss me sometime.'" She grinned, tossing the phone back.

I rolled my eyes but typed out a reply.

Me: I'm okay. Arm hurts, but it's manageable. Thanks for checking in. Try to sleep. You've got practice tomorrow, right?

His response came within seconds.

Tyler: I'll sleep better knowing you're alright. Text me tomorrow?

I didn't reply. I couldn't. My heart was hammering too hard, and my brain was already imagining things I shouldn't let it.

The next morning, Alexis dragged me to the corner café for the "best chai in the city" and insisted I not wear my oversized flannel.

"Something cute," she said. "Like that cream sweater I bought you that you never wear because you're afraid of standing out."

"I don't want to stand out," I grumbled. "I want to blend in and disappear."

"Too late. You're the omega Tyler lWood crashed into in front of five thousand people. You're already a legend." She winked. "Might as well look hot while you're at it."

Against my better judgment, I wore the sweater.

We grabbed our drinks and found a seat near the back. I was nursing my chai when Alexis leaned in with a smirk.

"Are you going to tell me what you actually think of him?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb."

I sighed. "He's... different. Intense. But also soft? I don't know. It's confusing. Every time he looks at me, it's like he sees something I don't even see in myself."

"That," Alexis said, pointing her spoon at me, "is either the start of a romance novel or the beginning of a life-altering disaster."

I laughed. "Probably both."

By early afternoon, I was curled up on my bed with Potato sniffing the bandage on my arm like she was considering chewing through it.

"I'm fine," I muttered, gently nudging her with a cushion. "I didn't die. Chill."

She flopped dramatically beside me, thumping her feet once before settling in.

My phone buzzed again.

Tyler: Still want that ride to the clinic for your follow-up? I'm free in thirty.

I stared at the message. I hadn't asked for a ride. He remembered.

Alexis, who was folding laundry in the corner, spotted the expression on my face and smirked.

"You're going," she said, before I even opened my mouth. "Don't argue."

Tyler's car wasn't what I expected.

I figured he'd have something flashy-black and shiny and aggressively masculine. Instead, it was a silver SUV with a faint scent of leather and coffee. He held the door open for me, waited until I buckled, then slid in behind the wheel.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

I nodded. "Arm still aches. But it's better."

His hands clenched the steering wheel. "I couldn't stop thinking about it. You. The blood. I've been in fights, Erica. Bad ones. But I've never felt sick afterward. Until that night."

I glanced at him, heart skipping. "You didn't mean to hurt me."

"That's the worst part," he muttered. "If it had been intentional, I'd know how to hate myself. But this? This just feels like fate being cruel."

I didn't know what to say to that. So I stayed quiet, watching the city blur past the window until we reached the clinic.

He insisted on walking me in. Waited in the hallway while the nurse changed my bandages and scolded me for not taking the painkillers as regularly as prescribed.

When I came back out, he stood. "Hungry?"

"I could eat."

We ended up at a little burger joint tucked into a quiet corner street. He held the door open, ordered for both of us when I couldn't decide, and somehow picked the exact burger I would've chosen myself.

"Lex says I should stay away from alphas," I said between bites.

"She's not wrong," Tyler replied, setting his drink down. "Most alphas are assholes."

I blinked. "You included?"

He smirked. "I'm working on it."

Something about the way he said it half-sincere, half-broken made my chest ache.

"You're not what I expected," I said. "When you hit me, I thought you were just some jock with anger issues. But you're..."

"Still a jock with anger issues?" he offered.

I smiled. "Maybe. But also someone who's trying."

His eyes lingered on me for a moment. "You make it easier."

We were walking back to the car when I felt it an unmistakable flutter low in my belly. My step faltered, and I grabbed his arm to steady myself.

"Erica?" he asked, instantly alert. "You okay?"

"I I think..." I swallowed. "It might be starting."

His jaw tightened. "Your heat?"

I nodded, cheeks burning.

"Shit. I'll get you home."

But I didn't want to go home.

Not yet.

"I don't know if I can make it back without" I trailed off, breathing shallow. The world was tilting. His scent peppermint, musk, everything Alpha was suddenly overwhelming.

He guided me into the passenger seat, hands careful, voice low and calm.

"I'll take you to my place. It's closer. You can rest. I swear, I won't touch you unless you ask me to."

The thought terrified me.

The thought thrilled me.

I couldn't speak. I just nodded.

By the time we reached his flat, my skin felt like it was burning. I could barely walk straight. He half-carried me up the stairs and onto his sofa, grabbing blankets, a cold drink, and everything else within reach.

He crouched in front of me, brow furrowed. "Do you want me to leave the room?"

I shook my head.

He exhaled, slow. "Okay."

I leaned back, every nerve ending on fire, scent glands flaring.

"I don't know what's happening," I whispered.

His gaze softened. "I do."

"Is this...?"

Tyler's voice dropped. "You're reacting to me. My scent. It's strong because we're bonded. Or starting to be."

I froze. "Bonded?"

"We're not fated, not fully. Not yet. But Erica... this thing between us? It's real."

I stared at him, heart pounding.

And then, softly, I said, "Kiss me."

He leaned in, breath warm against my skin but just before our lips met, someone pounded on the door. Loud. Aggressive. Tyler stiffened, every muscle in his body going tense.

"Erica," he whispered, jaw clenched. "Stay behind me."

I sat up, pulse skyrocketing. "Who is it?"

"I don't know," he growled.

But I saw it in his eyes.

Whoever was at that door wasn't here by accident.

And this night our moment was about to be shattered.

Tyler POV

The knock came again. Harder this time.

Three sharp pounds that rattled through the flat and sliced through the charged silence between us. Erica was on the edge of the couch, arms wrapped around herself, eyes wide and unfocused, part heat, part fear.

I stood between her and the door without thinking. Instinct. That deep, primal alpha drive I'd spent years burying snapped to attention like it had just been waiting for a reason to come alive.

"Erica, go to the bedroom. Lock the door."

"What? No"

"Now."

She flinched at my tone, but I softened immediately. "Please. Just do it."

She hesitated only a second longer, then disappeared down the hallway. The click of the door locking behind her didn't make me feel better. Not even a little.

The knock came again, but this time it wasn't a knock. It was a fist slamming into the wood.

I growled.

Who the hell "I yanked the door open."

And froze.

"Haskin?"

He stood there, half in shadow, soaked from the rain that had started sometime after we got home. His jacket was unzipped, revealing a Polar Blades hoodie beneath, and his expression wasn't just hostile it was smug.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked.

He pushed past me without permission, dripping water onto my floors.

I shut the door behind him, fists clenched. "You've got three seconds to explain before I make you regret ever showing up."

He turned, wiping his wet hands on my couch like a goddamn animal. "Relax, Wood. I'm not here to fight."

I stepped forward. "You show up unannounced at my place, during an omega's heat, and you're not here to fight?"

His eyes flicked toward the hallway. "So it's true."

I didn't blink. "What's true?"

"You and the girl. The one from the game. The one you fell on." He smirked. "Didn't think you'd go for a student, man. Bit beneath your usual type, don't you think?"

I lunged.

He stumbled back into the kitchen counter, grunting when his spine hit the edge. I slammed my arm across his chest, pinning him there. My scent flared, sharp and furious.

"Watch your mouth."

He didn't look scared. That made it worse.

"I came to warn you," he said, voice low. "Management's sniffing around. You're in trouble."

I pulled back a fraction. "What?"

"They think you're unstable. Too aggressive. You've got a record, Wood. The second they smell scandal, they'll use it. And word's already circulating that you've got an omega tucked away. One who wasn't vetted. You know what that looks like."

I cursed under my breath and shoved off him, pacing to the far side of the kitchen.

He adjusted his hoodie and smirked. "You can't afford this kind of attention."

"I didn't plan for this to happen."

"Doesn't matter. It's happened. And now they're watching. You've got two choices: break it off or get dragged down when they yank your contract."

I laughed bitterly. "You think I give a damn about the contract?"

"You should. Because this girl? She might be sweet, but she's trouble. You're not bonded yet. You can still walk away."

I turned slowly, every bone in my body on fire. "Get out."

"Tyler"

"Now."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but finally finally he walked to the door.

Before he left, he glanced back once. "You're not the only alpha interested, you know. Omegas like her? They don't stay unclaimed for long."

I slammed the door so hard the frame shuddered.

I leaned against the wall, breathing hard, trying to calm the rage bubbling under my skin.

He wasn't wrong.

I was already under scrutiny. Already skating on the thinnest ice. The league wanted reasons to drop me, and this... this thing with Erica? It was like handing them ammunition.

But I couldn't walk away. Wouldn't.

I rubbed my hands over my face and moved down the hallway.

I knocked gently on the bedroom door. "Erica. It's me."

She opened it a crack, then wider when she saw my face.

Her eyes searched mine. "Who was that?"

"Trouble. But it's handled."

She frowned. "I heard yelling."

I exhaled, stepping inside. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't." She walked back toward the bed and sat, tugging her sleeves over her hands. "I just... I didn't expect someone to show up. Especially not during-" She waved vaguely at the air.

"Your heat," I finished for her.

She nodded.

"Do you want me to leave?"

She blinked. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't want to be alone right now."

That was all I needed.

I walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and took her hand gently. "I meant what I said before. I won't touch you unless you ask me to."

"I know." Her voice was quiet. "That's why I feel safe."

Something loosened in my chest.

We sat like that for a while quiet, the air heavy with scent and tension. Her heat was rising slowly, not full-force yet, but enough to make her cheeks flush and her breath quicken.

"I don't understand why this is happening," she whispered. "We barely know each other."

"I know." I looked down at her hand in mine. "But it's not nothing. I felt it the second I hit you. The bond might not be complete, but something's there."

She leaned her head on my shoulder. "I'm scared."

"I am too."

I reached for the blanket and draped it over us both.

"If you need anything," I murmured, "wake me."

"I will."

But I didn't sleep. I couldn't. My mind was racing.

Not just with the bond. Not just with her scent and the way she trembled beside me.

But with what Haskin had said.

"You're not the only alpha interested."

I had no idea who else was watching her.

And that terrified me more than anything.

Sometime around 4 a.m., Erica stirred.

I opened my eyes to find her staring at the ceiling, tears clinging to her lashes.

"Erica?"

She blinked, startled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't." I sat up, brushing hair from her face. "What's wrong?"

"I had a dream. You were gone. Everyone was."

I held her tighter. "I'm not going anywhere."

She looked at me, eyes red. "Promise?"

"I promise."

She curled into my chest, and I held her there until her breathing slowed again.

But I didn't relax.

Because outside the window, across the street, a figure leaned against a lamppost, smoking.

Watching my building.

They didn't move when I stood and looked out.

They just stood there.

Watching.

And I knew in my gut,Haskin wasn't bluffing.

Erica wasn't safe anymore.

Not unless I found out who was after her.

Not unless I protected her like she was already mine.

Even if she wasn't.

Yet.

The next morning, when Erica was still sleeping, I got a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: You think she's safe with you? Think again. She's marked. We're coming.

And just like that, everything shattered.

Erica POV

I woke up to quiet.

The kind of quiet that's too still to be comforting. The kind that lets your mind start imagining worst-case scenarios before your feet even touch the floor.

Tyler wasn't in the bed.

The spot next to me was still warm, and the scent of him-peppermint and musk and safety-clung to the blankets like an invisible shield. But the longer I sat there staring at the empty space, the more that feeling of safety cracked.

I sat up, wincing as my arm pulled at the stitches. Potato was curled in the corner of the room in a borrowed laundry basket, twitching in her sleep. I tugged Tyler's hoodie tighter around me and padded down the hallway barefoot, each step echoing too loudly in my ears.

His voice was low. Tense.

I stopped before the kitchen doorway, hiding just out of sight.

"No. I don't know who sent it."

Pause.

"Yes, I'm sure it's a threat."

Another pause.

"She doesn't know yet. I'm not telling her until I figure out who's behind it."

My breath caught. I pressed my back to the wall.

A threat?

Tyler was silent again, and then he said something that made my heart stutter.

"I don't care what the team thinks. If they come near her, they'll have to go through me."

I stepped into the kitchen.

Tyler turned instantly, the phone still pressed to his ear. His eyes widened slightly when he saw me. "I'll call you back," he muttered and hung up.

"Is there something I should know?" I asked.

He hesitated.

"Don't lie," I added. "Please."

He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Someone sent a message this morning. Anonymous number. They know you're with me."

My stomach twisted. "What did it say?"

He hesitated again, but I gave him the look I reserved for professors who tried to mark down my essays without a reason.

He exhaled. "It said... you're marked. And that they're coming."

I sank into one of the kitchen chairs. "Marked?"

He nodded slowly. "It means someone's watching you. Watching us. And they want to make it known they don't approve."

"Approve of what?" My voice cracked. "I didn't do anything."

"It's not about what you did. It's about who you are. An unclaimed omega. Close to a high-profile alpha. It's enough to paint a target."

I swallowed hard. "Is this about you? Or me?"

"Both."

We sat in silence for a long beat.

Then I said, "So what do we do?"

He walked over, crouched in front of me, and took my hands gently. "We stay ahead of it. I'll talk to Coach Aster today, figure out who might've leaked anything. You stay here for now."

I blinked. "You want me to hide?"

"I want you safe."

My pride bristled. "I'm not fragile."

He smiled faintly. "No. You're not. But you're important."

The words settled on my skin like heat. I wanted to argue, to insist I could handle myself, but deep down I knew I wasn't equipped for this kind of chaos.

Books? Exams? Lectures? That was my battlefield.

But this threats, secrecy, dominance politics I was lost.

Tyler leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. "I won't let anything happen to you."

I nodded, even though fear was coiling tighter in my stomach with every passing second.

Later that morning, Alexis showed up at the flat with two bags of takeaway, a smug grin, and a very loud, "So this is what bonding looks like."

Tyler raised an eyebrow as he let her in. "You're brave, coming into an alpha's space like that."

"I'm not afraid of you," she shot back, dumping the food on the table. "Besides, you nearly knocked my best friend into a coma. I figure you owe me a few free meals."

He smirked. "Fair enough."

I gave her a look as I settled into the couch with my noodles. "Lex, this isn't a sleepover. There's stuff going on."

Her face sobered immediately. "I know. Tyler called me this morning."

I blinked. "What?"

"He said you were in danger. Said I needed to know what's going on in case something happened." She looked at me, serious for once. "Is that true? Are you really being threatened?"

I hesitated. Then nodded.

She sighed and dropped beside me. "Okay. Then we handle it. Together."

Tyler leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching us like we were some puzzle he hadn't quite figured out yet.

"I'm going to the arena," he said. "Talk to Aster. See who's poking around. You two don't leave. Lock the doors. Keep your phones on."

Alexis saluted him. "Sir, yes, sir."

He rolled his eyes and turned to me. "I'll be back soon."

I walked him to the door. Just before he stepped out, he turned and cupped my cheek.

"Don't be afraid, Erica."

I wasn't sure how to explain that I already was.

Alexis paced the living room while I picked at my food.

"I know that look," she muttered, eyeing me. "You're spiraling."

"I'm not."

"You are. It's written all over your face."

I set the container down and leaned back. "What if I'm dragging him down?"

"You're not."

"He's already on thin ice with the league. This? Us? My stupid heat instincts?" I shook my head. "It's too much."

She sat beside me, looping her arm through mine. "Erica, Tyler's a grown alpha. He made his choice. And you sweetheart you're not a burden. You're the only thing keeping him from slipping into that dark pit he's scared of."

I looked at her.

"You think I don't see it?" she said softly. "He's different with you. Calmer. Focused."

I swallowed. "I didn't ask for any of this."

"I know," she whispered. "But sometimes the universe doesn't ask what we want. It just shoves us toward what we need."

I didn't respond. I couldn't.

Because part of me already knew she was right.

When the knock came this time, it was softer.

But it was enough.

Alexis stood, cautiously peeking through the peephole. "It's just a guy in a hoodie. No idea who he is."

"Don't open it," I said.

But she was already unlocking the door.

"Alexis!"

She yanked it open.

The man didn't say a word. He simply stepped forward, shoved something into her hands, and walked away.

She looked down.

It was an envelope.

No address. No stamp.

Just one word on the front.

ERICA.

She closed the door and brought it over, both of us staring at it like it might explode.

"I'm opening it," I whispered.

"Erica-"

"I need to know."

I peeled the flap back slowly.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

Typed.

"You're in over your head. He's not who you think he is. If you don't walk away, you'll regret it. This is your only warning."

No signature.

No name.

Just a threat.

Alexis looked at me. "What the actual?"

My hand shook as I read it again.

And again.

Was it a bluff? A scare tactic?

Or was it someone who actually knew something I didn't?

Tyler's words from earlier echoed in my head.

You're marked.

And suddenly, I felt it.

That invisible target painted right between my shoulder blades.

The door slammed open Tyler stormed in, eyes blazing, phone in one hand, fists clenched. "They just sent me something too," he growled. "A picture. Of you. Outside the café. Yesterday."

My blood turned to ice.

"They're watching you, Erica. They're not bluffing."