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."

Tyler POV

I couldn't breathe when I saw it.

The photo was grainy, taken from across the street-zoomed in, shaky-but I knew the shape of her. Erica. Head down. Cream sweater. Carrying chai in one hand, her other bandaged. Alexis was beside her, talking too much as always, but the focus of the image was crystal clear.

It was Erica they wanted.

The message came with the photo. Five words.

"We see her. Every time."

No name. No threat. But it didn't have to be.

I grabbed my jacket and keys, ignoring Coach Aster's voicemail and the growing number of texts from Jenkins asking if I'd heard about some "league buzz." I didn't care about buzz. Or my contract. Or the fact that I was one toe over the line with the Board already.

I cared about one thing.

Keeping her safe.

When I burst through my apartment door and saw the envelope clutched in Erica's trembling hands, something inside me cracked.

"They sent me something too," I growled, slamming the door behind me. "A picture. Of you. From yesterday."

Erica's eyes widened. Alexis sucked in a sharp breath beside her.

"They're watching you, Erica. Closely. This wasn't random."

She didn't speak, didn't even blink. I moved toward her, taking the envelope from her fingers. My hands brushed hers, and I felt it-that silent tremor running through her. The fear she wasn't showing but couldn't hide from me.

I opened the envelope and read the note.

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

My jaw clenched hard enough to ache.

"What does that even mean?" Alexis whispered. "Not who you think he is? Is that supposed to scare her off?"

"They want her isolated," I muttered, voice low. "They want her afraid. Alone. Easy to control."

Erica finally looked up at me. "But who is 'they,' Tyler? Who even cares this much about us being... whatever this is?"

I didn't know how to answer that.

Because the truth was-I had enemies.

Not by name, maybe. But by nature.

Guys who hated that I got a second chance. Guys who thought a violent alpha like me didn't deserve to play again. People in the league who wanted me gone. Hell, half the media vultures would light a match if I handed them the gasoline.

And now I had something to lose. Someone to protect.

They knew it.

I sat beside her, handing the letter to Alexis.

"I need to know everything you saw, Mol. Yesterday. Before the café. After. Anything strange?"

She frowned, clearly thinking. "There was... a car. Parked outside our dorm. I thought it was just waiting for someone, but it was there again when we left."

"Same car?"

"I think so. It was dark blue. Older model. Windows tinted."

I nodded. "You remember the plates?"

She shook her head.

"Damn it," I muttered.

Alexis stood. "I can check the security cam from the café. The guy behind the counter is obsessed with me. He'll let me scroll through footage if I ask nicely."

"Do it." I looked at her. "But don't go alone."

"I'm not stupid," she snapped, grabbing her bag. "I'll take that beta from chem class who's been trying to carry my textbooks all semester."

"Name?"

"Ravi."

"Make sure Ravi keeps his hands to himself."

She smirked. "Yes, Alpha."

Once she was gone, the silence between Erica and me stretched.

She picked at the edge of her sleeve, biting her lip.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

I reached for her hand. "I know."

"I don't understand why they're doing this. Why me?"

"Because you're close to me. And someone out there wants me to lose."

She blinked at me. "That's really all it takes?"

I nodded. "In this world? Yeah."

I saw the thoughts swirling in her head. The doubts. The unspoken question sitting heavy in her throat.

Am I worth this?

I leaned in, brushing her hair from her face.

"You're not a problem," I murmured. "You're the reason I haven't lost my shit yet. You keep me grounded. Focused. They know that. That's why they're trying to pull you away."

"But what if they succeed?"

"They won't."

She exhaled shakily. "Erica, what if they're right? About you. About who you are."

I froze.

That hurt more than I wanted to admit.

But I deserved it. My past wasn't clean. I'd done things I wasn't proud of. Rage, fists, bad decisions. The incident with the ref wasn't my first outburst-it was just the most public.

"I'm not proud of who I was," I said quietly. "But I've spent every day since trying to be better. Trying to be someone who deserves this second chance. Someone who deserves you."

Her eyes shimmered. "You already are."

We sat in silence for a beat.

Then her stomach growled.

She looked mortified. I laughed softly and stood. "Come on. I'll make you something."

"You cook?"

"When necessary."

An hour later, we were halfway through the worst pancakes known to man-burnt on one side, raw on the other-but she was smiling. And that was enough.

"I think I lost some tastebuds," she joked, chasing the edge of a pancake with her fork.

"You're just jealous of my culinary skill."

"Oh, absolutely. What would I do without your rubbery masterpieces?"

I smirked. "Probably live longer."

Her laugh warmed the room. For a second, everything felt normal. Safe.

Then my phone buzzed.

I checked it.

A new message.

Unknown Number: You're too late. It's already begun.

I stood so fast my chair scraped across the floor.

Erica froze. "What?"

"They sent another message," I said. "Something's happening now."

I grabbed my keys. "We're going. Pack a bag. Just essentials."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere they won't find us."

Ten minutes later, she was in my passenger seat, clutching her duffel like a shield.

"Where is this place?" she asked.

"Friend of mine. Old teammate. He has a cabin two hours from here. No neighbors. No cameras. Off-grid."

Erica looked at me, uncertain. "And we're just... hiding?"

"We're buying time."

She exhaled. "Tyler..."

"I need you to trust me."

"I do."

But even as she said it, I saw the flicker of fear behind her eyes.

We drove in silence for a while, the city shrinking in the rearview mirror. Trees grew thicker, roads narrower.

Just as we reached the forest line, my phone buzzed again.

One image.

Sent from the same anonymous number.

My jaw locked as I stared at the screen.

It was a photo of Alexis.

Tied to a chair.

Blood on her lip.

Eyes wide with terror.

Erica saw the picture.

And screamed.

I slammed the brakes and the car fishtailed on gravel.

"Erica-don't panic. We're turning around."

She grabbed my arm, trembling. "They have her. Tyler-they have Lex."

I looked at the photo again.

And this time, I noticed what was behind her chair.

A jersey. Mine.

Pinned to the wall with a knife through the logo.

They weren't just after Erica.

They wanted to destroy me, piece by piece.

Starting with the people I loved.