The heavy metal door clicked shut, cutting off the murmurs of the hallway.
Shadows swallowed the stairwell. Silas backed me against the cinderblock wall. He didn't shove me. He simply walked forward until my shoulder blades hit the cold paint.
His scent flooded the narrow space. Crushed pine and incoming storm clouds.
"Why aren't you shaking?" Silas asked.
"Are you cold?" I countered.
He slammed his palm against the wall, inches from my ear. I didn't blink.
His dark eyes searched my face. A strange tremor ran through his arm. He stared at the bare skin of my neck, right where an Alpha claims a mate. His jaw clenched so tight the muscle jumped beneath his skin.
"You have no idea what you just did," he muttered.
"I secured a week of peace from Rita Jenkins."
"You painted a target on your back. A much bigger one."
Silas stepped back, dragging a hand through his dark hair. The terrifying Alpha of the school paced the concrete landing like a caged animal.
"My family gave me an ultimatum this morning," Silas said, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "Marry a pureblood Alpha by graduation. Secure the bloodline. Or lose everything."
"Congratulations on the engagement," I said flatly.
He stopped pacing. He pinned me with a glare. "I told them I'd rather burn the estate to the ground."
"Family drama. Fascinating. Does this involve me?"
He crossed the distance between us in two strides. He reached out, his fingertips brushing the skin over my pulse point.
A jolt of pure electricity shot through my veins.
Silas yanked his hand away as if I had burned him.
"You feel that," he stated. It wasn't a question.
"Static electricity," I lied.
"You negotiated a week of peace," Silas mocked, ignoring my denial. "What happens on Monday?"
"I'll handle Monday when it arrives. I prefer to manage one crisis at a time."
He let out a short, harsh sound. Not quite a laugh. "You talk like a lawyer."
"I talk like someone who values efficiency."
"Efficiency." He tested the word. "You think confessing to me was efficient?"
"It solved my immediate problem."
"And created a dozen new ones." Silas shoved the heavy door open, letting the fluorescent hallway light spill over us. "Go to class, Omega. Before I do something we both regret."
I walked out. I didn't look back.
The final bell rang at three. I packed my battered backpack, ignoring the stares of my classmates.
The news had spread. Elowen, the bottom-tier Omega, was now Silas Thorne's property.
I pushed through the front doors into the humid afternoon air.
A massive black SUV idled by the curb. Silas leaned against the passenger door, arms crossed over his chest. He watched the crowd of students part around him.
He spotted me.
"Get in," Silas ordered.
"I walk home," I said, adjusting my backpack straps.
"You ride with me."
"Is this part of the fake relationship?"
"Get in the car, Elowen."
I opened the door and slid into the leather seat. He climbed into the driver's side and locked the doors. He didn't start the engine.
"Talk," Silas commanded.
"About the weather?"
"About the fact that you aren't Elowen."
I froze. My fingers tightened on the nylon strap of my bag. "Excuse me?"
"The girl I've watched cower in the cafeteria for three years doesn't look me in the eye." Silas turned in his seat. He unbuckled his seatbelt to face me fully. "She doesn't negotiate with bullies. She cries."
"People snap, Silas. I reached my limit."
"No." He shook his head. "A broken Omega cowers. You stood tall. You challenged me."
"Are you complaining?"
"I'm investigating." He leaned closer over the center console. "Why the sudden change?"
I looked out the tinted window. The students were filtering out, oblivious to the interrogation happening inside the SUV.
"I'm not the Elowen you know," I said.
The words hung between us. The absolute truth, wrapped in a package he could never comprehend.
"Meaning what?" he pressed. "You've been faking the tears? Playing a role?"
"Meaning the girl who let everyone walk all over her is gone." I turned back to face him. "She doesn't exist anymore."
Silas stared at me. His pupils expanded, swallowing the dark brown of his irises. The scent of pine in the car grew impossibly thick, completely overwhelming my senses.
"Good," Silas murmured.
"Good?"
"I hated that girl," he admitted. "She was pathetic."
"And this version?"
"This version is a puzzle." Silas reached across the console. He didn't grab my wrist this time. He laid his palm flat against the back of my hand.
Another electric shock traveled up my arm. My Omega instincts flared, a deep, unsettling vibration rattling my ribs.
"My father is sending his enforcers tomorrow," Silas said quietly. "To ensure I announce my engagement to the Alpha heiress."
"Sounds like a you problem."
He turned his hand over, lacing his fingers through mine. "It's an us problem now."
"I didn't sign up to fight your father."
"You stood in the courtyard and claimed me in front of two hundred witnesses." A dark, genuine smile touched his lips. "You're my excuse."
"Your excuse for what?"
"To refuse the marriage."
"You're taking me to your house?" I asked, my corporate risk-assessment kicking in. "That wasn't part of the deal."
"We didn't make a deal. You made a declaration."
"A fake declaration."
"My father won't know that." Silas pulled his hand back and shifted the car into drive. "He needs a reason why I'm rejecting a multi-million dollar merger disguised as a wedding. You are that reason."
"I require compensation for overtime," I said dryly.
Silas hit the brakes at a stop sign. He looked at me, utterly baffled. "Are you asking me for money?"
"I'm asking for terms. If I'm playing the tragic, forbidden Omega lover to your rebellious Alpha, I want protection. Complete immunity from Rita and her pack."
"Done."
"And I want access to the private study rooms in the library."
He laughed. A real, full-chested sound that filled the quiet cabin of the SUV. "You're insane."
"I'm practical."
"Fine. You get your study rooms." He hit the gas, accelerating down the street. "Anything else?"
"Don't expect me to act submissive."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
We drove in silence for ten minutes. The scenery shifted from the crowded suburban streets to sprawling estates hidden behind wrought-iron gates.
Silas turned the steering wheel, guiding the SUV up a long, winding driveway lined with ancient oak trees. A massive stone mansion loomed at the top of the hill.
"My father is going to threaten you," Silas warned, parking near the grand entrance. "He will offer you money to leave. He might threaten your life."
"Standard negotiation tactics," I replied.
Silas unbuckled his seatbelt. He turned to me, his expression entirely serious. "Do not bare your neck to him. No matter how much Alpha pressure he uses."
"I don't bare my neck for anyone."
"Good." He opened his door. "Let's go meet the family."
