Chapter 19
The next morning, I woke up feeling strangely light. Like I’d shed something heavy in my sleep. But the moment I remembered Ian was still in the house, my heart stuttered in my chest.
I tiptoed out to the living room.
He wasn’t on the couch.
Panic shot through me—until I heard clattering in the kitchen.
I walked in to find him shirtless, cooking scrambled eggs like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“Morning,” he said without turning. “Hope you like eggs.”
“You’re cooking?” I blinked.
“I cook when I’m stressed,” he said simply, plating the eggs and placing them on the table. “Which means you’ll be getting a five-course meal every time you walk into danger.”
I sat across from him, watching the way the morning light slid over the lines of his back. There was something intimate about the whole thing. Like we weren’t two people from different worlds. Like we were just… us.
“You didn’t have to stay,” I whispered.
“I wanted to.”
We ate in silence, the air between us thick with unsaid things.
After breakfast, he walked me to campus. Everyone stared. And whispered. I kept my head down, but Ian didn’t seem to care. In fact, he walked even closer, his hand occasionally brushing mine.
At the library, he paused.
“I’ll see you later,” he said. “Text me when you’re done. No wandering off.”
I smiled. “Yes, Alpha.”
He smirked. “Say that again.”
I flushed and shoved him lightly. “Go.”
He left, and I went inside—still smiling—until a familiar voice stopped me cold.
“Ava.”
I turned to see Professor Lyle standing near the desk. His eyes were sharp, his mouth twisted in a strange mix of concern and suspicion.
“I need to speak with you. Privately.”
He led me to his office, shut the door, and then looked at me like I was a puzzle he’d just solved.
“You’ve been spending time with Ian Dawson.”
My heart thudded. “What of it?”
He studied me. “You need to be careful. That boy carries a dark legacy. One you don’t understand.”
“What are you talking about?”
He leaned in. “Did your mother ever tell you why she really fled her old pack?”
I stiffened. “She said it was because of a war.”
“There was a war,” he nodded. “But it wasn’t random. It was a planned purge. They were hunting bloodlines.”
My throat went dry. “What do you mean?”
“You come from a rare lineage, Ava. Your father wasn’t just any omega. He was born of a cursed union—one the Alphas feared. Your mother kept that secret to protect you.”
“No,” I whispered. “That can’t be true.”
“It is. And now you’re bonding with Ian—an Alpha heir with a temper, and a destiny tangled with darkness. If anyone finds out what you are… they won’t just come for you. They’ll come for him too.”
I stood frozen, heart hammering like it wanted to escape.
“You should stay away from him,” he said gently. “For both your sakes.”
But as I left his office, one thing was clear in my mind.
I couldn’t stay away from Ian Dawson.
Even if the whole world wanted me to.