Chapter 2
Ian didn’t say anything right away. He just looked at me, eyes narrowed like he was trying to figure something out.
I felt tiny under his gaze, like I didn’t belong in his world. My stomach twisted with nerves. I wanted to run, but my legs refused to move.
Then he tilted his head slightly, his eyes dropping to my face—no, not just my face. My glasses. My whole awkward look.
He didn’t laugh. Didn’t make a joke. Just stared.
I swallowed hard, still frozen in place.
He finally stepped aside without a word, and just walked past me.
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. I let out the breath I was holding and practically ran the rest of the way to the bleachers where Luke was waiting.
“Hey, Ava! You good?” Luke asked, handing me a bottle of water.
I nodded, still catching my breath. “Yeah. Just… bumped into someone.”
He gave me a curious look but didn’t press.
That was the thing about Luke—he never pushed. Never judged. That’s probably why I trusted him.
We sat for a while, just chatting about classes and assignments. He always helped me out when I was stuck, and today was no different. He explained a few notes, then offered to walk me home later.
But I declined. I needed time to think. Alone.
As I walked through campus, I couldn’t stop replaying what had happened. That moment when I’d looked into Ian’s eyes. The way my heart reacted—as if it had a mind of its own.
Why did he affect me like that?
I was just a nobody in this pack. An omega. A nerd. Someone who spent more time hiding than living.
He was everything I wasn’t—powerful, popular, dangerous.
And yet… something inside me stirred every time I saw him.
When I got home, my mom was waiting with dinner, her smile softening my mood.
We ate in quiet comfort. But as I lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts returned to Ian again.
And the worst part?
I wanted to see him again.
Even if it scared me.