“And have the rest of you accuse me of tearing the group apart and picking favourites?” She frowned at him, the pleasant buzz inside her not abating in the slightest. “You saw what happened when I asked Cian to continue surrogating for me.”
“Mhm. A conversation for another time, I think.” He carefully arranged his expression. “Ready to go inside? They can’t fuck with the cameras this time. It would be too suspicious.”
“So how are we going to talk?” she asked, confused. “Why would Kalen call for a group meeting?”
“Because five of his Alphas are actively stepping in to nurture your bond while the officials scour the countryside for your true mate, and because you’re about to be moved into Dorm A, which makes you one of his charges. A little Sigma-Alpha.”
She scoffed, the laugh leaving her unwillingly. “Right. I thought we were going to talk about …” She swallowed, unable to continue.
“We’ll talk about the attack.” He brushed her cheek lightly. “Just remember to be careful with what you say, that’s all.”
It should have been weird and humiliating to continue a normal conversation after what he had just done, but instead, it felt natural. Theodore made her feel comfortable, easily side-stepping between the role of “surrogate,” and friend.
They entered the common room quietly, glancing around the empty space before Theodore took her hand and tugged her toward the stairs. The Alphas had dragged two of the seating areas together on the rooftop, forming one long table with enough chairs for all of them. Moses was in the kitchen, holding a glass pitcher of water when they reached the top of the stairs.
His nostrils flared, flicking between Theodore and Isobel, and then his grip loosened on the pitcher, leaving it to shatter against the floor. Theodore ignored him, steering her toward one of the free chairs. The rest of the Alphas seemed confused by Moses—who stood as still as a statue—until she reached the table, and then they all reacted at once.
Easton pounced to his feet, backing away from the table and swearing under his breath. Kalen was gripping the edge of the table so hard she heard the groan of stone cracking. Reed and Spade both twitched, their eyes slamming into her, their nostrils flaring. Niko shoved his chair back, muttering about the broken glass as he escaped to the kitchen. Sato, who sat at the far end of the table, arched a dark brow at her, a heavy question in his onyx eyes. Cian rubbed his mouth like he was swallowing back a laugh.
Kilian was the only one who didn’t do anything weird.
He strode over to her and captured her into a tight hug that pulled her feet from the ground. When he set her down again, he suddenly whirled on Theodore, snatching his wrist and pulling Theodore’s hand up between them.
“Wash your hands before you eat,” he said silkily, his tone hiding an undercurrent of sharpness.
Isobel went white, finally realising what everyone was reacting to, but as mortified as she was, the comfortable feeling of her blood singing happily through her veins pushed her to shrug off their stares and sit down. Kilian immediately claimed the seat beside her, tucking her beneath his arm, his nose brushing her hair.
“You smell happy to see us,” he said.
“Shut the hell up.” She elbowed him.
He chuckled, dragging her closer. The others stared at the two of them like they were speaking a foreign language.
“Well.” Easton cleared his throat, glaring at Theodore for several awkward and prolonged seconds before pulling out a seat opposite Isobel. “It’s good to see you awake.”
“So awake,” Cian drawled, flashing her a wry grin. “Super switched on.”
“You can also shut the hell up.” She glared at him, before shyly flicking her eyes to Easton’s tie. “And um, thank you, Professor.”
There was a light scoffing sound from the other side of the table. She wasn’t sure who it came from, because the others were still moving around. Niko and Moses brought over half a dozen dishes from the kitchen before Moses picked up Theodore’s chair, dragging it—and Theodore—away from Isobel. He inserted a chair between them and sank into it, shaking his head at his brother.
Theodore wasn’t even paying attention. He was loading his plate up with food like he hadn’t eaten in a week.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” Easton continued, ignoring the Kane twins.
“What happened to them?” The question almost exploded out of her. She had been waiting to ask it since she opened her eyes in the hospital.
“Them?” Kalen demanded. The whole table stilled. Moses dropped something else. More glass shattered.
“Someone else was there?” Sato snarled. “Nobody else entered the house. We were watching. Eve didn’t mention a second person in her confession and her confession was enough to get her ki—” He paused, his eyes flicking to the side, almost like he was seeking out one of the cameras. “Enough to get her into trouble,” he revised. “So we assumed she wasn’t lying.”
Isobel curled her fingers around her fork, her stomach suddenly churning as she gazed at the food laid out before her. “There was a boy. I can’t remember his name. He was leaving the house when I came in, then he must have looped around and entered through the back.”
“I remember him,” Cian said. “Tall, dark hair, had a look on his face like he was smarter than everyone else. Wore an old motorcycle jacket—”
“Aron,” Kilian croaked.
Another glass exploded, Easton cursing as he shook out his hand.
“Aron?” Cian’s voice was heavy with dread. “As in—”
“Yes.” Kilian swallowed, all of the animation suddenly seeping out of him, his eyes taking on a vacant look. “My ex.”
“He’s not even a student …” Moses trailed off as Kalen stood from the table, pulling out his phone and searching for a number before raising it to his ear and walking away.
“And now he’s as good as dead,” Kilian said, still staring blankly at the table.
“Eve already confessed.” Moses frowned over at Kilian. “Why was Aron even there?”
Isobel swallowed, peeking at Kilian. He didn’t just look emotionless. She couldn’t feel anything from him. Nothing at all. Somehow, that seemed worse than feeling a terrible, heavy pressure against her chest.
“They were both convinced that Kilian was my mate,” she said carefully.
“Why would they think that?” Niko asked, his eyes razor-focussed on her. She had never seen them so clear, the earthy green and rich brown hue blending together, binding her attention so well that she forgot to blink, tears springing up at the strain it took to hold his gaze.
I told her. I broke my promise. This is all my fault.
“I … messed up. I thought she was my friend.”
Niko leaned forward, drawing her further into that forest-green oasis, his power wrapping around her so subtly that she barely realised he was exerting his influence until it draped her like a second skin. “Why would she think that Kilian is your mate?” he repeated, his voice soft.
It would be too easy to lie. To claim that she had nothing to do with it. She could even use the cameras as an excuse.