Unconsciously, Axel shut the door behind him with a soft click and broke into a hurried pace, chasing after the guide.
There was no way... absolutely no way he was going to stay in the same room with Ivan.
Just the thought of being confined in the same space with him made his skin feel too tight, his breath shallow.
It didn't matter whether Ivan would recognize him or not. That wasn't the point. The simple truth that Ivan was here, in the flesh, breathing the same air, and he knew exactly how he felt about him.. was enough to spin Axel's thoughts into a storm.
His scent.
Axel gritted his teeth, the memory of it still fresh, still clinging to his senses. Ivan's scent hit him like a silent, invisible wave.. sweet, warm, maddeningly inviting.
It crept into his lungs, nestled into the corners of his thoughts. It was overwhelming, like standing too close to fire, not enough to burn, but too much to bear for long.
And he couldn't even tell if it was simply nostalgia pulling at him because of what they had shared online, or if it was...
Could Ivan be his mate?
"No," Axel muttered to himself, sharply cutting through the thought before it could grow roots.
They couldn't be mates. That was impossible. Ivan clearly liked girls. He wasn't gay. So how could the universe make such a cruel mistake? How could they be bonded if Ivan would never return those feelings?
And.., that scent can't allow him to stay in the same room with Ivan. What if it pushed him into heat? What if someone noticed and exposed his lie?
If anyone found out the truth, it wouldn't just be embarrassing. The Academy authorities could throw him out without a second thought.
"Why the fck did I even lie?" Axel whispered under his breath, his voice edged with frustration and fear.
He caught up to the guide just as the man reached the base of the staircase. The older man turned slightly, raising an eyebrow.
"Excuse me," Axel said, struggling to keep his tone steady despite the pounding of his heart.
The man's brow furrowed slightly. "Is there a problem?"
Axel dropped his voice lower, trying to sound calm, almost apologetic. "Is there… any way I can change my room?" he asked. "Like I mentioned earlier, I'm not really in the best health, and I'm worried about climbing the stairs every day. My condition makes it a bit difficult sometimes."
The words flowed smoothly off his tongue, too smoothly, even for him. Another lie. Another damn lie. He didn't even know how many lies he'd told since stepping past the gates of this place.
The guide regarded him for a long, unreadable moment. "Why didn't you say something earlier when we were heading up?" he asked, his voice neutral but skeptical.
Axel shifted on his feet. "I didn't want to be a bother. But the more I thought about it… it's not safe for me. I'll end up hurting myself if I push it."
There. Another lie. He hated how easy it was becoming.
The guide sighed. "I'm sorry, but it's too late. You arrived at the last minute. All rooms are filled, and we can't reshuffle things now. If your application had mentioned your health condition, we would've arranged accordingly. But I'm guessing it didn't."
Axel said nothing, his mind blank. The guide's tone wasn't rude, but it was final. As the man turned and walked away, the weight of reality hit Axel harder than ever. He could feel it in his legs, weak, shaking, helpless.
He wanted to blame someone. Anyone. But the truth stared him cold in the face. This was all his doing.
He sat on the stairs, trying to collect himself before heading back. His thoughts had drifted so far, he barely felt present until a voice snapped him back to reality.
"No offense, but if you were an Omega… I'd seriously be questioning my sexuality, considering to become gay for you. Hell, I'd be praying day and night for the Moon Goddess to mate me to you."
Axel's head snapped up, startled by the unexpected voice. At the bottom of the stairs stood a young man with a teasing grin.
His posture was relaxed, hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers, curly dark hair tumbling just to his neck, giving him a laid-back, almost careless charm.
Axel blinked. Did that guy just… flirt with him?
He wasn't used to this. Not even a little. No one had ever flirted with him so boldly before, especially not while knowing he was a man. He had spent his whole life dodging cruel comments, bullies, and whispers behind his back. And now... this?
His brain scrambled to make sense of it, but instead, he folded his arms across his chest, trying to reassert some form of control. "Is that a compliment or an insult?" he asked coolly, trying to deepen his voice just slightly, make it sound less shaken than he felt.
The guy tilted his head. "What do you think?" he said, his grin widening. "Judging by how you look... and the fact that you joined at the very last second, it's obvious you didn't want to be here. Everyone else came in smiling. You? You look like someone forced you in."
Axel exhaled slowly, trying not to react. He stood up. "Nice meeting you, stranger. See you around."
He was already climbing the stairs when the voice floated up after him. "I'm Adrian, by the way."
Axel didn't respond, but the name lingered. Friendly people like that weren't common in his world. Every interaction in high school had been cold at best and humiliating at worst.
He had expected to walk in here and be seen as a fraud. A weakling in Alpha's clothing. But somehow, he was still standing. Maybe he hadn't just met the real people.
Yet, the small thread of relief snapped the moment he reached his room.
His suitcase was missing.
Frowning, he pushed the door open, and before he could even start looking around, his gaze landed on the suitcase and straight to Ivan. Everything else faded into the background.
Ivan was no longer half naked. He wore a pair of black sweatpants and a loose-fitting black t-shirt, his hair a little tousled. He looked restless. Angry. Pacing the room with his phone clutched tightly in one hand, his jaw clenched and brows drawn together.
Then, with a frustrated grunt, he threw his phone onto the bed and let out a low growl of annoyance. His breathing was heavy, like he had just been holding something in for too long and finally let it out.
Axel stood frozen at the doorway, not knowing if he should stay or turn back.
But he enters anyway, tried to force himself mind his own business. But before he coud even do that, Ivan turned toward him. "Lend me your phone," he said, his voice came with a bit of demand. "No one has ever dared to do something like this to me Blocked!? She dragged me into this mess, and now she thinks she can just walks away like I don't even deserve an explanation?!"
Axel's stomach dropped.
This time it wasn't just panic, but actual, paralyzing panic.