Array
(
[text] =>

---

The next morning, the air inside the Alaric mansion was thick. Unspoken words clung to the walls like dust no one dared clean.

Zayn came down the grand staircase dressed in his signature college fit black jeans, dark jacket, silver hoops glinting, his face emotionless but sharp like a drawn blade. The bruise on his cheek had bloomed into a light purple, and the cut on his lip was faint but still visible.

He entered the dining room and silently pulled out a chair. The cutlery clinked lightly as Amelia set a plate in front of him. Across the long table, Leonard Alaric glanced at his son with that same cold judgment he’d always carried in his eyes.

Zayn didn’t even flinch.

He behaved like his father wasn’t there at all. Like he was just another expensive piece of furniture in a house that never felt like home.

Amelia tried.

“Son… are you okay?” she asked gently, her eyes scanning the bruise.

Zayn’s fork froze mid-air.

He slowly lifted his gaze and looked straight at her.

His eyes didn’t scream.

They burned.

So full of rage, of betrayal, of every silent scream he had swallowed since childhood that Amelia visibly stepped back from her place behind the chair.

He didn’t speak.

He just finished the last bite, picked up his phone and stood.

“I won’t be coming home for the next few days,” Zayn said, his voice cold. “I’ll be at my apartment.”

Amelia looked worried. “Zayn.”

“And I don’t want calls. Or texts,” he cut her off, grabbing his bag. “Not from either of you. Otherwise you also got blocked the way your other son is blocked right now.”

And just like that, he walked out. No goodbyes. No backward glance.

Just silence and the echo of his footsteps fading.

---

By the time Zayn reached the college gates, his usual swagger had returned but it was different.

It wasn’t confidence today.

It was a shield.

“Zayn!” Rhys’s voice pulled him out of his daze as he walked across campus. His best friend jogged toward him, concern plastered across his face.

But before Rhys could say anything, he saw the bruise.

He stopped mid-step.

Zayn turned his face slightly, but not fast enough.

“Zayn…” Rhys whispered. “What the hell happened? This wasn’t there yesterday.”

Zayn looked at him, then lifted his hand and brushed it off, covering the injury.

“Nothing,” he said sharply.

But Rhys’s jaw clenched.

Because deep down, he already knew.

And that made his stomach twist in helpless anger.

Zayn walked ahead, cutting the conversation short, and Rhys followed without pressing. He knew when to give space… even if it hurt.

---

The lecture room was full when they entered. Students were murmuring, scrolling their phones, whispering gossip. Zayn slid into his usual seat near the back, Rhys beside him. A few moments later, Elior walked in and sat in the same row a few seats away. Their eyes met briefly. Zayn looked away.

The professor entered.

Miss Clarissa Marlowe.

Everyone went silent.

But Zayn knew this wasn’t going to be a peaceful class.

It never was when she was around.

The lecture started, but within five minutes, the teacher’s tone shifted. Subtle digs. Backhanded comments. Then not-so-subtle ones.

“Some students think college is for dressing like a model and seducing people instead of learning. Maybe their parents never taught them basic manners.”

The class chuckled nervously.

Zayn didn’t react. He just sat there, jaw tight, fingers drumming against the desk.

Rhys shot a glance at him and slowly slid his hand under the table, grabbing Zayn’s fist before it could clench.

Zayn looked at him sideways, and Rhys gave a slight shake of his head.

Don’t.

But the teacher wasn’t done.

“And some students come from such prestigious families,” she said with a fake smile, “but unlike their brilliant older siblings, they’re just… disappointing. It’s amazing how mediocrity can still be passed off as charm nowadays.”

Zayn’s body went stiff.

Everyone knew who she was talking about.

Zayn’s brother. The golden child. The perfect Alaric.

His breathing grew heavy, lips pressing together hard.

He opened his mouth about to snap But before a single word left his tongue.

“Ma’am,” Elior’s voice rang out from across the class.

Miss Marlowe stopped. Everyone turned toward him.

Elior leaned forward on his desk, voice smooth but razor-sharp.

“I don’t mean to interrupt your… very focused lecture,” he said with a polite smile, “but last Friday, I passed by Monte Park. I saw a man that looked a lot like your husband holding hands with a young woman. She looked… definitely not like you.”

Gasps.....Dead silence The professor paled.

“I think,” Elior continued with mock concern, “you should perhaps focus more on your family issues and teaching quality… rather than constantly singling out and insulting a particular student.”

Clarissa was frozen.

Her mouth opened, then closed.

For the first time, she didn’t have a comeback.

All she could do was straighten her back, murmur something unintelligible, and awkwardly continue the lecture suddenly very focused on the textbook.

Everyone was whispering Eyes flicked between Zayn and Elior.

Zayn looked to his side Elior didn’t look at him But a smirk tugged at his lips.

---

After class, as students filed out, Rhys leaned close and whispered, “You okay?”

Zayn blinked, still stunned.

“…Yeah,” he said.

Rhys glanced across the room at Elior.

“…You sure?”

Zayn didn’t answer.

But something in his chest tightened not in pain this time Something else.

---

Zayn sat on the edge of the stone bench, scrolling his phone. His eyes were half-lidded with boredom while Rhys and Elior stood nearby, chatting about something casual assignments or maybe the teacher’s awkward silence earlier.

Then his phone buzzed.

A single message popped up on the screen:

> “Meet me outside the college gates in 10 minutes. Or I’ll show everyone what your nights really look like.”

Zayn’s thumb paused. He blinked once, then twice.

Slowly, a smirk curved at the edge of his lips.

“Now I think someone’s about to die.”

He stood up so suddenly that Elior and Rhys both turned in surprise.

“Hey.....Zayn?” Rhys said quickly, stepping in front of him. “What happened? What do you mean someone’s gonna die?”

Zayn didn’t answer. Instead, he wordlessly held out his phone.

Rhys’s eyes scanned the message, and his expression shifted from confusion to alarm.

“Who’s this?”

Zayn shrugged with nonchalance, though his eyes were burning. “Someone I slept with once.”

Rhys blinked. “So now he’s blackmailing you?”

Zayn’s voice came out low, dangerously calm.

“Do you think I’m scared? I’m going to fucking kill him.”

Before he could move forward again, Elior grabbed his wrist.

“Okay, okay......Angry Bird relax,” Elior said, forcing a chuckle to break the tension. “We know you can kill someone with a single look. But maybe let’s not get arrested today?”

Zayn yanked his hand free. “Let go.”

“No.” Elior’s voice was firm now. “You need to calm the hell down. If you go there like this, he’ll think he has power over you. That you’re threatened.”

“I don’t care what he thinks,” Zayn spat.

“But I do.” Elior stepped forward, their faces inches apart. “Let me handle it. Rhys will stay with you. Just trust me for once.”

Zayn’s jaw clenched.

“Elior, this is my mess.”

“Exactly. And that’s why I’m stepping in. Because you never let anyone clean up the mess with you. But today.” he leaned closer, voice low, “you don’t have to go alone.”

Rhys gently tugged at Zayn’s arm. “Zayn, please. Just wait. Let Elior talk to him. We’re not saying back down. We’re just saying… be smart about it.”

Zayn looked between them, fury still storming in his chest.

Then, slowly, reluctantly, he exhaled.

“…Fine.”

He turned away and sat back down But his eyes remained locked on the college gates.

---

Outside the Gates

A tall, cocky-looking alpha leaned against the fence, phone in hand, smirking to himself.

He looked up when footsteps approached.

But it wasn’t Zayn.It was Elior And he wasn’t smiling.

“Who the hell are you?” the guy scoffed, pushing off the fence.

Elior walked until he was a breath away from him and said, coldly:

“I’m the guy who’s going to rearrange your teeth if you ever text Zayn again.”

The alpha’s smirk faded for a second, then came back. “Ohh, so he sent his New toy now? That’s cute. I just wanted to remind him of the good time we had. And maybe share some pictures with his friends if he’s feeling shy.”

Elior smiled.

But it didn’t reach his eyes.

He grabbed the guy by the collar, slammed him back into the fence, and whispered, “Do it. Post one single thing. And I promise, you’ll be drinking through a straw for the next six months.”

The alpha tried to struggle, but Elior didn’t move.

He leaned even closer. “he’s not alone anymore. So if you even breathe his name again.” his eyes darkened, “I’ll find you.”

The guy swallowed hard.

“…Whatever,” he muttered, yanking himself free.

He turned and walked away fast, trying to look cool but tripping once in his panic.

---

Back Inside

Zayn sat, legs crossed, arms folded, clearly fuming.

Elior walked up and tossed something into Zayn’s lap.His phone.

“Next time, block him properly,” Elior said.

Zayn raised a brow. “He’s gone?”

“Pissing his pants,” Elior said with a grin.

Zayn smirked. “Not bad.”

“You’re welcome.”

Rhys just shook his head, standing behind both of them with his arms crossed. “Seriously, you two are gonna kill me someday with all this drama.”

"You two are the perfect pair.....like hey you killed someone and I'll clean up your mess." Rhys said.

Zayn leaned back on the bench, finally letting out a long breath.

---

[text_hash] => 63fff911
)