Rejected by the Beta, Chosen by the Alpha

"No." | backed up until | hit the wall. "That's... that’s illegal. That's insane. You can’t trap people—"

"They don’t care." Lucas stood now too. "You think this school is just an elite academy in the middle of nowhere?

It's a hunting ground. A buffet. A perfectly curated farm of warm, gullible humans delivered like lambs to the

slaughter."

My blood went cold.

"They knew," he continued. "They knew sof us would notice. Would panic. So they took care of that too. No

way out. Not unless... well. Unless you belong to them."

| sank to the bed, mind reeling.

Sara.

What if she—

No. No, no, no.

"I need to find her," | muttered. "If there’s no leaving, then | need to make sure she’s not—" | couldn't even finish

the sentence.

Lucas nodded. "She's probably still alive. They like to play with their food."

The words hit like a slap.

"Lucas," | whispered. "Why are you still here?"

He gavea half-smile. "Because | know the rules now. | don’t go out after sunset. | don’t speak to anyone who

smells like flowers and ashes. | don’t drink. | don’t dance. | don’t follow."

That last word rang through my head like a warning.

"But," he added, "that doesn’t mean I'm safe. It just means | haven't been picked again. Yet."

The room felt colder. Like the shadows in the corners had started listening. Breathing. Stretching.

| stared out the window. Somewhere out there, beneath the glow of Ziprey’s artificial lights, something

monstrous was prowling. Smiling. Waiting.

And we were stuck.

"They'll cfor us," | said softly.

Lucas didn’t argue.

We sat there in silence, the truth sinking in deeper than fangs into flesh.

There was no going home.

Not without a fight.

sok AAk

| would have to wait until morning.

At least, that’s what Lucas thought was a good idea.

"No use getting yourself killed in the dark," he said, not even looking up from his phone. "They hunt more at

night. If she’s still alive, she'll still be alive in the morning."

His words chilledmore than the night air leaking through the window.

If.

If she’s still alive.

I hated that word.

It wasn’t just a word—it was a verdict hanging over Sara’s head like a guillotine.

But as much as | wanted to storm out into the night, charge into that cursed old lecture hall, and scream her

nuntil the walls bled, Lucas was right.

| wasn’t strong.

I wasn't fast.

Hell, | didn’t even have a plan.

If | went out now, I'd die. And then what? Another missing student. Another "anemic" body found by a janitor or

not found at all. And Sara? She'd still be out there—alone.

No. | needed to be smart.

I needed to live.

Because what good was | to her if | ended up a dried-up corpse stuffed behind srenovation tarp?

So | stayed.

Paced the room like a caged animal. Kept checking my phone like maybe the screen would light up with her

nif | stared hard enough. The minutes dragged like lead weights. The silence in the room pressed down on

me, wrapping around my throat. Even Lucas had stopped talking.

Every creak in the hall outside made my heart jump.

Every gust of wind against the glass sounded like claws.

| tried to convince myself that morning would csoon.

But in this place, tmoved like it was being strangled.

And the worst part was knowing that somewhere out there in the dark... Sara might be alone. Or worse—not

alone at all.

| sat on my bed and stared at the door.

| wasn’t going to sleep.

I couldn't.

Not when my best friend could be bleeding out somewhere.

Or worse—enjoying it.

No. Don’t think like that.

She's strong. She’s smart. She's probably hiding.

That's what | told myself as | sat there through the night, waiting for the sun to rise—praying I'd still have

someone to save when it did.

Because when morning came, | was going to find her.

Even if it killed me.

| didn’t sleep.

Not even for a second.

| spent the entire night clutching my phone like a lifeline, texting Sara, calling her, leaving voicemails. Over and

over again. Her nsat stubbornly at the top of my screen, the little "delivered" checkmarks mockingwith

every unanswered message.

Nothing.

No call back. No text. No "I'm okay."

Just silence.

And that silence? It ate at me. Chewed at my insides like guilt-shaped termites, hollowingout.

I hated it.

| hated that | couldn’t protect her.

I hated that | was a coward—that | ran.

| should've stayed. | should've done something. Anything.

But... Blaze.

Blaze was a vampire. | should've known the moment | saw him. The too-pale skin, like snow under moonlight.

The way he moved—soundless, swift, almost like he didn’t obey the laws of this world. That first day | asked for

directions, | thought he was just... weird.

But he wasn’t weird.

He wasn’t human.

And last night, when he pickedup like | weighed nothing, when he zoomed through the halls faster than any

person should be able to move—and then just vanished...

Yeah.

| didn’t need any more proof.

He wasn’t one of us.

| was lucky. He said so himself. "Lucky his demons like my scent."

What the hell did that even mean?

Demons. Vampires. Werewolves. Blood cults.

This was no school.

It was a goddamn feeding ground.

And | was just... walking meat.

| rubbed my arms, trying to ease the tremble in my hands. | was still wearing the sclothes from last night. |

hadn’t eaten. | hadn't even gone near the door. Every creak in the hallway felt like a fang pressing into my skin.

But the worst part?

Sara.

Where was she?

| kept thinking about her bright eyes and that silly grin she gavewhen we first got here. Her excitement, her

curiosity. The way she thought this place was "cool." Like it was sfairy-tale castle. Like we were the chosen

ones.

And now?

Now she could be...

No.

| squeezed my eyes shut.

Don’t think it. Don’t you fucking think it.

If | was going to survive this, | had to be smart.

I had to be careful.

And most of all—I had to stop being alone.

Which meant...

Reed.

I didn’t know what the hell Reed was.

He wasn’t normal, that was for sure. He moved like a predator, glared like a monster, and had a presence that

made people shut up and back down without a word. But he wasn’t one of them. At least... | didn’t think so.

When | looked into Blaze’s eyes, | saw hunger.

When I looked into Reed's?

| saw restraint. Barely, yes—but it was there. He didn’t like me. He made that clear. But he saved me. Twice.

And around here?

That counted for something.

| had no plan. No backup. No family. No escape route.

But maybe—just maybe—if | stayed close to Reed, I'd stand a chance. Even if | had to cling to him like a lost

puppy. Even if he growled every t| opened my mouth. | didn’t care.

Because surviving meant doing things you didn’t want to do.

And if Sara was still out there?

| was going to find her.

Even if | had to walk through hell to do it.

Morning couldn’t cfast enough. The sky outside shifted from pitch black to a murky gray, and | grabbed my

jacket the moment the light bled through the blinds. Lucas was still asleep, but | didn’t care. | had one mission—

find Sara. My legs felt weak, my stomach twisted, but | moved anyway. | had to. I'd dragged her into this place.

Now it was onto pull her out.

word

word

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