Chapter 6 -

Amaya's pov

I can't look at them.

That's my entire strategy for today-keep my head down, eyes forward, and pretend last night didn't happen. Pretend I didn't let all three of them touch me, claim me, make me fall apart in ways I'm still feeling this morning.

My thighs ache. There's a hickey on my collarbone that my hair barely covers. Every time I shift in my seat during first period, I'm reminded of exactly what we did.

What I let happen.

The bond hums under my skin like a live wire, pulling me toward them even though they're scattered across campus. I can feel Alvaro somewhere to my left-probably in the east wing. Javier's closer, maybe one floor up. Luciano's the farthest, but even his presence registers like a distant drumbeat in my chest.

It's suffocating. This whole mate bond thing is suffocating.

I duck into the bathroom between second and third period, gripping the sink and staring at my reflection. My eyes look different somehow. Brighter. Like something in me has been woken up and won't go back to sleep.

"No," I tell my reflection firmly. "We're not doing this. We're fighting it."

My wolf whines in disagreement, and I ignore her too.

When I slip into AP History, I deliberately choose a seat in the back corner-as far from my usual spot as possible. Alvaro always sits near the middle. If I can just avoid him for one class period, maybe I can prove to myself that I'm still in control.

Except he walks in thirty seconds later, and the bond flares so hot I actually gasp.

His eyes find mine immediately. Of course they do. He probably felt me the second he stepped through the door, same as I felt him.

For a moment, we just stare at each other. His jaw tightens, and there's something hungry in his expression that makes my stomach flip. He looks like he wants to march over here and-

I tear my gaze away, focusing hard on my blank notebook.

He doesn't sit in his usual spot. He takes the desk directly in front of mine instead.

My hands curl into fists. He's doing this on purpose. I can smell him from here.

"Amaya," he says quietly, turning halfway in his seat.

"Don't," I whisper.

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't."

His eyes flash gold for just a second. "Last night-"

"Was a mistake." The words taste like ash in my mouth, but I force them out anyway. "It shouldn't have happened."

The hurt that crosses his face makes my chest ache, but I can't take it back. I won't.

He opens his mouth to respond, but Mrs. Cecilia starts class, and he has no choice but to turn around. I spend the next fifty minutes staring at the back of his head, trying not to think about how my fingers tangled in that dark hair last night. How he groaned my name against my skin.

I'm so distracted I don't hear a word of the lecture.

When the bell rings, I'm out of my seat and through the door before Alvaro can intercept me. My heart's pounding as I navigate the crowded hallway, putting as much distance between us as possible.

Lunch is its own special torture.

I hide in the library, which is supposed to be a safe zone. Except I can still feel them-all three of them-somewhere in the cafeteria. The bond stretches thin but doesn't break, like elastic pulled taut.

My phone buzzes.

Luciano: You're avoiding us.

I stare at the message, then shove my phone in my bag without responding.

By fifth period, I'm exhausted from fighting the constant pull. It's like swimming against a riptide-the harder I struggle, the more tired I get. My wolf is furious with me, snarling and pacing, making my skin feel too tight.

I'm walking to Chemistry when I see them.

Alvaro's standing by his locker, and there's a girl next to him. Madison Reynolds. She's pretty-long blonde hair, perfect smile, and she's currently touching his arm while she laughs at something.

The jealousy hits me like a truck.

My vision actually tunnels. My wolf surges forward, wanting to rip Madison's hand off his arm, wanting to make it very clear that he's ours-

No. No, he's not ours. That's the whole point of avoiding them.

But Madison's still touching him, and she's leaning in close, and Alvaro's not pushing her away. He's just standing there, expression unreadable, while she bats her eyelashes and plays with her hair.

My hands shake. Heat floods through me-not the good kind from last night, but something sharper. More volatile.

Alvaro's eyes suddenly cut to mine across the hallway.

The look on his face makes my breath catch. There's a challenge there, like he's testing me. Seeing if I care. His jaw's tight, and even from this distance, I can see the gold bleeding into his irises.

Madison says something else, touching his chest this time, and I can't-

I turn and walk the other way. Fast. My wolf is howling, and my chest feels like it's caving in, but I keep moving. Through the double doors. Down the science wing. I don't stop until I'm in an empty stairwell, pressing my forehead against the cool concrete wall.

"Breathe," I tell myself. "Just breathe."

Except I can't, because the bond is screaming at me. Because apparently watching another girl flirt with Alvaro is physically painful. Because I'm realizing that fighting this might actually be impossible.

"Amaya?"

Javier's voice makes me spin around. He's standing at the bottom of the stairs, hands in his pockets, concern written all over his face.

Of course. Of course he found me.

"Go away," I say, but there's no force behind it.

He climbs the stairs slowly, carefully, like I'm a spooked animal. "Talk to me. Please."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Bullshit." He stops one step below me, putting us at eye level. "You're running from us. You've been running all day, and it's tearing you apart. I can feel it."

That's the worst part. He can feel it. They all can feel it, just like I feel them.

"I'm fine," I lie.

His dark eyes search mine. "You saw Alvaro with Madison."

My jaw clenches. "I don't care who he talks to."

"Amaya-"

"I said I don't care." But my voice cracks on the last word, betraying me.

Javier steps closer, and I can smell leather and rain and him. "He wasn't encouraging her. He was waiting for you to react."

"Well, I didn't."

"You ran away. That's a reaction."

I hate that he's right. I hate all of this.

"Why are you fighting this?" he asks quietly. "After last night, I thought-"

"Last night was just physical," I cut him off. "The bond makes everything feel more intense than it is. It doesn't mean anything."

The hurt in his eyes mirrors what I saw in Alvaro's earlier. "You don't believe that."

I do. I have to.

Because if I don't fight this-if I let myself fall into whatever this is-I'll lose myself completely. I'll become someone who exists just for them, whose whole world revolves around three alpha wolves who could destroy me without even trying.

"Leave me alone, Javier," I whisper.

He stares at me for a long moment. Then he reaches out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. The touch sends electricity racing across my skin.

"We're not giving up on you," he says softly. "No matter how hard you run."

Then he turns and walks back down the stairs, leaving me alone with my racing heart and the bond that won't stop singing.