Ciro's POV
If someone had told me a few days ago that I'd end up regretting taking a little free time for myself, I would've laughed in their face. But now? Now I'm laughing at myself — and not in a fun way.
Midterms are three days away, which means no sleep, no peace, and no excuses. I have until Friday afternoon to survive. Then I can pass out with no regrets.
Our shared assignment was thankfully pushed to next week, which should've been a relief. But no, I had to go and sabotage myself elsewhere.
Somehow, I ended up agreeing to a study session with Leone.
We'd been walking out of the lecture hall when he turned to me, smiled, and asked if I wanted to join his group. I should've said no. I meant to say no.
But my mouth said yes.
So now I was sitting in a study room surrounded by five other students I'd only just met. Three alphas. Two omegas. One of them being Leone.
Do I regret this? Absolutely.
Can I concentrate? Not even a little.
Their pheromones were everywhere — cloying and sweet and heavy like someone dumped a bottle of perfume into the air. I could barely breathe, let alone think.
And the worst part?
They wouldn't shut up.
I tried. I really did. I stared at my laptop screen and typed the same sentence four times. Every time, their conversations pulled me back in like some annoying gravitational force.
I blinked. Wait… were they all dating?
Well, that explains the pheromones. No dampeners, no suppressants, just a hotbox of bonded energy choking the rest of us to death.
I glanced back at my notes. Half a line. Amazing progress.
Meanwhile, they were giggling and nudging each other like this was a brunch date and not a midterm cram session. If Kenan were here, I'd never hear the end of it. But at least I'd get something done.
I was pulled out of my daze when Leone nudged me gently.
I blinked. "Hmm?"
"How's your studying going?"
I sighed. "I'm just doing notes for now."
Unfortunately, that was the signal for the rest of the group to pounce.
"So are you guys seeing each other?" one of the alphas grinned. "Leone never brings anyone to study with us."
My brain unplugged itself and walked out of the room.
I shot a side glance at Leone, lips twitching into a sheepish smile — but he beat me to the punch.
"It's not like that."
Obviously. I've known him for like… what? Two weeks?
Another omega piped up, all wide eyes and fake innocence. "Ciro, aren't you dating the class president from A12?"
"Kenan?" I laughed. "No. We're just project partners."
The omega smiled knowingly. "Oh, like us! We started dating after our compatibility test. We got 65%."
"That's… nice," I said, unsure what else to offer.
"But you and Kenan scored super low, didn't you?"
Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated?
"Yeah. We did."
"So how do you even get along?"
Before I could answer, Leone's voice cut through sharply. "Alright, guys. That's enough."
Thank you.
But of course, someone still had to get the last word in.
"Are you guys switching partners next week?"
Switching?
"What do you mean?"
"For the Hunting Event," the alpha explained. "You can swap partners mid-round if both agree. Didn't they tell you?"
I tilted my head, frowning. That… would've been nice to know.
When the session finally ended, it was already late. I hadn't even made it halfway through my study list, and I still had a second session with Kenan an hour later.
Still, I packed up my things and said goodbye to the group. Leone lingered behind.
"Hey, sorry about earlier," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's fine," I muttered, stuffing my laptop — still open — into my bag. I didn't even bother closing it. I wasn't going far.
"You're not leaving?"
"Nah. Meeting someone to study again."
"So you're not trying to beat the top student?"
I smiled. "I guess not."
"I was gonna ask if I could jo—"
His voice cut off, gaze shifting just behind me.
Right on cue, Kenan strolled past me like he owned the damn library. Not a glance. Not a nod. Just passed me.
I rolled my eyes, then looked back at Leone. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
He forced a smile. "Nothing. I was just leaving."
"See you around," I said, waving him off.
I tossed my bag down on the next table, dramatically.
Kenan was already lounging in his chair, legs stretched out like royalty.
"You're late," he said, checking his phone.
"I'm exactly on time."
"Late in spirit, then."
I set up my things without replying.
"So… you and Leone?" he asked casually, fingers flying across his keyboard.
"What about it?"
"When did you guys get so close?"
Why is everyone asking that?
"Do we seem close?"
"No. Just thought I'd ask. Poor guy."
I leaned on the table, propping my chin on my hand. "I told Meena the same thing."
Kenan let out a breath of amusement, then said, "Did you know we can switch partners next week?"
"So I've heard."
"What do you think about that?"
"My heart skipped a beat," I replied flatly. "Finally, I can get rid of you."
He sucked his teeth like I'd personally offended him. I ignored it, flipping open my notebook and going back to my slides.
We returned to our work, side by side. No pheromones. No flirting couples. Just me, Kenan, and the strangest sense of calm I'd felt all day.
We worked in silence after that ; the kind where the air feels heavy even when no one's talking.
I jotted something down from the slide, but the feeling of being watched kept creeping up my spine.
I glanced up. Kenan was staring. Not at my notes. Not at the screen.
At me.
The moment our eyes met, he looked away. Too fast.
I blinked. "You good?"
He clicked his pen once. "Peachy."
That was weird.
I stretched out in my seat, trying to shake off the tension. "You're awfully quiet tonight."
Kenan didn't look at me. "Didn't realize I needed to entertain you."
I raised a brow. "Didn't say that."
He leaned back, eyes on the ceiling for a second. "Your little study group seemed fun."
Ah. That.
I shrugged. "Leone asked, I said yes."
He nodded slowly, like he was pretending not to care. "Didn't know you were the group study type."
I scoffed. "I'm not."
Another pause.
"Still," he muttered, "it looked like you were enjoying yourself."
The sarcasm was so light it almost passed me by.
I didn't think much of it, just flipped to the next page of notes.
I glanced at him again. His jaw was tense. Hands a little too still on the table. Not tapping. Not drumming.
Just quiet.
Something about the look in his eyes made me pause but I couldn't place it. It didn't feel like the usual smugness. It was sharper. Colder.
But before I could think more about it, he stood up, stretching lazily like he hadn't been brooding the whole time.
"I'm grabbing a drink," he said. "Want anything?"
"No, I'm good."
He didn't say anything else, just walked off, his scent trailing behind him. It was a little sharper than usual, stronger. Not overwhelming, but definitely there. A low, simmering heat that curled at the edges of my senses, like he'd left something behind on purpose.
Almost… intimidating.
I shifted in my seat, dragging my eyes back to my notes.
And for some reason, I couldn't focus on a single thing until he came back.