Kenan's P.O.V.
The field was alive when we arrived — lanterns casting long shadows, alphas laughing too loudly, scent markers drifting freely in the open air.
Lucian walked beside me, hood half-down, posture relaxed.
"You're late," one of the club's co-leads barked as we passed through the check-in gate.
Lucian shrugged. "Had to look decent."
The second I stepped onto the grass, something sharp hit my senses.
Ciro.
His scent filtered through the chaos like a static buzz behind every thought. He wasn't near the training line. He wasn't here to observe.
He was standing off to the left side of the field, tucked between Jacob and some others expression unreadable, but his posture too casual. He was talking. Smiling.
"You good?" Lucian asked, nudging my arm. "You just froze."
"I'm fine," I said, walking toward the locker tent.
I didn't ask what Ciro was doing here. I didn't have to. Jacob had probably dragged him along like some bored companion. Maybe they were just watching. Or maybe he was surveying his options.
After all… two days from now, switching was allowed.
I shouldn't care.
I spotted Meeka from a distance walking up to me .
"Keep your pheromones in check."
"What happened to it?"
"You don't know but it is so intimidating. Who are you trying to impress?"
"No one." I said picking the bow that I had not practice with in a while
"Oh so your not trying to impress ciro are you" she said jokingly
"He is here ?"
"Yeah, he's right by the stand. I heard he came to support Leone."
The name hit harder than it should've.
My grip on the bow tightened.
Support Leone?
So he really came here to replace me then.
The same Leone who was suddenly everywhere? The same Leone who was always with Ciro throughout this week like some fly.
I didn't say anything. Meeka didn't press.
But something in my chest burned. Not anger exactly. Not even disappointment. Just this dull, creeping sense that something was moving without me.
That he was moving without me.
I walked back toward the archery line, jaw set, the bow feeling heavier than it should've.
Lucian, already prepping his stance, shot me a sideways glance. "You good?"
"I'm fine."
"Because you're holding that thing like you're ready to stab someone with it."
I ignored him.
Instead, I took my mark, inhaled, and aimed at the target like it had done something personal.
When I released it, the arrow flew clean and fast — dead center.
"Someone's overcompensating," Lucian muttered.
But I wasn't listening.
My eyes flicked toward the stands again. Just long enough to spot the outline of Ciro, laughing at something Jacob said. He wasn't looking my way.
I was bothered.
Matter of fact — I was angry.
And I didn't know why.
My hand was tucked into my jacket, and all I could feel was this heat crawling beneath my skin — irritation prickling like needles under my clothes. I kept blaming it on the field, the crowd, the noise — but that wasn't it.
Ciro's P.O.V
I didn't think one dumb sentence could throw me off.
But it did.
And the worst part?
I didn't even know why I cared so much.
My spiraling thoughts halted when Jacob nudged me.
"Your alpha's here?"
I rolled my eyes.
My alpha?
What made him that? A stupid shared project I needed a passing grade for?
Still... I looked straight ahead.
And there he was.
Kenan.
Just standing there, talking with Lucian like nothing was out of place. Like my entire mood wasn't being strangled by his presence.
I quickly looked away.
Before I could spiral again, Leone approached.
"I didn't think I'd see you here," he said, a little surprised.
"Well, here I am." I lifted a lazy hand.
"You came to support your alpha?"
That "your" and "my alpha" thing?
It was really starting to piss me off.
"No. I came with Jacob."
"So... you're switching then?"
Switching?
What kind of l question was that?
I didn't get the chance to answer because something in me snapped.
That familiar stare — sharp, steady — was burning through me.
I looked forward and caught his gaze.
Kenan.
Still across the field. Still watching.
He didn't even blink.
I turned to Leone. "Well, I guess you should go back. Good luck."
I pulled him into a hug — part courtesy, part impulse.
Leone blinked but hugged me back.
I didn't even try to hide it.
The whole time, my eyes stayed locked on Kenan.
Didn't he say we'd look good together?
"Since when do you give hugs?" Jacob muttered beside me.
"I gave it for good luck," I muttered.
Jacob snorted. "Well, Kenan's been watching you since."
"Who cares."
But I did.
And just like that, the silent battle between us picked back up.
Someone handed Kenan a bottle of water.
He smiled.
Why was she that close to him?
Is that who he's switching with?
My palms were starting to sweat. The back of my neck prickled with heat.
I was not overheating because of him. Not tonight.
Jacob looked at me. "Where're you going?"
"Just... need some air."
"Be careful. Your pheromones have been off."
"Have they?"
"Yeah. Don't go too far."
I slipped out through the crowd, letting the breeze hit my face.
Cool. Sharp.
But not strong enough to drown out the scent that followed me like static.
Kenan.
His scent hit like a punch to the chest.
I didn't even need to turn. "What are you doing here, Kenan?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
I turned to him.
He was standing there, arms crossed, tone unreadable. Jaw set like he was trying not to explode.
"Oh me? I'm just accompanying Jacob."
He stepped closer. Too close.
"You sure you're not... weighing your options?"
I let out a bitter laugh. "What options?"
"Hmm," he hummed. "Leone. I heard about the next guy, too."
My brows lifted. "You keeping a list for me now? Doing a better job than my father."
No smile.
No smart remarks.
Just silence.
Then suddenly — his pheromones hit me full force.
Thick. Raw. Uncontrolled.
Like a storm I didn't ask for.
I staggered, chest tightening, stomach flipping.
"Are you worried about getting replaced?" I snapped.
He didn't even flinch.
"I don't care if I am."
That hurt.
More than I wanted to admit.
"Then why are we having this conversation?" I said, stepping back.
He stepped forward.
Always closing the distance.
I rolled my eyes. "Hey — fix your pheromones."
He didn't budge.
I swallowed. "So what's all this for, then, if you're not going to say something?"
"I didn't like that you showed up tonight."
"What? I came with Jacob."
"Oh really? We all know you came to scope out your options."
"You're putting words in my mouth, Kenan."
The heat under my skin flared higher. My jacket suddenly felt like too much.
My neck burned. My hands were slick with sweat.
His pheromones.
They were crawling over my skin like flames.
"Kenan," I whispered, voice thin. "Your pheromones."
"What about them?"
"It's— it's too much." I stumbled back, vision glassy.
He grabbed my waist and pulled me in, one hand firm at my back.
"Then answer me," he said, voice low. "Why were you planning to switch?"
"I wasn't," I breathed. "I only came with Jacob—"
But my words barely came out.
The itchy feeling was rising.
My body was reacting before my brain could catch up.
"It's— it's too much," I whispered, my legs unsteady as I took a step back.
He grabbed my waist, pulling me close — too close — like gravity had shifted and I didn't get a say in it.
"Then answer me," he said again, his breath brushing against my ear. "Why were you planning to switch?"
"I wasn't…" I choked out.
But my voice caught. My throat was dry. My chest was tight. I could feel the pulse between my thighs starting to ache..
No.
Not here.
Not now.
I pressed a hand to his chest, trying to push him away but my fingers curled into the fabric instead.
"Kenan, I think— I think you need to step back. I think I'm—"
No. No, no, no.
My body wasn't listening. My scent was starting to spike, rich and vulnerable, and I knew he could smell it.
"Ciro," he said, voice low. Too careful.
I shook my head, heart racing. "Kenan, please let me go" my voice came out not as a plea but more so begging
And then I felt it — that first roll of heat that made my knees want to give out.
Shit.