Ciro's P.O.V
The first Monday after midterms should've felt like freedom. No lectures, no looming exams, just that stupid paired assignment
I hope my brain can rest for a few days without any responsibilities.
Instead, I was handed a clipboard.
"Student reflections?" I repeated, staring at the sheets.
Professor Daniel nodded. "Since A12 and O12 had the most cross-class pairings, and since you're both class presidents, we thought it best you and Kenan handle the surveys."
Of course. Naturally.
Kenan didn't even look surprised. Just collected his stack like it was routine and walked off with a quiet, "Let me know when you're done."
The form was simple and deceptively so.
How has the assignment been going with your partner?
How well do you two get along?
Do you believe your connection will continue after the project ends?
I walked into the O12 common room with a clipboard in hand, trying not to roll my eyes when half the omegas already looked suspicious.
"I'm not here to judge," I said flatly. "Just hand it back by tomorrow."
Some of them smirked. A few giggled.
"Do we have to be honest?" someone asked.
"Lying's not against the rules," I muttered. "But your partner might fill out the same thing, so keep that in mind."
By the next day, I'd collected all the forms and headed up to the admin wing where Kenan was already waiting with his stack.
He leaned against the edge of the windowsill, flipping through one of the surveys with a neutral face.
"They're delusional," he said without looking up.
"Oh?" I dropped my stack on the table and sat. "Let me guess a few alphas confessed their undying love after one week of bickering?"
"One wrote, 'She'll never admit it, but she likes me.'"
I snorted. "Do you feel personally attacked?"
He flicked his gaze up at me. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
We fell into a quiet rhythm, sorting and scanning the papers. Some answers were genuine. Some were clearly jokes. But the last question kept bothering me.
Do you believe your connection will continue after the project ends?
So many had ticked No. A few wrote things like "Probably not, but I'll remember them."
I don't know why I kept staring at that.
Maybe because I didn't want to.
Eventually, Kenan slid a blank form across the table. "We have to fill one out too," he said simply.
"For documentation," he added when I didn't move.
I picked up the pen. Name, class, partner. Easy.
But when I got to the final question, my pen stalled.
Do you believe your connection will continue after the project ends?
I didn't look up, but I felt Kenan's pen move beside me. No hesitation.
When I finally glanced over, the box was already ticked.
No.
He leaned back like it meant nothing.
So I ticked mine too.
No.
Even if my stomach clenched a little when I did.
We finished the paperwork in silence. Kenan gathered the forms, slid them into a binder, and stood.
"Delivery time," he said.
But just as he turned, I caught something out of the corner of my eye, a small flash of blue on his key ring. The crochet.
The one I made.
He must've noticed me staring because he gave a small, unreadable smile.
"Yours is still on your phone, right?"
I looked down at the case. The soft white square still dangled from the corner.
I didn't answer.
And neither did he.
The surveys were out of my hands. Officially submitted. No longer my business.
And yet.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the soft hum of my fan doing nothing to quiet my brain.
No.
That tiny box stared back at me, even now. I could still see Kenan's neat checkmark like he hadn't even thought twice. Like it was obvious.
Like I agreed.
And I agreed.
So why did it feel... wrong?
I told myself it was just a survey. Not that deep. Not everything has to mean something.
But maybe that's what bothered me.
Because if it really meant nothing... Why did it feel like something had been decided without me?
While the decision to switch pairs loomed over my head, I had three more days until then.
Three days to pretend it didn't bother me.
Three days to act like the idea of switching partners didn't dig under my skin.
Three days to convince myself that Kenan ticking no was just logical. Obvious. Expected.
I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly.
Not knowing why it bothered me so much… over a single ticked box on the most ridiculous question.
It wasn't like I cared. It wasn't like I expected anything different.
But my brain wouldn't shut up. The silence felt loud, and my chest felt tight.
I wanted to scream, or throw something, or maybe just sleep for a week and forget this entire assignment ever existed.
I blamed it on everything on my lack of sleep, the midterm stress, the way my pheromones had been acting up lately.
It was exhausting.
I never liked him. Not like that. So why...?
The days leading up to the partner switch dragged slower than I wanted. Jacob had invited me to this club, the oldest, most notorious hunting club on campus, where nearly every alpha showed up. They said this was where connections really started, where alliances and rivalries took shape.
We found a spot near the back, the hum of the crowd buzzing louder than I expected for a weekday night.
"There's a whole crowd tonight," I said, half-joking, scanning the room.
Jacob smirked. "It's the only time you get to see alphas in their full glory, showing off their skills."
"But isn't Thursday the official day for that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Pre-show. Why miss the chance to build some momentum?" he shrugged.
Jacob leaned closer. "Besides, I'm here to support Lucian tonight."
"Support? Why does he need support?"
"Well to basically tell everyone I am not switching, I already had two alphas ask me."
"What?" I said a bit out of tune.
My stomach tightened when he asked, "Where's your alpha, Ciro?"
As if Jacob's words unlocked something, my eyes instinctively scanned the crowd. I searched for that unmistakable presence of Kenan's pheromones, loud and uncontainable even from across the room.
Nothing yet.
If he was here, I'd have felt it already.
" I don't think he is here and why would I care anyway."
"Be careful what you say,Ciro? If someone heard almost twenty alphas will come lining up"
"As if " I said jokingly
We settle down " But I have not saw lucian at all so did you really came to support"
"Well he said he is arriving a bit late?"
" Oh okay"
"Almost all the omegas that are here is coming for kenan and Lucian hoping to switch"
I looked around at the crowd which was fairly twenty to forty. I let a snicker "You would think they hate there pairs"
" Well we should only get the cream of the crop shouldn't we"
I nodded absentmindedly.
What was so good about kenan?
I heard my name being shouted from a distance when I turned around it was meeka.With her hands waving in the air.
I did a small wave " I didn't know you would be here ciro"
"Well I was just accompanying Jacob."
" Oh,I thought you came to way your options out" she said letting out a laugh.
" Well what are the options ?"
"Well Leone is there…" she said pointing over . My eyes followed her hand and he really was there.
" Both Kenan and I agree yall would look good together"
Taken back by the suddenness. Before I could say anything she ran off to greet somebody else.
Jacob who stood by me " Well that was odd"
"It was, wasn't it?"
And if my mood wasn't already sour from days ago, that just made it worse. I was bored, irritated, and ready to leave but I stayed, only because Jacob had asked me to.