"Stop lying, Sihwan. It’s embarrassing." He takes a step closer, and the scent of him hits me—crisp, cold, and underlying it, a bitter note of exhaustion. "You've been dodging me all week. You ignored my texts. You walked out of the room when I entered the library yesterday."
"I've been busy," I mutter, looking at a scuff mark on the floor.
"You've been hiding," he corrects. "Because of what you said in class. Because of the rumors."
"I'm protecting us," I snap, finally looking up. Defensiveness flares hot in my gut. "You don't get it, Donghwa. You're a Kang. You can do whatever the hell you want and people call it eccentric. I'm an Oh. If they find out I'm... if they find out about this, I'm a laughingstock. My reputation is dead."
"Your reputation," Donghwa repeats, the words heavy with disdain. "Is that what this is about? You're terrified that some sophomores might think you're not the big, bad Alpha you pretend to be?"
"It's not pretending!" I hiss, stepping into his space, lowering my voice so the janitor down the hall won't hear. "Iama Dominant Alpha. I worked for that. I built that. And this..." I gesture vaguely between us. "This messes everything up. It goes against nature."
Donghwa’s expression doesn't change, but his eyes darken. "Is that what you think? That we're unnatural?"
"No, I just..." I rake a hand through my hair, frustrated that the words aren't coming out right. "I'm ashamed, okay? Not of you. But of... the situation."
"Be specific," Donghwa says, his voice dropping an octave. "What part of the situation?"
"The part where I submit!" I whisper-shout, the confession tearing out of my throat. "The part where I let another Alpha top me. The part where Ilikeit. It makes me weak. It makes me... less."
I’m panting, my chest heaving. I expect him to argue. I expect him to mock me, or maybe grab me and kiss me until I forget my name, like he usually does.
He doesn't.
He just looks at me. And the look on his face isn't anger. It’s disappointment. Cold, crushing disappointment.
"You're an idiot," he says softly.
I blink, stung. "Excuse me?"
"You think submission is weakness," he says, shaking his head slowly. "I told you before. Trusting someone enough to give up control is the strongest thing you can do. But you're too wrapped up in your fragile little ego to see it."
He steps back, putting distance between us. The loss of his proximity feels like a slap, leaving me cold.
"I can handle the sneaking around, Sihwan. I can handle the bickering. I can even handle your bratty attitude," he says, his voice steady but final. "But I can't handle you hating yourself for wanting me."
"I don't hate myself," I protest weakly.
"Yes, you do," he counters. "You look at me and you see a mistake. You see a threat to your crown."
He lets out a short, humorless laugh. "I thought after the weekend... I thought you finally got it. That we were partners. Equals."
"We are," I say, panic starting to claw at my throat. "We are equals."
"No," Donghwa says. "Not until you can admit the truth."
"What truth?"
He looks me dead in the eye, and for the first time, he lets his guard down completely. His gaze is raw, open, and terrifyingly intense.
"That you're not ashamed of the sex," he says quietly. "And you're not ashamed of the bond. You're ashamed that you're in love with another Alpha."
The air leaves the hallway. The silence rings in my ears, loud and high-pitched.
Love.
The word hangs there between us, heavy and radioactive. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. My brain stutters, trying to process it, trying to deny it, but the bond hums in agreement, a warm, undeniable truth settling in my chest.
I stare at him, wide-eyed and paralyzed.
