"I haven't." I pick up my fork to make him stop staring. "What do you want, Caspian?"
"To walk you to class."
My fork pauses halfway to my mouth. "Why?"
"Because Chase wants you isolated." He leans back in his chair, arms crossed, the picture of casual dominance. "Makes you easier to take if no one's watching."
"I can take care of myself."
"I know." His eyes meet mine directly. "But you don't have to anymore."
The pack claim pulls tight between us, something that makes his wolf recognize mine as pack. I want to argue but I'm so tired of fighting alone.
"And what does walking me to class accomplish?"
"It tells Chase that if he wants you, he has to go through me." Caspian's smile has teeth. "Through Jett Pack. Through my father's influence on the Council. It makes you harder to take quietly."
Political maneuvering disguised as personal protection. I should hate it, should resist being used as a chess piece in pack politics. But the part of me that's been running on fumes since I got to this Academy wants to lean into the shield he's offering.
"Fine." I force myself to eat. "One class. We'll see how it goes."
His smile widens. "That's my girl."
The possessive claim in those words should irritate me. Instead, they settle something restless in my chest.
We walk across campus together after breakfast. Caspian matches my pace, close enough that his arm brushes mine occasionally, far enough to give me space. But his presence beside me changes everything.
Students move out of our way. Conversations stop mid-sentence. An Alpha walking beside someone is a statement, and everyone on campus knows how to read it.
Protection. Possession. Pack.
"You're enjoying this," I mutter as we pass a group of whispering girls.
"Enjoying what?"
"The attention. The spectacle."
"I'm enjoying knowing you're safe." He glances down at me. "There's a difference."
We reach the History building and my stomach clenches. Julian's class. I'll have to sit there for an hour feeling the mate bond hum between us while pretending he's just my professor. While hiding what we are from everyone including Caspian walking beside me.
Chase is leaning against the wall near the entrance.
Caspian sees him the same moment I do. His entire posture changes. Shoulders back, spine straight, every inch the Alpha heir to a major pack. He doesn't slow down, doesn't hesitate, just walks us straight toward the Council enforcer with absolute confidence.
Chase pushes off the wall as we approach. His eyes track from me to Caspian and back again.
"Miss Bardot." Polite, cold. "Mr. Jett."
"Valemont." Caspian's voice is flat. Neutral. But his body language screams challenge.
They're the same height but Caspian is broader, younger, radiating the raw Alpha power that comes from generations of strong bloodlines. Chase is older, more experienced, carrying Council authority like armor.
The air between them crackles with tension.
"I trust the inquiry yesterday was... illuminating," Chase says, still looking at me.
"It was thorough." I keep my voice steady.
