Adrian pushes open the door to the condo with a loud thud. He’d tried all day to get Nyra’s smile with Julian out of his head, but he just couldn’t.

He wants that laughter. The smiles-- every inch of her.

So when he walks into the condo, the scent in front of him stops him cold.

Nyra stands in the living room wearing a skimpy pink bikini, the tiny strings hugging her boobs and hips, leaving little to the imagination.

Julian is standing next to her, smirking as his fingers adjust the straps on her shoulders.

He frowns. Such an outfit should only be touched by your mate, shouldn’t it?

He continues to watch as she giggles and releases her scent--something similar to that sweet scent from the other night. And Julian responds by releasing his own Alpha pheromones.

The scene sends a possessive growl building in Adrian’s throat.

"What the hell is this?" Adrian demands before he can stop himself.

Nyra turns to face him, eyes widening in surprise. Julian straightens but refuses to move away until Adrian closes the distance and grabs Nyra by the waist, yanking her flush against his hard body.

"You’re my mate, why are you letting another man touch you?!" he barks.

"W-what are you doing, Adrian?"

But he doesn’t answer with words and crashes his lips down on hers.

The kiss is fierce, desperate, and all-consuming. At first, she tries to resist, but the more she struggles, the deeper he kisses her until she eventually surrenders against his lips.

His tongue plunges deep, claiming every gasp and whimper as his hands roam greedily over the thin fabric of the bikini, squeezing her hips, pulling her tighter.

Julian clears his throat awkwardly, long forgotten in the corner.

"I’ll... leave you two to it," he mutters, heading for the door.

He shoots them one last look, shaking his head before he finally leaves.

Adrian barely registers the door as he lifts Nyra effortlessly, carrying her straight to the bedroom. Clothes and the bikini come off in a heated frenzy.

He expects her to push him away after what happened the last time, but she doesn’t.

Nyra even widens her leg more, allowing him to press deeper into her.

They both moan as he sinks to the hilt, his hips moving deep and hard, her slick coating him completely.

"You are mine!" he groans into her neck. "Say it!"

Nyra whimpers and nods, pulling him closer.

"I’m yours... all yours."

It feels too good--the tight clench of her walls around him, her breathy moans filling the air, her nails digging into his back, her scent wrapping around him like the strongest bond.

"I want to knot you again," he growls, hips grinding, lost in the overwhelming pleasure of her body beneath him.

His knot is about to fully swell...

Adrian’s eyes snap open.

He jerks up so fast, looking around him, only to realize he’s still lying on the plush couch in the lounge he and Anna booked.

It was a dream.

Fuck!

His cock strains painfully against his pants, with obvious evidence of the dream.

A wet dream about a girl he claims to detest.

Shame crashes over him as he runs a hand through his hair. He just had a vivid, intense sex dream about Nyra while right next to his girlfriend.

The bond has to be messing with him at this point.

Anna sits beside him, obliviously scrolling on her phone. She glances over, catching his flushed face and darkened eyes, and offers a bright smile.

"Hey baby, you’re up!"

Anna leans in and kisses him softly on the lips.

Adrian kisses her back, but there is no spark, no real pull. Her scent feels muted, almost wrong compared to the intoxicating memory of Nyra’s sweetness still lingering in the back of his mind.

"The bikinis I ordered are here," Anna says cheerfully, pulling back and holding up a shopping bag. "Come on, let’s try them out. The party is in three hours, and I want to look perfect for you."

Adrian forces a smile and nods as he pushes the weird dream aside, following her toward the bedroom while Anna prepares to put on a mini show for him.

--

On the other side of town, Nyra and Julian wander through the upscale mall Julian had dragged her into.

The black card is still in her bag, and even now Nyra is still in disbelief that she has her own card.

Contrary to how she looks, her parents are actually well-off. They own a store that is doing really well and take care of Anna, buying her all the trending things.

Nyra is the only one who thrifts or gets clothes Anna doesn’t like anymore.

So getting her own card now feels like a dream.

Julian drags her into a luxurious swimwear boutique first. When she sees the prices, her eyes widen and she turns to leave, but he drags her back in.

"One bikini is almost a thousand! I can’t buy this?!" she tries to argue. "I don’t even know how much is on the card."

"Honey, honey..." Julian pinches his nose. "You’re holding a black card. And not just any black card, one from the future Alpha himself."

Nyra blinks.

"So...?"

"So..." Julian retorts, selecting a pretty orange bikini. "Spending a few thousand is basically the card stretching after a nap."

"I don’t think that’s how money works," Nyra counters, bursting into laughter.

Before she can argue again, he holds up another set against her, squinting as he tries to picture her in it.

It’s a black and green set with delicate strings that accentuate her figure.

"This one is hot," Julian comments.

"You have a beautiful body. I’m sure it’ll drive everyone crazy tonight!"

Nyra blushes deeply and takes them, even as Julian keeps pushing more sets into her hand.

By the time they leave the store, they’ve already picked a set for tonight.

A deep red three-piece set.

The top is just a bralette with too many strings. The bikini bottom is simple, but what makes it prettier is the third piece of the set.

A very skimpy, low-waisted black short. The strings and bikini lines would still be visible, but it’s tight enough to show all her curves in the right places without letting her ass be too exposed.

Julian had nearly screamed when she’d stepped out of the fitting room wearing it.

"I knew it!" he’d declared. "You’re going to be the prettiest person at this party."

Nyra had rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t stop smiling.

"You say that like Anna doesn’t exist."

"Bitch," he picks up a lipstick, "I said what I said. Now take this to match."

He offers her the lipstick, which she hesitantly adds to her cart .

Maybe... tonight wouldn’t be so bad after all.

As they step out of the boutique, still laughing, an unfamiliar voice calls out to them.

"Nyra? Please wait..."

She pauses, turning to find three girls from the Academy approaching. Nyra frowns, already expecting another round of insults from them.

But they just smile awkwardly, waving.

"Hi, I’m Naya. And these are Lena and Leah."

"Hi," the other girls wave too, smiling shyly.

"Hi." Nyra waves back in confusion. "W-what do you girls want? I really don’t want to deal with school drama here."

"Oh, no, no." Leah quickly cuts in. "We just came to say hi."

"Yeah." Naya adds with a shy smile. "And we also wanted to tell you not to listen to anything online. What Anna did was messed up."

"Yes!" Lena nods. "You’re the Goddess’ chosen mate. You shouldn’t have to apologize for anything."

Nyra blinks, genuinely caught off guard.

"B-But... everyone hates me."

"Not everyone," the first girl replies softly. "Some of us are actually rooting for you."

"Yeah," Lena adds. "We hope to see you at the party tonight, and hopefully hang out later."

Before leaving, they wish her luck before disappearing into the crowd, leaving Nyra staring after them in stunned silence.

"They seem nice enough?" Julian comments with a smile. "We should catch them at the party tonight."

Nyra nods, blinking back tears.

It feels good to know that some people are on her side.

"Yeah," she replies happily. "We totally should."

Bags in hand, they climb into Julian’s black Benz.

Julian offers to take her to his house so they can get ready together.

She smiles and nods, already anticipating seeing the Ashford mansion.

"So what do your parents do?!" Nyra finds herself asking. When Julian doesn’t respond for a while, she panics.

"Sorry for asking. You don’t have to answer..."

"It’s fine," Julian replies. "My dad has investments in one of the largest Alpha territories in the country. We moved here specifically because we’re planning to partner up with the current Alpha."

Julian sighs.

"I don’t like it because we’re always moving. I hardly have friends because of that too."

Nyra listens intently, her eyes widening at the revelation. She realizes that Julian was also kind of lonely before they met.

It makes her even happier knowing he’s just as happy to be her friend now.

"So you might leave Moon-Crest?"

The car slows as it turns onto a long private driveway.

The massive gates open smoothly at their approach, revealing a breathtaking mansion.

Nyra’s mouth falls open.

"Wow..." she mutters, taking in the floor-to-ceiling windows, the huge garden, and what looks like a private pool area in the distance.

Julian laughs warmly at her stunned expression, pulling up to the grand entrance.

"Welcome to my home."

Nyra steps out slowly, still gazing at the mansion in awe. Before she can find words, Julian turns to her with a mysterious, inviting smile.

"And there’s someone I want you to meet."