Chapter 18 TORN WITHIN.

Chapter 18 TORN WITHIN.
STORM'S POV:

It was just Cole and me now. The café’s chatter faded into a dull hum as we slid into our seats. Mira had already left to join her team.

I exhaled slowly, trying to loosen the tight knot in my chest. My hands wrapped around the warm cup, thumb tracing the rim, pretending the dark liquid inside could calm me.

Cole leaned back, one arm draped over the chair, the other resting on the table. He looked casual, relaxed, but his eyes didn’t miss a thing—the tension in my shoulders, the way my fingers tapped nervously against the cup.

Finally, I let the question slip. “Cole… um… What exactly is this exercise about? And… Why am I paired with you?”

He blinked, raised an eyebrow, and smirked. “Wait… you haven’t peeked at the handbook yet?”

I swallowed, heat rising to my cheeks. “I… I wanted to. I just… didn’t get the chance with everything that’s been happening.”

He leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes locking onto mine. “Hmm… so you’re either ridiculously confident or completely clueless. Which is it?”

“Maybe… a little of both,” I muttered, shrugging, trying to keep my voice steady.

Cole leaned back again, smirk widening. “Interesting. I like someone who doesn’t just hand me the answers.” He tilted his head, studying me like he was searching for a secret.

“Keeps me guessing.”

I pressed my lips together, cheeks warming. I hated that he could see me like this—but a part of me wanted him to.

He finally spoke; voice deliberate. “This exercise isn’t just routine. It’s a test of perception, observation, and instinct. Small things—habits, reactions, details you normally hide. It’s meant to reveal truths… things you probably haven’t shown anyone.”

I froze. My heart stopped for a second. Obvious? Things I haven’t shown anyone? My mind raced. Did he mean… could it reveal me? My real identity? My secrets?

I barely managed to whisper, repeating his words like a mantra, “It… it’ll make things obvious?”

“Yes,” Cole said slowly, tilting his head, eyes never leaving mine. “Of course.”

A cold weight settled in my chest. Of course… of course it could reveal everything. Everything I’ve been hiding. All the masks, all the lies. All the chaos I’ve tried to outrun.

My pulse spiked. My fingers tightened around the cup. No. Not now. Not here. Not with him.

Cole nudged my arm lightly, breaking my thoughts. I snapped my head up to meet his gaze. He wasn’t smiling, just watching, patient but intense.

“Now… that’s enough,” he said, voice low but firm. “You’re one hell of a weird fella, you know that, right?” He leaned closer, eyebrows furrowed slightly, a mix of curiosity and frustration in his expression.

“I said I wouldn’t push… but what’s going on with you? And this Lucian Vale guy… who is he? Why do you look like you’ve been losing sleep for a week?”

I froze. No words came. My mind tumbled through every memory I’d tried to bury—Alpha Darius, Daisy, Lucian, the life I’d left behind, every step that had led me here.

Cole’s eyes searched mine, unwavering. I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. Every fear, every memory, every thought swirled inside me, leaving me breathless and silent.

I let out a shaky breath, finally breaking the silence. “I… I guess… you’d have to be a lot more… trustworthy. Closer… before I could really… spill anything. Or relate certain things.”

I dared a quick glance up. For just a flicker, I thought I saw something in his eyes, but it vanished almost immediately.

Cole leaned back, letting out a low chuckle. “Oh… wow. Here I was thinking we were friends already. Seems I was ahead of myself.”

I raised an eyebrow, inwardly acknowledging a truth I didn’t want to admit: he had been thoughtful from the start.

Standing up for me when Mrs. Clayborne lashed out, quietly supporting me in small ways I hadn’t noticed, noticing things I didn’t say.

And yet… as comforting as his presence had been, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Not yet. Not to anyone. Not even Mira.

Cole straightened. “Well… I guess I’ll leave you to your thoughts,” he said, voice calm but unreadable. He gave me a brief nod and walked toward the door.

I watched him walk away, the sway of his shoulders confident, deliberate. There was something in the way he moved, something I couldn't quite figure out.

My chest tightened, an odd mixture of frustration and something else I didn’t want to name curling inside me.

I blinked, forcing myself to look away as he disappeared around the corner. My thoughts were already scrambling to follow him when a loud voice boomed from the speakers overhead, cutting through the café’s quiet hum.

“All students, return to your dorms immediately.”

The words echoed through the room, abrupt, authoritative, leaving no space for hesitation. My stomach dropped slightly.

I grabbed my bag, fumbling with the zipper, hands trembling just slightly. As I shoved books and papers inside, I couldn’t stop glancing toward the door, half-expecting Cole to reappear,

Half-hoping he wouldn’t. Minutes ticked by, and there was still no sign of him.

I tried to focus, telling myself to calm down, to just finish packing. But a strange, woozy sensation curled through my head and stomach.

I froze mid-motion, pressing a hand against my forehead. The room seemed to tilt, the edges of the table blurring, the floor shifting beneath my feet.

“Not now,” I whispered, gripping the edge of my desk for balance. This dizziness, it had been creeping up on me lately. But this… this was different. Much worse.

I took a tentative step forward, then another. My vision swam. My pulse thumped painfully in my ears. And then, just as I tried to reach for the door to check where Cole had gone…

The world flipped.

Before I could even process what was happening, my legs gave way. The floor rushed up toward me faster than I could react.

My head hit the ground with a sickening thud. Pain shot through my skull, white-hot and sharp, and the room went black.