Chapter 45 – The Eyes of Declan Ward
Sam's POV
The storm had passed by morning, but something heavier lingered in the air. The halls of Dorm 9 buzzed with restless energy—guys shoving, laughing too loud, pretending nothing had shifted overnight. But I felt it. The shift. Like the storm had left its electricity under my skin.
And Declan noticed.
He always noticed.
I’d barely stepped into the common room when his voice cut through the noise.
“Hale.”
Every conversation stilled. The guys looked between us like they were watching a predator circle its prey.
I forced my expression blank and turned toward him. “Yeah?”
Declan leaned against the pool table, cue stick in hand, his grin lazy but his eyes sharp. He didn’t move like the other boys, restless and loud. He was still, deliberate, like a snake waiting to strike.
“Funny thing about last night,” he said. “Storm takes out the power, everyone’s scattered, and you and Cross disappear. Together.”
My stomach clenched, but I kept my tone steady. “We were in our room. Like normal people.”
“Normal people,” Declan echoed with a chuckle. “You sure about that?”
Mason snickered from the couch. “Hale’s about as normal as a cat in a dog kennel.”
The room laughed. I forced a smile. “Better than being your lapdog.”
The laughter turned sharper this time, aimed at Mason. His face flushed. Declan’s eyes, though, stayed locked on me.
“You’ve got a smart mouth,” Declan said smoothly. “Too smart, sometimes.”
Elias, who’d been leaning in the corner like he didn’t care about any of this, finally straightened. “You picking a fight, Declan?”
Declan’s grin widened. “Not at all. Just… curious. Hale’s full of surprises lately.”
His words dripped with meaning. My pulse jumped.
Declan motioned to the chair opposite him. “Come sit, Hale. Let’s talk.”
I hesitated. Every part of me screamed no. But walking away would be worse.
So I sat.
He chalked his cue slowly, watching me like a hawk. “Where you from again?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Your hometown,” Declan said. “Never heard you mention it.”
I shrugged. “Nothing to mention.”
“Everyone’s from somewhere.” His grin sharpened. “Unless you’re from nowhere.”
Mason leaned in, smirking. “Maybe he’s hiding from something.”
Declan didn’t look away from me. “Are you hiding, Hale?”
My throat tightened. “No.”
“Because I don’t like secrets,” Declan continued, his voice dropping lower, quieter, for me alone. “And I’ve got a nose for them. They rot. They stink. You know what I do when I smell rot?”
I forced myself to meet his gaze. “Burn it?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Exactly.”
Silence fell. The other boys shifted, restless. Elias’s jaw flexed, like he was about two seconds from stepping in.
Declan finally straightened, setting the cue aside. “One more thing, Hale.”
I tried to breathe evenly. “What?”
“You remind me of someone.” His voice was soft now, dangerous. “Can’t place who yet. But I’ll figure it out.”
My heart nearly stopped.
“Maybe a brother I never met,” Declan went on. “Or… maybe not a brother at all.”
His eyes lingered too long. Too sharp. Like he was stripping the layers off me one by one.
I stood quickly. “If you’re done with the mind games, I’ve got better things to do.”
Declan smirked. “Run along, then. But remember…” He tapped the cue against the table, the sound loud and final. “Secrets don’t stay buried long around me.”
I walked away, my pulse slamming.
Elias followed a few minutes later, catching up in the hallway. “He knows.”
I shook my head fast. “No. He suspects. There’s a difference.”
“Not much of one,” Elias muttered. “You’re playing with fire.”
“I’ve been playing with fire since the day I walked in here,” I snapped, stopping short to face him. “Declan’s not stupid. But he doesn’t know. Not yet.”
Elias’s eyes searched mine. “And if he finds out?”
I swallowed hard, throat tight. “Then it’s over.”
We stood there in the quiet hallway, the weight of it pressing down on both of us.
“You need to be careful,” Elias said finally, his voice low. “Careful doesn’t mean reckless, Sam. It means breathing before you speak. Thinking before you move. Because if Declan really gets suspicious—”
“He already is,” I cut in.
Elias’s jaw clenched. “Then give him nothing else. Understand?”
I nodded, but the truth was, Declan’s eyes had already pierced too deep. He saw more than the others. He smelled the lie on me like smoke.
And if he decided to chase it—
I wasn’t sure how long I could keep outrunning him.
That night, the tension only grew. Declan lingered near our room more than usual, his laughter echoing down the hall, too close, too constant. Every time I stepped out, I felt his gaze on me, trailing like a shadow.
At one point, I caught his reflection in the window, watching me from across the common room.
He didn’t look away.
Neither did I.
Until Elias tugged me back inside and shut the curtain.
“He’s circling,” Elias said. “Like a wolf.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“Then stop giving him reasons to look your way.”
I wanted to tell Elias it was too late. That Declan had already smelled blood.
But before I could, a note slipped under our door.
Elias picked it up, frowning, and handed it to me.
Three words scrawled in black ink:
I know you.
My stomach dropped.
“Sam?” Elias asked quietly.
But my voice wouldn’t come.
Because Declan Ward was no longer just suspicious.
He was hunting.