Suspicion in the shadows
Suspicion in the shadows
Lena walked in long strides beside Maya, who was busy lamenting about the food she had spilled. But Lena’s eyes flicked back occasionally, her fingers twitching with unease.
Maya wasn’t supposed to have followed her.
That meant Maya was suspicious.
And that meant Lena had to be careful—very careful.
“Were you planning on telling me where you were going earlier tonight?” Maya asked, suddenly changing the topic.
Lena forced a small, confused smile.
“What do you mean?”
Maya’s eyes narrowed.
“You were walking toward the private apartment wing. There’s nothing out there for most students—except maybe the Alpha’s quarters or professors. I asked if you knew someone there, and you completely dodged the question.”
Lena’s heart thudded in her chest. She willed her face to remain neutral.
“I was just taking a stroll,” Lena said smoothly. “I’ve been reading and studying all day. I needed some air and stretch my legs.”
“In that direction?” Maya asked, arching a brow. “The whole campus is wide open, but you just happened to walk towards one of the most exclusive parts?”
Lena tilted her head and gave a small laugh.
“I like quiet places. And that part of campus is always quiet, especially at this hour. I didn’t know I needed to justify where I walked to relax.”
Maya took another step closer, her expression unreadable.
“Normally, no. But lately, I’ve been hearing things.”
A flicker of alarm danced through Lena’s eyes.
“What kind of things?”
“Aiden talked to me earlier today.” Maya’s voice was soft, but firm. “He said you’ve been treating him… badly. You've been cold and dismissive. Which is strange, considering how sweet and nice you are with almost everyone else. It made him wonder. Made me wonder.”
Lena’s hands clenched at her sides.
Of course he did. Aiden couldn’t keep his mouth shut even if his life depended on it.
Her jaw tightened.
Maya continued.
“According to Aiden, you barely look at him when he talks, you snap at him, you act like he’s invisible half the time. He said it made him feel like he was being punished.”
“I don’t like him,” Lena snapped before she could stop herself.
Maya’s eyes widened slightly.
“I mean,” Lena said quickly, softening her voice, “I just… I don’t vibe with him. That’s all. Some people don’t connect naturally.”
Maya folded her arms again.
“What don’t you like about him?”
Lena almost stopped walking. Her mind scrambled for reasons that didn’t sound hollow or ridiculous.
“He’s… too tall,” she said lamely. “Always hovering.”
Maya blinked.
“Too tall?”
“Yeah. It’s intimidating,” Lena said.
“He’s not taller than most wolves.”
Lena winced slightly but covered it quickly.
“And,” Lena added, “he talks a bit too much sometimes. And he… he walks too quietly. It freaks me out.”
Maya stared at her, incredulous.
“Are you serious?”
Lena forced a shrug.
“Little things matter.”
“Those aren’t little things,” Maya said, her voice dropping with a touch of steel. “Those are petty excuses. Lena, you’re not making any sense.”
Lena turned away for a moment, hugging her arms across her chest.
The frustration boiled beneath her skin. She could feel Maya’s trust slipping through her fingers like dry sand.
She needed to reel it back.
She needed to act.
“I know how it looks,” Lena said, her voice trembling slightly now—carefully, intentionally. “But I just… I’ve had a really bad time with relationships. Okay? Every time I open up to someone, they leave, they lie and they use me.”
Maya’s stern expression faltered.
“I didn’t want to lead Aiden on if I didn’t genuinely feel something,” Lena continued. “But maybe… maybe I’m scared. I push people away before they can hurt me.”
Maya softened almost immediately.
“Lena…”
“I’m sorry I made him feel that way,” Lena said, her eyes glistening. “I didn’t mean to. I just… I don’t trust easily. Not anymore.”
Maya’s eyes flicked over Lena’s face, measuring the truth in her words.
After a long pause, she sighed.
“I know Aiden can be awkward sometimes,” Maya said gently. “But he’s good. He’s loyal. He means well. And right now, with everything going on with Lily… I just don’t want more drama. She needs stability.”
“I understand,” Lena whispered.
“Do you?” Maya asked softly. “Because if you’re pretending, if you’re playing some kind of game—”
“I’m not,” Lena said quickly. “I promise. Look… I’ll go on a date with him.”
Maya blinked.
“What?”
“Maybe I’ve been too harsh,” Lena said with a shrug, as if it were no big deal. “I’ll give him a chance. Maybe I’ve been wrong about him. Maybe it’s all in my head.”
Maya studied her closely, suspicion still flickering behind her eyes.
“I just don’t want Lily getting caught in the middle,” Maya said finally.
“She won’t,” Lena said.
Maya nodded, slowly.
Then, her nose twitched. She sniffed the air once, then again.
“That smell…” she murmured. “It’s the food truck. They’re still selling.”
Lena blinked.
“You mean the same ones you spilled when you came to rescue me from those loser wolves?”
Maya grinned slightly.
“Yeah. That exact one. I’m starving and I'm sure Lily is too.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and jogged toward the small line of students queued near the glowing truck down the road.
Lena exhaled sharply, then rolled her eyes.
“Perfect,” she muttered.
She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and stared at the screen for a moment.
Her thumb hovered above Aiden’s contact.
This is so stupid, she thought bitterly.
But she had no choice. Not if she wanted Maya to back off. Not if she didn’t want everything unraveling at once.
Her fingers moved as she typed a message to him.
"Hey. Want to go on that date after all?"
She stared at the message for a beat before hitting send.
It shot out like a bullet.
She shoved the phone back into her pocket, her stomach twisting with loathing and regret.
The stars above blinked indifferently, and from the distance, she heard Maya laughing lightly near the food truck.
Lena turned and resumed walking slowly toward the dorm building, her shadow long and stretching behind her.
The game had changed. And now, the stakes were higher than ever.