Chapter 72

Chapter 72
Ripley's Point of View

The moment we leave the cafeteria, the cool morning air hits me, clean, crisp, and grounding. Everyone falls into their usual formation without thinking. Daxon and Kael up ahead, Pacey and Ian arguing behind them, Liana talking a mile a minute beside Olivia.

And Olivia walking right next to me.

She bumps her shoulder into mine lightly. “Are you are okay?” she asks for what feels like the tenth time in the past two days.

I force a small smile. “Yeah. I am just thinking.”

She gives me a look that says she absolutely does not believe me, but she lets it go. For now.

We reach the split in the walkway, the place where we all branch off to different buildings. The others peel away with waves and muttered goodbyes, but Olivia lingers for a moment longer, her hand brushing mine.

“Text me if anything feels off today,” she says quietly.

Something about her voice makes me want to pull her in close, but there are too many people around. So I just nod my head. “The same goes for you.”

She hesitates before turning towards her building. I watch her go for a second longer than I should, something twisting in my chest.

When I finally turn towards my own class building, the easy mood from breakfast evaporates. That same feeling from yesterday, the one Kieran left me with, crawls back up my spine.

Someone is watching.
Or someone was watching.

I shake it off and head inside. History is first, and Professor Chalmers does not tolerate students being late.

The hallway is crowded, voices bouncing off the walls, the kind of pre-class noise I have heard a thousand times. But today it feels sharper. More pointed.

I slide into my usual seat near the back just as professor Chalmers walks in.

“Books out,” he says, not even bothering to look up from his papers.

I pull out my notebook, but my thoughts drift almost immediately.

Kieran’s face from yesterday.
The overly casual tone.
The questions that were not phrased like questions, more like… probes.

Why were you at Stormfang so long?
Did something happen while you were there?
Is it true the attack targeted the heirs?

I tap my pen against the table, my jaw clenched.

He was not just curious. He was fishing.

The class drones on, lectures about treaty eras and territory disputes, but none of it sticks. When the bell finally rings, I bolt before anyone can stop me.

My next class is across the courtyard. I am halfway there when someone steps directly into my path.

Kieran.

Of course.

His smile is too friendly, too smooth. “Ripley. Hey. Running off somewhere?”

“I have to get to class,” I say shortly.

“That is right, you have got Combat Theory next, don’t you?” he asks, like he knows my schedule better than I do. “I actually wanted to ask you something else. I heard Stormfang’s training is… brutal. Did you learn anything useful while you were there?”

My muscles tense. Every instinct tells me to walk away, but that would just draw more attention.

So I keep my tone casual. “Same old stuff. Drills. Conditioning. You know how alphas are.”

Kieran laughs, a sound that feels rehearsed. “Sure, sure. But you were there right after the attack. Lucky timing, right? Did you see anything? Anything weird?”

My jaw ticks. “I have no clue what you are talking about.”

His eyes sharpen, interest flashing for a split second before he masks it again.

I need to get out of here.

“Sorry,” I say, forcing a shrug. “I have gotta get going. Professor Hale will kill me if I am late.”

He opens his mouth like he wants to keep pressing, but I am already moving past him. I don’t look back.

By the time I get to class, my pulse is still hammering. I grab a seat in the back again and run a hand through my hair.

Something is wrong.
Kieran knows something.
Or he is trying to figure out what we know.

Either way, I am done pretending it is nothing. We need to be careful. And Olivia… Olivia needs to be careful most of all.

I glance at the clock.

Lunch cannot come fast enough.

By the time Combat Theory ends, my head is still nowhere near the lesson. I am moving on autopilot as I push through the crowds in the hallway and make my way towards the cafeteria. The noise is a dull hum in my ears, laughing students, clattering trays, the usual chaos, but for some reason it all feels too loud.

I spot our table immediately.
Olivia’s sitting with Liana, her head tilted back as she laughs at something Pacey’s saying. Kael and Ian are already eating, their plates piled high with whatever the kitchen served today.

For a moment, I just stand there.

She looks… steady. Happy. Bright.

And suddenly I feel guilty for even thinking about ruining that mood with the crap in my head.

But the second Olivia’s eyes land on me, her smile softens into something warmer, something meant only for me, and I swear my chest loosens a little.

“Ripley!” Liana waves dramatically. “Finally! We thought you died in class.”

“Not yet,” I mutter with a smirk as I slide into the empty seat next to Olivia.

She leans slightly towards me, her shoulder brushing mine. “Are you okay? You look… tense.”

Of course she noticed.

I give her a small shrug. “I am just tired.”

It is a lie. A bad one. And her eyes narrow immediately.

Before she can press further, Daxon sits down across from me, raising a brow. “Dude. You look like you wrestled a bear between classes.”

Ian snorts. “A very disappointed bear.”

I force a laugh. “I am fine, guys. Really.”

But apparently my acting skills suck today, because they all exchange glances, quiet, subtle, but impossible to miss.

Great.

Olivia chews her lip, staring at me like she is trying to read my thoughts. “Ripley,” she says softly, not joking now. “What happened?”

I look down at my untouched food, the fork heavy in my hand.

I could lie.
I could brush it off again.
But their eyes are all on me now, worried, waiting, trusting.

And I am done pretending everything is normal.

So I take a slow breath and say quietly, “I ran into Kieran again.”

The chatter at the table drops instantly.

Daxon stiffens. Kael freezes mid-bite. Pacey’s eyebrows shoot up.

“What did he want this time?” Olivia asks.

I rub the back of my neck. “He was asking more questions about Stormfang. About the attack. About why we stayed longer. It… felt wrong. Like he was not ‘curious.’ Like he was trying to get something out of me.”

Daxon leans forward, expression darkening. “Specific questions or vague?”

“Both,” I say. “But he keeps circling the same topic. What we saw, what we know. He even asked if we saw anything weird.”

Ian snorts. “That is creepy as hell.”

Liana shivers. “Yeah, why does he act like he is a part of the investigation? He is not even from one of the alpha families.”

Olivia has not stopped staring at me. “Ripley… you didn’t tell him anything, right?”

I meet her eyes immediately. “Of course not.”

Something eases in her shoulders at that, but only slightly.

Kael exhales slowly. “So what do we do?”

I shake my head. “Nothing yet. We just… keep our guard up. And keep an eye on him. I do not want to jump to conclusions, but...”

“But it feels wrong,” Olivia finishes quietly.

I nod my head. “Yeah. Exactly.”

The table falls into uneasy silence. Plates sit half-eaten. None of us seem hungry anymore.

Finally, Pacey clears his throat and tries to lighten the mood. “Well… at least lunch is not boring?”

Liana flicks a fry at him. “This is not the time, Pacey!”

And somehow that stupid interaction manages to break the tension just enough that everyone starts talking again, though with less energy than before.

I sit back, letting the noise of my friends fill the space around me.

But the whole time, one thought keeps looping in my head.

If Kieran is watching us…
Why?
And who else is paying attention?