Chapter 23: The Subtle Art of Avoidance

Elena Thorne

I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I was back in that storage room with Kieran’s hands on my skin and his voice in my ear.

I checked the time and it was 6:47 AM. Early enough that Kieran would still be asleep and I could slip out without having to face him.

I grabbed my bag, shoving in books and notebooks with more force than necessary. My pack law textbook caught on the zipper, and I yanked it free with a frustrated growl.

“Coward,” my wolf said.

“Shut up.”

“Running away won’t change what happened.”

“I’m not running away. I’m strategically avoiding an uncomfortable situation.”

“That’s basically the definition of running away.”

I ignored her, slinging my bag over my shoulder and heading for the door.

The hallway was quiet as most of the household staff wouldn’t be up for another hour. I moved quickly, my footsteps muffled by the thick carpet.

I was almost at the front door when I heard my name.

“Miss Thorne?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

A staff stood in the doorway to the sitting room with a duster in her hands.

“Good morning,” I forced a smile. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You’re up early.” Her eyes took in my bag then my coat. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Class. I have an early lecture today.” I said immediately.

“Oh.” She glanced toward the garage. “Should I wake Alpha Kieran? ”

“No!” I yelled.

When I realized how my voice had taken her aback, I modulated my tone. “No, that’s okay. I’ll… I’ll catch a ride with someone else. Don’t want to wake him.”

She looked puzzled but didn’t argue. “Alright, dear. Have a good day.”

I was out the door before she could say anything else.

The morning air was cold, biting through my coat. I hurried down the driveway toward the estate gates, pulling out my phone.

No way was I calling Kieran. No way was I sitting in that car with him after last night.

I scrolled through my contacts, then landed on Damien’s name. I still held back from putting the fall through.

He knew. Or suspected. Either way, facing him felt almost as awkward as facing Kieran.

But I was desperate so I called anyway.

On the third ring, he answered. His voice was thick with sleep, and I was silently praying he did not have that mood first daughters usually had in the morning.

I did not need to think far after hearing him speak.

“Elena?” He started. “It’s not even seven yet.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” I apologized. “I just wanted to ask a favour from you.”

After about a second, he voiced out. “Okay, go on.”

I moved my head from up to down thinking of the best way to phrase it. Finding nothing creative, I moved with the first question that came to mind. “Are you going to campus today?”

“Yeah, I have a nine o’clock. Why?”

“Can I get a ride with you? Please?”

I could practically hear him waking up fully, processing my request.

“What about Kieran? Doesn’t he usually have classes today?”

“Please, Damien. I just umm… I need a ride please. Do you think you can help me?”

“Yeah. Okay. Give me fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you. I’m at the main gates.”

“Elena—”

I hung up before he could ask questions I didn’t want to answer.

Fifteen minutes felt like a lifetime of torments. I paced near the gates, checking over my shoulder every few seconds like Kieran might materialize out of thin air.

My phone buzzed with a text from Kieran. “I just saw a staff and she said you were leaving. Where are you?”

I stared at the message not knowing what to reply.

Another buzz: Elena, we’re supposed to leave for school together. Where are you?

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Then I turned off my phone entirely.

Damien’s car appeared around the curve of the driveway exactly sixteen minutes later, a sleek silver sedan that looked expensive but practical. He pulled up beside me, and I yanked open the passenger door.

“Thanks for this,” I said, climbing in.

He gave me a long look. “You okay?”

“Fine. Just needed an early start.”

“Right.” He didn’t sound convinced, but he put the car in drive.

We were halfway down the driveway when I saw Kieran’s Range Rover pulling out of the garage.

“Duck,” I hissed, sliding down in my seat.

“What—”

“Just go! Please!”

Damien accelerated, and we shot through the gates just as Kieran’s car turned onto the main drive.

I stayed low until we were well away from the estate, my heart hammering.

“You want to tell me what that was about?” Damien asked.

“Nothing,” I straightened. “I ducked out of reflex as I was supposed to go with him. I do not want him to think that I could not wait for him to finish dressing up.”

Damien was quiet for a long moment and I knew in that moment that he was not buying my lies. “Does this have to do with last night?”

“Last night? What happened last night?”

“Being alone with him.”

“Oh, I definitely did not appreciate that.” I sighed. When Damien’s gaze remained on me, I added.

“Can we please just… can we talk about literally anything else?”

He mercifully let it drop, switching to safer topics. I half-listened, too busy planning my day. I’d stay on campus as long as possible. Find reasons to be away from the estate. Maybe even convince Sierra to let me crash at the dorms for a few nights.

Anything to avoid facing Kieran.

Damien dropped me off at the main academic building. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for the ride.”

“Elena.” He caught my arm before I could escape. “Whatever happened… you can talk to me. You know that, right?”

I forced a smile. “I know. But there’s nothing to talk about.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he let me go.

The campus was already buzzing despite the early hour. I found Sierra in our usual spot in the library, her nose buried in a statistics textbook.

“Lena!” She looked up, surprised. “You’re here early. Did Kieran drop you?”

“No. Damien gave me a ride.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Kieran let you ride with someone else? Interesting. I guess he is not so much of a bitch.”

“Can we not talk about Kieran?”

“Ooookay.” She drew the word out, studying my face. “What’s going on? You’re acting weird.”

“I’m not acting weird.”

“You’re totally acting weird. You have that look.”

“What look?”

“That ‘something happened and I’m pretending it didn’t’ look.” She closed her textbook. “Spill.”

“There’s nothing to spill.”

“Lena please.”

“Sierra, please.” I countered. “I just—I can’t. Not right now.”

She looked like she wanted to push, but my expression stopped her. “Okay. But you know I’m here when you’re ready, right?”

“I know.”

The moment I turned away, I let out a deep breath because what about my face made everybody think something was wrong?

We studied in silence for a while, but I couldn’t focus. Every time someone walked past our table, I looked up, half-expecting to see Kieran.

My phone was still off. I knew I should turn it back on, but the thought of seeing ANY texts from him made my stomach churn.

Around noon, Sierra left for class. I stayed in the library, hiding behind stacks of books that included the ones I was not reading.

At two o’clock, I went to the cafeteria for lunch.

I knew it would be risky going there considering that I was trying to escape Kieran but the rumbling in my stomach did not help.

Confirming my fears, I saw Kieran just as I was in line for food.

He was across the cafeteria, sitting with Jaxon, Vivienne, and a few other friends. He looked tired, his hair slightly disheveled and I assumed he had been running his hands through it. A routine I observed from the days I happily took him on tutorials.

To my good fate, he hadn’t seen me yet.

I abandoned my place in line and ducked behind a pillar, my heart racing.

This is ridiculous, my wolf said. You can’t avoid him forever.

“Watch me.”

I waited until Kieran’s attention was on Jaxon, then made my escape through a side door.

By four o’clock, I was exhausted from the constant vigilance.

My phone buzzed in my pocket after I had turned it back on.

Kieran: Ready to leave?

After a bit of hesitation, I typed back: Not leaving yet. Have stuff to do. Don’t wait for me.

Kieran: Elena, we need to talk.

“Not today.”

Kieran: Then when?

I threw my phone into my bag, then gathered my things and headed to the parking lot, constantly scanning for Kieran’s Range Rover.

My face lit up as soon as I caught sight of Sierra. She was leaning against her car waiting for me as I had requested. “Rough day?”

“You have no idea. And I do not want to talk about it.”

She shook her head, unlocking the car. “Fair enough. But Lena? Whatever’s going on, you can’t hide forever.”

I knew that. But I could try for one more day.

“Mmmm…”

The ride back was quiet. Sierra tried a few times to make conversation, but I was too distracted, too busy dreading what would happen when I got back to the estate.

She dropped me at the gates. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I am. Thanks for the ride.”

She gave me a long look. “Call me if you need anything. Seriously.”

“I will.”

I waited until she drove away before heading up the drive to the house.

My plan was simple: get to my room, stay there, avoid dinner. I’d grabbed food on campus.

I just needed to get upstairs without running into—

“Elena!”

I froze.

An older staff, Maria, appeared in the foyer, looking flustered. “Oh good, you’re back. The Alpha needs you. There’s an issue with one of the contracts you were reviewing.”

“Now?” My voice came out higher than I intended.

“Yes, dear. He’s in his study.”

My carefully constructed plan crumbled before my eyes.

“Okay,” I managed. “I’ll just umm… I’ll put my bag down and—”

“He said it’s urgent.”

Of course.

I headed toward Alpha Marcus’s study, my stomach in knots. At least it would keep me occupied till I can hide back in the room. I rounded the corner and nearly collided with someone before strong hands caught my arms keeping me in place.

I looked up to see the one person I had been avoiding.

Kieran.

“Elena.” My name left his lips like it was the first time he was saying it. “I have been looking for you, we need to talk.”

“I am sorry, I can’t. I have to—”

“This will only take a minute.”

“Kieran—”

He stepped closer, and I could smell him. My wolf stirred, responding to his presence despite my best efforts to shut her down.

“Please,” he said quietly. “Just give me five minutes.”

I opened my mouth to refuse.

Then someone cleared their throat behind us.

We both turned.

Alpha Marcus stood in the doorway to his study, his expression unreadable as he took in the scene of us.

“Elena,” he said calmly. “Good. You’re here. Come in, please. We have work to discuss.”

His eyes shifted to Kieran. “And you have training with the security team in ten minutes. You’re late.”

Kieran’s hands dropped from my arms. “Yes, sir.”

He looked at me one more time, then turned and walked away.

I stood there, trying to catch my breath and calm my racing heart.

“Elena?” Alpha Marcus’s voice pulled me back. “Are you coming?”

“Yes. Sorry.” I followed him into the study, grateful for the reprieve but knowing it was temporary.

Eventually, I’d have to face Kieran.

Eventually, we’d have to talk about what happened in that storage room.

But not today.