CHAPTER 171: _ WHERE WE NEED TO BE

It’s Grayson who steps out first.

The black car’s door opens like a slow exhale, and the lights from the streetlights spill over him, highlighting his sharp jaw, rolled sleeves, and that maddening calm that says he knows exactly how much oxygen he steals from a place. The crowd quiets almost instantly. Even the chatter from the seniors thins into a hush.

Heidi’s wolf stirs like she’s been jolted by lightning.

His scent flies to her nose. It is wild and winter-cold, and it shouldn’t smell like home but does. It coils around her senses, dragging its claws across her nerves.

She sucks in a breath. No, no, not this again.

Her wolf growls again. "By the Moon, our wolf is a work of art."

"Shut up," Heidi mutters under her breath, because the last thing she needs is a furry cheerleader reminding her of the very problem standing twenty feet away in the kind of shirt that should be outlawed.

Her pulse trips anyway. It’s that pull again, the one that claws at her from under her skin, urging her to move, to go to him, and to press herself against the source of the scent until everything else fades. Her body remembers too much: the heat of his hand when he caught her in the labyrinth, the brush of his breath against her ear when he whispered run, the ache that never fully went away after that.

And yet... he’s still a jerk.

She forces her feet to stay planted, jaw tightening. Nope. Not today. We’re not doing this dance.

Her wolf chuckles in her head. "You say that, but your heart’s doing the salsa."

Argh, who is she to whine about jerks when their leader resides right in her head?

"Traitor." She spits.

The car door shuts with a soft thud that sounds louder than it should. And just when she thinks it can’t get worse, another door slowly opens this time and Morgan steps out.

If Grayson is a storm in human form, Morgan is the calm right before it. Such tallness that shouts ’quiet command’. His presence rolls through the courtyard like thunder under skin. Even from here, Heidi can feel the hum of dominance that makes the hairs on her arms rise.

"Of course," she mutters. "Because one emotionally confusing nightmare wasn’t enough."

Val nearly squeals beside her. "No way. They even came here? To the dorm?"

Helena whistles low. "I thought they were just playing around in the labyrinth, but apparently, the twins have decided to make it a full-time hobby desiring Heidi. Which in itself... Is strange. Isn’t it, Jia?"

"You bet. Two Alphas seeking a Moon Blessed out? What’s going on between you and these gods exactly?" Jia replies, turning to Heidi.

"Erm... um..." Heidi stammers, knowing damn well she isn’t about to lie about being mated to Morgan when in all sincerity, she’s mated to two and fated to four.

Andre runs a hand through his hair, frowning. "Ignore them, Heidi. It’s what they want, attention."

"Excuse me?" Val snaps. "Ignore two Alpha-bloods who look like they stepped out of a myth? No, ma’am. You shine,

girl." She shoves Heidi lightly toward the front steps.

Heidi staggers, hissing, "Val!"

"Go! Make it look like you own them or something!"

Helena laughs. "Oh, this I’ve got to see."

Even Jia, who is half-muttering about not wanting to go home to her ’stack-poor’ family, pauses mid-rant to grin. "Girl, if two of those came for me, I’d have fainted already."

Andre groans. "I’m surrounded by idiots."

Heidi wants to sink into the earth. Or maybe throw Val into it. "You’re all insane."

But the crowd is watching now. Almost half the courtyard, to be exact, have their gazes fixated on the twins in wonder about their intent for being in such a setting.

The slut jokes about Heidi have gone quiet, replaced with confusion and awe. Because who expects the so-called Pornstar Castell to have not one but two of the Alpha’s sons show up for her?

Grayson waves at her with a grin that’s pure, insufferable arrogance.

Oh, gosh. Why, this idiot–

Heidi narrows her eyes. "I swear, if I don’t kick him in the groin before I die, I’ll have regrets."

Val elbows her. "Smile."

"I’ll smile when I bury him."

"Close enough," Val chirps.

Heidi takes a deep breath, adjusts her backpack strap, and says quietly, "See you guys tomorrow."

Val beams. "Oh, we’re meeting, all right. I’m definitely finding you before Monday, no matter what."

"Sure," Heidi says dryly, but there’s warmth in it. She waves them off, then forces herself toward the two nightmares in black. Every step closer to them feels like walking into a heatwave.

Her wolf paces restlessly in her head, tail flicking. "He’s watching you."

"No kidding," she mutters.

"Not that one," the wolf corrects. "The other one. Morgan."

Her pulse skips again. She looks up, and yes, Morgan’s gaze is locked on her. It’s unreadable, except for the faintest flicker of something that might be... concern?

She frowns. Concern doesn’t suit him. Neither does the fluorescent light. He’s too carved, too controlled for that kind of softness.

Her wolf sighs and speaks in a more feminine tone now. "I always shift like this near them. The male fades. It’s instinct."

"Wonderful," Heidi mutters, "even my wolf goes gender-fluid for them."

"I’d say adaptive."

She can’t respond. The bond’s pulse is growing stronger, hot against the side of her neck. Their marks are howling for them, dying to have their hands all over her once again. She is aching for them. The heat building up between her legs is making sure of it.

Her steps slow as the world narrows to the two of them. When she finally stops before them, her throat feels dry.

Oh, Goddess, what’s the right word to say right now? Welcome them with a smile or remind them that no matter what they do, they’d remain jerks to her? Heidi’s head scrambles for reason, and finds none.

Eventually, she settles for: "Wow," she says, crossing her arms. "What are you two doing here? Lose your way to the Alpha’s mansion?"

Grayson’s grin widens. "Nah. We’re exactly where we meant to be."

"Which is?"

"In front of you," he says simply.